Category Archives: History

Go Medieval On Them

Medieval Memes  is a clever, fun project by  the Dutch National Library which takes illustrations from medieval manuscripts in its collection and lets anyone who wants make memes out of them to then share. The reason this is great is … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, History, Libraries | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Bradbury Chronicles

As I have mentioned more than a few times over the years, I was a voracious reader of Ray Bradbury’s novels and short stories as a kid. So, I was excited to see that the American Writers Museum in Chicago … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Books, History, Museums, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Murder At Full Moon

I don’t remember which book that I read first, Of Mice and Men or The Grapes of Wrath, but both had a lasting effect on me and made me a John Steinbeck fan. Over the years, I think that I’ve read every novel and … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Film, History, Museums, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Maps of States

MAPS OF STATES Terrance Hayes  A map indicating the state of the union may Yield the statues, static & statutes of grave White men while a map indicating disrepair may Yield colorful groundbreakers uprooting graves.   A map indicating the … Continue reading

Posted in Books, History, Maps, USA, Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Waving Not Drowning

By now nearly every human being on the planet has seen one version or another of the iconic painting above. What do most of us really know about this sublime work of art ? When woodcut artist Katsushika Hokusai made his famous … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Asia, Europe, History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Infographic Visionaries

Regular visitors to TBTP know how I feel about a clever infographic, so you won’t be surprised that I was intrigued by Information Graphic Visionaries. This new book series celebrates historical figures who dramatically changed the way data is organized … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, History, Maps, USA | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Great Scott

If you have every been to Scotland, you probably noticed that Sir Walter Scott is kind of a big deal there. In honor of the writer’s 250th anniversary this year Scotland is putting on a big celebration of its favorite … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Museums, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Everything old is new again

Tar and Feathers, is a disturbing novel in which the Ku Klux Klan, its principles and activities figure prominently. Based on real experiences, it was written by Victor Rubin and published in 1924 by Universal Press, Chicago. From the jacket … Continue reading

Posted in Books, History, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

NYC’s Tiniest Museum Reopens

Coincidental with the recent announcement from New York City’s quasi-official tourism bureau that the city has “reawakened” for tourism, NYC’s tiniest museum has declared itself open for business again. Like every other visitor attraction hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the … Continue reading

Posted in Art, History, Museums, Tourism, USA | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Underground History

Aboveground at Philadelphia’s famous Independence Mall visitors discover an impressive collection of monuments to American history. Often called the “Cradle of American Liberty,” the popular tourist site contains sculptures of Founding Fathers, buildings inside of which the U.S. Constitution was … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, History, Museums, Public Transport, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment