One More Detour on the Writing Road

America, the artifact--a longish post over at Daily Kos discussing the conquistadors, effects of disease, and the diversity of life and civilizations in North America:

In July of 1536, a group of Spanish businessmen (me: somewhere in Mexico) were surprised to find themselves approached by four uncouth figures. The men had a scattering of rags and bits of animal skin, but were otherwise completely naked except for a covering of ground-in filth. Their skin showed the effects of long exposure to sun, the scars of injuries, and the attention of millions of insects. Their bearded faces were gaunt with hunger and exhaustion.

The initial wariness with which these men were greeted soon turned to open-mouthed amazement as they addressed the businessmen in good Spanish. The four were survivors of an expeditionary force that had originally numbered over six hundred men, a force long assumed lost. Over a space of seven years, these four had been part of pitched battles, withstood a siege, aided in a astounding escape from encircling forces, and watched hundreds of their countrymen fall to conflict, starvation and disease. Most of all they had walked thousands of miles across a strange land no European had seen before and which few others would ever see. They had seen wonders. They had seen North America.

Like I said, a longish post, but very interesting. I was never all that interested in pre-Columbian civilizations. Looks like I may have missed out on a lot of fascinating history.

An interesting hypothesis about the death of Alexander the Great (link via dancinghorse)

http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2010/12/alexander-the-great-and-west-nile-virus-encephalitis/

Abstract: Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 BC. His death at age 32 followed a 2-week febrile illness. Speculated causes of death have included poisoning, assassination, and a number of infectious diseases. One incident, mentioned by Plutarch but not considered by previous investigators, may shed light on the cause of Alexander’s death. The incident, which occurred as he entered Babylon, involved a flock of ravens exhibiting unusual behavior and subsequently dying at his feet. The inexplicable behavior of ravens is reminiscent of avian illness and death weeks before the first human cases of West Nile virus infection were identified in the United States. We posit that Alexander may have died of West Nile virus encephalitis.

The board game Monopoly was used during WWII to smuggle tools to British POWs that would aid their escape.

Included in the items the German army allowed humanitarian groups to distribute in care packages to imprisoned soldiers, the game was too innocent to raise suspicion. But it was the ideal size for a top-secret escape kit that could help spring British POWs from German war camps.

Gacked from lnhammer.

I can't wrap my mind around the fact that there are companies that are over 1400 years old.

I used to read--and should start reading again--Gilded Age and Victorian era biographies and histories. Over at Daily Kos, Devilstower posts about the later days of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the not-so-ex-prostitute sisters who befriended him, their lives, and the growth of spiritualism.

From the time when spiritualism first took hold in the United States during the 1840's, its popularity was based among the upper classes and upper crust of American society. The informal religion emerged (as had so many others) from the "Burned-over District" in upstate New York. It borrowed from sources as diverse as Franz Mesmer's hypnotism and offshoots of radical Quakerism to form a anything-goes hotbed for scholarly religious dissent, simply odd ideas, and certified nut cases. It was also a rich feeding ground for hucksters of all sorts.

So, read Parlor Tricks if you have a mind to. Meanwhile, I shall add a few books to the wish list.