The History Thread

75 years ago today.

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An old Mandatory Palestine Driver's Licence issued in Gaza for 500 Mils in 1935.

The English, Arabic and Hebrew text was a staple feature of Mandate documents, stamps and coins.
 
Today (September 9th) in 1776 - The continental congress officially declared that the new nation would be called "The United States of America" replacing the more commonly used United Colonies.
 
It’s the early 1180s, and William of Tyre is anxiously surveying the scene in the eastern Mediterranean to understand how the balance of power has shifted against the Crusader States in favor of the Muslims:

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I guess that this is an English translation 2cents? I wonder what was the original written in?
 
A Netflix/HBO style serialization of the Third Crusade period would make potentially great television, although it would probably piss a lot of people off one way or another.
 
A Netflix/HBO style serialization of the Third Crusade period would make potentially great television, although it would probably piss a lot of people off one way or another.

Yes I am sure it will piss of a lot of people. But from what I have read Salahudeen seems to be a fairly decent man by the standards of that time.
Ertugrul seems to be a very popular series in a lot of countries.
 

Pier Paolo Petrone, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Naples Federico II who led the research, told CNN that the project started when he saw "some glassy material shining from within the skull" while he was working near the skeleton in 2018. In a paper published earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine, Petrone and his colleagues revealed that this shiny appearance was caused by the vitrification of the victim's brain due to intense heat followed by rapid cooling. Speaking about this process, Petrone said: "The brain exposed to the hot volcanic ash must first have liquefied and then immediately turned into a glassy material by the rapid cooling of the volcanic ash deposit." After subsequent analysis including the use of an electron microscope, the team found cells in the vitrified brain, which were "incredibly well preserved with a resolution that is impossible to find anywhere else," according to Petrone. The researchers also found intact nerve cells in the spinal cord, which, like the brain, had been vitrified.
 
I'm really tempted to share some of my rare medals/coins here along with some of the history. It can be quite cathartic to write about it. We'll start with a couple and see how it goes.


Medal1776.jpg



John Paul Jones medal. Betts-568. Silver. Restrike in the Paris mint between around 1850 and 1880. (Originals do exist in silver (4!), alas I cannot afford one). There seem to be around 20-30 extant restrikes in silver.

Part of the 'Comitia Americana' series of medals. As per the Smithsonian: The Comitia Americana series memorializes some of the pivotal moments of the American Revolutionary War. The series was created between 1776 and the early 19th century almost exclusively by French artists and artisans at the commission of the United States. The name of the series, Latin for American Congress, denotes that these medals were created after Continental Congressional votes to memorialize the heroism, friendship, and leadership of key American and French revolutionaries. Each medal was struck either at the Paris Mint or the United States Mint in Philadelphia.

This is almost true. In fact, many of the medals that have survived are from the workshop of Augustin Dupré himself, the master engraver that the US continental congress tasked with the creation of many.

So what is this one? This is the "John Paul Jones, victory against the Serapis" medal. It was the only naval medal authorized by the continental congress, and set a template for much future art, with its neoclassical iconography (as did much of the Comitia Americana series), so is much loved by collectors. It was the prefigure to American naval medals for a century to come.

Who was John Paul Jones? According to the British, he was a dirty pirate! He led a small fleet of French ships along with a US one, and captained the "Bonhomme Richard" (Affectionately named in honour of Franklin!) which had 42 guns.

John Jones was a Scottish native, with a lengthy drawl and heavy on the whiskey. He was also a Royal Navy veteran, so knew their playbook and geography well. As the US allies France and Spain launched their great fleets towards the UK in 1779, Jones served as a diversion sailing his band of merry men round Ireland, over Scotland and down the east coast of England. He luckily discovered a convoy of 41 British trading ships there, escorted by the 44 gun Serapis. He brought his ship broadside to the Serapis and both unleashed hell upon each other. Cannon fire at point blank range, grenades, and man to man combat. Both ships were heavily wounded, but neither side could board the other. When the British captain demanded the surrender of Jones, he yelled back the legendary words: "Sir, i have not yet begun to fight!"

