OPIUM: BBC Documentary Series, A Complete History
11 Nov
“The great Opium War of 1840 and the resulting transfer of Hong Kong Island to Britain. How Jardine and Matheson profited from the illegal trade of opium and convinced England to launch an assault on China. Tea and opium are intrinsically linked and one sixth of Britain’s economy was due to trade in opium, an illegal substance.”
America’s Revolution Was Fought By The Poor, Not The Citizens
10 NovAmerica’s Revolution Was Fought By The Poor, Not The Citizens
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The impoverished, the disenfranchised, and the “filth” (Washington’s words not ours), fought for and won all the lofty freedoms conceived of in town halls, alehouses, and eventually Philadelphia. That didn’t just happen at random, either. That’s exactly how America’s wealthier colonists planned it.
When the war became reality, there was a remarkable dearth of ardent patriots willing to stop a musket ball for “liberty.” Overwhelmingly, colonists of any means whatsoever paid drifters and vagabonds to take their place in the fight against the British. Or, if they had them available, a wealthy colonist might order a slave or servant to join the army. Is there anything nobler than risking the life of another for your ideals? Apparently not, since it wasn’t just the powdered wig wearers who bought the military service of the poor. Middle and lower-class colonists alike often pooled their monies together to hire a “down and outer” for three years’ service. When all else failed, colonies (especially the southern ones) released convicts and enrolled them in the army.”
http://i0.wp.com/knowledgenuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/rev.jpg?resize=1024%2C537
Ancient Kingdom Discovered Beneath Mound in Iraq Oct 1, 2013 10:00 AM ET // by Owen Jarus, LiveScience
8 Nov“
In the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq archaeologists have discovered an ancient city called Idu, hidden beneath a mound.
Cuneiform inscriptions and works of art reveal the palaces that flourished in the city throughout its history thousands of years ago.
Located in a valley on the northern bank of the lower Zab River, the city’s remains are now part of a mound created by human occupation called a tell, which rises about 32 feet (10 meters) above the surrounding plain. The earliest remains date back to Neolithic times, when farming first appeared in the Middle East, and a modern-day village called Satu Qala now lies on top of the tell.”
12 Years a Slave Trailer 2013 Brad Pitt Movie – Official [HD]
23 Oct
“In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by Michael Fassbender) as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist (Brad Pitt) forever alters his life.”
8 Natural Disasters of Ancient Times
12 Oct8 Natural Disasters of Ancient Times
From Listverse”Natural disasters are something that humanity has had to deal with since its inception. They have the capability to wipe out significant amounts of the human and wildlife populations where they strike. In fact, it is possible that a natural disaster will be the cause of the end of the world, whenever that inevitably happens. They could be avoided, to some extent, by removing the human population from areas where natural disasters are known to strike. However, looking back on natural disasters in the past, we see that people were just as prone to exposing themselves to the risk of natural disasters as they are today.”
History Channel Mankind The Story of All of Us Episode 1/12 Inventors
21 Sep
“Mankind embraces a groundbreaking way of telling this epic human story. Drawing on a growing global interest in a revelatory field of history, now adopted by universities across the globe. ‘Big history’ focuses on the forces of nature to show how mankind’s path is guided by events that stretch back, not hundreds, but thousands, even millions of years. How the power of science, from geology and astronomy, to physics and biology, combined to shape our shared human journey. Revealing astounding global connections, and an astonishing interconnected story. This is history without limits. Free from boundaries and politics. Our story, like it’s never been told before. Written by History Channel “
Guns Germs and Steel | Documentary
21 Sep
Why do some civilizations advance while others remain stagnant?
Diamond argues that Eurasian civilization is not so much a product of ingenuity, but of opportunity and necessity. That is, civilization is not created out of superior intelligence, but is the result of a chain of developments, each made possible by certain preconditions.
