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denimbex1986 · 1 year

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'To celebrate the release of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” the Historical Society of Princeton has added a new walking tour to its event schedule inspired by the film’s title character and late Princeton resident J. Robert Oppenheimer.

The Oppenheimer Walking Tour led by Steve Yacik, regular guide for Historical Society of Princeton’s tours, will take visitors across the grounds that the famous theoretical physicist and credited father of the atomic bomb once roamed.

The walking tour will start at the Princeton Garden Theater and include several stops, such as The Frist Campus Center and the exterior of Alexander Hall. Yacik will tell tour groups many stories about Oppenheimer and his family that were not featured in the film, including some that describe Oppenheimer’s time as director of the Institute for Advance Study and his final years spent in Princeton leading up to his death in 1967.

Along the tour, visitors also will have the opportunity to take photos at two of the three locations used as sets in the film. These set locations are both located on Princeton University’s campus as the tour will not extend to the Institute for Advance Study due to distance.

August tours have sold out. However, more dates are being added in the coming weeks.

Back in April of 2022, “Oppenheimer” filming rattled Princeton as students and locals crowded Princeton University and the Institute for Advance Study’s campuses when footage of director Christopher Nolan and famous movie stars Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. quickly spread across social media. The University Chapel and East Pyne at Princeton University and Fuld Hall at the Institute for Advanced Study were used as sets for the film. The aforementioned locations can all be seen in the final theatrical release.

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is a biographical film that explores J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) at the most important moment of his career. Depicted in the film and based on reality, Oppenheimer and the staff of both Princeton University and the Institute for Advance Study played a major role in advancing the Manhattan Project, a secret research and development team created by the United States government during World War II to develop the most powerful weapon in history before the Nazis could. “Oppenheimer” explores the creation and aftermath of the first nuclear bomb’s invention.

Oppenheimer Walking Tour price tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at the Historical Society of Princeton’s website when they are added to the tour schedule. For those interested in seeing the movie “Oppenheimer” prior to the tour, visitors can see the film at the Princeton Gardens Theater — fun fact, this is the same longstanding Princeton theater where J. Robert Oppenheimer saw several of his favorite movies with his spouse Katherine.'

#Oppenheimer #Princeton #Katherine #Gardens Theater #The Manhattan Project #Cillian Murphy #Christopher Nolan #Steve Yacik #Historical Society of Princeton #Robert Downey Jr.#Alexander Hall #University Chapel #East Pyne #Fuld Hall #Institute For Advanced Study

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gracehosborn · 3 months

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What's the itinerary? 👀

Hi, Anon! Happy to share.

My dream American Revolution trip itinerary, just including my must-sees, and a rough idea of transportation (still working on food stops and slipping in other points of interest):

Day 1:

Early morning flight to Boston, MA

Stay in Boston for 3 nights, 4 days

Rental car for Day 2 and 3

Boston Massacre Site

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

Bunker Hill Museum and Monument

Old North Church & Historic Site

Day 2:

Paul Revere House

Lexington Battle Green Tour, Lexington MA

Drive from Boston

Old North Bridge, Concord MA

Drive from Lexington

Day 3:

Adams National Historic Park, Quincy MA

Drive from Boston

General Nathaniel Greene Homestead, Coventry RI

Drive from Adams NHP

Day 4:

Early morning train/bus to Albany, NY

Stay in Albany 2 nights, 3 days

Rental car for Day 4 and 5

Saratoga National Historical Park, Stillwater NY

Drive from Albany

Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga NY

Drive from Saratoga NHP

Day 5:

Schuyler Mansion tour

Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site, Newbrugh NY

Drive from Albany

John Jay Homestead, Katonah NY

Drive from Washington Headquarters Newbrugh

Day 6:

Early morning train from Albany to New York City, NY

Stay in New York City for 4 nights, 5 days

Hamilton Grange National Memorial

Morris-Jumel Mansion

Day 7:

City Hall Park

Federal Hall

Fraunces Tavern Museum

Trinity Church & Cemetary

Day 8:

Museum of the City of New York

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Day 9:

Van Cortlandt House Museum

Central Park

New York Historical Society Museum & Library

Weehawken Dueling Grounds/Hamilton Park, Weehawken, NJ

Take ferry to and from

Day 10:

Train/bus to Princeton, NJ

Stay in Princeton 2 nights, 3 days

Rental car for Day 11

Princeton Battlefield State Park

Day 11:

Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Manalapan, NJ

Drive from Princeton

Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown NJ (Includes: Ford Mansion/Washington’s Headquarters, Schuyler-Hamilton House, Jockey Hollow)

Drive from Monmouth Battlefield Park

Day 12:

Early train/bus to Trenton, NJ

Old Barracks Museum

Washington Crossing Park, Washington Crossing, PA

Train/bus from Trenton

Train/Bus from Washington Crossing to Philadelphia PA

Stay in Philadelphia 3 nights, 4 days

Rental car for Day 15 and 16

Day 13:

Independence Hall

Liberty Bell Center

First Bank of the United States

Carpenter’s Hall

Day 14:

Museum of the American Revolution

Elfreth’s Alley Museum

Day 15:

Valley Forge National Historical Park

Drive from Philadelphia

Moland House (Washington Headquarters), Warwick Township PA

Drive from Valley Forge NHP

Peter Wentz Farmstead (Washington Headquarters), Lansdale PA

Drive from Moland House

Day 16:

Cliveden of the National Trust (Chew House)

Drive from Philadelphia

Brandywine Battlefield (park), Chadds Ford PA

Drive from Cliveden

Afternoon or evening train from Philadelphia to Alexandria, VA

Stay in Alexandria for 2 nights, 3 days

Rental car for Day 18

Day 17:

George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Train/bus from Alexandria, VA

National Archives Museum, Washington DC

Train/bus from Alexandria, VA

Day 18:

James Madison’s Montpelier, Montpelier Station, VA

Drive from Alexandria, VA

Evening train from Alexandria to Williamsburg, VA

Stay in Williamsburg 2 nights

Day 19:

