Tag: History

Life by Katerina PapathanasiouJun 15, 202011:44 am

a Glasgow-based artist dressed in a 17th-century Plague Doctor costume, sits on a bench in George Square in 2011 in Glasgow, Scotland, to promote his exhibition, "The Human Condition"

The Terrifying Costumes Worn by 17th-Century Plague Doctors

Amid the current pandemic, the debate continues about the efficacy of personal protective equipment, especially face masks. According to some, if they are not of the N95 grade quality, they may not be effective at protecting the wearer’s immune system from absorbing foreign airborne pathogens. Pandemics are not a new phenomenon, and how they are handled now is a sharp contrast to the yesteryear methods. However, one similarity involves the protective gear worn by today’s health care workers—our new plague doctors.

Life by Katerina PapathanasiouMay 20, 202012:20 pm

Ota Benga: The Congolese Pygmy Who Became a Zoo Exhibit

Around the beginning of the last century—in 1906, to be exact—the 4’11” Ota Benga was featured in an infamous human exhibit at the Bronx Zoo’s Monkey House. Ota Benga, a Mbuti (Congolese pygmy) man from what was then known as the Congo Free State, stayed at the zoo for just a few months until the public outcry over his treatment at the zoo resulted in another home for him. However, Benga’s short life was marked with tragedy.

Life by Katerina PapathanasiouMay 8, 202011:21 am

Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy products in their original composition

600-Year Old Pharmacy Sells Catherine de’ Medici’s Perfume

Just a stone’s throw away from Florence’s busy Santa Maria Novella train station stands a 600-year-old pharmacy that started as an infirmary. This establishment is renowned for creating sweet-smelling elixirs and skincare products that draw customers from around the world. Beyond selling modern-day perfumes and cosmetics, Officina Profumo – Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is a preserve of ancient monastic history and tradition. Read along to find out more about this unique, centuries-old pharmacy that may be the oldest in the world today.

Life by Katerina PapathanasiouApr 27, 202012:34 pm

billy barr growing his garden inside his Gothic cabin

billy barr: The Snow Guardian of the Colorado Rocky Mountains

By 1973 billy barr was the only permanent resident of Gothic. A year into his stay in Gothic, barr started to document the weather, mainly as a way to pass the time. For more than 40 winters, he has kept meticulous notes on the behavior of the snow in the area. Twice a day, barr collects information on snowfalls, temperatures, and the animals which come in and out of his area of the Rockies.

Travel by Katerina PapathanasiouApr 24, 202010:59 am

bathtub in abandoned house at Kolmanskop ghost town

Kolmanskop: Inside the Eerie Ghost Town of Namib Desert

By now, you have seen reports on the news of once-thriving cityscapes and bustling urban areas reduced to stagnant wastelands as COVID-19 coronavirus infections spread. New York’s Time Square and Piccadilly Circus in London, two neighborhoods typically choked with throngs of people all day and every day, currently stand vacant. These images are not too dissimilar to the desolate views of Kolmanskop, a ghost town in southern Africa’s Namib Desert.

Life by Katerina PapathanasiouApr 10, 202011:14 am

vintage poster narrating the incredible story of Ludger Sylbaris

Surviving Doomsday – The Incredible Story of Ludger Sylbaris

Born in 1875 on the rugged Caribbean island of Martinique, Ludger Sylbaris led a roguish, if uneventful, life of crime and debauchery. Petty thievery, drunken stupors, fisticuffs with local merchants—Ludger earned a well-deserved reputation as being the island’s bad egg. So how did this nefarious character earn his claim to fame?

Life by Katerina PapathanasiouApr 8, 202012:23 pm

Teenage girl Juliane Koepcke wandering into the Peruvian jungle

Juliane Koepcke: The Sole Survivor of the LANSA Flight 508

During this uncertain time, stories of human survival—especially in times of sheer hopelessness—can provide an uplifting swell throughout long periods of tedium and fear. This one, in particular, redefines the term: perseverance.

Life by Katerina PapathanasiouMar 30, 202011:47 am

The Flu Ward at Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, D.C., during the 1918–19 epidemic

Ten Interesting Facts About the 1918 Flu Pandemic

The Spanish Flu wreaked havoc on an unsuspecting audience between the years of 1918 and 1919. While flu viruses are common, this particular strain proved deadly—and was an eerie foreshadowing of things to come.

Life by Katerina PapathanasiouMar 16, 202012:38 pm

A Swindler’s Folly: The Underwater Ballroom of Whitaker Wright

Near the English village of Witley, a sprawling, 9,000-acre estate plays host to one of Britain’s most unique structures. Hidden beneath one of the property’s three artificial lakes, lies an ornate underwater smoking room and parlor with an elaborate “ballroom” dome as its focal point. The only indication that something may rest below the surface is an ornate statue of Neptune that stands guard above the hidden structure.

Life by Katerina PapathanasiouFeb 28, 202011:57 am

Devil in a Green Dress: A Brief History of Absinthe

There was a time when you’d have to be mad to take a swig from a bottle of absinthe. However, the once-forbidden anise-flavored spirit has experienced a resurgence in popularity and is now the go-to tipple for many partygoers – from bachelorette parties to golden wedding anniversaries. But how did it get here?