Category Archives: History

It’s A Very Dickensian Christmas

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Following an extensive eight month, £3 million restoration and redevelopment project, London’s Charles Dickens Museum reopened on December 10th just in time to celebrate a Dickens Christmas and to top-off the Dickens 2012 Bicentenary year festivities. The beloved author’s Bloomsbury … Continue reading →

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Caught Mapping

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

In this era of Google Maps, Street View, GPS and satnav systems, most of us take the humble road map for granted. We don’t appreciate the complex and tedious work that was involved in the production of accurate road maps … Continue reading →

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Above Paris (revisited)

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

The first time zeppelins flew over Paris, it was to bomb the city during World War I. Now, a German zeppelin company says it is nearing agreement with a company in Paris that plans to offer flights around the Eiffel … Continue reading →

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Before Baumgartner

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

One hundred years before the Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner took his leap, there was another Austrian daredevil– Franz Reichelt. According to French magazine Nouvel Observateur, this tailor from Vienna had moved to France as a young man and become a … Continue reading →

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Or, the Whale

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Yesterday, Google treated us to a neat Google Doodle to celebrate the 161st anniversary of the publication of Moby Dick, or, the whale, the iconic American novel by Herman Melville. If you have yet to meet the challenge of the … Continue reading →

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Ireland, Who Knew ?

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Many thanks to the folks at GoIreland.com for this quirky infographic on Irish inventors and inventions. Take a peek at their website the next time you are planning a visit to Ireland.

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Bane of Banned Books

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Banned Books Week is the national book community’s annual celebration of the freedom to read. Hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the United States draw attention to the dangers of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a … Continue reading →

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The Key to Character

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

In celebration of the bicentennial of Charles Dickens’ birth, the New York Public Library has opened a wonderful, special exhibition called “Charles Dickens: The Key to Character”. Running through January 27, 2013, and held in the iconic Stephen A. Schwartzman … Continue reading →

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A History of New York

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Drawing inspiration from last year’s BBC/British Museum collaboration called “A History of the World in 100 Objects”, the New York Times selected a group of historians to decide what should be part of “A History of New York in 50 … Continue reading →

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What’s Your Type

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Next month, Gotham Books is releasing the paperback edition of its very entertaining title Just My Type by Simon Garfield. To promote the release, Gotham Books has posted this cool poster of “The Periodic Table of Typeface”. Here’s what Garfield … Continue reading →

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