Colonial Williamsburg

Day 20:

Yorktown Battlefield

American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

Train/bus/taxi from Williamsburg

Day 21:

Fly from Williamsburg to Charleston, SC

Stay in Charleston for 4 nights, 5 days

Rental car for Days 22-24

South Carolina Historical Society Museum

Day 22:

Savannah History Museum, Savannah GA

Battlefield Park Heritage Center, Savannah GA

Drive from Charleston

Day 23:

Cowpens National Battlefield, Cowpens SC

Drive from Charleston

Eutaw Springs Battlefield Park, Eutawville SC

Drive from Cowpens

Day 24:

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens

Mempkin Abbey (site of Laurens family graves)

Day 25:

Fly home from Charleston SC

#my real challenge is finding someone to go with me #fun part about being visually impaired is you can’t legally drive #amrev #trips #road trip #the american revolution #american revolutionary war #new england #dream travel #traveling #18th century history

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scotianostra · 7 months

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On March 5th 1759 the lexicographer and church minister John Jamieson was born in Glasgow.

I know most of you will not have heard of Jamieson, but his publication, Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, is credited with keeping the language alive. He was a bit of a polymath though and learned in many fields.

The language I am talking about here is Scots, the Scot’s Tongue as it is often referred to, If you have read some of my posts I like to dig out documents etc from days gone by, a most of these are written in Scots, you only have to read the poetry of Robert Fergusson or Rabbie Burns, the vast majority which is written in the language, or up to modern times if you have read any of Irvine Welsh’s books, you will know that as a language it is distinctly different to what is termed as “proper English”

Anyway a bit about the man, Jamieson grew up in Glasgow as the only surviving son in a family with an invalid father, he entered Glasgow University aged at the staggeringly young age of just nine! From 1773 he studied the necessary course in theology with the Associate Presbytery of Glasgow, and in 1780 he was licensed to preach.

Jamieson was appointed to serve as minister to the newly established Secession congregation in Forfar, and stayed there for the next eighteen years, during which time he married Charlotte Watson, the daughter of a local widower, and started a family. Their marriage lasted fifty-five years and they had seventeen children, ten of whom reached adulthood, although only three outlived their father. He next became minister of the Edinburgh Nicolson Street congregation in 1797 where he guided the reconciliation of the Burgher and Anti-Burgher sects to a union in 1820.

In 1788 Jamieson’s writing was recognised by Princeton College, New Jersey where he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity. His other honours included membership of the Society of Scottish Antiquaries, of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh, of the American Antiquarian Society of Boston, United States, and of the Copenhagen Society of Northern Literature. He was also a royal associate of the first class of the Royal Society of Literature instituted by George IV.

Jamieson’s chief work, the Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language was published in two volumes in 1808 and was the standard reference work on the subject until the publication of the Scottish National Dictionary in 1931. He published several other works, but it is the dictionary he is best known for.

He had a particular passion for numismatics, and it was their mutual interest in coins which led to the first meeting between Jamieson and Walter Scott, in 1795, when Scott was only twenty-three and not yet a published author. Jamieson was also a keen angler, as the many entries relating to fishing terms in the Dictionary attest; and published occasional works of poetry, including a poem against the slave trade which was praised by abolitionists in its day. Entries provided by Scott include besom, which he described as a “low woman or prostitute,” and screed, defined as a “long revel” or “hearty drinking bout”. I wonder how many Scottish females have been called “a wee besom” by their mothers with neither really knowing it’s true meaning!

Jamieson’s association with Walter Scott was a two way thing, he wrote a Scots poem ‘The Water Kelpie’ for the second edition of Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.

It was through his antiquarian research that Jamieson developed his practice of tracing words (particularly place-names) to their earliest form and occurrence: a method which was to be the foundation of the historical approach he would use in the Dictionary.

Jamieson wrote on other themes: rhetoric, cremation, and the royal palaces of Scotland, besides publishing occasional sermons. In 1820 he issued edited versions of Barbour’s The Brus and Blind Harry’s Wallace.

Revered by authors including Hugh MacDiarmid, who used it to shape his poetic output, Jamieson’s dictionary has long been regarded as a crucial groundwork which kept alive the Scots language at a time when it was in danger of falling into obscurity.

John Jamieson died on July 22nd 1839 and has a fine gravestone in St Cuthbert’s graveyard in Edinburgh, as seen in the fourth pic.

#scotland #scottish #history #minister #polymath #lexicography

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justforbooks · 9 months

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With her book The Return of Martin Guerre (1983), the historian Natalie Zemon Davis, who has died aged 94, attracted a wide readership and inspired future historians. It came out of working as a historical consultant on a film of the same name released the previous year, starring Gérard Depardieu and Nathalie Baye, and directed by Daniel Vigne.

Martin Guerre, a peasant farmer in the 16th-century Pyrenees, left his wife Bertrande to go on a journey, only to have his marital role usurped by an impostor who “returned” pretending to be him. After some years of cohabitation, Bertrande denounced the impostor, her testimony seemingly confirmed by the return of the real Martin Guerre. The impostor was duly tried and executed.

The film-makers’ questions about period detail and behaviour intrigued Davis. But other aspects of the movie genre troubled her, so she went back to the archives and wrote up her own compact account of 120 pages.

A gripping narrative and a lesson in method, Davis’s book raised questions about the reliability of evidence and the motives and worldviews of peasant men and women from a faraway place and time. It is an example of a microhistory, where historians turn away from the big canvas of kings, queens and battles to understand ordinary lives, often through a highly localised case study.

The Return of Martin Guerre was one of a series of works including Society and Culture in Early Modern France (1975), Fiction in the Archives (1987), Women on the Margins (1995) and The Gift in Sixteenth-Century France (2000). Davis’s trademark was the longer essay or biographical study, often focused on marginal or misunderstood personalities, all spiced with a sharp attention to issues of religion, gender, sex, class, money and power. Historical records for her were never dull: she once described them as “a magic thread that links me to people long since dead and with situations that have crumbled to dust”.