Six hours later, the horrific damage became too much to the British captain and he was forced to surrender. With the poor Bonhomme Richard slowly sinking, he patched up the Serapis (And another fighting ship, the Countess of Scarborough) and sailed to Texel, in the friendly netherlands.

As the word of his victory in the British waters spread like wildfire, Jones and Benjamin franklin [then living in Paris] echanged love letters for a while. However drama ensued, and it took the continental congress until 1787 to make the award


comi1.jpg
comi2.jpg


1781 William Washington at Cowpens medal. Betts-594. Restrike (1880-1898)


Just after Christmas, Sir Henry Clinton and General Charles Cornwallis left British-occupied New York with more than 8,000 men on a road trip to Charleston in SC. They laid siege to Charleston in April 1780 and by the following month controlled the entire city. They then made their way south through SC where they encountered Horatio Gates, the US commander for the region. They obliterated him easily, and camped with their entire force in central SC near Winnsborough.

George Washington was pretty pissed off. He relieved Gates of command, and send one Nathanial Greene in his place. Greenes tactic was basically guerilla warfare and terrorism. Disrupt the supply lines, commit to small skirmishes only,. By October, the Americans controlled North Carolina, so the supply lines were becoming somewhat limited for the British Army in Winnsborough if they failed to deal with the pesky guerillas.

As the main American force made camp, an auxillary army under General Morgan continued to move through the backcountry, harrassing British forces. The British responded by sending a force of over 1000 men to give chase. Morgan picked the spot to fight, a high ground where the cavalry could break through the British lines whilst the riflemen gave them a bit of a spanking. Colonel Wiliiam Washington led the cavalry charge as depicted in the medal.
 
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I'm really tempted to share some of my rare medals/coins here along with some of the history. It can be quite cathartic to write about it. We'll start with a couple and see how it goes.


Medal1776.jpg



John Paul Jones medal. Betts-568. Silver. Restrike in the Paris mint between around 1850 and 1880. (Originals do exist in silver (4!), alas I cannot afford one). There seem to be around 20-30 extant restrikes in silver.

Part of the 'Comitia Americana' series of medals. As per the Smithsonian: The Comitia Americana series memorializes some of the pivotal moments of the American Revolutionary War. The series was created between 1776 and the early 19th century almost exclusively by French artists and artisans at the commission of the United States. The name of the series, Latin for American Congress, denotes that these medals were created after Continental Congressional votes to memorialize the heroism, friendship, and leadership of key American and French revolutionaries. Each medal was struck either at the Paris Mint or the United States Mint in Philadelphia.

This is almost true. In fact, many of the medals that have survived are from the workshop of Augustin Dupré himself, the master engraver that the US continental congress tasked with the creation of many.

So what is this one? This is the "John Paul Jones, victory against the Serapis" medal. It was the only naval medal authorized by the continental congress, and set a template for much future art, with its neoclassical iconography (as did much of the Comitia Americana series), so is much loved by collectors. It was the prefigure to American naval medals for a century to come.

Who was John Paul Jones? According to the British, he was a dirty pirate! He led a small fleet of French ships along with a US one, and captained the "Bonhomme Richard" (Affectionately named in honour of Franklin!) and had 42 guns.

John Jones was a Scottish native, with a lengthy drawl and heavy on the whiskey. He was also a Royal Navy veteran, so knew their playbook and geography well. As the US allies France and Spain launched their great fleets towards the UK in 1779, Jones served as a diversion sailing his band of merry men round Ireland, over Scotland and down the easy coast of England. He luckily discovered a convoy of 41 British trading ships there, escorted by the 44 gun Serapis. He brought his ship broadside to the Serapis and both unleashed hell upon each other. Cannon fire at point blank range, grenades, and man to man combat. Both ships were heavily wounded, but neither side could board the other. When the British captain demanded the surrender of Jones, he yelled back the legendary words: "Sir, i have not yet begun to fight!"

Six hours later, the horrific damage became too much to the British captain and he was forced to surrender. With the poor Bonhomme Richard slowly sinking, he patched up the Serapis (And another fighting ship, the Countess of Scarborough) and sailed to Texel, in the friendly netherlands.

