Posted inModern Era

Khalsa, the Sikh warriors who had the duty to protect the innocent from any form of religious persecution

Globalization has allowed the Hindu festival of Holi to spread almost everywhere—at least where there is an Indian community—with its irresistible springtime joy and colors. However, another lesser-known festival often takes place around the same time, typically on March 21: a Sikh event called Vaisakhi, which has a strong agrarian aspect and also commemorates the […]

Posted inModern Era, Science

Soviet Experiments to Create a Man-Ape Hybrid that Inspired an Unfinished Opera by Shostakovich

In 1932, Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the most significant composers of the 20th century, started writing a satirical opera that he ultimately left unfinished. Its title, Orango, refers to the name of the unlikely protagonist of an almost surreal plot about the life of a Parisian journalist, a hybrid between a man and an ape. […]

Posted inMiddle Ages

The Turbulent Life of Andronicus I Comnenus, who Managed to Become Emperor by Escaping after 12 Years in Captivity

It’s tough to imagine a life more turbulent and extravagant than that of Andronicus Comnenus, Byzantine emperor and the last of his dynasty. Charismatic, contradictory, lover of worldly pleasures, expert military man, his strong character and lack of scruples led him to experience extreme situations, including twelve years of captivity, numerous military campaigns, scandalous love […]

Posted inMiddle Ages

How the Republic of Venice was Born within the Byzantine Empire as a Defense Against the ‘Barbarians’

As it’s known, the Most Serene Republic of Venice, that mighty maritime state born in the 8th century (independent since the 9th) and lasting until the late 18th century, was governed by a series of institutions (Great Council, Senate, and Council of Ten) under the supreme command of the Doge. Although the Doge was elected […]

Posted inScience

The Bloop, the Mysterious Sound Detected at the Farthest Point from Land in the Pacific Ocean

Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn (In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming) H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu This unpronounceable phrase is familiar to all readers of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. It refers to one of those supratemporal cosmic entities that feature in his fantastical tales, a primordial being that has lain dormant […]

Posted inModern Era

The Story of the Cullinan, the World’s Largest Diamond, whose Discovery was Anticipated by Jules Verne in his Novel ‘The Southern Star’

Jules Verne had an extraordinary visionary ability. “From the Earth to the Moon” anticipated the arrival on our satellite, while “Robur the Conqueror” prophesied Man’s conquest of the air, and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” depicted the electric submarine, among other astonishing literary prophecies. The one narrated in L’Étoile du sud (“The Southern Star” or […]

Posted inModern Era

Montaner, the Italian Village where in 1967 a Religious Schism Occurred, with the People Converting Massively to Orthodoxy

1967 was an important year for the Italian town of Montaner, as an extravagant episode occurred that seemed straight out of an Alberto Sordi or Luigoi Comencini movie; it’s not hard to imagine Totò as the protagonist – or even Fernandel, considering the theme – although the neighbors didn’t experience it with amusement precisely. The […]