#period 1800-1945

[hkpika07]

What moment in ttte made you shocked?

Idk man ttte isn't a very shocking show. It's incredibly down to earth, if a bit real with some of its stories. While yes some of the earlier episodes and especially the books can branch onto more serious and arguably darker content its nothing that would really shock me per se.

Nothing really shocks me, it just makes me think. Maybe be a bit sad or feel for the characters. But that's what any good story does.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dylan Scott at Vox:

Measles, mumps, and polio are supposed to be diseases of the past. In the early to mid-20th century, scientists developed vaccines that effectively eliminated the risk of anyone getting sick or dying from illnesses that had killed millions over millennia of human history. Vaccines, alongside sanitized water and antibiotics, have marked the epoch of modern medicine. The US was at the cutting edge of eliminating these diseases, which helped propel life expectancy and economic growth in the postwar era. Montana native Maurice Hilleman, the so-called father of modern vaccines, developed flu shots, hepatitis shots, and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine in the 1950s and ’60s, which became virtually universally adopted among Americans.

Smallpox, the most common form of which has a 30 percent fatality rate, has been eradicated. Mitch McConnell, Republican titan of the Senate, may be the last major public figure still afflicted by a childhood case of polio, less than a century after it paralyzed a sitting American president. Measles likely infected millions of people annually in the US in the 1800s, although precise estimates from the era are hard to come by. In the early 1990s, thousands of people died from the disease every year. It was still infecting more than half a million and killing hundreds per year on average in the 1950s and ’60s, before the vaccine debuted. Diphtheria, a deadly respiratory infection, killed more than 1,800 people annually between 1936 and 1945 as the vaccine against it was still being rolled out. It has not killed anybody in the United States in decades. The vaccines that made this possible are among the most important achievements in human history. And yet many Americans appear to be losing faith in them, a worrying trend that could accelerate if President-elect Donald Trump succeeds in handing control of the top US health agency into the hands of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the country’s foremost vaccine denier.

Kennedy has spent much of his public career pushing the thoroughly debunked theory of a link between autism and childhood vaccines. He has supported an anti-vaccine group in Samoa, where measles vaccination rates have since fallen off; a 2019 outbreak killed 83 people just a few months after Kennedy visited the island and met with anti-vaccine advocates. He has likewise cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of the Covid vaccines, a position that helped nudge the lifelong Democrat toward Trump. After Kennedy dropped his own presidential campaign this year, he became Trump’s most influential health adviser and last week was nominated by the president-elect to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

[...] As long-accepted, lifesaving public health measures increasingly become politically polarized, routine vaccination rates are rapidly declining in much of the US. In the 2019–2020 school year, three states had less than 90 percent of K–12 students vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella. By the 2023–2024 school year, 14 states had fallen below that threshold. The number of states with more than 95 percent of schoolchildren vaccinated — the preferred level of coverage to prevent outbreaks — dropped from 20 to 11 during that same period.

Smallpox, measles, and polio, which were thought to be eradicated with mass vaccinations, but the anti-vaxxer extremist movement’s rise in influence in recent years threatens to undo decades worth of progress.

[irregularincidents]

A surprisingly consistent thing in history is people coming up with plans involving enormous construction projects that are intended to have a short-term positive impact, which when looked at from both a modern perspective, would have enormously bad environmental impacts globally.

One such proposed plan came from the Soviet Union, where Derek Mead recounts how they at one point wished to melt the Arctic.

In an article for Motherboard, they wrote:

You might laugh, but while Soviet Russia was blessed with the largest land mass of any nation on Earth, much of it resource rich, putting that land to use was stunningly difficult. …Russia was already spending an enormous amount of money combating the ice. Exploiting the vast petroleum reserves of the Arctic and Siberia was crucial to the growth of the Soviet economy, but every well pitted far-flung men against frozen earth and wind.

This meant that in order to exploit the resources they felt they required to properly compete with the USA, they needed to thaw Siberia. This is where a Soviet scientist named Petr Mikhailovich Borisov comes into the picture.

