World History

UAE astronaut on longest-ever Arab space mission: "A big responsibilIty"
The songs of the late Egyptian superstar Umm Kulthum have been played countless times in cabs and coffee shops around the Arab world because they are profound and soul-stirring. They have now made their way to the antiseptic white corridors of the International Space Station, owing to the musical preferences of a trailblazing Emirati astronaut. Sultan al-Neyadi, who will make history this weekend by completing the longest Arab space mission ever, told the Guardian from space that he believed it was important to convey a piece of Arab culture to space during the journey. Neyadi, who was floating in microgravity, stated in a recorded video message that "everyone is watching us; everybody is excited about space." Many of my coworkers have said how great it is to hear a foreign language on the station, I overheard. The majority of the few hundred people who have crossed the border of space have been Americans, and NASA-trained astronauts or Russian cosmonauts have dominated celestial flight for decades. Only six Arabs have been to space so far; they are now referred to as "aquanauts" after the Arabic word for star, "najm". Neyadi has used his six-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits the Earth at a speed of around 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h) and an altitude of about 250 miles (400 km), to conduct crucial scientific experiments as well as to introduce the Arab world to the marvels of space. The 42-year-old flight engineer has frequently uploaded videos in Arabic to social media about life on board the space station, detailing his peculiar daily routine, which includes eating vacuum-packed food and exercising in a "weightless" environment with a machine that generates its resistance. When asked whether he felt pressure as one of a small group of aquanauts to encourage interest in space exploration and science among people in the Middle East and North Africa, Neyadi responded to the Guardian that there is a sizable audience in the Arab world that is "thirsty to learn more about space." We must impart information and present these results to them clearly and engagingly, he added. "In particular, the youth... I would like to be a resource for them—a source of knowledge and motivation. Therefore, it's a huge duty. Neyadi has also given the world's space enthusiasts a new point of view by snapping pictures of famous places and Middle Eastern cities that honor a region that is sometimes unfairly characterized in the West.
By Cyril Lord3 years ago in History
HOW ABOUT CAVE ARTT CHANGING THE WAY WE SEE HISTORY ?
A banana peel in the middle of the room some old shoes sprayed with neon paint a huge tree trunk chopped in seven Parts Modern Art can be tricky to interpret well we can at least ask the artist what message they were trying to send scientists working with cave paintings don't have that luxury but they still do their best trying to find out more about early humans through that art the oldest example of prehistoric abstract art modern humans have found so far is around 73 000 years old and it looks like a hashtag it was found in the blombo's cave in South Africa in 2011. the scientists studied it well to prove it was deliberately painted by our ancestors and not just some ocher which can produce natural pigment imprinted on the Run but when they try to recreate the ancient hashtag they realized it was most likely created with ocher crayons plus the painting is on the smoothest side of the rock so all signs point to prehistoric art we still don't know what that hashtag means but it would be super cool if it had been part of some prehistoric version of Instagram many of the later cave images explored so far are easier to understand they are of animals of all kinds the 20th century was super successful when it came to finding those especially in Western Europe in the mountains of France and Spain in 1940 four guys tried to rescue their dog that fell in a foxhole and stumbled across one of the biggest prehistoric art galleries Belasco cave it has 600 paintings mostly of animals deer bison horses bears and even Lions there are also some human figures scientists dated that are to around 15 000 years before the current ERA naming the exact date is tricky when it comes to cave paintings because they usually don't have organic material that scientists can use for carbon dating the meaning of the paintings is still a topic for discussion but they were obviously created by some really skilled hands the same hands probably made Sandstone lamps that used animal fat as fuel and fireplaces to light the workshop they use bright colors like red yellow and black all provided by natural pigments they also did some grinding mixing and heating and then applied the paints using different techniques fingers or charcoal brushes made of hair or moss and even hollow bones to spray the pigment onto the wall those artists were more advanced than you can possibly imagine more recent discoveries in other parts of the world give us a whole new understanding of art history a huge painting showing six animals