The Art of War

Unlike most editions of Sun-tzu's valuable text currently available (many simply retreads of older, flawed translations), this superb new translation makes use of the best available classical Chinese manuscripts, including and ancient "tomb text" version discovered by archaeologists at Linyi, China. Maps.

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Centers of Progress: Hangzhou (Paper Money)

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Being Da Vinci: Life Lessons

🔍 Research

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Stoicism: Practical Philosophy You Can Actually Use

When most people think of "philosophy," their eyes glaze over. It's the last thing they want, let alone something they need. But this, as you already know, is silly and naive. Philosophy is not just about talking or lecturing, or even reading long, dense books.

2 ideas 160 reads

A Brief History of Writing

Learn about the history of written language including cave drawings, the history of the pen, and the Gutenberg printing press.

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Blissfully Cool Facts About Ice

It's summer. Time to think about the science of the cubes clinking in your drink.

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Why We Love Dinosaurs

People have always known of dinosaurs, though they have called them by many names. Old legends that place Western dragons in caves or beneath the earth may have originated with fossils. The plumed serpent, prominent in mythologies of Mexico and Latin America, is often a creator of life.

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Heroes of Progress: Lucy Wills

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Brief History of Music: An Introduction

Introduction and the brief history of music. Get to know the music periods and history of medieval, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic era music. Through the history of music, we find increasing evidence of its key role in sacred and secular settings.

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Homo sapiens is #9. Who were the eight other human species?

There were at least eight other human species, some of whom existed for far longer than we have. Who were they?

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Who invented stand-up? The origins of a peculiarly American form of comedy

Charles Dickens thought Americans weren’t very funny. “They certainly are not a humorous people,” he wrote in 1868, “and their temperament always...

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The Evolution of the Microphone

Explore the history of the microphone, spanning nearly four centuries of research and advancements in sound engineering.

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Forget Edison: This is How History's Greatest Inventions Really Happened

The Atlantic covers news, politics, culture, technology, health, and more, through its articles, podcasts, videos, and flagship magazine.

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10 Inventors Who Came to Regret Their Creations

Just because someone's invented something, it doesn't mean that they're happy with the end result. 1. J. Robert Oppenheimer - The atomic bomb. It's J. Robert Oppenheimer who, as director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II, is credited with the creation of the atomic bomb.

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The Maya: History, Culture & Religion

The Maya civilization stretched throughout Central America and reached its peak during the first millennium A.D.

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The untold origin story of the N95 mask

It's hard to think of a symbol of COVID-19 more fraught than the N95 respirator. The mask fits tightly around the face and is capable of filtering 95% of airborne particles, such as viruses, from the air, which other protective equipment (such as surgical masks) can't do.

5 ideas 752 reads

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Seven female scientists you may not have heard of

Not a single woman's name features in the national curriculum for science, an education charity says - prompting calls for the government to act over a "lack of visible role models for girls". Teach First has launched the STEMinism camapign, calling to close gender gaps in science and maths careers.

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Inventing the Beach: The Unnatural History of a Natural Place

The seashore used to be a scary place, then it became a place of respite and vacation. What happened?

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Who Invented Credit Cards?

When was the first credit card issues? Credit has been around a long time and has come in the form of metal coins, metal plates, celluloid and more.

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Stuff of Progress: Iron

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