Odd Bits
Here I Go A-wassailing?
Well, not exactly. I had every intention of having blog posts lined up to carry us through the holidays here on the Margins. But as those of you who have subscribed to my newsletter* know, I’m struggling to finish a little book about the Atlantic slave trade. In the interest of sanity, I’m taking a…
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Eyewitness to Pearl Harbor
Tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Commemorative posts have already begun to fill the parts of the internet where history buffs hang out. I suspect that you know the story. I’m sure you know the historical consequences. I’m not going to rehash the big picture. Instead I’d like to share…
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Mr. Eiffel Built More Than a Tower
Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the engineer who designed the Eiffel Tower, reportedly said “I ought to be jealous of the tower. It is more famous than I am.” It’s probably true. Eiffel was a world-famous engineer before he made the tower that bears his name, but not for the kind of things that make a man a…
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