We’ve seen them drive large herds from state to state, fight against Native Americans, defend stagecoaches from bandits, duel, and even battle aliens, but there’s something else cowboys can add to their resume: discovering key lithic tools essential for American paleoanthropology. This happened in 1908, and what makes it even more striking is that the […]
USA
Posted inModern Era
How the Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando Became the Bishop of the Moon
The year 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of Man’s landing on the Moon. It was on July 21, 1969, when Commander Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface where the Eagle, the lunar module of the Apollo XI mission, had landed six hours earlier. He was then followed by Buzz Aldrin while Michael Collins stayed behind […]
Posted inScience
A Tiny Creature Discovered in a California Lake is the Closest Living Relative of All Animals
Mono Lake, nestled in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada, is famous for its towering tufa formations, brine shrimp, and dense clouds of alkali flies that have uniquely adapted to its salty waters, which also contain traces of arsenic and cyanide. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have now discovered another unusual inhabitant of the lake: […]
Posted inModern Era
“The Adventures of Baron Trump”, the 19th-century literary saga that has parallels with Donald Trump
Can you imagine a novel where a boy named Trump embarks on thrilling adventures, discovers strange civilizations, and gets into trouble with natives for unintentionally insulting them in their unfamiliar language? Well, you don’t have to imagine it because it exists; however, its protagonist is not the ineffable former U.S. president, but another who calls […]
Posted inArchaeology
Why Did the 50,000 Inhabitants Abandon the Great Pre-Hispanic City of Cahokia? Archaeologists Assert Drought Was Not the Cause
Nine hundred years ago, Cahokia, located just across the Mississippi River from present-day St. Louis, was a thriving metropolis. With a population of around 50,000, it was one of the largest communities globally. By 1400, however, Cahokia was almost entirely deserted, leaving behind a mystery that has intrigued historians and archaeologists. A common theory posited […]
Posted inModern Era
How Brazil Became the Last Refuge of the Confederates
Rio de Janeiro, Salvador de Bahia, Recife, Fortaleza, Manaus—these are the cities in Brazil that attract tourism. It is unlikely that a traveler would note in their agenda two places practically unknown to most, such as Santa Bárbara d’Oeste or Americana. However, a historian—and probably also a novelist or a filmmaker—would find an incredibly interesting […]
Posted inGeography
The Minneapolis Skyway System That Allows You to Traverse Downtown Without Going Outside
Can you imagine being able to walk down the street without having to endure harsh weather conditions? Traveling from one end of the city to the other safe from the rain, the scorching summer heat, or the freezing winter cold? Well, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, you can. Not on every street, of course, but on the […]
Posted inScience
The Extinction of Passenger Pigeons, the World’s Most Abundant Birds Darkened the Sky with Flocks 500 Kilometers Long
Passenger pigeons, scientifically known as Ectopistes migratorius, were once the most abundant birds in North America, and possibly the world. Their name, derived from the French passager meaning “passenger”, reflects their migratory habits. These birds traveled in enormous flocks that, according to historical accounts, darkened the sky during their passage, and their wing beats produced […]
Posted inArchaeology, Culture
The Anasazi Used Conch Shells as Trumpets to Communicate 1,000 Years Ago
Research into senses and perceptions can greatly enrich our understanding of human experiences in the past. In recent decades, sensory studies have gained ground in archaeology, allowing researchers to explore new ways to understand how people experienced and related to ancient landscapes. An interdisciplinary team has just published a fascinating study using Geographic Information Systems […]
Posted inSecond World War
Why did the Iroquois Confederacy Declare War on Germany in 1942?
Maybe it was just a footnote to Hitler, but in 1942, the Iroquois Confederacy declared war on Germany, separate from the war declared by the Washington government. This was a sign of the autonomy with which this ancient entity, also known as the League of Six Nations, operates. Today, with about forty-nine thousand members (plus […]