History

Fray Bernardino de Sahagún: The New World’s First Ethnographer

Quintus Curtius History, Travel & Exploration , , , ,

Little known today is the courageous Catholic friar, linguist, and ethnographer Fray Bernardino de Sahagún.  He was born in Sahagún, Spain, in 1499 and drank deeply from the well of Renaissance humanism that had been washing over Europe for several decades.  Mastering Latin at an early age, he startled his instructors with the intensity and depth of his observational powers.  He arrived in Mexico (New Spain) in 1529 with a group of Church prelates whose job it would be to convert the natives to Catholicism.

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To Curb North Korean Provocations, Pressure Must Be Placed On China

Quintus Curtius Current News, History , ,

There is a steady stream of news these days about North Korean missile launches and nuclear tests.  Accompanying this news are debates and discussions about how the United States should handle the situation.  I wanted to offer my own assessments and opinion on the matter.

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The Trial Of Galileo (Podcast)

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The Italian astronomer Galileo was examined by the Inquisition for heresy in 1633. At issue was his advocacy of the heliocentric (sun-centered) view of the solar system. What was the significance of the trial, and what were the motivations of the participants?

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Robert Leckie’s “Helmet For My Pillow” (Review)

Quintus Curtius History, Literature , , ,

I very much enjoy reading war memoirs.  I think it’s because I recognize that the authors have tapped into special knowledge that the rest of us cannot access.  They have seen beyond, somehow.  Their experiences have stamped on them an indelible impression that neither time nor distance can erase.  I will be honest:  I am envious of the special knowledge they have, and which I do not have.  Having been in the military is one thing, but having been in real combat is something very different.  Deep down, I regret that I never was given the opportunity to experience what they experienced.

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The Loss Of The Liner “Empress Of Ireland”

Quintus Curtius History , ,

I have long had a fascination with nautical lore.  It is one of these interests that comes as a residue from having spent much time–perhaps too much time–by the ocean as a boy, toying with sailboats and motorboats, quahogs, crabs, bluefish, and what lies beyond the surf.  It is impossible for me not to be entranced by the sea; one is drawn to its primeval magnetism, and by the knowledge that it represents the origin of life on earth.  Perhaps it also represents the destiny of earthly life; when H.G. Wells’s time traveler hurls himself forward hundreds of thousands of years into the future, he finds himself on a ghastly blood-red beach, accompanied by monstrous crabs and eternal silence.

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“Italy Is Excellent In All Things”

Quintus Curtius History , ,

The Roman engineer and architect Vitruvius believed that one of Italy’s special gifts was its geographical location.  The nation was so situated, he believed, to combine the positive aspects of both cool and warm climates.  In his treatise De Architectura (VI.11), he notes that

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The Continued Progress Of The Plutocratic Insurgency (Podcast)

Quintus Curtius History , , ,

This podcast accompanies my most recent article. In it, we explore two additional dimensions of the “plutocratic insurgency”: (1) the techno-palaces of the global elite, and (2) the creeping confiscation of public lands by private actors. The end result of these two trends is to accelerate the already destabilizing wealth imbalances in societies across the globe.

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They Stood Fast: The Loss Of H.M.S. “Birkenhead”

Quintus Curtius History , ,

A reader of Rudyard Kipling’s collected verse may find his 1893 poem “Soldier an’ Sailor Too.”  It contains the following lines:

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Theodore Roosevelt Brings Big Business To Heel

Quintus Curtius History , , ,

A central tenet of Theodore Roosevelt’s leadership was the idea that no one should be above the law.  He was deeply troubled by excessive concentrations of wealth in the hands of a few; such a situation was, he knew, inimical to the interests of a democratic republic.  He did not begrudge a man his wealth fairly earned, but he believed that the accumulation of vast treasure should not come at the expense of the public good.  The super-rich could not plunder at will and, at the same time, expect the public to operate under a different set of rules.  What especially galled Roosevelt was the arrogant way that the “captains of industry” of his day expected to reap all the benefits of the American economic system while feeling bound by no reciprocal duties to it.

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The Victory Of General Typhus: Napoleon’s Catastrophic Invasion Of Russia

Quintus Curtius History , ,

By 1810 Napoleon was the master of continental Europe.  He had been unable to force the British to accept an accommodation, but nevertheless remained confident that his “Continental System” would bring the recalcitrant islanders to heel.  The system, in effect a massive blockade, forbade European merchants from having any economic intercourse with Britain.  Prussia and Austria had been forced to accept the system in 1807 and 1809, and Napoleon was determined to make the Russians accept it as well.

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