Random Learnings #49
Dexter Gordon's Wikipedia page mentioned that he was unable to perform in New York City bars or dancehalls - essentially any place that served alcohol, more importantly the places that…
Random Learnings #48
During Game 2 of the NLCS, the announcers remarked how the New York Mets' team colors were chosen to represent the Brooklyn Dodgers (blue) and New York Giants (orange), teams…
Random Learnings #47
Czechoslovakia first came into existence at the conclusion of World War I and the collapse of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. The new country immediately needed to create a working government, establish…
Random Learnings #46
"A Peasant Leaving His Landlord on Yuriev Day" by Sergei V. Ivanov I thought that Russian serfs were essentially slaves - a belief supported by many English-language references - but…
Nuclear Power Isn’t The Answer
The Brittanica Book of the Year 1972 included a special report Nuclear Power - Promise or Peril? (a oft-used title, if my. web search is any indication) which discussed -…
Random Learnings #45
"United Nations" by japedi is licensed under CC BY 2.0. I knew that China joined the United Nations at Taiwan's expense - China also getting the permanent seat on the…
Random Learnings #44
I picked up a May 1917 National Geographic magazine ( Volume XXXI, Number 5) for its the World War I reporting, and while the articles were interesting I became sidetracked…
Random Learnings #43
Lebensraum is often attributed to Hitler and the Nazis as a component of Germany's imperial and racist visions towards the east, and contributed to the Holocaust as killing the Jews…
Random Learnings #42
In an article on The Guardian, a women describes her mother's abusive boyfriend and the impact on her and her mother's life. Ultimately, her mother dies - it's unclear whether…
Old-School Advertising
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum displays era-appropriate advertising in their restored trolleys. Besides providing a real feel to what the passengers saw at the time, it also shows how society has…