Borisov proposed building a 55-mile long dam that stretched from Russia to Alaska across the Bering Strait, potentially one of the largest, most expensive projects in history, with the intention of blocking the flow of cold water into the Arctic from the Pacific so the warm water from the Atlantic would over time cause the temperature in the Arctic to rise, thus melting the ice cap.

As bananas as this plan is, Mead contends that it nearly had America's support in the project, much the same way that the surprisingly similar plan to do the same in the 1800s did (albeit, that being an American plan to raise the temperature in America and Canada while freezing Europe).

Borisov dreamed of enlisting the US, Canada, Japan, and Northern Europe in the plan, as all would theoretically benefit from a warmer climate. Surprisingly, the US was intrigued by the idea. In fact, in a response to a series of questions sent in 1960 by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists to presidential candidates Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, Senator Kennedy noted, as part of a larger point about the value of innovation in fostering cooperation, that the Siberia-Alaska dam was “certainly worth exploring.”

Amusingly this wasn't the only plan in this period to melt the Arctic as British scientist Julian Huxley, a cofounder of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), spoke at a conference in Madison Square Garden in 1945 about using nuclear bombs as “atomic dynamite [for] landscaping the Earth” (melting the polar ice cap).

Some have commented that considering the then recent bombings of Japan by the US this was in bad taste, but considering there were people who worked in the US government who repeatedly argued for "tactical" nuclear weapons usage (Henry Kissinger being one of them), I think that if there was enough public support behind it someone might have actually considered it.

[stirringwinds]

Do you think Alfred is insecure about being young? Like I know that there’s countries younger or closer to age to Alfred, but the people Alfred hangs out with the most, has more economic ties, and has military alliances with are way older than Alfred (ex literally all of Europe and Asia). So I was wondering if you think Alfred, being always around people with way more experience than him, feels insecure about being so young and ‘inexperienced’ maybe that’s why he wears glasseS

Interesting question! As I see it, yes and no. 

Yes—in the 18th century, when he was much younger, and rebelling against Arthur. Going hat in hand to the other Old World empires and nations like Francis and Antonio for money was a pretty intimidating experience. So it was with Gilbert, coming to whip his ass into shape in Valley Forge. Even with other nations where he wasn't asking for major favours to fund his rebellion but more like 'hey recognise me? please? can my ships come to your ports?' like Morocco or Yao, during the Old China Trade (uhhhhh ive been banned from all the usual trading posts all across my father's empire...and I heard you guys like otter pelt and ginseng?).

No, because from the 19th century onwards, he's very much growing into a world power. I see Alfred as being quite a zealous idealist who sees potential for improving the world (not always in the best way, but from his POV it is), and this is the period where his mindset is increasingly one of brazen, youthful self-confidence. To him, his age is an asset. He's casting a pretty jaundiced eye on the Old World as a whole—perceiving them as being full of religious feuds, outdated monarchies and straitjacketed by nonsensical traditions: they’re ossified fucks who ought to realise the glory of republican civilisation and everything else he's got grand ideas about. Like, one contrast is really how much more intimidated I see him being going to China during the Old China Trade in the late 1700s—versus the brazen gunboat diplomacy of the Perry expedition to Japan in 1853. Like, the contrast with how the Americans behaved themselves when they had no navy and their ships were so small the Chinese traders thought they were tenders from larger vessels and not ocean going ships (lmao) and the Perry expedition is huge. 18th century Alfred would’ve been more intimidated around a nation who beheaded Kublai Khan’s emissaries and fought in more battles long before he was born—19th century Alfred isn’t. 

And even less so in the 20th century—especially during WWII. There’s no victory unless he puts his thumb on the scale, and even Sir Lord Arthur Kirkland is openly begging for it. If people had any remaining thought of him as the young, ambitious crown prince somewhat walking in the shadow of his father, all that is gone in WWII. He steals the fire of the gods and literally makes it shine brighter than a thousand suns in all its terror and awe. Other nations can get under his skin, especially in the dynamics of a rivalry (Arthur, in their power struggle over influence, Kiku, as a duelling Pacific empire in the late 1800s—1945 and then also Ivan). But older Alfred is far less likely to be insecure solely on account of them being older than him. It’s more if he perceives they’re challenging his dominance and hegemony—or if they’re questioning his idealism and principles. Like Antonio at the end of the Spanish-American War—oh, you really are your father’s son. I can see moments of vulnerability where his youth and inexperience shines through (such as the American Civil War), but older Alfred’s insecurities tend to dig on faultlines regarding: challenges to his hegemony and principles because unlike Lord Father (tm), I think he’s far more of an idealist. He wants to be great and good, but greatness often is in direct conflict with the latter. 

