Wednesday, December 25, 2013
The History of Santa Claus
Have you ever wondered how and why Christmas came to be associated with jolly old Santa Claus? In keeping with my holiday goal to raise my laziness to sloth-like proportions, I will allow the following video to explain how Sinterklaas, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, and Kris Kringle figure into the history of that portly, good-natured fellow who satisfies our materialistic appetites each December. Happy Holidays, everyone!
Monday, December 16, 2013
The Photographic Past, Part IV
After an extremely unfortunate, finals-induced hiatus, "The Hopeless History Major" is finally back. To make amends for my prolonged absence from the blogosphere, Part IV of The Photographic Past will be a "Supersized Edition." With a few extra photographs in tow, this post pairs well with freedom...err..french fries & a soda (or a milkshake, for the bolder individuals in the audience). As always, please enjoy the scenery of history.
Armed neutrality aside, these Swiss soldiers look seriously formidable. As far as military training goes, wrestling in the Alps seem to be a viable route. The impeccable form on that pile driver alone would be enough to drive "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to sobriety. (ca. 1919) |
The first-ever broadcast of ESPN's flagship program, SportsCenter, which opened with the line, "Yea, verily, a sampler of wonders." SportsCenter certainly hasn't become any less strange over the years, nor has the set become any less ugly. (ca. 1979) |
A real-life Rosie the Riveter, though "Wendy the Welder" may be a more appropriate title for her line of work. When the United States entered the Second World War there were 12 million women in the workforce. By the end of the war, that number had risen to over 18 million- more than one-third of the country's total workforce. (ca. 1943) |
Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is returned to the Louvre after the conclusion of World War II in Europe. Prompted by the organized "Nazi Plunder" of priceless works of art all across Europe, the world-famous portrait was transferred first to Château d'Amboise, then to Loc-Dieu Abbey, Château de Chambord, and- finally- the Ingres Museum in southern France. (note: In the linked picture, Generals Eisenhower & Patton can be seen inspecting art that had stolen by German officials.) (ca. 1945) |
Adolf Hitler shakes hands and bows deferentially to President Paul von Hindenburg on the day he was named Chancellor of Germany. Hindenburg was known to be privately skeptical of the young Austrian-born Hitler, who would come to control nearly 2.5 million square miles of European territory- a landmass nearly two-thirds the size of the continental United States. (ca. 1933) |
Steve Cathey, one of the first professional skateboarders, photographed while riding through a housing development in La Costa, California. Though skateboarding was invented during the late 1940's and experienced brief periods of popularity throughout the '50's and '60's, the 1970's are now viewed as the truly formative period for the sport. (ca. 1975) |
Friday, November 22, 2013
JFK: Fifty Years On
Fifty years ago today, on November 22, 1963, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was fatally shot while traveling in a presidential motorcade in Dallas, Texas. The news of Kennedy's death shocked the nation and the world, and has prompted numerous conspiracy theories and numerous investigative commissions since the tragedy occurred. His respective merits and shortcomings aside, JFK was a truly global figure; his admirers came from a host of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The shining moment of his short-lived administration, the aversion of nuclear war with the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, is proverbially hailed as one of the most critical diplomatic successes of the twentieth century. And his untimely death, too, remains a landmark moment in the history of the United States. Occurring in a decade marked by the promise of substantial social and political change, Kennedy's death served as an omen of the forthcoming tragedies that would dash the hopeful spirit of the '60's- the 1968 assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, among them.
John F. Kennedy- immortalized as he may be- was not a perfect president, nor was he a perfect person. He was, however, inspiring both as a public servant and an individual. Half a century on, in a world that recalls many of the uncertainties of the 1960's, we reflect upon President Kennedy's life and death with reverence and solemnity.
John F. Kennedy- immortalized as he may be- was not a perfect president, nor was he a perfect person. He was, however, inspiring both as a public servant and an individual. Half a century on, in a world that recalls many of the uncertainties of the 1960's, we reflect upon President Kennedy's life and death with reverence and solemnity.