The earliest human societies lived as hunter-gatherers. The first step towards civilization is the move from hunter-gatherer to agriculture, with the domestication and farming of wild crops and animals. Agricultural production leads to food surpluses, which supports sedentary societies, specialization of craft, rapid population growth, and specialization of labor. Large societies tend to develop ruling classes and supporting bureaucracies, which may lead in turn to the organization of nation states and empires”
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Related articles
- Guns, Germs and Steel (mslefere.wordpress.com)
- Admixture mapping in Northern Europeans? (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
- The Neolithic Period (eliashernandez2013.wordpress.com)
- European hunter-gatherers owned pigs as early as 4600 BC (scooprocket.com)
- Why Nations Fail: Suggested Reading for Rainforest Architects (innovationrainforest.com)
- European hunter-gatherers owned pigs as early as 4600BC (eurekalert.org)
- Ecuador history (slideshare.net)
THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: The Library
19 SepTHE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: The Library
JUDAEA, First Jewish War. 66-70 CE. AR Shekel (22mm, 13.19 g, 12h). Dated year 3 (68/9 CE). “Shekel of Israel,” Omer cup with pearled rim; date above / “Jerusalem the Holy,” sprig of three pomegranates. Meshorer 202; Hendin 662. EF, attractive dark gray toning. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
- Bible
- Talmud, Rabbinics, and Ancient Judaism
- Holocaust Studies
- Israel Studies
- Jewish Art
- Jewish Communal Service and Public Administration
- Jewish Education
- Jewish Genealogy
- Jewish History
- Jewish Languages and Literature
- Jewish Lifecycle
- Jewish Music
- Jewish Studies (General)
- Jewish Women
Related articles
- Jewish Theological Seminary receives $2.67 million (timesofisrael.com)
- RJ.org – News and Views of Reform Jews: The Year In Youth Engagement (blogs.rj.org)
- Jewish Theological Seminary graduate school receives $2.67 million grant (jta.org)
Russia, the Kievan Rus, and the Mongols: Crash Course World History
14 Sep
“In which John Green teaches you how Russia evolved from a loose amalgamation of medieval principalities known as the Kievan Rus into the thriving democracy we know today. As you can imagine, there were a few bumps along the road. It turns out, our old friends the Mongols had quite a lot to do with unifying Russia. In yet another example of how surprisingly organized nomadic raiders can be, the Mongols brought the Kievan Rus together under a single leadership, and concentrated power in Moscow. This set the stage for the various Ivans (the Great and the Terrible) to throw off the yoke and form a pan-Russian nation ruled by an autocratic leader. More than 500 years later, we still have autocratic leadership in Russia. All this, plus a rundown of some of our favorite atrocities of Ivan the Terrible, and a visit from Putin!”
Related articles
- Religious, Political Leaders Mark Historic Anniversary Of Kievan Rus (rferl.org)
- A Brief History of Russian Architecture (architecture.answers.com)
- Religion, Politics Mix As Ukraine Prepares For Kievan Rus Anniversary (rferl.org)
- History of Ukraine (gotodonetsk.wordpress.com)
- The Largest Countries in Asia (geography.answers.com)
- Putin Stumps for the Orthodox Church in a Film Celebrating the Kievan Rus Anniversary (theatlantic.com)
Idi Amin Dada: President of Uganda in the 1970s (evil dictator)
14 Sep
“Idi Amin Dada, who became known as the ‘Butcher of Uganda’ for his brutal, despotic rule whilst president of Uganda in the 1970s, is possibly the most notorious of all Africa‘s post-independence dictators. Amin seized power in a military coup in 1971 and ruled over Uganda for 8 years. Estimates for the number of his opponents who were either killed, tortured, or imprisoned vary from 100,000 to half a million. He was ousted in 1979 by Ugandan nationalists, after which he fled into exile.”http://africanhistory.about.com/od/biography/a/bio_amin.htm..
Related articles
- Masters of Evil: Idi Amin and Mobutu (Part 1) (expertspages.com)
- Masters of Evil: Idi Amin and Mobutu (Part 2) (expertspages.com)
- Ten years after his death, Amin’s legacy draws measured review (monitor.co.ug)
10 Great Sites for Bored History Nerds – Flavorwire
30 AugIf you’re crazy about history like I am, take a look at the site http://flavorwire.com/412297/10-great-sites-for-bored-history-nerds
The big history project now available!
20 AugTHE BIG HISTORY PROJECTGreat reference for educators world wide, free of charge! Check out @BigHistoryPro’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/BigHistoryPro/status/369631370240225280
The big history project now available!
20 AugGreat reference for educators world wide, free of charge! Check out @BigHistoryPro’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/BigHistoryPro/status/369631370240225280
Online NewsHour: Conflict in Chechnya | Early History | PBS
20 AugA brief history of Chechnya. This is one of the most interesting. I’ve ever read about. A long history of violence… http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/europe/chechnya/history.html
10 Heart-Breaking Photos That Might Reduce You To Tears | So Bad So Good
19 AugYes these are heartbreaking photos it did bring a tear to my eye http://sobadsogood.com/2013/08/19/10-heart-breaking-photos-that-might-reduce-you-to-tears/
Watch “Pre-Islamic history of the Middle East” on YouTube
18 Aug” In the 14th century a Muslim historian named Ibn khaldun wrote about the power of history. Farmers would build irrigation systems supporting villages and towns. Later some warrior would bring these towns under his rule form for a United political entity, like a kingdom or at Empire.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBpQiJt3MUQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I Love History...and Research 
