Historiansplaining: A historian tells you why everything you know is wrong Samuel Biagetti

The UFO has been called a "technological angel" and the central mythic symbol of the modern age; we examine some of the extraordinary stories, from throughout history, of strange lights and objects seen flying through the sky, from medieval Italy to modern New Mexico, and consider carefully the problems that they present -- for historians, as well as for government, and for ordinary people who want to fit the strange and anomalous into our understanding of the world.

Suggested further reading: Diana Walsh Pasulka, "American Cosmic"; Vallee & Aubeck, "Wonders in the Sky"; Ross Coulthart, "In Plain Sight"; Graeme Rendall, "The Foo Fighters," Debrief Magazine, Dec. 2021.

Correction: The biologist to whom D.W. Pasulka refers as "James" in "American Cosmic" is Garry P. Nolan, not Craig P. Nolan.

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A silver beaker engraved with figures of Satan, the Pope, and the "Young Pretender" (also known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie") shows how French, Dutch, German, and English colonists in colonial New York united around fear of Catholicism and the Jacobite menace.

Special thanks to the Collections Team at Museum of the City of New York.

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Although more often remembered only as a bloody battleground, Belgium -- along with its smaller neighbor, Luxembourg -- was critical to the strategic landscape of Europe, and played a pivotal role in spreading the war in 1914 beyond the European Continent, making it into a true World War. Both created as independent states in the nineteenth century, Belgium and Luxembourg were linchpins in the delicate balance of power, as well as crucibles of the new social divides in a secularizing and industrializing Europe.

Image: Painting of the Citadel of St. Esprit, Luxembourg, by JMW Turner, 1839.

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In an extended lecture for patrons -- We consider the turbulent history and politics of the country most often blamed for the outbreak of the First World War -- Germany. The youngest of all the combatant nations in World War I, The German Reich's deep class, regional, and religious divides drove Kaiser Wilhelm and his inner circle to seek national aggrandizement abroad as a source of unity at home--which inadvertently led them to unite their rivals against them and dragged them into a war not of their making.

Suggested further reading: Clark, "Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia"; Mary Fulbrook, "A Concise History of Germany."

Image: Hand-Colored Photograph of Kaiser Wilhelm II in Tangier, Morocco, 1905

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In the third installment of our Survey of Western Architecture, we will follow the rise of Renaissance geniuses like Alberti, Bramante, & Michelangelo, their efforts to recover Roman grandeur and dignity in the basilica, the church, and the urban palazzo, followed by the outbreak of baroque extravagance from the streets of Palermo to the halls of Versailles, and then the gradual return to classical balance and understatement in the English country house.

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See the first part of the series here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwCuQLuajn8

See this lecture on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19F9ur-SAR8

We examine the significance of a kilo pohaku, or "stone mirror" -- a small volcanic stone disk used for viewing reflections -- discovered deep inside the ancient Makauwahi Cave on the island of Kaua'i. This extremely rare specimen encapsulates the great mystery of Hawaiian archaeology, which relies on reconstruction from rare stone, bone, and shell objects, and also the threats facing the historical sites and artifacts of ancient Hawaii in a time of natural disaster and rapid development.

Special thanks to: Maui Historical Society, the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Makauwahi Cave Preserve, Kaua'i Community College, Kaua'i Historical Society (particularly Mona), Dr. David Burney, and Jason Ford.

Suggested further reading: David Burney, "Back to the Future in the Caves of Kaua'i."

Image: Kilo pohaku, cowry beads, & bone bead found at Makauwahi Cave; image courtesy of David Burney.

An image illustrating the immersion method of using a kilo pohaku can be seen on the website of Papahana Kuaola here: https://papahanakuaola.org/kukulu-kahua-2/kukulu-kahua-types-and-uses-of-pohaku/

Suggested historical preservation organizations for donations:
--Makauwahi Cave Reserve: http://www.cavereserve.org/donate.php
--Maui Historical Society: https://mauimuseum.org/donate
--Lahaina Restoration Foundation: https://lahainarestoration.org/donate/
--Kaua'i Historical Society: https://kauaihistoricalsociety.org/donate/

Please sign on as a patron to hear the next lecture on the origins of the First World War: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632