John F. Kennedy; Friday, November 22, 1963. |
Monday, November 4, 2013
The Photographic Past, Part III
This is what a railroad bridge looked like at the turn of the 20th Century. I think I'd just stay home. Oregon, ca. 1901-04. |
Muhammed Ali celebrates his third round victory over Cleveland Williams in their Heavyweight Title bout on November 14, 1966. The fight was Williams's first since he'd been been shot in the abdomen by a police officer during a traffic stop. |
Adolf Hitler, V.I. Lenin, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor Hirohito... Coca Cola. Not sure if this is a Coke or a Pepsi advertisement. ca. 1950s. |
The Mayflower II, an exact replica of the original, sails into New York Harbor at the end of its transatlantic voyage in 1957. No word on whether or not the blimp was an exact replica too. |
Mickey Mantle tosses his batting helmet during a 1965 game at Yankee Stadium. If those forearms are any indication, that helmet still hasn't landed. |
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"Statistics About the Vietnam War." History.com. The History Channel, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. <http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html>.
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Tuesday, October 29, 2013
NBA Tip-Off Special
It's the most wonderful time of the year, folks: the NBA season will finally get underway tonight, as the defending champions, the Miami Heat, face the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose's return to regular season action promises to be an exciting one, despite the collective cringe that Bulls fans will perform each time he falls to the floor.
Between Miami's pursuit of a three-peat, an accomplishment that would arguably thrust Lebron James into the Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant echelon of the NBA Pantheon, and #The(LongAwaited)Return,
the 2013-14 Season Opener has been hyped since the matchup was announced in August. From a historical perspective, though, it is just the next in a long line of highly anticipated NBA Tip-Off contests.
Over the past sixty-seven years, the National Basketball Association has transformed itself from a small amalgamation of teams known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) to a multi-billion-dollar display of dazzling sports entertainment. Each season has been accompanied by new story lines, new faces,
old faces in new places, and, above all, the intrigue of a new year.
The first-ever NBA game took place on November 1, 1946- in Canada, of all places. The New York Knickerbockers defeated Toronto Huskies 68-66 in a game that hardly resembled that of the modern era ("The First Game"). The shot clock had not yet come into existence, the jump shot was a less-popular alternative to the set shot, and tickets prices didn't exceed the GDP per capita of a developing nation.
In its awkward teenage years, the NBA would gain one of its all-time greats. Having already achieved national recognition for his dominance as a Kansas Jayhawk and a Harlem Globetrotter, twenty-three year old Wilt Chamberlain made his NBA debut on October 24, 1959. "The Big Dipper" gave a glimpse of his record-setting career to come, scoring 43 points while gathering an absurd 28 rebounds ("Philadelphia Warriors at New York Knicks"). Three years later, Wilt would become the only player to ever score 100 points in a single game.
Ever the scoring threat, Chamberlain would later claim to have slept with 20,000 women. According to MentalFloss.com, that'd be about 500 women per year... |
Over the next few decades, the NBA competed with the American Basketball Association (ABA) for basketball hegemony. That changed on August 5, 1976, when the NBA-ABA merger resulted in the addition of four new teams for the 1976-77 season. On October 21, 1976, the Indiana Pacers became the first former ABA team to compete in a regular season NBA game, falling to the John Havlicek-led Boston Celtics, 129-122 ("Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers"). Interestingly, no former ABA team would win an NBA title until 1999, when the San Antonio Spurs won their first of four championships.
Less than a decade after the merger, Michael Jordan made his debut in the NBA. By the 1984-85 season, the NBA had asserted itself among the major sports leagues in North America- due in large part to the marketability of superstars such as Ervin "Magic" Johnson and Larry "The Hick from French Lick" Bird. Michael Jordan took the term "superstar" to an entirely new level during his illustrious career with the Chicago Bulls. That all started on October 26, 1984, when he gave the 13,913 in attendance at Chicago Stadium a glimpse of what was to come over the next decade and a half (6 championships, 6 Finals MVP Awards, 5 Regular Season MVP Awards, 10 Scoring Titles, and 14 All Star Appearances, to be exact).
Since that time, the Heat have made
three straight Finals appearances—winning the last two. Tonight, they begin
their journey towards a fourth straight Finals appearance, a feat which has only
occurred three times in the history of the NBA (Boston Celtics, 1959-66; Los
Angeles Lakers, 1982-85; Boston Celtics, 1984-87). Meanwhile, the Bulls seek to
live up to the high expectations surrounding Derrick Rose’s return to action
after an 18-month recovery from his ACL tear in the 2012 NBA Playoffs. At 8 PM ET on TNT, the journey will begin for the Bulls, Heat, and
twenty-eight other teams across the league.