Born in Detroit, Natalie was the daughter of Helen (nee Lamport) and Julian Zemon, a textile trader, both children of east European Jewish immigrants to the US. While studying at Smith College, Massachusetts, at the age of 19 she fell in love with Chandler Davis, a brilliant mathematician and socialist activist; they married in 1948 and went on to have a son and two daughters. Her first degree, from Smith (1949), was followed by a master’s at Radcliffe College (1950).

Her life with Davis was productive and fulfilling but also complicated her early career, as his principled stances against McCarthy-era restrictions on political expression led to both him and her being barred from a number of posts, and from travelling abroad. This she needed to do for her doctorate on 16th-century France.

After finally gaining her PhD at Michigan University in 1959, Davis went on to hold positions at Toronto, moved in 1971 to the University of California, Berkeley, where she was appointed professor, and in 1978 to Princeton, retiring in 1996. She became only the second woman to serve as president of the American Historical Association (1987), and the first to serve as Eastman professor at Oxford (1994). In 2012 she was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada, and in the US was awarded a National Humanities Medal.

Davis helped establish programmes in women’s studies and taught courses on history and film. Her AHA presidential address, History’s Two Bodies (1988), summed up her thinking about gender in history. It was also the first such address to be printed with illustrations. Her book Slaves on Screen (2002) was one of the first in-depth treatments of this topic by a professional historian.

In her last two books, Davis returned to the exploration of mixed identities. Trickster Travels (2006) was about the 16th-century scholar Leo Africanus, whose complicated Jewish and Muslim roots in North Africa she expertly unpicked. Listening to the Languages of the People (2022) focused on the 19th-century scholar Lazare Sainéan, a Romanian-Jewish folklorist and lexicographer who published one of the world’s first serious studies of Yiddish, but had to abandon his Romanian homeland for Paris in 1901.

At the time of her death, Davis was completing a study of slave families in colonial Suriname: it is hoped this will appear under the announced title of Braided Histories. In this way she continued to explore unconventional topics, going against the grain of Eurocentric history and looking instead at the boundaries of identity and belonging in very different settings.

Visiting many universities and research centres in her retirement, Davis encouraged younger scholars by conveying the potential of history to inspire empathy and hope for change. While at my own institution, the University of Amsterdam, in 2016, she made it her main aim to talk to students rather than to other professors. In 2022-23 she presented her latest work in online seminars, and wrote and corresponded actively until shortly before her death from cancer.

Chandler died in 2022. Natalie is survived by her three children, Aaron, Hannah and Simone; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a brother, Stanley.

🔔 Natalie Zemon Davis, historian, born 8 November 1928; died 21 October 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

#just for books #Natalie Zemon Davis #in memoriam

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jeannereames · 5 months

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Hello Dr. Reames! When you decide to read a history book on your free time - and a book completely unrelated to your area of expertise - but you know nothing about said topic, you're only interested in learning about it. How do you choose which book you'll read?

FANTASTIC question. Thank you for asking it.

Let’s Talk How to Evaluate the Quality of a Book NOT on/in Your Specialization or Field

I’m going to start with some general bullet points of advice with discussion. Then I’ll give a concrete example of a book (or set of them) that I decided not to buy after a little rummaging.

The Basics

(These may seem obvious, but a lot of folks ignore them, like they skip over reading the introduction. Always read the book’s introduction!)

Who’s the author?

Most books have, on the back cover or inside, a note about the author. Also, google the person. Do they have a professional degree or some form of special training/ experience (e.g., say, they worked on a dig)? If they’re a professor, where do they teach? (But don’t put too much on that; the state of academia today means highly respected scholars could end up in Podunk Mississippi just to find a job.)

What type of book is it and who’s the intended audience?

Is it an academic book meant for other specialists? A book intended for use as a textbook? Something marketed to general audiences: “pop” history, or creative non-fiction? These may all be well-done. Yet if I’m wanting to learn about a topic I’m not familiar with, I specifically seek out a textbook, as they're geared to teach the topic to non-specialists. They won’t go down a research rabbit hole. Specifically in ancient history, those “Companion to…” collections are great, as you get multiple experts weighing in on what they know the most about. And they're intended for interested readers but not specialists in that particular topic. Also they’re curated by an editor who IS a specialist, so you know the chosen authors are respected in the field.

When was it written?

If the publication date is 50 years ago, it’s been superseded. It might be out of date even if it’s 20 years ago—or 10. But newer is not necessarily better.

What press published it?

Princeton, Cambridge, Brill/DeGruyter, Berkeley, Peeters, Harvard, Chicago. Any would be a good sign. But the University of Oklahoma does not mean it’s a bad book. (Beth Carney’s important first monograph on Macedonian women came from UOk.) University presses can corner the market on a particular topic: Univ. of Nebraska does a LOT of native history. Also, it may not be a university press at all. Routledge is perfectly respectable, as are Bloomsbury and Penguin. For local histories or something niche, you may get publication by a historical society, not a major press at all. (I picked up a perfectly fine book about ghost stories in the city of Savannah done by the local historical society.) BUT IF IT’S SELF-PUBLISHED, that’s a big ol’ Red Flag.

Going a Little Deeper

Ask somebody you know, who IS a specialist in the field, if they’ve read the book and what they think

Depending on your personal circle, this may not be possible.

Find a review (or three)

I regularly teach my undergrads (and grad students) to look for reviews.

Look at the bibliography

Probably more important for academic books, but how long is the biblio? Yes, topics can have more or fewer publications, but it should go on for some pages. Also, is it all in just one language? Some fields may tend that way (much American history), but a well-done monograph in, say, Greek or Roman history should not be monolingual in the research.

Actually check (don’t ignore) footnotes

They tell stories. Again, this largely pertains to academic books, but you can find fun (and occasionally catty) scholarly quarrels in them. Very early in my reading on Alexander, I became fascinated by the back-and-forth in footnotes between the “Three Bs” (Badian, Borza, and Bosworth) plus Green and Hammond. BUT some red flags: 1) the author disproportionately citing themself, especially if it’s because 2) the author seems to have quarrels with a large number of colleagues. Maybe the author is just original! But sometimes that tells you their conclusions are questionable. Use your common sense.

