Today’s xkcd webcomic is about the Voynich Manuscript. No one’s really sure what it is, except that it’s a guidebook of sorts to Europe of the High Middle Ages. It’s written in no known language, using no known alphabet, and it’s illustrated at length. Judging by the illustrations it covers a wealth of scientific knoweledge,Continue reading “On xkcd and the Voynich Manuscript”
Category Archives: History
On Celebrating Scottish Heritage
Today, April 6th, is celebrated as Tartan Day. This holiday commemorates America’s Scottish heritage, from the colonization of the New World to the Declaration of Independence and beyond. I first learned of Tartan Day some years ago at the North Carolina Renaissance Faire, and the idea intrigued me. If the Irish get St. Patrick’s Day,Continue reading “On Celebrating Scottish Heritage”
On Ari Fleischer’s Revisionism
Years ago, when I read The Dark Knight Strikes Again, there was a line near the end of the third issue where George Bush’s Press Secretary, Ari Fleischer says “The President doesn’t have to say dick to you media pansies.” As satirical as Frank Miller’s story was, Miller hit really close to the mark; theContinue reading “On Ari Fleischer’s Revisionism”
On Offering Praise to Odin
There’s a comic from DC/Vertigo I’m really enjoying right now — Brian Woods’ Northlanders. It’s about Vikings, and it’s told in story arcs. The first trade paperback, Sven the Returned collects the first eight-issue story arc (for the budget price of ten dollars!), and it’s a pretty involving tale of a young man who leftContinue reading “On Offering Praise to Odin”
On Today’s Birthdays
Today, two hundred years ago, Charles Darwin was born. The man who formulated the theory of natural selection. Also, two hundred years ago today, across an ocean, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was born. When I was growing up in the Shenandoah Valley, my schoolbus carried me every day past theContinue reading “On Today’s Birthdays”
On the Feast Day of St. Cedd
Today, the seventh of January, is celebrated in the Catholic Church as the feast day of Saint Cedd, who was built a number of monasteries and spread the Christian faith throughout Mercia and Essex in the seventh century. (Curiously, Cedd’s feast day is also celebrated on October 26th.) Cedd, of course, is the namesake forContinue reading “On the Feast Day of St. Cedd”
On the End of America
Here’s a cheery Christmas present for us all.A Russian professor predicts that the United States has eighteen months of life left to it. “There’s a 55-45% chance right now that disintegration will occur,” [Igor Panarin]. “One could rejoice in that process,” he adds, poker-faced. “But if we’re talking reasonably, it’s not the best scenario —Continue reading “On the End of America”
On Veterans’ Day
Ninety years ago today, in the fields of Flanders, the guns of the First World War fell silent. In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. ShortContinue reading “On Veterans’ Day”
On Teddy Roosevelt’s Birthday
As long time readers know, there’s probably no President I admire more than T.R. himself, Teddy Roosevelt. From his military career to his historical writings, from his tireless dedication as the Police Commissioner of New York to his unceasing championing of progressive ideals, Teddy Roosevelt was truly one of America’s greatest presidents, and I oftenContinue reading “On Teddy Roosevelt’s Birthday”
On Nelson’s Birthday
Two-hundred and fifty years ago today — September 29, 1758 — Horatio Nelson was born in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk. The hero of the Nile and Trafalgar, Nelson and his fleets kept Napoleon’s navy at bay.