Fun historical artifact:

Computer price lists from 1964.  Check out the price of a monitor and memory.  Here’s what a printer cost:

This was for a dot-matrix printer, with output that looked like this:

Time marches on.

Natural Disasters in History

The horrifying news from Japan makes us realize the awesome power of nature.  Many times, the course of history has been changed by natural occurrences.

It’s hard to come up with a definitive list of the worst natural disasters in history, but here are some various sites that put forth their candidates.

This site explains the difference between natural disaster and natural hazards, and then lists the worst of the disasters.  This site’s choice for #1?  The Yellow River Flood of 1931 in China.

 

Survivors of the 1931 Yellow River Flood

 

This site doesn’t rank the natural disasters; it lists them in reverse chronological order. This list includes the Black Death, which is probably a contender for the deadliest natural disaster in history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This site ranks disasters by death tolls; it ranks the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake as the worst.

 

 

Newsweek put together a list of natural disasters you never heard about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, from a website appropriately named Epic Disasters, here is a list of epic disasters, broken down by category.

Stained Glass: Beauty with a Purpose

 

The Middle Ages gets a bad rap for being a period when life was devoid of beauty or innovation — but then we see its magnificent cathedrals and we know that wasn’t true.  We could spend a lifetime looking at all of the amazing features of cathedrals.  There are so many elements to examine, such as the sheer mass and complexity of the architecture and the intricate stonework.

The stained glass, a distinctive innovation of Gothic architecture, provided more than just something pretty for worshippers to see.  The windows often told stories from the Bible so that the illiterate masses could see them — think of it as a medieval form of television.

Because cathedrals cost a lot of money to build, the windows also featured images of patrons.  Donors and royalty would be rendered in glass in recognition of their contributions and support. Here’s one example from the chapel at Merton College:

 

 

Scientists as well as historians and artists marvel at the beauty of stained glass.  Nova has an interactive feature that wonders how medieval artisans created stained glass using only sand, wood and fire.

Of course, there are great web resources that you can use to see the beauty of stained glass, such as these tours of Canterbury Cathedral and Chartres Cathedral.  Here you can see detailed images from the Cathedral of Tours.  This site provides a comprehensive look at stained glass from all over Europe.

To take a video tour and see beautiful rose windows, you can take a look at this piece from the BBC:

Cathedral Fascination — Size!

Awe-inspiring. Beautiful. Majestic. Amazing.

Imagine the impact a sight like this must have had on a medieval commoner coming to a town for the first time.

To get a sense of scale:

The message is clear – CHURCH: BIG! Man: Small.

Know your place, puny human.

 

Behold for yourself.

Pictures from skyscrapercity.com

Coming up next:  gargoyles and stained glass windows.

List Love!

List-lover: that’s me.  When I was a kid, I used to read the Guiness Book of World Records and the World Almanac to learn about the “World’s Biggest” this or the “World’s Oldest” that.

Fortunately, in this digital age, I can satisfy my passion for lists with great websites like Listverse.  Where else could you find a list of 15 Frightful Food Facts, 10 Great U.S. Marines, and Top 10 Celebrities Who Have Killed Someone?

And I can combine my love of history and lists when they come up with great ones like this:  The Top 10 Reasons the Dark Ages Were Not Dark.  Just a click away I can find The Top 10 Reasons We Should Revive the Dark Ages.  I may not always agree with what’s on the list or the facts used to explain it, but it still makes for great reading.

As further evidence of Listverse’s fabulousness, I present  10 Curious Tales and Oddities from History.  For a complete list of the historical lists at Listverse, you can go here.  If you find any particularly, um, enlightening, let us know.

Of course, the bizarre lists are fun too.

Disclaimer #1:  Note that some of the lists may “lack suitability” for young gentlemen and ladies!  Ones that require “parental discretion” or “disturbing content” are usually noted.  These are not appropriate for school, so do not have some naughty lists open on your computer and use me as an excuse if you are caught.  Because then you’ll be on my list, if you know what I mean.