Now, for a concrete example … as some of you know, I have American indigenous ancestry, specifically Peoria-Miami (Myaamia). While I know some things about our tribe, I’m far from an expert. On our Facebook page, one of the other members recently dropped mention of a series on the early history of Indiana, and the conflicts between settlers and natives during the French-Indian Wars—including St. Clare’s Defeat, effected by the Myaamia and led by Little Turtle (Mihshihkinaahkwa), the worst defeat [proportionally] ever suffered by American troops.

I thought, Oh, cool, maybe I should pick these up and read them in my “copious” spare time. E.g., probably years from now.

I followed the provided link, and immediately thought, This doesn’t look good. Page ran on forever, not well organized, and I had to hunt for info about the author. Although he was a retired schoolteacher, he didn’t seem to have any specific training in doing historical research; I don’t think he was even a history major in college (probably did education). Additionally, the book-covers and purchasing info made it clear all the books were self-published, and the provided text snippets contained grammar errors.

Yeah, I left that page bookless. Maybe the info in them was perfectly fine and he just couldn’t find a publisher who wanted creative non-fiction about an event most people have never heard of led by a chief with a name most can’t pronounce…. But I’m going to bet the research matched the grammar: slap-dash.

Now, that was a relatively easy one to figure out; I spent all of 10 minutes on the page. (And no, I’m not naming the author nor linking to the books, as this is an example, not an attempt to humiliate the person.) But it gives you some idea how I evaluate books in a field very far from my own specialty.

———————

* Although that said, they’re starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel to come up with new topics for Yet Another “Companion to….” Some I’ve seen would be better just sold as a collection on X topic, not “Companion to….”

#asks #how to judge a history book when you're not an expert in that topic #history #reading about history #historiography

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lboogie1906 · 3 months

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Dr. William Chester Jordan (July 4, 1948) is an author and award-winning historian of medieval Europe. He was born in Chicago to Johnnie Parker Jordan and Marguerite Jane Mays Jordan. He graduated with a BA from Ripon College and earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University. He began teaching at Princeton, where he would spend his entire career.

He published several books on the history of medieval Europe throughout his career. He dedicated his first book, Order and Innovation in the Middle Ages: Essays in Honor of Joseph R. Strayer, to his academic advisor. His second book, Louis IX and the Challenge of the Crusade: A Study in Rulership, examined the life of the French king who fought in two Holy Crusades. He wrote From Servitude to Freedom: Manumission in the Sénonais in the Thirteenth Century. His next book was The French Monarchy and the Jews: From Philip Augustus to the Last Capetians. He wrote Women and Credit in Pre-Industrial and Developing Societies. In 1996, he wrote Northern Europe in the Early Fourteenth Century.

He served as editor-in-chief of the four volumes of The Middle Ages and one volume of The Middle Ages: A Watts Guide for Children. He wrote a collection of essays on Ideology and Royal Power in Medieval: Kingship, Crusades, and the Jews. Other works include Europe in the High Middle Ages (2003), Unceasing Strife, Unending Fear: Jacques de Therines and the Freedom of the Church in the Age of the Last Capetians, The Tale of Two Monasteries: Westminster and Saint-Denis in the Thirteenth Century. He was the principal editor of The Capetian Century: 1214-1314.

He became co-editor of two unexpected titles, Human/Animal Boundary: Historical Perspectives and Corrupt Histories. He has served as chairman of the history department at Princeton. He served as president of the Medieval Academy of America and the American Catholic Historical Association. He received several prestigious fellowships, grants, and awards, including the Haskins Medal.

He resides with his wife, Christin Kenyon Hershey. They have three daughters and a son. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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princetonarchives · 1 year

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Royal Hill Rose opened a new photography studio in Princeton, New Jersey on April 16, 1881. Rose and his studio took many photos of the campus and Princeton students, but also others in town, as with this unidentified woman's studio portrait, ca. 1895. Several of these were reprinted by the Princeton Historical Society in 2000.

See Rose Photography Studio Collection of Glass-Plate Negatives (AC356), Box 98.

#1880s #1890s #OnThisDay #photography #studio #town of Princeton #Princeton

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 year

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Joseph Esposito: J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant scientist and “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” was born on this day in 1904. Oppie, as he was known to his friends, was a complex man: he was arrogant, charismatic, and personally and politically naïve. He lost his security clearance in 1954 as he was embroiled in the McCarthyism of the period.

While conservative Republican leaders saw Oppenheimer as a questionable character, if not worse, American intellectuals supported him and saw the security hearing that investigated his security worthiness as a witch hunt and whitewash

Columnists Joe and Stewart Alsop, for example, wrote an indictment of the proceedings, "We Accuse!"--harkening back to to Emile Zola's ringing defense of Alfred Dreyfus in 1898--for Harper's. They concluded by saying of the removal of the scientist's clearance: "This act did not disgrace Robert Oppenheimer: it dishonored and disgraced the high traditions of American freedom."

Oppenheimer was a guest at the Nobel dinner at the White House in 1962. Although he was worthy to be in the same gathering as these Nobel laureates, some of whom also worked with him on the Manhattan Project, he was clearly the most controversial. President Kennedy’s invitation to the dinner was part of an effort to publicly rehabilitate the scientist. He would later select him for the prestigious Fermi Award. Oppenheimer died in 1967.

A year before Oppenheimer died, Arthur Schlesinger wrote to him: "You have faced more terrible things than most men in this terrible age, and you have provided all of us with an example of moral courage, purpose and discipline--you probably are not aware of the meaning your life has had for my generation." It was a great pleasure to talk about Oppenheimer and President Kennedy at the Historical Society of Princeton a few years ago. Oppenheimer had been director of the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton and a resident of the town.

I am looking forward to the "Oppenheimer" movie (directed by Christopher Nolan), which will be released in July.

