History
-
Read more: Atomic Dreams and Radiant Nightmares: Nuclear Tourism, from Las Vegas to Chernobyl
The year is 1953. In a Nevada desert, before dawn, a crowd of eager onlookers gathered on hotel rooftops and hilltops, wearing protective goggles as if they were theater-goers awaiting the rise of a curtain. The stage, stretching beyond Las Vegas’s neon glow, is a vast expanse of sagebrush and sand. Silence – then a…
-
Read more: How the Wild West Conquered Imagination: Buffalo Bill’s Enduring Legacy
William “Buffalo Bill” Cody stood in the center of a grand arena, the crack of a whip echoing under canvas and sky. Around him, a spectacle unfolded: cowboys galloping with wild whoops, Lakota warriors (some of them actual veterans of Little Bighorn) circling in full headdress, and the thunder of hooves as bison charged across…
-
Read more: Art and Science: Three Celebrity Geniuses
We often draw a sharp line between art and science, imagining on one side the free-spirited artist and on the other the meticulous scientist. Yet history and human creativity frequently defy this division. In truth, the same spark that drives a musician to compose a melody or an actress to inhabit a role can drive…
-
Read more: The Samurai Crab – Evolution, Myth, and the Face in the Shell
On the shores of Japan, there lives a little crab with a big reputation. Its shell, rugged and textured, bears a striking pattern that to human eyes looks uncannily like a face – not just any face, but the fierce visage of an ancient samurai warrior. Bulging eyes, a furrowed brow, a grimacing mouth: the…
-
Read more: The Rise and Fall of Roadside Attractions
In the golden age of the American highway, before fast interstates stitched the coasts together in unbroken asphalt, travelers could find magic on the margins of the road. Neon-lit giants and oddball museums rose from cornfields and deserts, luring families out of their cars to stretch their legs and imaginations. These were the roadside attractions…
-
Read more: Angkor Wat: Temple of the Flooded Forest
Every year, monsoon rains drench the plains of Cambodia. Rivers swell and burst their banks, turning fields into temporary lakes. To most ancient cities, such seasonal flooding would be a curse, a destructive force washing away homes and crops. Yet at Angkor Wat, the deluge was not an enemy to be feared but a heartbeat…
-
Read more: The Spectacle of Evolution
In the late 20th century, philosophers warned of a coming Spectacle – a world where reality would be eclipsed by images and appearances. They saw modern life turning into an immense show, a perpetual carnival of impressions. In this spectacle, everything that was directly lived began to move into representation, as one thinker famously put…
-
Read more: Spinosaurus: A Story about Scientific Truth
Jurassic Park: Rebirth gives us fully aquatic sail-backed dinosaurs terrorizing our main characters. This is a departure from two decades ago when the franchise first tackled Spinosaurus. But how did we get here? In the parched Sahara over a century ago, a set of peculiar fossil bones emerged from ancient rock. The creature hinted at…
-
Read more: Three Times We've Avoided Nuclear War
Lessons for the Unpopular and Shocking U.S. Bombing of Iran
-
Read more: It's Solstice! Let's Explore Five Summer Solstice Traditions from Around the World
Every year, around the time of the summer solstice — the longest day of sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere… communities across the globe honor the sun with vibrant rituals and ancient celebrations. These traditions, rooted in pagan or pre-Christian practices, bridge the distant past and the living present. Bonfires crackle against twilight skies, drums echo…