_________________________________________________________________________________
"Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers." Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197610210IND.html>.
Goldaper, Sam. "The First Game." NBA.com. National Basketball Association. Web. 28 Oct. 2013 <http://www.nba.com/history/firstgame_feature.html>.
Goldaper, Sam. "The First Game." NBA.com. National Basketball Association. Web. 28 Oct. 2013 <http://www.nba.com/history/firstgame_feature.html>.
"Philadelphia Warriors at New York Knicks." Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/195910240NYK.html>.
"TNT Has Record-setting Ratings for NBA Season Opener." NBA.com. National Basketball Association, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nba.com/2010/news/10/27/tnt-ratings/>.
"TNT Has Record-setting Ratings for NBA Season Opener." NBA.com. National Basketball Association, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nba.com/2010/news/10/27/tnt-ratings/>.
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Friday, October 25, 2013
Really Old Things
One of the greatest aspects of historical study is its ability to make the past tangible. Though we lack physical evidence for some of the most intriguing and monumental sites of the past (i.e. The Colossus at Rhodes or The Hanging Gardens of Babylon), we are blessed with a bounty of relics of the Earth's past that still exist today. Natural features shaped over millennia, documents miraculously preserved through the ages, and glorious (or inglorious) buildings from previous Civilizations afford us invaluable insight into what the world was like before we arrived on the scene. Some physical historical evidence is iconic, some is obscure. Regardless, these really old things are full of experience, significance, and wonder.
Methuselah (ca. 2832 BC)
Until this year, Methuselah held the distinction of being the oldest non-clonal tree in the world. At 4845 years of age, this Great Basin bristlecone pine's exact location in the White Mountains of California is kept a secret- sadly, for the fear that the ancient tree would be defaced by vandals ("Methuselah Tree"). In addition to being a really badass-sounding name, Methuselah is a very fitting one- Biblical figure Methuselah was purported to be the oldest man in human history, living to the ripe old age of 969 years old. Oh, the Social Security...
Hurrian Hymn no. 6 (ca. 1400 BC)
Discovered in Syria in the mid-20th Century, "Hurrian Hymn no. 6" is the oldest melody known to the human race. More than 3400 years old, the melody's arrangement has been preserved in the form of cuneiform inscriptions on clay tablets. While it's staggering to think how audio recordings may bring us into the studio with Louis Armstrong in 1931, or into John Lennon's bedroom at The Dakota, the existential weight that accompanies the realization that this ancient music has survived & can be performed today is immense.
The Treasury at Petra (ca. 1st Century AD)
Perhaps most recognized for its appearance in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the ancient Jordanian city of Petra remained unknown to the Western world until 1812. Legend holds that The Treasury, or "Al Khazneh," once stored the wealth of an Egyptian Pharaoh at the time of Moses. It was originally built, though, as a Mausoleum during the reign of Aretas IV Philopatris ("Petra"). The spectacular building was carved into the side of the sandstone cliffs southern Jordan, and seemingly belongs to the fantasy world of Indiana Jones more than it does to this one.
Cenacle (Date Unknown)
The Cenacle, commonly known as the "Upper Room," has been identified by some scholars as the first Christian Church. It's better known, though, for hosting the Last Supper. Let me re-type that in caps lock for added emphasis: THE LAST SUPPER. The Cenacle is also considered to be the site of numerous events of significance in the New Testament, including the washing of the feet; several resurrection appearances of Jesus; and the gathering of the disciples after the Ascension of Jesus. The building miraculously survived Titus's destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and subsequent crises during the Crusades and Ottoman rule over the region ("Jerusalem (A.D. 71-1099)").
University of Oxford (ca. 1096 AD)
Fun Fact: Oxford University is older than the Aztecs. The origination of the Aztec Civilization was marked by the establishment of Tenochtitlan in 1325. Though its exact date of establishment is unknown, teaching had begun at Oxford by 1096 (Just imagine those 11th Century Frat Stars...). By contrast, the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, Harvard University, was founded in 1636- a 540-year age difference ("History"). Even Hugh Hefner couldn't justify that.