The photo here is of Oppenheimer with his famous slouch hat and Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves, the overall head of the Manhattan Project. It was taken at the Trinity atomic site in 1945 and it is in the public domain.

[Scott Horton]

#history #Oppenheimer #the Manhattan Project #Scott Horton

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reasoningdaily · 1 year

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The Conversation: The importance of shining a light on hidden toxic histories

Indianapolis proudly claims Elvis’ last concert, Robert Kennedy’s speech in response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and the Indianapolis 500. There’s a 9/11 memorial, a Medal of Honor Memorial and a statue of former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning.

What few locals know, let alone tourists, is that the city also houses one of the largest dry cleaning Superfund sites in the U.S.

From 1952 to 2008, Tuchman Cleaners laundered clothes using perchloroethylene, or PERC, a neurotoxin and possible carcinogen. Tuchman operated a chain of cleaners throughout the city, which sent clothes to a facility on Keystone Avenue for cleaning. It was also the location where used solution was stored in underground tanks.

Inspectors noted the presence of volatile organic compounds from leaking tanks and possible spills as early as 1989. By 1994, an underground plume had spread to a nearby aquifer. By the time the EPA became involved in 2011, the underground chemical plume had seeped more than a mile underneath a residential area, reaching a well that supplies drinking water to the city.

When geographer Owen Dwyer, earth scientist Gabe Filippelli and I investigated and wrote about the social and environmental history of dry cleaning in Indianapolis, we were struck by how few people outside of the dry cleaning and environmental management fields were aware of this environmental damage.

There are no markers or memorials. There is no mention of it – or any other accounts of contamination – in Indianapolis’ many museums. This kind of silence has been called “environmental amnesia” or “collective forgetting.”

Societies celebrate heroes and commemorate tragedies. But where in public memory is environmental harm? What if people thought about it not only as a science or policy problem, but also as a part of history? Would it make a difference if pollution, along with biodiversity loss and climate change, was seen as part of our shared heritage?

The slow violence of contamination

Environmental harm often takes place gradually and out of sight, and this could be one reason why there’s so little public conversation and commemoration. In 2011, Princeton English professor Rob Nixon came up with a term for this kind of environmental degradation: slow violence.

As underground storage tanks leak, shipwrecks corrode, coal ash ponds seep and forever chemicals spread, the creeping pace of poisoned soil and water fails to garner the attention that more dramatic environmental disasters attract.

Certain interests benefit from hiding the costs of pollution and its remediation. Sociologists Scott Frickel and James R. Elliott have studied urban pollution, and they highlight three reasons for its pervasiveness and persistence.

First, in cities, small factories, auto repair shops, dry cleaners and other light industries sometimes only stay open for a decade or two, making it challenging to regulate them and track their environmental impacts over time. By the time contamination is discovered, many facilities have long been shuttered or purchased by new owners. And the polluters have a direct financial interest in not being connected with it, since they could be held liable and forced to pay for cleanup.

Similarly, urban neighborhoods tend to have shifting demographics, and local residents are often not aware of historical pollution.

Finally, it can simply be politically expedient to look the other way and ignore the consequences of pollution. Cities may be concerned that publicizing toxic histories discourage investment and depress property values, and politicians are hesitant to fund projects that may have a long-term benefit but short-term costs. Indianapolis, for example, tried for decades to avoid mitigating the raw sewage flowing into the White River and Fall Creek, arguing it was too expensive to deal with. Only when required by a consent decree did the city start to address the problem.

Toxic legacies are also difficult to track because their effects may be hidden by distance and time. Anthropologist Peter Little traced the outsourcing of electronics waste recycling, which is shipped from the places where electronics are bought and used, to countries such as Ghana, where labor is cheap and environmental regulations lax.

Then there are the toxic traces of military conflicts, which linger long after the fighting has stopped and troops have returned home. Historian and geologist Daniel Hubé has documented the long-term environmental impact of World War I munitions.

At the end of the war, unused and unexploded bombs and chemical weapons had to be disposed of. In France, at a site known as Place à Gaz, hundreds of thousands of chemical weapons were burned. Today, the soils have been found to have extraordinarily high levels of arsenic and other heavy metals.

More than a century after the end of the war, little grows on the contaminated, barren land.

Toxic tours and teaching moments

There’s a growing movement to make toxic histories more visible.

In Providence, Rhode Island, artist Holly Ewald founded the Urban Pond Procession to call attention to Mashapaug Pond, which was contaminated by a Gorham Silver factory. She worked with community partners to create wearable sculptures, puppets and giant fish, all of which were carried and worn in an annual parade that took place from 2008 to 2017.

Cultural anthropologist Amelia Fiske collaborated with artist Jonas Fischer to create the graphic novel “Tóxico,” which will be published in 2024. It depicts petroleum pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon, as well as the struggles of those fighting for environmental justice.

Toxic tours can educate the public about the histories, causes and consequences of environmental harm. For example, Ironbound Community Corporation in Newark, New Jersey, offers a tour of severely contaminated sites, such as the location of the former Agent Orange factory, where the sediment in the sludge is laced with the carcinogen dioxin. The tour also goes by a detention center that’s built on a brownfield, which has only undergone industrial-level remediation because that’s the standard all prisons are held to.

In 2017, the Humanities Action Lab organized “Climates of Inequality,” a traveling exhibit co-curated by more than 20 universities and local partners exploring environmental issues affecting communities around the world. The exhibit brings attention to polluted waterways, the impacts of climate change, ecological damage on Indigenous lands and the ways in which immigrant agricultural workers experience heat stress and chronic pesticide exposure. The exhibits also explore the affected communities’ resilience and advocacy.

These stories of pollution and contamination, and their effects on people’s health and livelihoods, represent only a sampling of current efforts to curate toxic heritage. As sociologist Alice Mah writes in her foreword to “Toxic Heritage”: “Reckoning with toxic heritage is an urgent collective task. It is also unsettling work. It requires confronting painful truths about the roots of toxic injustice with courage, honesty, and humility.”

