Category Archives: History

After 91 years

Thanks Michael C. for the photo and sad memory

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The history of the Lindy Hop and Swing

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This Man Was Tried in Tennessee for Teaching Evolution

Thanks to The Smithsonian and Ann M. In July 1925, a young science teacher named John Scopes was in court, accused of contravening the Butler Act—a Tennessee law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in schools. Click here for the … Continue reading

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Chinese New Year 2020: Rats, luck and why you should avoid medicine, laundry and crying children

From The Telegraph Chinese New Year is fast approaching – and with it comes a host of superstitions that will apparently dictate how the next 12 months will play out for each of us. Washing clothes, using scissors and sweeping floors are some of … Continue reading

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Impeachment commentary

By Heather Cox Richardson, an historian and professor at Boston University. She has authored several books, including American Carnage. Thanks to Mary Jane F. for sending this in. Today the impeachment managers for the House of Representatives released their trial … Continue reading

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From our city’s namesake to its cultural heroes, here are 9 symbolic Seattleites you should know

by Knute Berger from Crosscut Seattle is better known for its setting than for its citizens. The postcards are of Mount Rainier, Puget Sound, jumping orcas, the Cascades, the Olympics and evergreen forests. But people have often come to symbolize … Continue reading

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I Headed the F.B.I. and C.I.A. There’s a Dire Threat to the Country I Love.

By William Webster Mr. Webster is a former federal judge and the former director of both the F.B.I. and the C.I.A. Letter to the NYT: The privilege of being the only American in our history to serve as the director of … Continue reading

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The Queen and 11 Presidents: 2020 will tell us if there will be a 12th.

Gordon G. sent this along. I hope you’ve watched The Crown – season 3 is now on Netflix. England’s current queen has been the head of state long enough that many people either don’t remember or haven’t been around long … Continue reading

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Lovers in Auschwitz, Reunited 72 Years Later. He Had One Question.

From the NYT: The first time he spoke to her, in 1943, by the Auschwitz crematory, David Wisnia realized that Helen Spitzer was no regular inmate. Zippi, as she was known, was clean, always neat. She wore a jacket and … Continue reading

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Why is the Republican Party represented by an elephant and the Democratic a donkey?

From the Smithsonian and Ann M — Anonymous | Washington, D.C. President Andrew Jackson, who was supported by the Democrats in 1828, earned the nickname “Jackass” for his stubbornness, says Jon Grinspan, curator of political history at the National Museum … Continue reading

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15th Century Flemish Style Portraits Recreated In Airplane Lavatory

Thanks to Don and Sue P for send this along. While on a long-haul flight, when most people would sleep, read a book or chew on complimentary snacks, Nina Katchadourian spends her time locked in the airplane’s lavatory taking selfies … Continue reading

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An son’s hemophilia leads to a career of research and writing

By Douglas Martin in the New York Times Robert K. Massie, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer who wrote gripping, tautly narrated and immensely popular books on giants of Russian history, died on Monday at his home in Irvington, N.Y. He was 90. The cause was complications … Continue reading

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The growth in population over time

Thanks to Gordon G for finding this. Just how many people can our planet support given the variables of climate change, birth control, fertility and consumption. What will be our quality of life with the projections of growth?

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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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