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Cameras

A Timeless Fascination

From the creation and popularization of the daguerreotype to the newest smartphone technology, cameras have documented virtually every type of relationship in the civilized and natural world. Cameras work as time machines, capturing and preserving the memories we create for ourselves. Whether it is through vernacular photography, which typically involves unknown photographers seeking beauty in the ordinary, domestic lives of folks, or fashion photography, which is purposefully and dutifully stylized to suit the latest cultural trends, cameras are powerful tools that have become permanent fixtures in our efforts to track the progression of people, places, and ideas across the world.

How Body Types Evolved Throughout History

There’s a common phrase that says, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It means that beauty can’t be judged objectively. What one person believes is beautiful may not appeal to another.

Social Affection

Each culture has its own social norms. A behavior or body gesture may be acceptable to one culture, but offensive to another. It’s wise to understand the cultural norms of those you’ll be interacting with in social settings, while conducting business, or when traveling.

Fortunate Medical Mishaps

Nobody wants to make a mistake, especially at work, but some mishaps become advantageous. When we’re sick and require antibiotics, we should be thankful for a lucky discovery made by Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming.

Fordlandia

After building the Quadricycle,the first gasoline-powered horseless carriage, American business tycoon and industrialist Henry Ford achieved many more accomplishments. In 1903, he founded the Ford Motor Company. One month later, the first Ford car Model A was assembled at a plant in Detroit.

Early Accolades

Hollywood has a long, glittering history of lauding its own. From Academy Awards to Oscars to independent films, the industry ensures every actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and other professional involved in the production of silver screen entertainment has a chance to receive recognition and express gratitude for the opportunity to strut their stuff.

Widows

Historically, women had few legal rights. Cultures the world over considered women merely extensions of the men to whom they were bound and subject to the protection or exploitation of those men without much in the way of legal recourse. In short, women had no separate legal existence from their male guardians whether those guardians be their fathers, husbands, adult brothers, or adult sons. Unless they were widowed.

Bear Claws, Crullers, and Holes

National Donut Day, established in 1938, occurs the first Friday of June and honors the Salvation Army’s “Doughnut Girls” and the Red Cross’ “Doughnut Dollies” who served donuts to soldiers in the trenches during World Wars I and II, respectively. Although primarily a U.S. holiday, donut shops around the world have been known to hoist a cinnamon roll in celebration.

Talking Animals in Children’s Literature

Anthropomorphism, a fancy term concerning the personification of animals by attributing human characteristics to them, occupies a treasured spot in children’s fiction. The addition of speech to creatures that do not normally engage in conversation such as we humans think of it serves as a mode through which authors teach moral lessons, if only because the animals can talk back.

Heroic Heroines

First, let’s consider the heroic tradition which arises from, well, tradition. Let’s be honest, tradition values strength and valor as masculine traits. Look at practically any fairy tale: Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty. They each display traits of traditional feminine ideals: diligence, kindness, generosity, physical beauty, fidelity, and not a courageous or aggressive bone among them.

Female protagonists have waited a long time to break out from those socially imposed confines, but some authors realized the amazing potential of females in the heroic tradition and to pave the way for many of today’s kickass, weapons-toting heroines.

Sweets for the Sweet

“[A]nd as for the sweets, I won’t tell you how cheap and good they were, because it would only make your mouth water in vain.”

From The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Few months are so active in faith traditions as May, the spring season’s revitalization of nature similarly inspires a resurgence in religious fervor. The world’s three major faith traditions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—each celebrate significant religious holidays during May.

Law Enforcement

The duty of every government concerns the enforcement of law, protection of property rights, and preservation of class systems to maintain civil order; however, the concept of a uniformed and professional police force dates back only to the 19th century. Historically, families, clans, and the military assumed and carried out the responsibility for law enforcement, which led to exploitation and abuses, often with vengeance in mind rather than justice.

A Tradition of Excellence

Golf is a tradition of excellence. The 15th century Scottish game is one of the world’s most beloved pastimes. The quaint rolling greens and the majestic scenery that comprise most golf courses arise from meticulous designs by renowned architects, landscapers, and former players to challenge recreational golfers and world champions alike. Whistling Straits in Mosel, Wisconsin, the Old Course at St Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland, and the Royal Melbourne Golf Course in Australia point to the dedication and ingenuity imperative in crafting the world’s most celebrated courses.

Setting the Tone Over and Again

Try to distinguish popular music from almost every other genre. We bet you can’t. Bruno Mars’ song “Uptown Funk” fuses elements of rhythm and blues (R&B), funk, and rock and roll to create a timeless sound. Michael Jackson drew from R&B and dance music to become the “king of pop.” It is no coincidence that performers and fans find familiar melodies in their favorite songs.

Traditions

It’s finally spring, a time for rebirth, renewal, and new beginnings. May 1st marks May Day, a traditional springtime festival celebrated by various cultures around the globe. This holiday is still widely celebrated today, but its origins lie in ancient pagan celebrations that involved fertility rites.

Making an Impression

Throughout history, various groups of women have banded together to battle for a more egalitarian world. More recently, women and men have joined Women’s Marches and the Me Too movement and championed for narrowing the pay gap.

The Shape of Things to Come

Most people don’t associate fashion with the military, but several clothing silhouettes have roots in military history. The raglan sleeve is named after Lord Raglan, the first Baron Raglan, who lost his arm in battle. The sleeve extends in one piece to the collar, leaving a diagonal seam from underarm to collarbone. Lord Raglan’s tailor created it to facilitate easier dressing and allow ample room for the baron to use his sword. In recent years, modern fashion houses Chanel and Miu Miu have shown variations of this sleeve. For more on Lord Raglan’s legacy, read The War: From the Death of Lord Raglan to the Evacuation of Crimea and The Invasion of the Crimea: Its Origin, And an Account of Its Progress Down to the Death of Lord Raglan.

Color Theories

We use color to express personality. We carefully select the colors we wear, the hues that adorn our homes, and the colors of the cars we drive. Color trends continually change, fueling demand in fashion, home décor, cosmetics, and the auto industry. In fact, every year color authority Pantone introduces its Color of the Year. Ultra Violet was selected for 2018.

Looking into the Tao Te Ching

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, "Abandon learning, and you will be free from trouble and distress." (The Saying of Lao Tzu, p. 45) Another version has the same lines translated as "When we renounce learning we have no troubles...The ancients who showed their skill in practicing the Tao did so not to enlighten people, but to make them simple and ignorant." (The Story of Civilization, p. 653)

Cameras

A Timeless Fascination

Body Beauty

How Body Types Evolved Throughout History

Public Displays of Affection

Social Affection

Serendipity

Fortunate Medical Mishaps

Henry Ford

Fordlandia

Film

Early Accolades

Almost Men

Widows

Donut Day

Bear Claws, Crullers, and Holes

Beyond Speech

Talking Animals in Children’s Literature

Heroic Heroines

Sweets for the Sweet

May Faith Traditions

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Keeping the Peace

Law Enforcement

Golf

A Tradition of Excellence

Pop Music

Setting the Tone Over and Again

May Day

Traditions

Women Artists

Making an Impression

Fashion Silhouettes

The Shape of Things to Come

Cultures Column

Color Theories

Was Lao Tzu an Anti-Intellectual?

Looking into the Tao Te Ching