I see public commemoration of hidden toxic histories as a way to push back against denial, habituation and amnesia. It creates a space for public conversation, and it opens up possibilities for a more just and sustainable future.

#The importance of shining a light on hidden toxic histories

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beardedmrbean · 2 years

Note

https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/16/archives/trusting-khomeini.html

Another legacy media article aged like fine dairy.

It's NYT, how far off were they on heavier than air powered flight again?

I gotta look

You should see where they hide corrections, when they have to do them or get sued.

Gonna do the whole article text because there's a paywall so this way the curious don't have to worry about that. _______________________________________

PRINCETON, N.J. — Part of the confusion in America about Iran's social revolution involves Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. More even than any third‐world leader, he has been depicted in a manner calculated to frighten.

President Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski have until very recently associated him with religious fanaticism. The news media have defamed him in many ways, associating him with efforts to turn the clock back 1,300 years, with virulent anti‐Semitism, and with a new political disorder, “theocratic fascism,” about to be set loose on the world. About the best he has fared has been to be called (by Newsweek) “Iran's Mystery Man.”

The historical record of revolutionary zeal's degenerating into excess is such as to temper enthusiasm about Iran's future. Nevertheless, there are hopeful signs, including the character and role of Ayatollah Khomeini.

An early test of his prospects is being posed by the outbreaks of violence in Teheran and elsewhere in the country. Some chaos at this stage of the revolutionary conflict was virtually inevitable, given the cleavages and climate of intensity in Iran. It is uncertain that Ayatollah Khomeini can control the extreme left or even those segments of his own followers who bear arms. What happens in the next few days is likely to determine both whether the movement's largely nonviolent record will be spoiled further and whether a new political order can be successfully brought into existence.

In recent months, before his triumphant return to Teheran, the Ayatollah gave numerous reassurances to nonMoslem communities in Iran. He told Jewish‐community leaders that it would be a tragedy if many of the 80,000 Jews left the country. Of course, this view is qualified by his hostility to Israel because of its support of the Shah and its failure to resolve the Palestinian question.

He has also indicated that the nonreligious left will be free to express its views in an Islamic republic and to participate in political life, provided only that it does not “commit treason against the country” by establishing foreign connections — a lightly‐veiled reference to anxiety about Soviet interference. What the left does in coming days will likely indicate whether it will be seen as treasonous.

To suppose that Ayatollah Khomeini is dissembling seems almost beyond belief. His political style is to express his real views defiantly and without apology, regardless of consequences. He has little incentive suddenly to become devious for the sake of American public opinion. Thus, the depiction of him as fanatical, reactionary and the bearer of crude prejudices seems cer tainly and happily false. What is also encouraging is that his entourage of close advisers is uniformly composed of moderate, progressive individuals. For another thing, the key appointees to the provisional Government include Mehdi Bazargan, the Prime Minister, Karim Sanjabi, leader of the National Front political federation, and Daryoush Farouhar, deputy leader of the National Front; they are widely respected in Iran butside religious circles, share a notable record of concern for human rights and seem eager to achieve economic development that results in a modern society oriented on satisfying the whole population's basic needs.

In the political background, of course; is a strong, active sense of deference to the views and judgment of Ayatollah Khomeini. This is not a matter of coercion, or even agreement, but of the special character of the movement. It is inconceivable, for instance, for someone as devout as Mr. Bazargan to govern without manifesting, naturally and without any compulsion, acute sensitivity to the values of Shiite Islam. including responsiveness to Ayatollah Khomeini's views. Yet, as every religious leader is quick to underscore, the Shiite tradition is flexible in its approach to the Koran and evolves interpretations that correspond to the changing needs and experience of the people. What is distinctive, perhaps, about this religious orientation is its concern with resisting oppression and promoting social justice.

As if to contrast its vision with that of the Shah's rule, Ayatollah Khomeini said recently, in France, that in any well‐governed society “the ruler does not live very differently from the ordinary person.” For him, to be religious Is to struggle for these political goals, yet the religious leader's role is to inspire politics, not to govern. Hence, it is widely expected that he will soon go to the holy city of Qum, at a remove from the daily exercise of power. There he will function as a guide or, if necessary, as a critic of the republic.

In looking to the future, Ayatollah Khomeini has spoken of his hopes to show the world what a genuine Islamic government can do on behalf of its people. He has made clear frequently that he scorns what he considers to be the so‐called Islamic Governments in Saudi Arabia, Libya and Pakistan.## Despite the turbulence, many nonreligious Iranians talk of this period as “Islam's finest hour.” Having created a new model of popular revolution based, for the most part, on nonviolent tactics, Iran may yet provide us with a desperately‐needed model of humane governance for a third‐world country. If this is true, then indeed the exotic Ayatollah may yet convince the world that “politics is the opiate of the people.” __________________-

Couple lines that stand out

His political style is to express his real views defiantly and without apology, regardless of consequences. He has little incentive suddenly to become devious for the sake of American public opinion. Thus, the depiction of him as fanatical, reactionary and the bearer of crude prejudices seems cer tainly and happily false.

I'd say they'd learned their lesson and that's why they were so hard on Trump for having a similar style, but they never learn their lesson.

Ayatollah Khomeini said recently, in France, that in any well‐governed society “the ruler does not live very differently from the ordinary person.”

This is your mausoleum

Your dead carcas is there, granted yes your home was more humble, but it still beat the hell out of most everyone else there, kinda fun knowing protesters firebombed it recently even if I'm not a fan of that kind of thing.

In looking to the future, Ayatollah Khomeini has spoken of his hopes to show the world what a genuine Islamic government can do on behalf of its people.

You wanted to know that you should have talked to some of the older folks in the Balkans or even just cracked open the old books of records that the Ottoman Empire kept, maybe check the section where they kidnapped Christian children, forced them to convert to Islam, then used them to form the standing army of their empire. ___________-

Times keeps up with their swing and a miss style of journalism.