Nicolas Cage (ca. mid-19th Century)
Evidently, Nic Cage has been around since the Civil War era. Fortunately, due to his spectacular longevity, Cage has been able to grace the silver screen an astounding 72 times, appearing in national treasures such as Bangkok Dangerous, Ghost Rider, and The Wicker Man ("Nicolas Cage"). Be careful what you say about Nic Cage, because he's probably a vampire.
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Fortescue, Adrian. "Jerusalem (A.D. 71-1099)." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 25 Oct. 2013<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08355a.htm>.
"History." Harvard University. Harvard University, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. <http://www.harvard.edu/history>.
"Methuselah Tree." NOVA Online. PBS, Nov. 2001. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/>.
"Nicolas Cage." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000115/>.
"Petra." UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/326>.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Propaganda: The Art of Persuasion
As an admittedly uninformed appreciator of art, works of propaganda have long held a particular appeal for me as a result of their stark & meaningful imagery (and, of course, their historical value). Varying according to their national and temporal origins, these highly politicized pieces of art exhibit numerous styles and, in my opinion, are just plain cool. Some pieces have an understated character, while others are about as subtle as Miley Cyrus's trailer-park-Lady Gaga act. Either way, these works tend to be exceptionally compelling.
Freedom isn't Free. |
Democratic or Autocratic, Capitalist or Socialist, Badass or Blah; every type of regime has taken to the art of propaganda in order to promote their own distinctive policies, ideologies, and causes. From Uncle Sam to Guerrillero Heroico, these iconic images have resonated in the hearts and minds of countless people across time and space. The following examples exhibit just a few of the ways in which propaganda has been used to mobilize public opinion and action.
United Kingdom (ca. 1915)
Oh, what a jolly, quaint affair that first World War must have been! Recruitment posters such as this 1915 piece aided in the mobilization of over 65 million soldiers worldwide, 9 million of which came from the United Kingdom alone ("WWI Casualty and Death Tables"). In just four years, 37 million "lads," a staggering 57.5% of the war's combatants, were killed, injured, or went missing as a result of a fatal combination of advanced military technology, flawed military doctrine, and unwavering political ideology.
United States (ca. 1942)
France (ca. 1911)
An especially cynical & French take on socioeconomic organization, "Pyramid of Capitalist System" is an iconic piece of propaganda. Illustrating the exploitative relationship between the working class, the bourgeoisie, the armed forces, the clergy, and the government, this poster can be seen as a source of inspiration for the Wu Tang Clan's 1993 social commentary, C.R.E.A.M. ("Cash Rules Everything Around Me"). It can also be reasonably assumed that this poster inspired more than a few strongly-worded letters to French Representatives- out to keep the man down while they fatted themselves on baguettes & éclairs. Sacré Bleu!
United States (ca. 1938)
Though the "Red Scare" may seem irrational in retrospect, you better believe you would've had some sleepless nights waiting for OctoStalin to pop out from underneath your bed & convert your political allegiances. Published before the outbreak of WWII, this "pam-phlet"foreshadowed the impending rivalry between the US & USSR, whose utilitarian wartime alliance would last just four years.
Soviet Union (ca. 1941)
On June 22, 1941, Germany launched "Operation Barbarossa," its fateful invasion of the Soviet Union that opened a second front in WWII & ultimately devastated the Third Reich's ability to wage a successful war effort. The Soviet resistance was exceptionally fierce, partially due to the menacing racial ideology of Nazi Germany- which called for the enslavement of all Slavic peoples. The insanity of the Hitler's racial policies are mocked in these Soviet political cartoons portraying Reichstag President Hermann Goering & Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels.
Iraq (ca. 1980-88)
Now this is some effective propaganda! Surely this gentleman could be counted on to keep his people out of harm's way- just look how safe that girl looks. This Iraqi mural portraying Saddam "Rambo" Hussein dates to the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980's. In an era of training montages & mustaches, this piece is the truest form of art you could possibly imagine. The man is wearing Ray-Bans & a beret into battle for goodness' sake.
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"Salvador Dalí Biography." Salvador-Dali.org.
Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.salvador-dali.org/dali/en_biografia.html>.