As the word of his victory in the British waters spread like wildfire, Jones and Benjamin franklin [then living in Paris] echanged love letters for a while. However drama ensued, and it took the continental congress until 1787 to make the award


comi1.jpg
comi2.jpg


1781 William Washington at Cowpens medal. Betts-594. Restrike (1880-1898)


Just after Christmas, Sir Henry Clinton and General Charles Cornwallis left British-occupied New York with more than 8,000 men on a road trip to Charleston in SC. They laid siege to Charleston in April 1780 and by the following month controlled the entire city. They then made their way south through SC where they encountered Horatio Gates, the US commander for the region. They obliterated him easily, and camped with their entire force in central SC near Winnsborough.

George Washington was pretty pissed off. He relieved Gates of command, and send one Nathanial Greene in his place. Greenes tactic was basically guerilla warfare and terrorism. Disrupt the supply lines, commit to small skirmishes only,. By October, the Americans controlled North Carolina, so the supply lines were becoming somewhat limited for the British Army in Winnsborough if they failed to deal with the pesky guerillas.

As the main American force made camp, an auxillary army under General Morgan continued to move through the backcountry, harrassing British forces. The British responded by sending a force of over 1000 men to give chase. Morgan picked the spot to fight, a high ground where the cavalry could break through the British lines whilst the riflemen gave them a bit of a spanking. Colonel Wiliiam Washington led the cavalry charge as depicted in the medal.
A great hobby and an enjoyable read owlo, than you.
 
I'm really tempted to share some of my rare medals/coins here along with some of the history. It can be quite cathartic to write about it. We'll start with a couple and see how it goes.


Medal1776.jpg



John Paul Jones medal. Betts-568. Silver. Restrike in the Paris mint between around 1850 and 1880. (Originals do exist in silver (4!), alas I cannot afford one). There seem to be around 20-30 extant restrikes in silver.

Part of the 'Comitia Americana' series of medals. As per the Smithsonian: The Comitia Americana series memorializes some of the pivotal moments of the American Revolutionary War. The series was created between 1776 and the early 19th century almost exclusively by French artists and artisans at the commission of the United States. The name of the series, Latin for American Congress, denotes that these medals were created after Continental Congressional votes to memorialize the heroism, friendship, and leadership of key American and French revolutionaries. Each medal was struck either at the Paris Mint or the United States Mint in Philadelphia.

This is almost true. In fact, many of the medals that have survived are from the workshop of Augustin Dupré himself, the master engraver that the US continental congress tasked with the creation of many.

So what is this one? This is the "John Paul Jones, victory against the Serapis" medal. It was the only naval medal authorized by the continental congress, and set a template for much future art, with its neoclassical iconography (as did much of the Comitia Americana series), so is much loved by collectors. It was the prefigure to American naval medals for a century to come.

Who was John Paul Jones? According to the British, he was a dirty pirate! He led a small fleet of French ships along with a US one, and captained the "Bonhomme Richard" (Affectionately named in honour of Franklin!) which had 42 guns.

John Jones was a Scottish native, with a lengthy drawl and heavy on the whiskey. He was also a Royal Navy veteran, so knew their playbook and geography well. As the US allies France and Spain launched their great fleets towards the UK in 1779, Jones served as a diversion sailing his band of merry men round Ireland, over Scotland and down the east coast of England. He luckily discovered a convoy of 41 British trading ships there, escorted by the 44 gun Serapis. He brought his ship broadside to the Serapis and both unleashed hell upon each other. Cannon fire at point blank range, grenades, and man to man combat. Both ships were heavily wounded, but neither side could board the other. When the British captain demanded the surrender of Jones, he yelled back the legendary words: "Sir, i have not yet begun to fight!"

Six hours later, the horrific damage became too much to the British captain and he was forced to surrender. With the poor Bonhomme Richard slowly sinking, he patched up the Serapis (And another fighting ship, the Countess of Scarborough) and sailed to Texel, in the friendly netherlands.