Shocking

#eggs n ham sam

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packedwithpackards · 2 years

Text

Theophilus D Packard: the anti-slavery crusader

Pamphlet for meeting opposing annexation of Texas in Boston.

Theophilus D Packard, as his Find A Grave entry notes (which I wrote), was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts on March 4, 1769 to Abel Packard and Esther Porter, and had three siblings. By February 25, 1800 he would marry a woman named Mary Terrill in Abington, Massachusetts and they would have five children: Theophilus (1802), Isaac (b. 1804), Louisa (b. 1808), Laura (b. 1815), and Jane (b. 1817). He would live in Shelburne, Massachusetts until his death, serving as a Christian minister, going to Princeton, Amherst, was a member of the Franklin County Anti-Slavery Society (FCAS), formed on December 1836, and helped Mary Lyon establish the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Beyond that bio, and his death in September 1855 at age 86, he would be involved in four anti-slavery petitions to the US Congress.

Note: This was originally posted on Nov. 3, 2017 on the main Packed with Packards WordPress blog (it can also be found on the Wayback Machine here). My research is still ongoing, so some conclusions in this piece may change in the future.

As the nation continued to debate the topic of enslaved Blacks, Theophilus came out on the side of justice. On September 18, 1837, he joined "other congregational ministers of the Franklin Association" in Franklin County, Massachusetts, to protest against the "annexation of Texas to the Union of these States." Nine days later he (or perhaps his son of the same name who seemed to be against slavery as well) signed onto another petition. Again he petitioned on behalf of the Franklin Association of Ministers, supporting "the abolition of slavery, or of slavery and the slave trade, in the District of Columbia, or in the District of Columbia and the Territories of the United States." Two days later, John Quincy Adams, then a representative of Massachusetts who strongly disapproved of "the expansion of slavery..[and] the annexation of Texas and the war with Mexico," specifically

presented sundry petitions and memorials of inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, praying that the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 18th of January last, requiring all petitions, memorials, and papers, relating in any way to slavery, to be laid upon the table, may be rescinded

One of those petitions was from "...Theophilus Packard and 13 other citizens."

Theophilus wasn't done. With fifty other citizens of MA, on January 12, 1846, he petitioned "against the admission of Texas as a slave State into the Union."

In order to understand Theophilus's stand, lets give some historical background.

In 1836, Texas had declared independence from Mexico because they felt the Mexican government had "ceased to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people" of their region, cited "atrocities" by the Mexican state on those in the region including siding with indigenous peoples, declaring that "the necessity of self-preservation, therefore, now decrees our eternal political separation." But there was more than this. When they talked about "property," they meant enslaved Blacks. Article 5 of the 1836 Treaty of Velasco between Mexico and Texas made this clear:

That all private property including cattle, horses, negro slaves or indentured persons of whatever denomination, that may have been captured by any portion of the mexican army or may have taken refuge in the said army since the commencement of the late invasion, shall be restored to the Commander of the Texian army, or to such other persons as may be appointed by the Government of Texas to receive them.

From 1836 until 1845, Texas continued as an independent slaveholding republic. By 1845, as the Texas State Library and Archives Commission argued, the joint resolution passed by Congress, "that admitted Texas to the Union provided that Texas could be divided into as many as five states." [1] James Polk, then the President, supported the measure, saying it was "the peaceful acquisition of a territory once her own." Furthermore, as the US State Department, all of all places, says in their write-up on the topic, there were economic motives at play:

...Texas was a producer of cotton. It was also dependent upon slave labor to produce its cotton. The question of whether or not the United States should annex Texas came at a time of increased tensions between the Northern and Southern states...over the legality and morality of slavery... there was another issue raised by the Texas-cotton nexus: that of the market for raw cotton. One of the largest export markets for North American raw cotton...was to Great Britain. As long as Texas remained an independent state, it could give Southern U.S. cotton plantation owners competition in terms of setting prices

The Texas government accepted the terms proposed by the US Congress, the latter which allowed Texas to be a "slave state," giving it two representatives in the US House of Representatives. In later years, Southerners wanted to "exercise the provision to create another slave state from Texas to balance the admission of California as a free state" but this was rendered moot with the end of the Civil War. Beyond that, Texas would later be given $10 million to pay off its debt to Mexico, along with the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act, all as part of the Compromise of 1850. While the nation stayed united, it didn't stay that way for long, as the Civil War from 1861 to 1865 tore the nation apart, with over 600,000 people dying overall in one of the most bloody conflicts in US history. Texas, in its declaration of succession defended its slaveholding, declaring that abolitionism was one of the causes for joining the Confederacy, which fundamentally was (and should always be seen as) a pro-slavery racist force:

...the non-slave-holding States...demand the abolition of negro slavery throughout the confederacy, the recognition of political equality between the white and negro races...For years past this abolition organization has been actively sowing the seeds of discord through the Union, and has rendered the federal congress the arena for spreading firebrands and hatred between the slave-holding and non-slave-holding States...We hold as undeniable truths that the governments of the various States, and of the confederacy itself, were established exclusively by the white race, for themselves and their posterity; that the African race had no agency in their establishment; that they were rightfully held and regarded as an inferior...the servitude of the African race...is mutually beneficial to both bond and free.

Theophilus, although there is no record he went to the southern part of the US, was among the "firebrands" that Texas detested for reasons as mentioned above. For this, he should be celebrated by any rational individual. He was, by any definition, an anti-slavery crusader, a fighter for justice, to say the least. It is hard to say what political party he was sympathetic toward, but undoubtedly sided with those at the time who opposed slavery.

Courtesy of Find A Grave. While something seems to make me think this is a new stone, the lichen on the stone makes me think it was actually created in 1855.

#packards #slavery #enslaved people #black people #black history #find a grave #massachusetts #texas #us history #california #mexico #mexican-american war #james polk #petitions #cotton #ministers #john quincy adams

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bostonresearchjournals · 2 months

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Top Journals in Mathematics Research

An academic journal is a periodical publishing scholarly articles, research findings, and reviews, serving as a platform for researchers, scholars, and academics to share their work with the academic community.

