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Tambora and the American Frontier
In the final essay in our series "The Year Without a Summer," we'll examine how Tambora's eruption motivated westward expansion of the United States.
Aug 27
•
Nicole Miras
3
How a Volcano Gave Us the Bicycle
From the invention of the "running machine," to the birth of meteorology, let's examine a few bright spots that appeared after Tambora's tragic…
Aug 20
•
Nicole Miras
13
Frankenstein, Yunnan, and the Opium Trade
The Year Without a Summer inspired authors from England to Southwestern China. But horrific famines would also compel farmers to turn to a lucrative…
Aug 17
•
Nicole Miras
8
The Year Without a Summer
Mount Tambora's 1815 eruption was the largest volcanic event in recorded history, with broad implications for the global climate, agriculture, the arts…
Aug 10
•
Nicole Miras
16
6
The Alchemist Who Broke China's Porcelain Monopoly
Johann Friedrich Böttger made the terrible mistake of promising a king that he could turn base metals into gold. When life hands you lemons, make…
Jul 31
•
Nicole Miras
32
Ottomans, Venetians, and the Riches of Cultural Exchange
Sometimes friends, sometimes foes, always open for business.
Jun 25
•
Nicole Miras
38
2
The Forever Wars and "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Lessons from the greatest anti-war novel ever written.
Jun 17
•
Nicole Miras
31
14
The Fight Against Zombie Culture: the New Feudalism, Revisited
Why the humanities matter now more than ever
Mar 24
•
Nicole Miras
42
4
So, Where Do the Fairies Actually Come From?
At the end of our series, we address the question that has pestered folklorists for generations.
Mar 10
•
Nicole Miras
7
3
Annwn, Otherworlds, and Kingdoms Under the Earth
In the late Middle Ages, the fairy emerges as a distinct, folkloric figure.
Mar 9
•
Nicole Miras
9
A Midsummer Nightmare?
William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" includes one of the most famous literary depictions of fairies. How do Oberon and Titania compare to…
Feb 19
•
Nicole Miras
19
Who Was the Real St. Valentine?
And how did medieval ideas regarding courtly love inform the way we celebrate Valentine's Day?
Feb 12
•
Nicole Miras
31
2
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