As the word of his victory in the British waters spread like wildfire, Jones and Benjamin franklin [then living in Paris] echanged love letters for a while. However drama ensued, and it took the continental congress until 1787 to make the award


comi1.jpg
comi2.jpg


1781 William Washington at Cowpens medal. Betts-594. Restrike (1880-1898)


Just after Christmas, Sir Henry Clinton and General Charles Cornwallis left British-occupied New York with more than 8,000 men on a road trip to Charleston in SC. They laid siege to Charleston in April 1780 and by the following month controlled the entire city. They then made their way south through SC where they encountered Horatio Gates, the US commander for the region. They obliterated him easily, and camped with their entire force in central SC near Winnsborough.

George Washington was pretty pissed off. He relieved Gates of command, and send one Nathanial Greene in his place. Greenes tactic was basically guerilla warfare and terrorism. Disrupt the supply lines, commit to small skirmishes only,. By October, the Americans controlled North Carolina, so the supply lines were becoming somewhat limited for the British Army in Winnsborough if they failed to deal with the pesky guerillas.

As the main American force made camp, an auxillary army under General Morgan continued to move through the backcountry, harrassing British forces. The British responded by sending a force of over 1000 men to give chase. Morgan picked the spot to fight, a high ground where the cavalry could break through the British lines whilst the riflemen gave them a bit of a spanking. Colonel Wiliiam Washington led the cavalry charge as depicted in the medal.
What an enjoyable read!
 
It's amazing the number of postcards that refer to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem as the "Mosque of Omar".

To the best of my knowledge, neither the seventh century caliph 'Umar or any other 'Umar had anything to do with the building. And it's definitely not a mosque!

It's said the Dome of the Rock serves to commemorate the Prophet Muhammad's night journey to Jerusalem and his subsequent Ascension.
 
It's amazing the number of postcards that refer to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem as the "Mosque of Omar".

To the best of my knowledge, neither the seventh century caliph 'Umar or any other 'Umar had anything to do with the building. And it's definitely not a mosque!

It's said the Dome of the Rock serves to commemorate the Prophet Muhammad's night journey to Jerusalem and his subsequent Ascension.
The other one is postcards showing the dome of the rock as Al Aqsa mosque.
 
It's amazing the number of postcards that refer to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem as the "Mosque of Omar".

To the best of my knowledge, neither the seventh century caliph 'Umar or any other 'Umar had anything to do with the building. And it's definitely not a mosque!

It's said the Dome of the Rock serves to commemorate the Prophet Muhammad's night journey to Jerusalem and his subsequent Ascension.

They get confused with the real Mosque of Umar which is directly opposite the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I think I read somewhere that this confusion among Westerners goes back to the Crusades.
 
I'm really tempted to share some of my rare medals/coins here along with some of the history. It can be quite cathartic to write about it. We'll start with a couple and see how it goes.


Medal1776.jpg



John Paul Jones medal. Betts-568. Silver. Restrike in the Paris mint between around 1850 and 1880. (Originals do exist in silver (4!), alas I cannot afford one). There seem to be around 20-30 extant restrikes in silver.

Part of the 'Comitia Americana' series of medals. As per the Smithsonian: The Comitia Americana series memorializes some of the pivotal moments of the American Revolutionary War. The series was created between 1776 and the early 19th century almost exclusively by French artists and artisans at the commission of the United States. The name of the series, Latin for American Congress, denotes that these medals were created after Continental Congressional votes to memorialize the heroism, friendship, and leadership of key American and French revolutionaries. Each medal was struck either at the Paris Mint or the United States Mint in Philadelphia.

This is almost true. In fact, many of the medals that have survived are from the workshop of Augustin Dupré himself, the master engraver that the US continental congress tasked with the creation of many.

So what is this one? This is the "John Paul Jones, victory against the Serapis" medal. It was the only naval medal authorized by the continental congress, and set a template for much future art, with its neoclassical iconography (as did much of the Comitia Americana series), so is much loved by collectors. It was the prefigure to American naval medals for a century to come.

Who was John Paul Jones? According to the British, he was a dirty pirate! He led a small fleet of French ships along with a US one, and captained the "Bonhomme Richard" (Affectionately named in honour of Franklin!) which had 42 guns.