For researchers, publishing in top-tier journals is a significant achievement, offering a platform to share their groundbreaking work with the global scientific community.

In this article, we will explore some of the most prestigious journals in mathematics research, their impact, and what makes them stand out.

1. Annals of Mathematics

Annals of Mathematics is one of the most prestigious journals in the field of mathematics. Founded in 1884, it is published bimonthly by the Department of Mathematics at Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study.

The journal covers a wide range of topics in pure and applied mathematics. It is known for its rigorous peer-review process and high-quality papers.

Key Features

High Impact Factor: Reflects the journal's influence in the mathematical community.

Wide Range of Topics: Includes areas such as algebra, geometry, and number theory.

Rigorous Peer Review: Ensures the publication of only the highest quality research.

2. Journal of the American Mathematical Society

The Journal of the American Mathematical Society (JAMS), established in 1988, is a leading journal that publishes research articles of the highest quality in all areas of pure and applied mathematics. It is known for its selective acceptance rate and for featuring groundbreaking research.

Key Features

Selective Acceptance Rate: Ensures only the best research is published.

Broad Scope: Covers all areas of mathematics, providing a platform for diverse research.

High Impact: Frequently cited in the academic community.

3. Inventiones Mathematicae

Inventiones Mathematicae is a highly influential journal that publishes original research articles in all fields of mathematics. Established in 1966, it has a reputation for publishing papers that introduce new concepts and techniques.

Key Features:

Innovative Research: Focuses on papers that introduce new ideas and methods.

High Standards: Maintains a rigorous peer-review process.

Global Reach: Widely read and cited by mathematicians around the world.

4. Acta Mathematica

Founded in 1882, Acta Mathematica is one of the oldest and most prestigious mathematics journals. It is published by the Institut Mittag-Leffler and covers all areas of mathematics. The journal is known for its detailed and comprehensive articles.

Key Features

Historical Significance: One of the oldest mathematics journals.

Comprehensive Articles: Publishes detailed research papers.

International Reputation: Highly regarded by the global mathematical community.

5. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics

Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics (CPAM), published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, is a leading journal that publishes papers in both pure and applied mathematics. It is known for its high impact and influential research.

Key Features

Dual Focus: Covers both pure and applied mathematics.

High Impact: Frequently cited and influential in the field.

Prestigious Affiliations: Published in collaboration with the Courant Institute.

6. Journal of Differential Geometry

The Journal of Differential Geometry (JDG), established in 1967, is a premier journal in the field of differential geometry and its applications to mathematics and the sciences. It publishes high-quality papers that have a significant impact on the field.

Key Features

Specialized Focus: Dedicated to differential geometry.

High-Quality Papers: Known for its rigorous selection process.

Impactful Research: Frequently cited and influential.

7. Mathematical Reviews

Mathematical Reviews (MathSciNet), published by the American Mathematical Society, provides comprehensive reviews of mathematical literature. While not a traditional journal, it is an essential resource for researchers, offering detailed reviews and citations.

Key Features

Comprehensive Reviews: Provides detailed summaries of mathematical papers.

Extensive Database: Covers a wide range of mathematical literature.

Essential Resource: Widely used by researchers for literature reviews.

8. SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics

The SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics (SIAP), published by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, focuses on research articles that apply mathematical techniques to problems arising in the physical, engineering, and life sciences.

Key Features

Applied Focus: Dedicated to applied mathematics.

Interdisciplinary Research: Covers applications in various scientific fields.

High Impact: Influential in both mathematics and applied sciences.

9. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), while a multidisciplinary journal, publishes significant research in mathematics. It is known for its high impact and wide readership.

Key Features

Multidisciplinary Scope: Publishes research across various scientific disciplines, including mathematics.

High Impact: Widely read and cited in the scientific community.

Prestigious Platform: Published by the National Academy of Sciences.

10. Duke Mathematical Journal

The Duke Mathematical Journal (DMJ), established in 1935, is a leading journal that publishes research articles in all areas of mathematics. It is known for its high standards and influential papers.

Key Features

Broad Scope: Covers all areas of mathematics.

High Standards: Maintains a rigorous peer-review process.

Influential Research: Frequently cited and respected in the mathematical community.

Conclusion

Publishing in top mathematics journals is a hallmark of excellence and a significant milestone in a researcher's career.

Journals like Annals of Mathematics, Journal of the American Mathematical Society, and Inventiones Mathematicae are renowned for their high impact, rigorous peer-review processes, and contributions to the advancement of mathematical knowledge.

These journals provide a platform for researchers to share their innovative work with the global community, driving forward the boundaries of what is known in mathematics.

By understanding the unique features and scope of each journal, researchers can target their submissions effectively, enhancing their chances of publication and the dissemination of their work.

#Journals in Mathematics Research #Annals of Mathematics #Journal of the American Mathematical Society #Inventiones Mathematicae #Acta Mathematica

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roscoebarnes3 · 4 months

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Dr. Ariela Gross is a distinguished professor of Law and prolific writer

The Natchez Historical Society is so fortunate to have Dr. Ariela Gross as the guest speaker for its May 28 meeting. She will speak about “Erasing Slavery – How Stories of Slavery and Freedom (in Natchez) Shape Battles Over the Constitution,” which is the topic of her forthcoming book.

Gross is a distinguished professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law. Come out to hear her presentation. The program will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. and her presentation at 6 p.m. at the Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce St., in Natchez. It is free and open to the public. Members and Non-members are invited.

Gross is the author of the following titles:

“Becoming Free, Becoming Black: Race, Freedom, and Law in Cuba, Virginia, and Louisiana” with Alejandro de la Fuente” (Cambridge University Press, 2020)

“What Blood Won’t Tell: A History of Race on Trial in America” (Harvard University Press, 2008)

“Double Character: Slavery and Mastery in the Antebellum Southern Courtroom” (Princeton University Press, 2000).

Come and bring a friend!

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scotianostra · 2 years

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