Napoleon Bonaparte stands as one of the greatest self-made men in the history of the world. But exactly how did the second son of a minor noble on Corsica turn himself into Emperor of France and, arguably, the most influential figure of the 19th century? […]
By Garrett G. Fagan, PhD, The Pennsylvania State University Chariot racing has a long heritage going back into the Greek past. It was a feature […]
There had been, over the years—even decades—numerous stories about how the Hope Diamond carried an ancient curse. Several commentators questioned the wisdom of accepting the diamond. If the Smithsonian was the national museum of the United States and it acquired the Hope Diamond, then the country would own it. Would the American people then be cursed? […]
On this episode of The Torch, we examine how the Islamic Golden Age was a time of shining achievements for Arab culture and all of humanity. […]
Al-Razi was known as the father of Islamic medicine — in fact, many of his medical texts became classics that were still consulted in the Middle East and Europe hundreds of years after his death. Examine the life and work of al-Razi, and explore the development of hospitals across the Greater Middle East, and reviews the contributions of another great medical mind, Ibn Sina. […]
Eating in Japan has a long and fascinating history that has impacted global cultures. It’s not surprising that Japanese cuisine had a major influence on Western cuisine in the 20th century. […]
“One thought and only one was possible. There before us lay the sealed door, and with its opening we were to blot out the centuries and stand in the presence of a king who had reigned 3,000 years ago. My own feelings as I mounted the platform were a strange mixture, and with trembling hand I struck the first blow…” […]
By William R. Cook, Ph.D., State University of New York at Geneseo One of the questions we might ask Machiavelli is how important is glory as […]
By Professor Kenneth P. Vickery, North Carolina State University Welcome to Great Zimbabwe, a site that flourished in the late Iron Age—the late 1st millennium C.E.—in […]
The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom, recognized around the world, and it heralded this wave of immigration that gave America a much more diverse face, though it didn’t start out that way, or with that purpose in mind. […]
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