A new look at antique US railroad maps reveals how cities grew over the past 200 years. The FT’s Alan Smith and Steven Bernard trace how cities, people and the economy spread from coast to coast.
Tag Archives: History
Medical Videos: The “History Of Cardiac Care”
We’ve come a long way since the first heartbeat was heard. This American Heart Month, we take a look at the history of cardiac care — and celebrate the leading-edge innovations that make a better future possible.
Video Interviews: 55-Year Old Actor Mike Wolfe Of “American Pickers” (CBS)
An archaeologist of antiques, Mike Wolfe has taken viewers on a nationwide scavenger hunt for historic finds via his History Channel series, “American Pickers.”
But he’s not just about buying up the past; he’s also helping preserve it, by restoring old Main Street buildings in Le Claire, Iowa, and elsewhere. Lee Cowan talked with Wolfe about his passion for relics of history.
History & Literature: “Homer and the Epics”
The bard and the visual artists he inspired.
Phoebe C. Segal, Mary Bryce Comstock Curator of Greek and Roman Art
Homer is the legendary author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are the central works of ancient Greek literature. The Iliad is set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek kingdoms. It focuses on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles lasting a few weeks during the last year of the war. The Odyssey focuses on the ten-year journey home of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, after the fall of Troy. Many accounts of Homer’s life circulated in classical antiquity, the most widespread being that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.
From Wikipedia
History: “Discovering Ancient Nubia: Kings and Pyramids in the Sudan”
Take a close look at the tombs of the Napatan kings who conquered and ruled Egypt from the late 8th century to 666 BCE, using objects that the MFA excavated from 1913 to 1932 with archeologist George Reisner.
Napatan kings later held sway over the kingdom of Kush in the northern Sudan, and built pyramids for themselves and their wives in cemeteries at Kurru and Napata. Studying these lavishly decorated pyramids, and the mortuary rites that took place in the attached chapels, makes clear some of the differences between ancient Egyptian and Napatan beliefs and priorities.
Susan K. Doll, Nubian scholar
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Art: “The Rediscovery Of Gaston Lévy’s Collection” Of Paul Signac & Camille Pissarro (Sotheby’s Video)
Known best as the author of Paul Signac’s first catalog raisonné, Gaston Lévy was perhaps the most remarkable art collector in pre-war Paris. After the Nazi regime seized his properties and dispersed his paintings, masterpieces were thought to have been lost to the Lévy family forever.
However, This February Sotheby’s is proud to offer three recently restituted masterworks from the Lévy collection in our Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale. In this episode of Expert Voices, Sotheby’s Head of Restitution Lucian Simmons chronicles the story of Gaston Lévy’s collection and explores the extraordinary talent of Paul Signac and Camille Pissarro through their works Gelee Blache, Quai de Clichy and La Corne D’or.
(4 February | London)
Photography: History Of Instant Photos At “The Polaroid Project” (PBS)
The Polaroid camera bypassed the entire process of film development, thus providing photographers an immediate look at their work. Released for sale in 1948, the first version was an “instant” hit. Now, the museum at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is showcasing the intersection of technology and art. Special correspondent Jared Bowen of WGBH reports.
Video Interviews: Author Joseph S. Nye, Jr. On His Book “Do Morals Matter?”
As one of the leading figures in the field of international relations, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, has had a major influence on the way that policymakers think American foreign policy.
In his new book, “Do Morals Matter: Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump,” Professor Nye explores the question of how heavily moral questions weigh on the decisions of U.S. presidents since the end of World War II. On this episode of Behind The Book, produced by Library and Knowledge Services at Harvard Kennedy School, we take a look at Professor Nye’s new book and how he assesses the legacy of past presidents based on the morality of their foreign policy.
“Do Morals Matter: Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump” is published by Oxford University Press.
Joseph S. Nye Jr., is the University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus and former Dean of the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He has served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Chair of the National Intelligence Council, and Deputy Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology.
His most recent books include The Power to Lead; The Future of Power; Presidential Leadership and the Creation of the American Era; and Is the American Century Over. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the British Academy, and the American Academy of Diplomacy.
In a recent survey of international relations scholars, he was ranked as the most influential scholar on American foreign policy, and in 2011, Foreign Policy named him one of the top 100 Global Thinkers.
New Documentaries: “Ali & Cavett: The Tale Of The Tapes” On HBO (Trailer)
Eye-opening documentary explores the life of boxing legend Muhammad Ali through the lens of his many appearances on Dick Cavett’s iconic, long-running talk show. Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes premieres Feb. 11 at 9pm on HBO.
Tributes: LIFE Magazine Photographer Bill Ray Dies At 84 (1936 – 2020)
From a The Guardian online release:
Bill Ray, primarily known for his work for Life magazine, has died aged 84. Born in Nebraska in 1936, he graduated from local newspapers to a staff job on Life, and photographed 46 covers for Newsweek. He was famed for his images of celebrities, and also covered the Hells Angels motorcycle club and the aftermath of the Watts riots.
Boomers Daily 