[papaya2000s]

The History of Korean male groups’ evolution over time -> Part 2

Starting the exploration of the History of Korean Male Groups, it's important to acknowledge potential inaccuracies in my posts. This is primarily due to the challenging task of officially certifying a 'First' in this realm, given the absence of a reliable database and prevalence of misleading promotional assertions.

Delving into the early records of Korean Male Groups, there are numerous valuable albums that have been overlooked or remain obscure to this day. Despite the uncharted and turbulent nature of Male Group album history, I am committed to presenting a comprehensive overview spanning from the 1920s to the 2010s.

Introduction - Small summary of Korea under Japanese rule (Before Liberation).

From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled as part of the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (朝鮮), the Japanese reading of Joseon. Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s, after being forced into isolationism by the United States in the Perry Expedition.

Japan then modernized under the Meiji Restoration and eventually opened Joseon with the unequal Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876. Japan then made sweeping changes in Korea, including a process of Japanization, which led to the loss of cultural artifacts, demolished historic buildings, and construction of infrastructure and industry. This led to the birth of the Korean independence movement, which acted both politically and militantly within the Japanese Empire.

During World War II, Japan mobilized around 5.4 million Koreans to support its war effort, forcing many to work in poor working conditions. Some Japanese politicians and scholars deny that Koreans were forced laborers, while others claim they were "requisitioned against their will."

After the surrender of Japan, Korea was liberated, but relations between Japan and South Korea have oscillated between warmer and colder periods due to conflicts over the historiography of this era.

[transgenderer]

is taiwan a straightforward settler colony?

(in response to a question abt this from @max1461)

mostly yes! but its complicated. note that this is all based on wikipedia stuff so like. grain of salt

okay, so quick history of taiwan

~1300-1600s: han chinese start visiting taiwan, chinese mechants, fishermen, pirates do some trading there, pretty run of the mill nearby islands stuff.

1600s: briefly, netherlands and spain have colonies there. last <50 years. usual bad colonialism stuff. dutch encourage chinese immigration as workers. briefly, a chinese guy has an independent kingdom in taiwan. did some classic colonialism type stuff. only lasted for 20 years. tens of thousands of chinese ppl on taiwan, i think. actual control over most of taiwans territory very limited during this period, its mostly limited+coastal

1700-1800: qing now controls taiwan. as above, control limited and coastal. the qing forbid mainlanders from coming to taiwan, expel many already there. however, demand for manpower for farming means lots of illegal immigration. central govt is trying to minimize expansion

1800-1875: expansion continues, still gradual, mostly as result of local forces. less limited than before though

1875-1895: japan tries to invade, china freaks out, this is the first time we see the govt actively encouraging settlement and subjugation of aborigines, etc. colonization still weirdly slow, and weirdly unagressive. they didnt want to do war so they paid the chiefs. weird. gradual assimilation of aborigines in low-lying areas. population numbers: millions of chinese, hundreds of thousands of aborigines

1895-1945: japan gets ownership from china. as far as i can tell, japanese settlement of like 350k by 1945, majority left after 1945. some perfunctory attempts at japanizaiton that didnt do much. they were pretty repressive though, on both the chinese and aborigines.

after this its under kuomintang control, they bring over like 10% of the population. anyway

so like. big picture is nowadays taiwan is vast vast majority self reported han chinese. like 97%. and there was mass-displacement but this is not a typical settler colony! its weird, as settler colonies go. far less govt encouraged. its definitely settlement, violent settlement, but not normal colonization from the perspective of a state. its weird. very contentious how much intermarriage there was. some people want to claim there was a lot but probably not. there are far more indigenous people in taiwan than there were before the settlement, cuz population growth

[cosmosbeelover]

The History of Korean Male Groups – From Yeonhee Professional Singers’ Quartet to BTS -> Pt. 1/? (Rewrite)

In May, I began delving into the History of Male and Girl K-pop groups, and I made my first detailed post about Male kpop groups. With the assistance of @anemoiawithatouchofobsession in some of my earlier posts (which I am very grateful for), I have made the decision to revamp the entire "series," so to speak.