John Jones was a Scottish native, with a lengthy drawl and heavy on the whiskey. He was also a Royal Navy veteran, so knew their playbook and geography well. As the US allies France and Spain launched their great fleets towards the UK in 1779, Jones served as a diversion sailing his band of merry men round Ireland, over Scotland and down the east coast of England. He luckily discovered a convoy of 41 British trading ships there, escorted by the 44 gun Serapis. He brought his ship broadside to the Serapis and both unleashed hell upon each other. Cannon fire at point blank range, grenades, and man to man combat. Both ships were heavily wounded, but neither side could board the other. When the British captain demanded the surrender of Jones, he yelled back the legendary words: "Sir, i have not yet begun to fight!"

Six hours later, the horrific damage became too much to the British captain and he was forced to surrender. With the poor Bonhomme Richard slowly sinking, he patched up the Serapis (And another fighting ship, the Countess of Scarborough) and sailed to Texel, in the friendly netherlands.

As the word of his victory in the British waters spread like wildfire, Jones and Benjamin franklin [then living in Paris] echanged love letters for a while. However drama ensued, and it took the continental congress until 1787 to make the award


comi1.jpg
comi2.jpg


1781 William Washington at Cowpens medal. Betts-594. Restrike (1880-1898)


Just after Christmas, Sir Henry Clinton and General Charles Cornwallis left British-occupied New York with more than 8,000 men on a road trip to Charleston in SC. They laid siege to Charleston in April 1780 and by the following month controlled the entire city. They then made their way south through SC where they encountered Horatio Gates, the US commander for the region. They obliterated him easily, and camped with their entire force in central SC near Winnsborough.

George Washington was pretty pissed off. He relieved Gates of command, and send one Nathanial Greene in his place. Greenes tactic was basically guerilla warfare and terrorism. Disrupt the supply lines, commit to small skirmishes only,. By October, the Americans controlled North Carolina, so the supply lines were becoming somewhat limited for the British Army in Winnsborough if they failed to deal with the pesky guerillas.

As the main American force made camp, an auxillary army under General Morgan continued to move through the backcountry, harrassing British forces. The British responded by sending a force of over 1000 men to give chase. Morgan picked the spot to fight, a high ground where the cavalry could break through the British lines whilst the riflemen gave them a bit of a spanking. Colonel Wiliiam Washington led the cavalry charge as depicted in the medal.
Please continue with these.
 
Many thanks for the kind replies! Though I kinda feel I'm spamming the thread now haha.
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We're going back in time today boys. This Danish medal although dated around 1677 was first struck in around 1690. It's fecking huge too, over 600 grams of silver. Around 20 exist, half in museums. (A couple of gold ones exist too, but those aren't for mere mortals). It's so big my camera setup is unable to photograph it, so I've had to save and use the years old image from the auction house.

It's also really beautiful and reminiscent of design from the era. The "Jehovah" in hebrew on the top of the obverse is common in the time, mainly in Scandinavia, but also parts of Germany, notably Nurnberg. (A likely hangover from the 30 years war)

The Swedish in this period were bullies; attempting to capture Austria and god knows what else. One year earlier in 1676 the main Swedish fleet had suffered a decisive and shocking defeat against the Danish in the
Battle of Öland. There the Dutch (Under Admiral Tromp, the son of the guy in my next medal!) Danish alliance inflicted the loss of the Swedish flagship and most experienced admiral. This caused huge problems for the Swedish who were in the midst of a protracted war vs Denmark, the Dutch, and several German states. Their troops needed reinforcements in Northern Germany, but the Danish and Dutch controlled the Baltic for almost a year. The situation was becoming untenable for their possessions abroad and the pressure was telling.


Therefore the Swedish, who still had a superior fleet but a lack of experience in manpower, decided to attack. They anchored at Mon (a beautiful island with limescale cliffs by the way; the people quite poor but friendly. Well worth a visit!) they got word that Admiral Tromp was once more on his way to bail out the Danish, and his fleet would arrive within days. So they decided to attack forthwidth. It did not start well, a couple of larger 64 gun ships ran aground and could not be dislodged. But the Swedish still had supremacy. The lines were formed (Naval warfare those days consisted of 'Lines of ships' parralel to each other firing broadsides). The battle was violent and unabated, and the Danish admiral had to leave not one but two heavily damaged flagships before they succumbed. The next day, the Swedish spotted a group of eight large ships out of position; they mistakenly assumed Tromp had arrived. Oh dear, this was decisive! The Swedish admiral Horn ordered somewhat strange evasive action which resulted in their fleets being trapped between 2 lines of Danish vessels.

