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Louis Wigfall. Origin and Character Wigfall was born on a plantation in the vicinity of Edgefield, South Carolina, to a prosperous merchant from Charleston, while his mother hailed from French Huguenot lineage. Tragically, his father passed away when Wigfall was merely two years old, and he lost his mother at the age of thirteen. He […]
The Louis Blanc, piloted by Eugène Farcot. Part of the Balloon Post. Historical Context: The Franco-Prussian War and the Siege of Paris The Franco-Prussian War began in 1870, with Prussian forces quickly overwhelming French defenses. By September, Paris was completely encircled by Prussian troops, cutting off communication with the rest of the country. The Government […]
This bust was found in the Licinian Tomb in Rome. It is thought to be Crassus, although this is disputed. Source: Sergey Sosnovskiy, available here. Led by Crassus, one of Rome’s wealthiest men and a member of the First Triumvirate, the Roman forces had embarked on a campaign against the Parthians, expecting to expand Rome’s […]
Naga tribesmen, circa 1905. The agreement reached in 1975 became a flashpoint for division and militarization within the Naga National Movement. Key leaders rejected the Accord outright, arguing that accepting the Indian Constitution and laying down arms amounted to surrendering Naga independence- anyone who did sign this meant he or she was a traitor. This […]
Robin Hood with Sir Guy. From Bold Robin Hood and His Outlaw Band: Their Famous Exploits in Sherwood Forest by Louis Rhead. The tales of Robin Hood demonstrate many stories adapted to their time period. As the culture changes so do their heroes. For example, the later tales written during the Reformation included a corrupt […]
R.V. Jones (left), DCI James Woolsey, and Jeanne de Clarens. Early life and education R.V. Jones was born on September 29, 1911, in Herne Hill, London, to a family of modest means. From an early age, he exhibited an intense curiosity for how things worked, which led him to pursue studies in physics. Jones attended […]
A 1915 advert for Cascade Whisky from the Rock Island Argus. Nashville From the 1890s through the tumultuous years leading to Prohibition, the city of Nashville was very much like the wild west—a bustling, exciting, changing, and dangerous place. Political debates and rallies were frequently held in the downtown streets with hordes in attendance. Legal […]
Phineas Gage in the time after his accident. Phineas Gage is perhaps the most famous neurological patient in modern history, called one of the “great medical curiosities of all time” and a “living part of medical folklore.” Malcolm MacMillan of the University of Melbourne records that two-thirds of introductory psychology textbooks cover Gage and his […]
Barnes Neville Wallis. Early life and education Wallis’s early life provided the foundation for his eventual career in engineering. His father, Charles Wallis, was a doctor, but young Barnes developed an early fascination with mechanical objects, much to his father’s frustration. After attending Christ’s Hospital school in Sussex, where he displayed a knack for mathematics […]
The Uffington White Horse. Source: World Wind, available here. The description of this activity has been termed “leucippotomy” for the carving of horses and “gigantotomy” for giants (there are currently four of this kind in Britain). Whether these adopted terms are intended to be applied seriously is debatable since they do not appear in the […]