I have identified a few aspects in my previous posts that I wish to modify, as well as some additional information that I would like to incorporate.

*Note: Even though I’m rewriting the History of Korean Male Groups, starting the exploration of Korean Male Groups, it's still important to acknowledge potential inaccuracies in my posts. This is primarily due to the challenging task of officially certifying a 'First' in this realm, given the absence of a reliable database and prevalence of misleading promotional assertions. Delving into the early records of Korean Male Groups, there are numerous valuable albums that have been overlooked or remain obscure to this day. Despite the uncharted and turbulent nature of Male Group album history, I am committed to presenting a comprehensive overview spanning from the 1920s to the 2010s. I will try my best to incorporate Korean and Japanese (in bold) in all my posts if there are any translation errors.

Introduction:

The historical narrative surrounding Korea during the period of Imperial Japanese rule is complex and multifaceted, as it encompasses divergent perspectives from both nations involved.

Japan's interpretation of its actions during World War II continues to provoke strong reactions from its neighbouring countries, particularly Korea, where the memories of oppression and cultural suppression remain vivid.

This article was published in 2015. This article is one of many about how Japan remembers WW2, i won't be going into detail on this topic, i would suggest if anyone is interest to do your own research about this.

This discord highlights the challenges of reconciling historical accounts and the impact of collective memory on contemporary international relations.

This video (one of many) explains how WW2 is taught in Japan. This video was posted in 2020 by Today I Found Out.

While the ongoing tensions related to this historical period are well-documented and warrant further exploration, my primary intention is to direct attention toward the evolution of Korean music from the era of Japanese occupation, which lasted from 1910 to 1945, to the present day. This focus allows for an examination of how music served as a form of resistance and cultural expression during a time of significant adversity. The resilience of Korean musical traditions amidst external pressures provides a rich context for understanding the broader cultural landscape of Korea.

By analysing the trajectory of Korean music through the lens of historical events, one can gain insights into the ways in which artists and musicians navigated the complexities of their identity and heritage during a tumultuous period. The interplay between traditional forms and modern influences has shaped the contemporary music scene in Korea, reflecting both the struggles of the past and the aspirations for the future. This exploration not only enriches our understanding of Korean culture but also underscores the importance of music as a vehicle for social commentary and national identity.

Introduction 2 - Small summary of Korea under Japanese rule (Before Liberation).

From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled as part of the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (조선;朝鮮), the Japanese reading of Joseon. Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s, after being forced into isolationism by the United States in the Perry Expedition.

Japan then modernized under the Meiji Restoration and eventually opened Joseon with the unequal Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876. Japan then made sweeping changes in Korea, including a process of Japanization (The process by which Japanese culture dominates, assimilates, or influences other cultures), which led to the loss of cultural artifacts, demolished historic buildings, and construction of infrastructure and industry. This led to the birth of the Korean independence movement, which acted both politically and militantly within the Japanese Empire.

During World War II, Japan mobilized around 5.4 million Koreans to support its war effort, forcing many to work in poor working conditions. Some Japanese politicians and scholars deny that Koreans were forced labourers, while others claim they were "requisitioned against their will."

After the surrender of Japan, Korea was liberated, but relations between Japan and South Korea have oscillated between warmer and colder periods due to conflicts over the historiography of this era.

[k00288191]

Temporary Project Summary

Temporary Brief – The word temporary’s usage peaked during four periods between 1800-2019, according to Google: 1918; 1945; 1978; 1998. From my interpretation of those dates, I predict another spike of the word’s usage between 2020-2023. As shown in my cyanotype image: 1918, 1945 and 1998 involved significant periods of War/Peace; 1978 was a time of double-digit inflation; while 1998 also involved a vaccine-dominated health issue. 2020-2023 incorporates all three of these. With those health issues in mind and based on my mind-maps, my focus on the brief is on the temporary symptoms of narcolepsy, a rare, neurological disorder, that had a spike of cases triggered by the swine flu vaccine Pandemrix in Ireland and some other Northern European countries.  