Disclaimer #2:  List love is addictive.  When you start checking out lists, you’ll find it hard to stop.  You’ve been warned!

Weird and fascinating cat tales!

Strange jobs from History!

10 Greatest Works of Christian Fiction! (Dazzle two teachers with your knowledge of their subject!)

10 Questions to Make You Think!

Enjoy!

Great site for Black History Month

 

February is Black History Month, and there are lots of terrific  resources to explores on the Internet.  Here’s one:    this site features a map with “legends” and “milestones” of the African-American experience.

 

Clicking on a spot will give you information about a particular event, and also will show you the impact of that event on others.  It’s a great illustration of cause-and-effect which we see so often in history.

“The Dark Ages”

We’re going to be heading into the period generally referred to as “The Dark Ages,” although some historians prefer to use the term “Late Antiquity.”  It covers the time from about 500-1000 AD, when the cultures of the old Roman Empire, Christianity, and the Germanic tribes began merging into a new society to establish a foundation for the modern western world.

History Channel's The Dark Ages

Although people think of this as a time of ignorance and warfare, there was also a great deal of progress.  Figures such as Justinian, Clovis, Charles Martel, Benedict of Nursia, Charlemagne all left their marks on what would become modern Europe.

If you would like a more in-depth look at the “Dark Ages,” check out my VodPod selections on the right.  There are ten YouTube videos from the History Channel movie about the period from the fall of Rome through Charlemagne.  They are entertaining as well as educational.  Enjoy!

Egypt in the News

We’ve begun discussing the founding of Islam.  Understanding its history is crucial to being an involved, educated citizen in today’s world.

If you’ve been following the news, you know that there are big things happening in Northern Africa — most notably in Egypt, but also in Tunisia.  The unrest may be spreading to the Middle East.  (Uh oh.)

What’s going on on Egypt?  CNN for students has a video that summarizes major developments, and explains what it may mean for you.

Two names to keep an eye on as we follow the unrest in Egypt:  Hosni Mubarek and the Muslim Brotherhood.  Both are going to play key roles in what happens next.

Understanding Islam

There’s a video that was produced by PBS called  Islam: Empire of Faith.  If you’d like to know more about what we are discussing in class, grab some popcorn (or your other favorite snack) and something to wash it down, and watch the video.  If it sparks any interesting thoughts or raises questions, start a conversation in the comments!

History is boring and irrelevant. Right?

Wrong.

One of Europe’s most powerful monarchs changed the course of history because the woman he loved wouldn’t have sex with him.

One of the last kings of France died from child abuse and neglect.

One of the greatest scientific minds in history was put on trial because he dared to suggest that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe.

A man who went down in history as one of the greatest explorers ever actually was a complete failure.

The world’s most fearsome warriors (recently featured in a blockbuster summer movie) spent their formative years training to become killing machines … and becoming so attached to other men that when they married, they kidnapped their brides (who shaved their heads and wore boys’ clothing to make themselves more attractive to their mates).

History is definitely not boring.

If you follow headlines, you’ve recently heard a lot about:

• the Arizona law about illegal immigration
• a judge’s decision about gay marriage in California
• building a mosque at Ground Zero
• ending combat operations in Iraq
• Middle East peace talks (yet again)

To understand these issues, it helps if you know about

• the fall of Ancient Rome (what happened when Rome didn’t protect its borders?)
• marriage from the earliest societies until today (is there a common thread through all civilizations regarding the institution of marriage, and does that matter?)
• the history of Islam (what kind of a leader was Muhammad, and exactly what does the Qu’ran say about relations with other religions?)
• the history of Israel, the Jewish Diaspora, and the creation of modern Israel in 1945 (who can rightfully lay claim to that land on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea?)

History boring and irrelevant?  I say no, but I will defer to an expert:  “Professor” Andy Taylor: