history
-
Star Wars Author J.W. Rinzler Goes to the Moon With His New Book
Star Wars. Indiana Jones. Alien. Planet of the Apes. Author J.W. Rinzler has written books on them all. However, for his latest project, he’s tackling a story that’s more famous than all those iconic movies combined: the Space Race.
-
Did Ancient Americans Settle in Polynesia? The Evidence Doesn’t Stack Up
How did the Polynesian peoples come to live on the far-flung islands of the Pacific? The question has intrigued researchers for centuries. Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl brought the topic to public attention when he sailed a balsa-wood raft called the Kon-Tiki from Peru to Polynesia in 1947. His goal was to demonstrate such voyages were…
-
How a ‘Gonzo’ Press Gang Forged the Ned Kelly Legend
Washington Post publisher, Philip L. Graham, famously declared that journalism is the “first rough draft of history”. It’s also the first rough draft of inspiration for movies and books “based on a true story”. Since four Victorian journalists witnessed Ned Kelly’s last stand on June 28 1880, their vivid accounts have influenced portrayals of the…
-
A Brief History of Listening In on Police Radios
Last Friday night, thousands defied New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s curfew order and marched in the rain, the fifth evening in a week marked by beatings and mass arrests after dark.