Category Archives: History

UW seeks $13M to renovate the ‘Boys in the Boat’ shell house

The first city-sanctioned historic landmark on campus is going for a gold-medal makeover.by  Knute Berger hile Seattle has struggled to save The Showbox on First Avenue, another even more storied landmark is being singled out for revival. Boosted by a bestselling book … Continue reading

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This amazing, animated chart shows the aging of America

From the Washington Post: This is a mesmerizing little animation created by Bill McBride of Calculated Risk. It shows the distribution of the U.S. population by age over time, starting at 1900 and ending with Census Bureau forecasts between now and 2060. … Continue reading

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Everything about the Pacific Northwest is on display at the new Burke Museum. Even the scientists.

The museum’s new home brings its researchers out of the basement, and delivers a love letter of fossils and artifacts to our region. Click here for the full article from Crosscut.

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Reconstructing ancient faces

Thanks to Gordon G for finding this. The reconstruction of likenesses of long-dead humans has made remarkable progress. With detailed computer programs, DNA studies, and advanced technologies like 3D printing — the margin of error in scientifically reconstructed faces has … Continue reading

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Why are some people left handed

I’m a pure rightie but in my family there are lefties and some with traits of both. One of my sons throws right in baseball, bats left and in soccer, kicks left. Gordon G sends along this interesting video essay. … Continue reading

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How to dress like a gentleman in the 18th century

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The story of Medic 1 – Skyline presentation

Dr. Rick Rapport, UW Harborview Neurosurgeon, has written the story of Medic One (Seattle’s Medic One: How We Don’t Die). How fortunate we are to have Dr. Leonard Cobb here at Skyline and to now have this history documented. Nick … Continue reading

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Wolfgang Mack at Skyline

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Manet’s Last Years: A Radical Embrace of Beauty

From the NYT: CHICAGO — I wonder how often he thought back on it: the outrage, the reproaches, the shame, the folly. In 1865, two years after they rejected his “Déjeuner sur l’herbe,” the gatekeepers of the Paris Salon accepted two … Continue reading

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The Library of Congress Needs Your Help Transcribing Suffragist Papers

Thanks to Pam P for sending this in! n 1922, the American suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt traveled to Italy to help prepare for the upcoming Congress of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in Rome. Back home, Catt was a towering figure of the … Continue reading

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Hedge Fund Legend Ray Dalio On The Economy

Ed note: Ray Dalio talks about the wealth and opportunity gap that he considers a major problem in our country. He compares the rise of populism to the 1930’s. Conflict is predicted unless conditions improve. From Wikipedia: Raymond Dalio (born August … Continue reading

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Our “last generation”

I think this is one of the best nostalgia + essays I’ve received. If you were Born in the 1930’s to the mid 1940’s, You exist as a very special age group. You are the smallest group of children born … Continue reading

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July 4th – a bit of history

From History.com: “The Fourth of July—also known as Independence Day or July 4th—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution. … Continue reading

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Making a house call

In order to be with my Dad, after dinner I’d go on house calls with him.  We’d drive to parts of town I’d never seen, and using the car’s spotlight we’d search out the right house number, often with no … Continue reading

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A view and noise of the viaduct teardown

This view shows the progress of the viaduct teardown from a friend.s condo at the corner of Western and Madison. What a great improvement in the development of a world class waterfront.

Posted in environment, History, Parks, Transportation | 1 Comment

Van Gogh’s use of color to depict emotions

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David Domke: The Right to Vote, Lecture 3

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Dissecting the Dreams of Brexit Britain

Ed Note: Could anyone please enlighten us as to what’s really going on in the existential crises called Brexit. Are they really dreaming of a lost empire? Is it white nationalism? Is it mainly reflecting the long simmering differences between … Continue reading

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Build we must, build we should, and hopefully build we will.

Ed Note: It seems so obvious. Why not rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Reconnect our people, create dazzling bridges, show what our country is capable of once more. But alas, nothing is being done at the Federal level. Krugman, the Yale … Continue reading

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What would Lincoln do?

By David BlankenhornSpecial to The Los Angeles Times Abraham Lincoln, who was born 210 years ago this month, was president during an era even more rancorous and polarized than our own. Yet he managed to navigate it — not in a … Continue reading

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Route 66 – Get your kicks!

From Savingplaces.org: While it’s not the oldest automobile highway in the United States, Route 66—a National Treasure of the National Trust—is likely the most enduring highway in America’s public consciousness. “The Mother Road,” as it’s often called, represents a significant … Continue reading

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Why Did Soviets Invade Afghanistan? Documents Offer History Lesson for Trump

Ed Note: The article below explains how little President Trump understands about Afghanistan. Or perhaps he does understand Russia’s aspirations there and is effectively turning the “great game” back their favor. The book, The Great Game, documents the long history … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Essays, History, Military, Politics, Religion, War | 1 Comment

Neo-imperialist ventures abroad, followed by the rolling calamity of Brexit at home

Today’s NYT has a biting critique of Britain’s chummy elite. There have been decades of misguided and mismanaged decisions by elite but incompetent imperialists. Events now appear to be heading to England’s final chapter -the fiasco called Brexit. Forster blamed … Continue reading

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The adventures of Mark Twain in Seattle

Knute Berger talks about Mark Twain’s visit to Seattle: “It was a trying time for Seattleites in the summer of 1895. The city was still reeling from the Panic of 1893, which threw the national economy into a tailspin, and … Continue reading

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For Seattle, Viadoom gridlock is history repeated

From Crosscut: On Jan. 11, Seattle enters a period the city has dubbed the “Period of Maximum Constraint.” It sounds a bit like bondage, but without the fun bits. It kicks off with the closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, resulting … Continue reading

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