Tag: history

Posted in History & Literature

Pope Joan

Posted on by Jinavie

There is a legend in papal history regarding a certain Pope John VIII, who is believed to have reigned between 853 – 855 AD. The reason this pope is so famous is that legends state that “he” was in fact a woman, making her the first (and only) female pope in history.
Legend has it that she was a very talented and intelligent woman who, with the help of disguising herself as a man as education was forbidden to females in those times, quickly rose in the church hierarchy to eventually become the pope. After a couple years of power, her true sex was discovered when she gave birth to a child one day.

There is reasonable evidence of her existence, ironically through the extensive cover up of her existence by the church. After finding out that she was a woman, history tried its best to forget the fact by constantly removing evidence of her existence. For example, in the 14th century a series of busts of past popes were made for the Duomo of Siena, one of which was named “Johannes VIII, Foemina de Anglia”, suggesting a female pope by the name of John VIII.

It is possible that she managed to deceive people of her gender by having a form of adrenal hyperplasia, which would lead to her having abnormally high levels of androgen during development. This would lead to ambiguous secondary sex characteristics, such as facial hair, androgynous appearance and possibly even an ambiguous genitalia (but of course she would have had a mild form as she was able to conceive and birth a child).

Pope Joan had a significant impact in papal traditions. Two which are famous are the change in the papal procession path and the sedia stercorania. 
The childbirth scene that exposed her occurred during a papal procession, whilst passing a narrow lane. That lane is no longer passed after that event occurred.
The sedia stercorania is a chair with a hole in it that was used to install new popes. The reason for the hole was so that a junior cardinal could reach below the chair on which the pope was sitting on, and check whether he had testicles, after which he would announce: “Duos habet et bene pendentes” (he has testicles and is well hung). This became a compulsory examination after the scandal of Pope Joan.

Posted in History & Literature

Michelangelo’s Model

Posted on by Jinavie

There are few (intellectual) people who do not know the master artist of the Renaissance, Michelangelo. His works are well-known for powerfully expressing the beauty of the male body and the energy it contains. However, there is a secret that lies in many of his paintings.

The work that most obviously shows this is the famous ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This giant painting features many characters from the Bible and Greek mythology, one of which includes the Sybils, or female prophets. In particular, the one called The Libyan Sybil shows a woman holding up the pages of a large book. However, on closer inspection it can be seen that she has a very muscular build and very large shoulders – features of the male anatomy. In fact, this feature is found in almost all of the Sybils and many other supposedly “female” characters.

The reason being, Michelangelo was a misogynist and admirer of the male form, thus he frequently (and almost exclusively) used male models for his paintings. For example, the model of The Libyan Sybil was one of his studio assistants. He believed that beauty of the human body peaked only in men, which combined with his talents for expressing vigour and energy in his art produced some of the most powerful, masculine paintings.

Of course, him being attracted to the nude male beauty both aesthetically and emotionally have given birth to many theories that he was a homosexual.

Posted in History & Literature

3000 A.D.

Posted on by Jinavie

How will the world change over the next millennium? Everything will change: from lifestyle and culture, to international politics and economics. This makes the posited question extremely interesting.

As science will continue to advance rapidly, technology that can only be dreamed of by modern man will become commonplace in the future. For example, computers will become essential tools such as pen and paper, or possibly become obsolete like the typewriter. Human beings will rely more and more on machines, which may lead to human-machine interfaces and cyborgs, or simply robots becoming common household appliances. Space travel will become as common as air travel, and humanity may even begin to colonise other planets or moons.
As this field can flow in completely unpredictable directions, it is extremely hard to know what will come. One thing is for sure: there is infinite potential in science for at least the next thousand years.

The continuing evolution of medicine and advanced hygiene policies will increase the lifespan of the world. This will bring upon the aging of the population, a “disease” that already plagues some developed nations. Governments may even respond with extreme solutions such as setting an age limit (or killing the elderly to change the demographics), but the more likely option is lengthening the period of youth or reversing aging to prevent the phenomenon of an elderly population.

Socially, the internet will allow for a ubiquitous society, bringing together the entire world. However, the internet is a double-edged sword that may improve interpersonal relationships, but also cause people to become antisocial and communicate only via electronic screens. Unfortunately, it is unlikely the gap between the rich and poor will be filled. The reason being, people’s basic instinct to take from others to improve their own life means that there will always be those who are rich and those who are poor.