native wild pigs and dwarf buffaloes chased by humans in a cave in Indonesia is a sound proof that cave art doesn't only come from Europe unlike what scientists used to believe the Indonesian heart was dated around 44 000 years ago way older than those French paintings this ancient storytelling is believed to be a landmark of human development so this discovery might even change our views on Evolution plus some of the human figures have animal features like beads and Tails it means that our ancestors were starting to develop their own mythology back then already Australia is the record holder when it comes to prehistoric cave paintings most of them are in arnam Land If you ever take a stroll around this art gallery of the past you'll see some images of koalas dingers and other Australian Staples but wait who are those guys one Theory says they could be mythical creatures formed from parts of various animals a plot of the rich imagination of aboriginal artists another theory is more scientific they could be animals that had long gone extinct researchers tried to recreate the looks of ancient animals using incomplete skeletons they had found but those guesses could be wrong because a skeleton doesn't let us see the fur fat and other features and the portraits could be wrong and while technology is pushing science forward we might actually look for answers in the past crayon sketches or answers one of the animals that often pops up in the Australian cave Chronicles is medium-sized and looks somewhat like a dog it seems to resemble a Tasmanian tiger that was wiped off the Earth in the 20th century closer studies prove that it could be a way more ancient animal though the marsupial lion which went extinct around thirty thousand years ago it had broader and shorter Jaws than the most delicately built Tasmanian tiger and large heavy floor limbs with long claws one of the paintings is missing Stripes which are a distinctive feature of any tiger archaeologists suppose that those ancient artists could have just painted over the stripes after the tiger had gone extinct that's one prehistoric way of deleting a photo with your ex from your social media another prehistoric animal that probably got painted over and out of history is the giant kangaroo at the Uber Rock complex this guy was not much like the kangaroos we know and love today it had a thick body with a long neck and it preferred hunching over to standing upright his tail was thick from beginning to end and it had a short muzzle scientists analyzed all the species of short-faced kangaroos that have lived down under along with the humans they then chose the one that matched the moves it was twice as large as present-day ruse and was too heavy to hop there's also a smaller image Atop The Kangaroo portrait it's a bird with feathers but no wings it could be an extinct emu or some other flightless bird of the past Australian caves aren't the only visual Encyclopedia of extinct megafauna the Amazon is hiding an eight mile long Stone canvas with images of animals that were here at the end of the most recent Ice Age one of these animals is the Mastodon the great grandparent of modern elephants a member of the mammoth family they were shorter than their descendants and their skull was lower and of simpler construction their legs looked too short for their long bodies what were they doing in the Amazon it looks like they came here when the climate in the region was changing and so did the vegetation of the forest Madagascar no to anyone who has seen the animated movie with the same name as the land of King Julian and his supporters has its own cave paintings and yes you can see the giant lemur there those guys grew as tall as gorillas and shared the island with now extinct elephant birds and other creatures you'll probably be happy you won't meet you still don't know why and how the giant lemurs had gone extinct but since rock art often shows humans chasing the more contemporary lemur version that could be the answer if later cave art serves as an encyclopedia of extinct megafauna the earlier more abstract version could be proof that neanderthals had their own language scientists see a direct link between the ability for symbolic thinking and the ability to have a language a professor of linguistics and Japanese language and culture at MIT says that it's tricky to study language history because it doesn't fossilize linguists have to look for other artifacts that could answer their questions cave art could be one of those another thing that could help scientists is analyzing the Acoustics in cave art areas their placement might not be random it could have to do with sounds people heard in this or that spot another question we still have to answer is why early humans made art that they do it for the sake of the process or maybe they saw it as totems to protect their Clans in the second case depicted animals would have to be way more diverse as different groups would have different protectors there are still more questions than answers and hopefully Humanity will solve the mystery at some point laughs
By Wiam aar3 years ago in History
HOW AMERICA BECAME A SUERPOWER !!!