The Danish didn't lose a single ship. They captured 3 large (72, 60, and 44 gun) vessels, and inflicted a terrible loss upon the Swedish.. It led to Denmark and Norway dominating the Baltic for the rest of the war. Tromp meanwhile was ordered to "burn, defile, plunder, and abduct" the people to distract Swedish land troops.

" King Christian V, who had been watching the battle from the land, commissioned court medalist Christopher Schneider to create an enormous medal of unprecedented magnitude to commemorate the event and manifest the status of Denmark as a major naval power. Schneider needed more than ten years for this job! The stamps in the Kgl. Mønt- og Medaillesamling are kept in Copenhagen and were also used in the 18th century because the Danish kings used the world's largest Baroque medal as a gift. After 1750, however, the Front page stamp falled to ground and this is the reason why one third of the copies known today has a stamp break. "

You can see the die break on my medal, which indicates it was likely struck just after 1750, and was gifted by the then King of Denmark to another King or Dignatary.
 
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The other one is postcards showing the dome of the rock as Al Aqsa mosque.

Yeah, I've seen those too.

The postcard I received the other day refers to the building as the Dome of the Rock in English and German. But refers to the Dome of the Rock in French as "Mosqu'ee de Omar".

They get confused with the real Mosque of Umar which is directly opposite the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I think I read somewhere that this confusion among Westerners goes back to the Crusades.

According to the late Oleg Grabar, William of Tyre attributed the Dome of the Rock to the Caliph 'Umar, hence the appellation "Mosque of Omar".
 
Map shows number of years various parts of what became Yugoslavia were under Ottoman rule:

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Archaeologists uncover ancient street food shop in Pompeii

ROME (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD, have made the extraordinary find of a frescoed hot food and drinks shop that served up the ancient equivalent of street food to Roman passersby.

Known as a termopolium, Latin for hot drinks counter, the shop was discovered in the archaeological park’s Regio V site, which is not yet open the public, and unveiled on Saturday.

Traces of nearly 2,000-year-old food were found in some of the deep terra cotta jars containing hot food which the shop keeper lowered into a counter with circular holes.


More: https://www.reuters.com/article/italy-pompeii-idUKKBN2900D3

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They could really do with you on their team.
It does look a bit like one of those communal toilet things they had as well. Maybe if they had no running water they crapped in big jars instead, that slaves had to take away and empty out? It's important for we historians to keep an open mind on these things I always feel.
 
That artwork is bloody impressive.

The Romans were pretty incredible. Whenever you find Roman artefacts the craftsmanship is so good it could have been made yesterday. Particularly Samian pottery, that stuff is so smooth and exquisite, I love finding that.
 
Pompeii and Herculaneum are really cool to visit and get an idea of what life really was like for the Romans. One of the most striking things, probably, is that life was visually very busy. We're used to the renaissance ideal, repeated in neoclassicism, that Greek and Roman status were virgin white - but they weren't; the paint just didn't survive the wear and tear of time. In actual fact, everything was painted. Temple columns had colour, temple sculptures were fully painted, and rooms of houses were covered with paintings from top to bottom all over the place. (From a certain income level, properly; but anyway.) This snackbar is an amazing example of that.

The graffiti is also awesome btw. Very vulgar; most of it would be censured of the forum here. It speaks to the spread of literacy in Roman cities - and also to their sense of humor and sensibilities. (I gave a very fun class on that once - easy points with the students. :lol: )
 
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Any good podcasts about history? Preferably about medieval times or not Europe-centrered.
 
Any good podcasts about history? Preferably about medieval times or not Europe-centrered.
HI 101. Wide range of topics and never gets too tedious or academic. As the host says in the intro, "Instead of names and dates, let's focus on the narrative."