In mankind’s history, there have been only a few empires that have survived over a millennium. Even the United States of America that currently is the leading nation is showing signs of deterioration, and China will instead rise to the top over the next few hundred years. But no one knows who will be the strongest power in the year 3000, as even a (currently) weak nation may suddenly strike and claim the throne.
For example, the Roman empire 2000 years ago, the Mongol empire 1000 years ago, and the Ottoman empire 200 years ago have all fallen and have only become pages in history books now.

Even after two vicious world wars, future nations may ignore history’s teachings and cause a third world war, which could involve the use of nuclear weapons. In this case, the world will definitely be unrecognisable compared to now. 
Alternatively, history may take a peaceful course where the concept of “nations” crumble and instead a united world is formed.

An even more interesting thought is “How will future people see us?”. As we mock the unsanitary conditions, violent history and underdeveloped science of the past, the future may laugh at concepts such as paternalism and communism, or even our fashion of jeans and shirts.
On the other hand, it is possible that works such as Harry Potter or House MD will be seen as classics and become the future Shakespearean plays.

As seen from this, the possibilities for the future are endless, and pondering the different futures sometimes bring light to ways to improve the present.

Posted in History & Literature

Computer Bug

Posted on by Jinavie

The first-ever recorded computer bug occurred in 1947, on a US Navy Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator at Harvard University. After a thorough check of the computer’s software and components, operators discovered a moth that had fried itself on the circuit board, interfering with signals. 
The operators taped the said moth to a computer log, with the description “First actual case of bug being found”, and also added the comment that they had “debugged the computer”, coining both the terms “bug” and “debug” that are frequently used nowadays.

Although actual insects are a rare cause of problems in modern computers, the word “bug” is still the colloquial term for an error. 

Posted in Science & Nature

Kiss

Posted on by Jinavie

Kissing is an act of love seen in cultures across the globe, with its history spanning many thousands of years. There are many theories as to how this act – representing love, affection, friendship and even respect – came about. The two most popular theories are the ideas that early humans in the Stone Age licked each other’s faces to obtain salt from sweat, or that it originated from ancient Romans. Roman soldiers kissed their wives as soon as they returned from war, to check whether there was the smell of alcohol (which was banned for women) or another man.
Using historical evidence from ancient texts from India and old paintings from China, it can be deduced that even in Asia the history of kissing is over 2000~4000 years old.

The human lip contains many nerve endings, making it one of the most sensitive part of skin on the body. Also, kissing stimulates the secretion of dopamine and oxytocin, chemicals responsible for invoking the feeling of love and happiness, causing an electric sensation (research states that the brain interprets it in a similar way to using cocaine).
It has already been proven that kissing lowers perceived stress and frequent kissing between couples lowers cholesterol and strengthens the cardiovascular system. Furthermore, it has been discovered that over 295 colonies of bacteria can be transferred per kiss (95% of which are harmless, but diseases such as glandular fever or herpes can be transmitted this way).
Some believe that the act of kissing came about to simulate the feeling of breastfeeding, an act ingrained in the subconscious mind (the same point is made regarding cigarette use).

This romantic behaviour is also seen in nature. Many bird and mammal mothers transfer pre-masticated food to their young this way, and calves kiss each other after drinking milk to prolong the sensation of breastfeeding. Even insects are found to “kiss”, such as ants that bring up food from their second stomach, the “social stomach”, to feed fellow ants that need food.

Posted in History & Literature

Hannibal’s Cane

Posted on by Jinavie

Hannibal was the greatest commander of Carthage, who threatened the Roman Empire and is considered “The Father of Strategy” after his brilliant tactics. He is most famous for the Second Punic War around 200 BC, where Carthage ultimately failed to conquer Rome. However, if it was not for a single cane, Hannibal may have destroyed Rome and Carthage may have dominated the history of Europe.

There is a scene in the epic Roman poem, Punica, where Hannibal’s forces are crossing the Alps. This was considered an impossible feat back then and in modern terms, it is as if China was to tunnel below the Pacific Ocean to reach USA soil. This kind of out-of-the-box thinking, charismatic leadership and brilliant military tactics and strategies allowed Hannibal to become one of the greatest threats in Roman history. However, the Alps still proved challenging even for him, and the journey was highly dangerous.

One day, Hannibal’s army reached a valley known as Certain Death, but the soldiers’ morale was too low for them to want to cross it. Hannibal tried to lead them through by using his cane to knock on the snow they stood on, proving that it was solid and safe. But the shock from this action triggered a massive avalanche that struck the army. It devastated the army equipped with advanced weapons and elephants, destroying almost two-thirds of his army (18,000 out of 38,000 soldiers were killed) and a quarter of his cavalry. 