As part of my journey, I successfully incorporated the five core areas: Exploration of Media; Ethics & Sustainability; Engagement with the Learning Environment; Communication & Knowledge Sharing; and Research & Reflection.

In addition to exploring the different media types on offer, I also explored the same idea in more than one media type to learn to compare and contrast the outcomes. These are included in my showcase.

Through engaging with the learning environment, I identified appropriate research areas/artists and built on that knowledge to further my idea development. From Roxy Paine’s “Neuron”, Rita Ann Burke’s “MS and ME”, David C. Roy’s kinetic sculptures, and Jean Tinguely’s found-object created drawing machines. Each of their influences can me seen in my project.

On a personal level, I too have developed from been challenged and inspired by the tutors, other students, and the exposure to new contemporary artists. This project is also very personal to me, given that around 84% of the people with narcolepsy in Ireland are undiagnosed - roughly 2,100 people. I plan on using the pieces created here to help raise awareness of the disease through Narcolepsy Ireland.

[dogmasquerade]

0-476: hey this was when Jesus was born! it's the Roman empire and there's latin everywhere. Think swords and gladiators and the coliseum and Zeus

500-1000: middle ages. peasants and serfs and the start of feudalism. also known as the dark ages

1000-1500s: medieval period. this is the swords and knights time. here be dragons. also the black death

1400s-1800s: renaissance time. this is steampunk. contraptions and industry abound. this is where plague doctors showed up btw. yeah they're 17th century.

1865-1900: The American West, cowboys and gunslingers and the wild west. Yes, it was the same time as the Victorians.

1914-1918 and 1939-1945: world war one and two. they had modern weaponry at this point and quite a lot of modern guns are still essentially the same as those used in ww2

because apparently this needs to be said AGAIN

in the most general aesthetic terms possible

1600s: most witch-hunts ended in this century. no witches were burned in North America; they were hanged or in one case pressed to death

1700s: the American Revolution. Marie Antoinette. the French Revolution. the crazy King George. most pirate movies

1800-1830: Jane Austen! Pride and Prejudice! those dresses where the waist is right under one’s boobs and men have a crapton of facial hair inside high collars

1830-1900: Victorian. Les Miserables is at the beginning, the Civil War is in the middle, and Dracula is at the end

1900-1920: Edwardian. Titanic, World War I, the Samantha books from American Girl, Art Nouveau

1920s: Great Gatsby. Jazz Age. Flappers and all that. most people get this right but IT IS NOT VICTORIAN. STUFF FROM THIS ERA IS NOT VICTORIAN. DO NOT CALL IT VICTORIAN OR LIST IT ON EBAY AS VICTORIAN. THAT HAPPENS SURPRISINGLY OFTEN GIVEN HOW STAGGERING THE VISUAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ERAS IS. also not 100 years ago yet, glamour.com “100 years of X” videos. you’re lazy, glamour.com. you’re lazy and I demand my late Edwardian styles

I just saw people referencing witch burning and Marie Antoinette on a post about something happening in 1878. 1878. when there were like trains and flush toilets and early plastic and stuff. if you guys learn nothing else about history, you should at least have vague mental images for each era

[locustheologicus]

The Legend of Marcos Gonzalez

A Gonzalez Origin Story

My Grandfather was known to me as a man by the name of Marcos Gonzalez. I never knew the man, he died long before I was born and although I never knew the exact year of his passing by certain calculations it seemed that he died around the early to mid-1960's. Marcos Gonzalez has become a legendary figure in our family history, all that exist are stories of him and his former burial spot which I visited. I was shown a small standing section that had his bones, accompanied by his first wife, but I was later told that his bones were moved to accommodate a recently deceased person and no one seems to know what happened to his remains.

