April 2012

City of Fortune

April 26, 2012

I thought I knew something about Venice. A floating city carved out of a malaria-ridden lagoon.  Merchant city-state turned maritime empire, with one foot in the Muslim world.  The European end of the desert caravan trade, with merchant entrepôts throughout the Levantine coast.  Canals, gondoliers,  masked balls, gold ducats. Glamor, wealth, decadence, decay.  Or perhaps, [...]

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The Lost History of 1914

April 23, 2012

Anyone who’s been following along on this blog knows that, like most history people, I have events and periods that I return to over and over again. Some I’ve followed for years; others are relatively new interests.  One of the constants in my historical life is the First World War.*  It’s always a pleasure to [...]

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History Carnival #108-April, 2012

April 1, 2012

Image from the Library of Congress Collection Welcome to the Carnival!* In the spirit of April 1st, I’ve sought out blog posts from the last month** that celebrate the foolish, the topsy-turvy, and the quirky.  Blog posts that stand historical truths on their head, or at least gives them a little shake.   No clown noses. [...]

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