The modern United States is the most powerful country in human history. With over 800 military bases and 37% of global military spending, the United States has become the leader of a vast interconnected global system that has helped usher in an era of unprecedented prosperity and low levels of conflict. To understand America’s position in the world, and why it’s so pivotal for world politics as we know it, you have to go back to the country’s founding — back to when America wasn’t a global power in any sense of the word. During the first 70 years of its existence, the United States expanded in both territory and influence in North America eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean in a wave of expansionism that resulted in the wholesale slaughter of the indigenous people who populated the continent. But early Americans were deeply divided as to whether the country should expand beyond the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This became a major debate after the civil war, when some leaders, like post-war Secretary of State Seward, argued that America should push to become a global power. Seward succeeded in pushing a plan to purchase Alaska from Russia, but his attempts to buy Greenland and Iceland, as well as annex territory in the Caribbean, were all blocked by Congress. That’s because some Americans, including many on Capitol Hill, had a strong anti-imperialist bent. These people worried about America getting more involved in global politics, as well as having to integrate populations from “inferior” races. And this opposition applied major checks on the imperialist urge to expand. But something was happening in the late 1800s that would change the debate about American expansionism. The industrial revolution produced explosive economic growth, and the bigger US economy required a more centralized state and bureaucracy to manage the growing economy. Power became concentrated in the federal government, making it easier for expansionist presidents, like William Mckinley, to unilaterally push United States influence abroad. The key turning point came in 1898, when President McKinley dragged the country into war with Spain over the island of Cuba despite intense opposition. The rising US easily defeated the moribund Spanish empire, acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in the process (1898). Over the next two years, the US would annex the Kingdom of Hawaii (1898), Wake Island (1899), and American Samoa (1900). A few years later the US took control of the Panama Canal Zone (1903) and sent troops to occupy the Dominican Republic (1916), it also purchased the American Virgin Islands (1917). This period of rapid acquisition of far flung territories put the US on the map as a truly global power. During this time, America also began using its influence to protect its growing commercial and military interests abroad, installing pro-American regimes in places like Nicaragua and playing a major role in international diplomacy regarding the Western presence in China. World War I showed how just how much America’s influence had grown. Not only was American intervention a decisive factor in the war's end But President Wilson attended the Paris Peace Conference which ended the war and attempted to set the terms of the peace. He spearheaded America’s most ambitious foreign policy initiative yet, an international organization, called the League of Nations, designed to promote peace and cooperation globally. The League, a wholesale effort to remake global politics, showed just how ambitious American foreign policy had become. Yet isolationism was still a major force in the United States. Yet isolationism was still a major force in the United States. Congress blocked the United States from joining the League of Nations, dooming Wilson’s project. During the Great Depression and the rise of Hitler, the US was was much more focused on its own region than on European affairs Ultimately, though, America’s ever-growing entanglements abroad made it impossible for it to stay out of global affairs entirely. In East Asia, the growing Japanese empire posed a the direct threat to American possessions and troops bringing the United States and Japan into conflict. This culminated in the Pearl Harbor attack bringing the United States into World War II. World War Two would transform America’s global presence forever. The United States was the only major power to avoid economic ruin during the war, and it was the sole country equipped with atomic weapons. As such, it was in unique position to set the terms of the peace — and, with the aim of preventing another war in mind, it took advantage. The most famous example of this is the creation of the United Nations. The UN charter set up a system of international law prohibiting wars of conquest, like the ones waged by the Nazis and the Japanese. It also served as a forum in which the international community could weigh in on disputes, and help resolve them. This way, the Americans hoped, great powers could resolve their differences through compromise and law rather than war. But while the UN is the most famous of the post-war institutions, it isn’t the only one. 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations came together in a small vacation haven in New Hampshire. Their goal? To establish a global financial system that would prevent another Great Depression and World War. The resulting agreement, called the Bretton Woods Agreement ultimately became backbone of the global financial system. Resulting in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. By creating these institutions the United States committed itself to being deeply involved in the world’s problems. The issue, though, is that the world’s second-largest power — The Soviet Union — saw things differently. World War II had made allies out of the democratic West and communist East in the fight against Hitler, but that couldn’t last. The United States saw Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe and elsewhere as a direct threat to its vision of a free-trading world. "To a substantial degree, in one form or another" Socialism has spread the shadow of human regimentation Over most of the nations of the earth And... the shadow is encroaching on our own liberty. Fearful of Soviet intentions towards Western Europe, the US and other European nations created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance meant to stop Russia from invading other countries in Europe. Globally, the US committed to a strategy called “containment” — so called because it was aimed at containing the spread of Communism everywhere on the globe. This new global struggle meant that the US had to exert influence everywhere, all the time. Instead of disbanding the massive military machine created for World War II, its wheels mostly kept turning. This had two main results: first, the US was pulled into unlikely alliances with countries like Saudi Arabia, Israel, and South Korea, seeing each of them as bulwarks against communist influence in their region. Secondly, the US began intervening, often secretly, in dozens of countries to contain Soviet influence. Sometimes this meant propping up sympathetic dictators like in Iran, other times supplying rebels with arms and money like in Afghanistan in 1979 and Nicaragua in 1985. Over the course of the Cold War, the US intervened in hundreds of disputes around the globe, ending up with a complicated set of alliances, tensions, and relationships in basically every corner of the earth. After the Berlin wall fell, the US could have withdrawn from this system, severing ties with its allies and drawing down the size of its military. And while the US did military spending, much of the military infrastructure and alliances from the Cold War war remained. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton decided that it was in both America and the world’s interests for the United States, now the sole superpower on earth, to continue actively managing global affairs. " We should be and we must be Peacemakers" NATO, created solely as a tool for countering the Soviets, stayed together and even expanded, a way of keeping European nations united in the absence of the Soviet threat. Washington’s support for countries like Israel and Japan stayed intact, ostensibly as a means of preventing war in those regions. The global system of alliances and institutions created to keep the peace during the Cold War became permanent — as did the American military and political commitments needed to keep them running . This system remains in operation today, and no leading American politician since the Cold War has seriously called for dismantling them — except, perhaps for Donald Trump. Trump has said contradictory things about these commitments. But he’s consistently argued that American allies are not paying America enough for its protection, and questioned the value of free trade. That calls NATO and even the World Trade Organization into question. At some point, we have to say, you know what, we're better off if Japan protects itself against this maniac in North Korea. We're better off if South Korea is going to start to protect itself -- and Saudi Arabia?-- Saudi Arabia? Absolutely. This is a sharp divergence from the consensus that has dominated US foreign policy since 1945, and something closer to the isolationism that came before it. So will President Trump act on some of candidate Trump's ideas, and reverse decades worth of institution building and alliances? We'll find out, soon enough.
By Wiam aar3 years ago in History
The First Americans
Since the inception of our species' exploration of the world, it has encountered significant challenges, and human adaptation has been a necessary requirement for our survival and proliferation on this planet. The continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania bear the marks of human occupation since the beginning of human history. However, the American continent presents some uncertainties. The question of who the First Americans were, when they arrived on the continent, and how the colonization of the continent occurred persists due to its geographic location, far from other continents. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that at the end of the Pleistocene period, a thin strip of land called Beringia connected North America with Asia, as the sea level was approximately 120m below the current level. However, with the changes in climatic conditions that occurred at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum period, which began around 25,000 years ago, the sea level began to rise gradually, and the then layer of land, Beringia, was submerged, leaving only small islands projected further to the east. This caused the populations known as paleo-indigenous to be forced to leave the region, following the herds of animals they hunted or looking for other sources of food and heat, and they were forced to go towards what we now know as Alaska and Canada, down through the Yukon Valley, and also following ice-free corridors between the Laurentide Ice Sheets, which was a great sheet of ice that covered North America until the current Great Lakes region. An alternative migration by coastal navigation is also suggested, where some groups would follow the mainland coast, heading south. In the following millennia, the descendants of these Asians moved south in search of favorable conditions and ended up populating the entire American continent, being known as the first Americans. This is currently the most accepted hypothesis, but there are others that are also considered, such as the idea that the continent was colonized from peoples coming from the Pacific Ocean, from Australian, Malay, and Polynesian aboriginal peoples who would have migrated by accident and colonized the west coast of South America. Many support this idea, with recently discovered ancestral DNA data indicating that there is a higher proportion of Australo-Melanesian ancestry in South American Native Americans, a signature absent in indigenous populations from North and Central America. The Americas were shaped by these migratory phenomena, associated with climatic factors, to lay the foundations of various cultures and peoples that marked the continent. The evidence of the presence of ancient hunting groups in Central America has been found at the El Bosque site, near Pueblo Nuevo, in the Estelí district of northwestern Nicaragua. The stratigraphic features of the site indicate the presence of a lower layer with numerous bones of large mammals identified as belonging to the species of Megalonychids, a type of giant sloth called Ere-motherium, of species of Odocoileus, an extinct type of deer, and also bones of chelonians and small mammals, and the artifacts associated with this fauna were manufactured, being chipped in a very rudimentary way. In South America, peoples originating from the first wave created great cultures and societies as complex as those found in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Some native South American populations, such as the Suruí, Caritiana, Xavante, Guarani-Caioá, and Chutuná, share 3% of their DNA with peoples from Australia and Oceania, suggesting that these individuals descend from one of the first waves to cross Beringia about 15,000 years ago. This ancestral group is known among scientists as the Y population, initial of Ypykuéra, Tupi word for ancestor. However, there is no evidence that the peoples of Oceania crossed the Pacific and arrived directly in South America. What most likely happened, according to the most recent data, is that the migration of these individuals took place to Asia and then to Africa. Beringia, and in this migratory process, they started living in the Americas. Despite the existence of geological, archaeological, and genetic evidence, we still do not have an irrefutable certainty of who the First American was, and we hope that with more research, we can unravel this mystery.
