Articles in ‘History’

The Rise and Abandonment of Gunkanjima – Japan’s Battleship Island · In the relentless pursuit of money, power, and industrial dominance, humanity has often pushed the limits of both engineering and endurance. Few places illustrate this more starkly than Gunkanjima, Japan’s infamous “Battleship Island”—a tiny slab of rock in the East China Sea that once symbolised the heights of industrial ambition and today stands as one of the world’s most…

Before the Iron Curtain: The centuries-old roots of the Russia–Europe rift · In 1946, Winston Churchill’s Fulton Speech symbolically marked the beginning of the Cold War between the Western world and the Soviet Union. Since then, relations between Russia and the West have been fraught with tension. In recent years, this culminated in a strong and almost existential antagonism.  · Surprisingly, just a while ago, Russia viewed Europe…

Winston Churchill’s Fulton address was a signal for the Iron Curtain to drop, and for nukes to almost drop as well ByTarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory https://www.rt.com/op-ed/authors/tarik-cyril-amar/@tarikcyrilamartarikcyrilamar.substack.comtarikcyrilamar.com · © Legion-Media /…

The land issue was the pillar of Kenyan resistance against colonialism · How do nations truly break free from colonial chains? What happens when a population, stripped of its land and dignity, decides to fight back against an empire? And what enduring legacies are left when freedom is finally won, but the wounds of the past refuse to heal? These questions lie at the heart of Kenya’s struggle for independence. · Kenya was a prime…

The Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day or Theophany, is an ancient Christian holiday that predates the celebration of Christmas. People around the world still observe it today, typically on January 6. However, some observers, including Catholics in America, honor different dates. Traditions vary by region. In many Spanish-speaking countries, children receive presents on Día de Los Reyes (Three Kings Day) instead of or in addition to…

The concept of gathering in convivial settings to enjoy a sumptuous feast has persisted throughout the history of humankind. Dating back as far as prehistoric man, the consumption of substantial amounts of food to celebrate the midwinter solstice has been discovered through archaeological finds in locations such as Stonehenge. In the time of the Romans, the winter festival known as Saturnalia began on the 17th December and involved a week-long…

For nearly her entire life, Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India, kept a diary detailing royal life, world affairs, political intrigue and even her passion for her husband, Prince Albert. Starting in 1832 when she was 13, Victoria wrote nearly every day for nearly 69 years—sometimes jotting thousands of words at a time and occasionally studding the pages with her own drawings and watercolors.…

It may not be generally known that, immediately after WWII, as many as 48,000 volunteers, both Jews and non-Jews, from 59 nations arrived in Israel to fight for its independence. About 90% of Israel's fledging Air Force pilots were new arrivals – the often-overlooked heroes of their time. In many Western countries, the present cohort of military-age young people generally seems to display an ignorance of integrity, the indispensable value of…

The first recorded use of the term “Black Friday” was applied not to post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping but to a financial crisis: specifically, the crash of the U.S. gold market on September 24, 1869. Two notoriously ruthless Wall Street financiers, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, worked together to buy up as much of the nation's gold as they could, hoping to drive the price sky-high and sell it for astonishing profits. On that Friday in September,…

Many of us are currently opening little doors to reveal chocolate, gin or lipgloss, culminating on December 25th when the real orgy of present-opening will begin. In some households, dogs and cats have their own advent calendars, while rabbits can feast on no-mince pies to get them in the festive spirit. And this year in particular, advent windows are popping up all over the Christmas-celebrating parts of the world, with Christmassy scenes…