This army that was destroyed so by the Alps managed to fight the war for 16 years, hassling Rome in every way, even producing great outcome such as the infamous Battle of Cannae, considered the greatest tactical feat in military history. One cannot help to wonder whether Hannibal would have completely crushed Rome with a full-size invasion force.

This shows how something as small as a cane can decide the flow of a war.

Posted in History & Literature

Monet’s Lilies

Posted on by Jinavie

Monet is the father of impressionism, a style of art that revolutionised the art world in the early 20th century. However, there is a fascinating secret hidden in some of his most famous works, his lilies.

Monet developed cataracts, which is a disease that causes the lens in the eye to become cloudier and cloudier. As it destroys the patient’s vision, it also affects their ability to perceive colour. This changed Monet’s paintings. He always loved painting lilies, but the lush, green lilies turned redder and hazier as his cataracts worsened.

People thought that Monet was intentionally blurring his paintings and using a bold new colour scheme, and impressionists even took after this new “technique”. Monet’s works skyrocketed in price and his fame climbed even more. However, in the 1920’s he received corrective surgery for his cataracts, and thus he could see much more clearly. He saw the red lilies he had painted, and feeling ashamed he destroyed all the red lily paintings in a fit of rage.
Luckily his friends and family saved some of his works so that we could admire the beauty of his red lilies.

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Posted in History & Literature

Christmas

Posted on by Jinavie

Christmas (also called X-mas), on the 25th of December, is the religious celebration day of Jesus Christ’s birth. It is a beloved holiday that is usually the biggest in the year for many countries. Every year on Christmas Eve (24th), children put out cookies and milk, and with a resolution that they will not sleep they await Christmas’ undying star, Santa Claus.
But as soon as they fall asleep, Santa arrives in a sleigh pulled by reindeers, comes down the chimney and unloads many presents (only to “nice” kids) under an already-decorated tree. When the 25th comes around, children run to open their presents and celebrate. On this day, most stores close to go into a festive mood. In the evening, the whole family gathers for a feast and celebrates this joyous day.

As with most holidays, Christmas has many interesting stories tied to it.

Firstly, is the 25th of December really Jesus’ birthday? This question has plagued scholars since the 18th century, as the Bible has no record of this. In fact, historic records (old texts, the Bible etc.), scientific data (astronomy etc.) and logic all show that there is a lack of evidence for Christmas actually being the day Jesus was born. Instead, it is suggested that Jesus was born in spring, more specifically the 25th of March. Interestingly, this is celebrated as Annunciation in Christianity, the day when Jesus was allegedly conceived by the Virgin Mary. So which story is correct? This may be linked to the next story.

Secondly, the 25th of December is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Because of this, many Pagan holidays coincide around this time. For example, ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia between the 17th and 23rd, to honour the god of agriculture, Saturn (a fun fact is that there is a tradition where they brought a tree inside the house for this day, which is the roots of the modern Christmas tree). Also, later in Rome’s history, the official sun god, Sol Invictus, was honoured on the 25th of December. Many historians hypothesise that when Christianity first developed, it absorbed many of its preceding religions’ holidays, thus giving birth to Christmas.

Lastly, a story about Santa Claus. Santa Claus is based on the Dutch Saint Nicholas, but is also influenced by many other traditional holiday figures, such as Odin from Norse mythologies (who gave gifts to children who put out treats for his eight-legged horse on Christmas day). What is peculiar is the reason Santa wears red. Many people believe that the “red and white outfit” was a product of Coca-Cola’s advertising in the early 20th century, making Santa wear the company colours. However, this theory has some errors. Most importantly, there are many illustrations from before 1925 (when Santa first featured in Coke advertisements) where Santa is portrayed in his plump, bearded form clad in red clothes with a large belt, exactly like the modern Santa. But as there were many other portrayals of Santa back then (e.g. green clothes, skinny etc.), it can be safely said that Coca-Cola’s aggressive advertising and explosive popularity played a vital role in cementing the image of the Santa that we know and love now.

Santa is also known as children’s last innocence. This is because it is something that can only be found in the hearts of children who pray every Christmas to this mythical man to receive a present. Unfortunately, as they grow and learn science and facts (about their parents being the provider) their innocent beliefs turn to ashes. Because of this, some parents like to dress up as Santa to deepen the children’s faith in him, while some never allow the faith to be born in the first place. What is amusing is that in some European countries such as Poland, the idea of Santa Claus is taken quite seriously. Every adult (especially adults and teachers) take strict care not to crush this dream until the age of 4 or 5, almost religiously.

As a final note, some people note that there are some strange connections between Santa and communism: red, large beard, providing only to “nice children”, working the elves in a factory… may whoever reads this decide that fact for themselves.