Category Archives: History

Aerial Travel & History: The ‘Medieval Castles Of Wales’ (Smithsonian Video)

Wales has no shortage of magnificent castles – from the impenetrable stronghold of Harlech Castle, to the fierce fortifications of Carnarvon. Wales boasts a series of castles known as the Iron Ring, built as part of Edward I’s determination to stamp his authority over the tribes of Wales.

Aerial Britain: Scotland https://bit.ly/31x9olp

Artwork: ‘The Orange Chair, 1944’ By British Painter Cedric Morris

Sir Cedric Lockwood Morris, 9th Baronet was a British artist, art teacher and plantsman. He was born in Swansea in South Wales, but worked mainly in East Anglia. As an artist he is best known for his portraits, flower paintings and landscapes

Customs: A Two-Minute History Of ‘Beards’ (Video)

You know how scratchy and gross beards can be? Who would want one, anyway? Take a 2-minute ride in our time machine and jump way, way back, 3000 years ago. We’ll check out what’s up with beards and why men (and women!) might have wanted one.

Walking Tours: History & Traditions Of Christmas In London (Video)

Merry Christmas! Joolz takes a walk around the Christmas locations in London and talks all about the traditions that make Christmas here in London without letting lockdowns dampen our spirits. There’s Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol of course and we see the beautiful Christmas decorations and window displays at Fortnum and Mason, Covent Garden, Selfridges and more. Why we have a Christmas tree, what’s in mince pies, Christmas cards, Christmas crackers and the grinch who banned Christmas!! All the while the ghost of Christmas past is trying to stop Ebeneezer Joolz turning into an old Scrooge. Thanks to The Albert (Primrose Hill) and The Haverstock Tavern for the meal!

Top Short Films: ‘Treeline’

Directed by Jordan Manley

Patagonia Films presents: Treeline. Follow a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists and healers to the birch forests of Japan, the red cedars of British Columbia and the bristlecones of Nevada, as they explore an ancient story written in rings.

Producers: Laura Yale, Monika McClure

Executive Producers: Alex Lowther, Jimmy Hopper, Josh Nielsen

Cinematography, editing, principal sound design: Jordan Manley

Additional Cinematography: Scott Secco

Associate Producers: Garrett Grove, Lisa Ida, Soichiro Uchino, Mie Sawatari

Editorial Advisors: Daniel Irvine, Chad Manley

Motion Graphics: Daniel Irvine

Additional Sound Design and Mix: Jeff Yellen / Ridgeline Sound

Cast & Athletes

Taro Tamai
Hidehiko Wajima
Kazushi “Orange Man” Yamauchi
Yuki Miyazaki
Alex Yoder
Leah Evans
Carston Oliver
Laura Yale
Connie Millar
Diane Delaney
Michael Cohen
Deb MacKillop
Suzanne Simard
Akihiko Tamaki
Konami Tsukamoto

Still Photographer: Garrett Grove

Additional Audio Recordings: Travis Rummel / Felt Soul Media

Cocktails With A Curator: ‘Hoffman’s Bust of Henry Clay Frick’ (Frick Video)

In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon takes a closer look at Malvina Cornell Hoffman’s marble bust of Henry Clay Frick, the museum’s founder, and considers the complicated legacy of the Pennsylvania-born industrialist. This month marks several important milestones for the Frick, including the eighty-fifth anniversary of the opening of a museum for, in Frick’s words, “all persons whomsoever.” This oft-overlooked bust was commissioned by his daughter, Helen Clay Frick, and for many years welcomed guests in the Entrance Hall at 1 East 70th Street. This week’s complementary cocktail is the Old Fashioned, a nod to Frick’s first job as an accountant for the family whiskey distillery.

Video Profiles: French Nobel Prize Author Albert Camus (1913 -1960)

This week, we’re putting the focus on Nobel Prize-winning French author Albert Camus. As 2020 saw France mark 60 years since his death in a car crash, Camus’s seminal work “The Plague” was unexpectedly thrust back into the spotlight by the Covid-19 pandemic.

From the UK to Japan, the 1947 novel established itself as a global sensation, topping sales charts and pushing publishers into a rushed reprint. But Camus’s prolific and multi-faceted career extends far beyond this viral hit. We tell you more about the author’s life, starting with his humble beginnings in French-ruled Algeria. 

Disease: ‘Malaria – The Deadliest Pandemic In World History’ (Video)

The covid-19 pandemic may have derailed the world in 2020, but a far deadlier disease has shaped human history for thousands of years. Malaria defeated armies, fuelled the slave trade and jump-started the modern environmental movement. How covid-19 hinders the fight against malaria: https://econ.st/3gAsfCj

Travel & History: Source Of Water For ‘Kakigori’ Shaved Ice In Japan (Video)

A geologist travels deep into Saitama Prefecture to investigate why whale fossils are being found so far from the nearest ocean and why the shaved ice there is so delicious.

The dessert is kakigori, a traditional Japanese shaved-ice specialty that has quickly become the dessert of choice at some of America’s most high-profile restaurants, and continues to grow in popularity. In its home country, however, kakigori has been popular for literal centuries: The idea dates back to the 11th century, when frozen blocks of ice from lakes would be preserved in the winter, only to be finely shaved and served with sweet syrup to Japan’s elite class in the summers. In the 19th century, when ice became more widely available, the public was able to try it, and now — thanks to electric refrigeration — kakigori is ubiquitous during warmer months.

Art: ‘Beyond The Surface’ – Monet’s “Changing Light”

This video takes an in-depth look at Monet’s approach to painting in series, an approach that consumed his later years. From stacks of wheat in the French countryside to sites of foggy London to water lilies at his home garden in Giverny, Monet painted beloved subjects again and again, depicting changing light and atmospheric conditions in works that captivate us still today. New scientific discoveries, however, reveal that Monet’s genius goes well beyond what we see on the surface.

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