By A História3 years ago in History
Be Careful September: Five wake up calls from monetary history
Take fright. This is the lesson that history offers to policymakers who are returning from vacation this week as they prepare to negotiate the most challenging few weeks of all.
By Cyril Lord3 years ago in History
The Origin of the State
Introduction: The concept of the state is central to our modern world, serving as the fundamental organizing unit of political power and governance. (1) But where did the state originate, and how did it evolve into the complex institutions we see today? The origins of the state are a subject of great historical and anthropological debate, as they delve into the very foundations of human society. This article seeks to explore the fascinating journey of how states came into being and how they have transformed over millennia.
By DeSamist3 years ago in History
Arsenal vs Man united
Rivalry Beyond the Pitch: Fan Culture in the Arsenal vs. Manchester United Clash The Arsenal versus Manchester United rivalry is not just a battle between two football clubs; it's a war that extends well beyond the pitch. At the heart of this intense rivalry lie the passionate and loyal fan bases of both Arsenal and Manchester United. These fans, known for their unwavering dedication and colorful traditions, play a significant role in shaping the narrative of this historic rivalry. In this exploration, we will delve deep into the world of fan culture, uncovering the origins, rituals, chants, and interactions that define the fervor surrounding these two football giants.
By Ronald 3 years ago in History
Witchcraft in Spain
The small village of Zugarramurdi, located in the Basque region of Spain, is known for its dark and intriguing history related to witches and witchcraft. This remote village, nestled in the Pyrenees mountains, gained notoriety during the Spanish Inquisition in the 17th century due to its alleged involvement in witchcraft and witch trials. The history of Zugarramurdi and its association with witches is a fascinating tale of fear, superstition, and persecution.
By Alex T3 years ago in History
A small town divided by complicating political ideologies
In the quiet town of Oakwood, politics had always been a unifying force, bringing neighbors together to make collective decisions for the betterment of their community. But lately, a deep divide had started to form, fueled by conflicting ideological viewpoints. The upcoming local election was only intensifying the tensions, as friends and neighbors found themselves on opposite sides of the political spectrum.
By Shamsu3 years ago in History
Lost in the Ice: The Mystery of the Franklin Expedition
In 1845, two British ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, embarked on an ambitious journey into the icy Arctic waters. Their mission was to find a route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the frozen bays of Canada, a pathway known as the Northwest Passage. This endeavor had both economic and scientific objectives. Britain aimed to enhance its economy through improved trade routes to China, trading silk, spices, and more. Additionally, the expedition sought to study the Earth's north magnetic pole for scientific advancement and better maritime navigation in the Arctic.
By Joshua Fiu3 years ago in History
World's Most Mysterious Places
Step into the mystical world of the Czech Republic, where ancient pagan and mystical traditions still hold sway. Among the many enigmatic sites that dot this land, the Hill of Crosses stands out as a place of great spiritual power. Nestled in the northern reaches of Lithuania, this pilgrimage site has been drawing visitors for centuries. Legend has it that the hill was originally built to honor fallen warriors, but over time, it became a sacred site associated with miracles and healing. Today, the hill is adorned with thousands of crosses of all shapes and sizes, some dating back centuries. Many visitors claim to have experienced miraculous healings and other paranormal phenomena while visiting this hallowed ground.
By miss hyena3 years ago in History
The Commonwealth in Transition: From Empire to a Global Partnership
On November 30th, 2021, a significant chapter in history was written as Barbados officially declared itself a parliamentary republic. The lowering of the queen's flag marked the end of a more than 350-year-old colonial relationship with the British monarchy. However, amidst this monumental shift, the Commonwealth of Nations, a vestige of the British Empire, continued to play a pivotal role. This article aims to explore the evolution of the British Empire, the birth of the Commonwealth, and the complex relationship between the monarch and the nations that make up this diverse organization.
By Vivian Yao3 years ago in History