"WWI Casualty and Death Tables." PBS.org.
PBS. Web. 09 Oct. 2013
<http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/resources/casdeath_pop.html>.
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Thursday, September 26, 2013
The Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The collapse of the Soviet Union is one of those exceedingly
complex events that seems to lie beyond the realm of basic understanding. Despite being one of the most momentous historical developments in
the modern era, it is commonly explained in a pseudo-historical fashion, full
of half-truths and outright misconceptions (Sorry, true
American patriots, but Ronald Reagan didn’t single-handedly bring about the
demise of the “Evil Empire.”)
Daggumit. |
So how does a global superpower with a nuclear arsenal large enough to blow up the world many times over simply dissolve? Well, the explanation is multi-faceted, but can be explained through three main points:
- "Cultural Thaw"
- Protracted Economic & Political Stagnation
- Destabilizing Reform
"Cultural Thaw"
If Joseph Stalin ruled with an iron fist, Nikita Khrushchev ruled with a leather shoe.
In his effort to bring about "socialism with a human face," Khrushchev temporarily relaxed state-imposed censorship during his reign as General Secretary of the Communist Party in the 1950's and '60's. His principle objective in doing so was to push forward the "De-Stalinization Campaign," which denounced the Great Purges, Industrialization, and other inhumane aspects of the Stalinist regime. More than doing that, Khrushchev's unprecedented openness proved that the Soviet system could be safely challenged, at a time when reform-minded Soviet youths, including future General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, were coming of age.
Protracted Political & Economic Stagnation
The state's growth vegetated under Brezhnev, who suffered multiple strokes while in office.
Khrushchev wasn't without his critics, and after a series of unsuccessful reforms, he was removed from power by the Communist Party Secretariat in 1964. Under Leonid Brezhnev (see: Great Moments in Mustaches) and a series of gerontocrats (read: Geezers), Soviet political and economic life had quietly ground to a halt by the 1980's.
- As much as 30% of the GDP was committed to military expenditure, causing the consumer & technology sectors of the Soviet economy to remain in infancy.
- The "advanced" industrial sector was inefficient & obsolete. Factories built during Stalin's First Five Year Plan (1928-32) continued to operate, and did so according to quotas based on the weight of their products, not on their profits.
- From 1973-85, a lopsided 80% of Soviet earnings relied upon energy exports- which were sustained by the discovery of vast oil reserves in Siberia during the 1960's (Kotkin 15).
The Soviet economy failed to keep pace with those its capitalist contemporaries in the West, which had undergone unprecedented economic growth following World War II. The tenets of socialism held that it was a fundamentally superior system to capitalism, yet the stagnation of the Soviet economy suggested that system required change.
Destabilizing Reform
Mikhail Gorbachev came into power in 1985 with the aim of initiating radical economic & political reforms to make socialism live up to the ideals of the October Revolution. Those sweeping liberal reforms came to be known as Glasnost and Perestroika, and had disastrous implications for the Soviet Union.
- Glasnost, or "openness," eased censorship once again. It discredited not only Stalin, but the entirety of Soviet socialism by revealing the political & economic inefficiencies of the Soviet Bureaucracy to the general public.
- Perestroika relaxed the planned economy, but without first introducing the market mechanisms needed to compete with advanced capitalist economies. The most advanced sectors of the economy (defense & heavy industry) were downsized, and Soviet industrial output plummeted.
- To make matters worse, global oil prices sharply declined in the 1980's, submerging the oil-dependent Russian economy into an outright recession. Faced with crippling shortages, the USSR became reliant on foreign loans for importing goods that it could not afford.
- Ever since the Russian Civil War, which immediately followed the October Revolution of 1917, a dual administrative structure existed within the USSR. The bureaucracy of the party grew alongside that of the state, acting as a central control mechanism for maintaining the unitary structure of the Soviet Union.
- In 1989, Gorbachev disbanded the Communist Party Secretariat- replacing the unitary structure with a federalized one, which emphasized the state powers of the constituent republics of the Union.
- With the socialist ideology of the Soviet Union discredited by Glasnost, the planned economy disrupted by Perestroika, and no central control mechanism in place, the Union Republics began to act as independent states.
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Kotkin,
Stephen. Armageddon Averted: The Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000. New York:
Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.
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