Unruly History in the News #52
Book release week edition! 📖
Hey everyone,
My debut book, Unruly Figures, was released this week! It was very surreal and emotional to see it on shelves. I spoke at Interabang Books on Friday night—we had a great time. I’m also giving away signed copies of the book—learn more!
Giveaway! Signed Books For Subscribers!
Before we get into this week’s roundup, I wanted to let y’all know that I will not be posting an episode on Tuesday—I forgot to bring my microphone on my brief writing retreat/mini book tour, so I can’t record until I’m back in Los Angeles on the 19th. Sorry about that, y’all!
Also, while I’m on my writing retreat I won’t have internet, so I won’t be posting another roundup next week. This one is very long to make up for it!
In history acting unruly…
March is Women’s History Month, so obviously I need to point out some resources for learning about women’s history.
Speaking of: Are you familiar with how Hedy Lamarr laid the groundwork for modern wifi?
Women’s suffrage was a global movement, but it was severely undermined by racism within its ranks.
I’m going to miss our St. Patrick’s Day roundup next week, so here are 9 surprising facts about the holiday.
This astrolabe found in Verona is not only SO COOL, but it is also a testament to scientific exchange between Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities along the Mediterranean. Over 1,000 years old, the tool can be used to measure time, distance, and the position of stars. They can even be used to make horoscopes predicting the future.
8,600-year-old bread has been discovered at Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic settlement in central Turkey often considered the first city humans ever settled. All though the bread has passed beyond stale into a spongey rock, at least we know our ancestors also loved bread.
In British Columbia, Canada, a newly discovered ancient coastal village proves what the people of the Heiltsuk Nation have been claiming all along—their presence in North America predates not only Europeans but many ancient cultures, including the Roman Empire.
A 1900-year-old rock church has been opened to tourism in Turkey. During restoration, coins dating to European states and the Ottoman Empire up until the 19th century testify to just how long the church was in use. Its presence helps us understand a little more about the history of Christianity in Anatolia.
Cool cool cool, there’s a new ancient sea monster to be afraid of. The lizard-like Khinjaria acuta lived off the coast of Morocco and was roughly the size of an orca. It’s named for its razor-sharp dagger-length teeth.
In pop culture history…
In the music world, there was a famous rivalry between jazz musician Miles Davis and classical musician Wynton Marsalis. It led to a now famous incident at the very first Vancouver Jazz Festival.
Are you familiar with Dolores Hart, the woman who starred opposite Elvis Presley in Loving You and then gave up her budding acting career to become a nun?
It’s Dune 2 time, but let’s revisit the original novel by Frank Herbert. The 1965 book reimagined climate disaster and inspired a nascent environmental movement.
Did Beyonce’s new country song awaken you to the history of Black musicians in country music? Now learn about Black Westerns and how they shaped movie history.
Speaking of Westerns, 50 years ago the satirical Blazing Saddles blew box office expectations out of the water.
And finally, are movies based on true stories trying to tell us how to think of American history? An interesting column in Deseret.
What do you know about the history of license plates?
Are you interested in an oral history of the first ten years since the death of author Gabriel García Márquez?
In a follow-up to last week’s story about LiDAR, new theories are being raised about what happened to the Maya civilization.
Taken down amidst protests in 2020, city leaders in Louisville, Kentucky still don’t know what to do with their statue of King Louis XVI.
In jewelry history…
A nearly 13,000-year-old bead has been found in Wyoming. It is the oldest bead found in the Western Hemisphere and testifies to how long humans have been adorning themselves with jewelry.
This tomb of a wealthy Coclé man in Panama was discovered with a huge amount of gold and ceramic artifacts, including “5 pectorals, 2 belts of gold beads, 4 bracelets, 2 earrings in the shape of human figures, an earring in the shape of a double crocodile, 1 necklace of circular beads, two bells, bracelets, and a skirt made with dog teeth…” The tomb dates to about 750 CE.
There’s an old tale that the Lenape people sold Manhattan to the Dutch for $24 (or beads, in some tellings) but how true is it?
In Kalmar, Sweden, a unique gold ring and a beautiful crystal amulet have been found during a two-year dig to uncover the city’s Medieval past.
Ring found in Sweden. Source.
Plow marks found in Switzerland indicate that farmers used animals to pull plows nearly 5,000 years ago. They’re the oldest such marks found so far.
Did you know that Marmore, a beautiful waterfall in Umbria, Italy, is in fact man-made? The ancient Romans built it nearly 2,000 years ago and it is still our tallest man-made waterfall.
These stone tools found in Ukraine are the earliest evidence of human occupation of Europe.
Speaking of Ukraine, this interview with historian Jade McGlynn discusses how Putin seems to actually believe the ahistorical nonsense about Ukraine that he spouts. This is a good reminder that history is a political tool.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that an enormous sculpture of Ramses II has been uncovered. One of the most popular pharaohs of Egypt during his time, and he is also one that we know the most about.
Do you know about the Hill sisters? They wrote the Happy Birthday song, but have long been forgotten by history.
Often seen as a refuge for free Black Americans, New York sure did its best to suppress the right to vote for Black men in the early 19th century.
Do you like historical mysteries? Then these 8 missing passenger flights are right up your alley.
Is there a massive treasure worth billions hiding inside Victoria Peak, New Mexico? Some people certainly believe so, and the hunt for the treasure has been going on for nearly 100 years.
Speaking of New Mexico, people made sick by nuclear testing at White Sands are finally getting their day in court.
Tina Cordova poses by the entrance to White Sands Missile Range, where nuclear bombs were tested. Source: Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images In May 2022, Malcolm X was the first Black person voted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame. His statue is scheduled to finally go up in May.
During WWII, Axis spies planted false rumors among the US populace. Across the US, a grassroots effort by newspapers held “rumor clinics” to debunk lies.
Speaking of WWII, during the 1940s future Sultan Mohammad V defied the Nazi-collaborating Vichy regime to protect over 250,000 Jews in Morocco. (The French government had established Morocco as a protectorate.)
Congrats!