My father did not say much about him except for one story which I will share later. My grandmother shared precious little to nothing about him. He is often depicted as a tough man that was not easy to get along with. In 1996 I was in Colombia where I took it upon myself to visit my family's origins. Part of this research was to talk with my father's step-siblings to gather some of the fragments of his story.

From those conversations I learned that most (or possibly all) of my grandfathers family (father and older brothers) died in the conflict known as La Guerra de los Mil Días (the war of a thousand days). For our American context this was the war that separated Panama from Colombia and allowed the United States to have an interest in creating the Panama Canal. This war ended in 1902 and it seems that he was just a child during this time. I do not know when he was born but he was about 20 years older then my grandmother (his second wife) and she was born in 1916 so we can guess that we born in the mid to late 1800's. He is known to have lived in a place in central Colombia called Fusagasugá which is a native Cariban word that means "woman who becomes invisible."

That is all that is known about Marcos' origins. The story picks up in the 1930's. My grandfather had marries his first wife and went on to have a fairly decent size family of four boys and about two to three girls. From what I gather he loved his first wife dearly (unlike my grandmother). Marcos may have had a political career and/or affiliation. He was part of the liberal party in Colombia. This should not be confused with American liberalism. It meant a form of popular nationalism that was also oriented to secular versus church governance and values. In the global environment of the late 1930's this evidently connected with the idea of national socialism and it seems that Marcos may have seen it good for the liberal party to support the Nazi movement as a way of mitigating the imperial overreach of the United States.

In 1945 the war was over. In 1948 the Colombian Liberal populist candidate, Jorge Gaitan, was assassinated ushering a conservative dictatorship. The dictatorships of Rojas Pinilla. During this time liberals were hunted down and went into hiding. This is the era known as La Violencia. A period of extreme violence committed by military and paramilitary forces against any populist movement. This in turn brought about the rise of the leftist guerilla movements (FARC and ELN) that would defend against the dictatorship and rightist reaction.

As for my grandfather what seems to have happened is that around 1940 his first wife passed away. This event was a tragic lost for him and one of his priorities was to find someone who could help take care of his children. He would frequent a bodega during that time where my grandmother worked as a server. Eventually they agreed to marry and she became part of his household. Together they had three kids that survived (and possibly two that didn't). My father was born in December of 1943.

At some point after the death of his first wife and the Colombian persecution of liberals my grandfather's political ambition ended and he dedicated his time taking care of his farm. I saw the humble house he lived during that time at the top of hill (in 1996 that house was habited with a local indigenous community). I know little to nothing of those years but the stories suggest that he had taken to work, drinking and gambling. One story from my grandmother was that he would often be gone during the weekend on a drinking bout and one time my grandmother had sent his oldest sons to go into town and bring him home. Evidently he found this arrangement unacceptable and would beat his sons for disturbing his enjoyment. He also made it a point to make sure that the family knew that he was not to be disturbed. This point was made in violence, Marcos had a reputation for being a harsh and brutal man during this time. Another story was told that someone delivered a newspaper or periodical to him but it was in rags or dirty, the story goes that he physically let the delivery person know how dissatisfied he was with this.

So, as the story goes, during this time, he was also known to be a gambler who often lost more than he gained. The loss eventually included portions of the farm until, at the end, nothing was left. It seems that whatever was left automatically went to the first family, so my grandmother and her three children had to find a humble place to live with my father having to support them. More on that later.

Nevertheless my father did recall one fond memory. He was a young boy, perhaps around 12 years of age, when he was coming back with his father from the farm. He recalls wearing a straw hat that he loved. As they were nearing a river that they had crossed my father recalls hearing a loud disturbing noise of crashing trees. A major mudslide had erupted and my grandfather told my father to run for it without looking back. They neared the river but my father noticed that it was becoming impassible. He felt my grandfather pick him up and throw him to the other side as he also leaped and crossed the river bank. According to my father, once they were on the otherside they looked back to see that the land was covered in mud and broken trees. My father then realized that his hat had flown away and he could not find it anywhere. For my father, his own father had saved his life and this he would appreciate for the rest of his life. This was a bonding moment for my dad.

My grandfather passed away at some point in the mid-1960's. I asked how he died and this story is also legendary and superstitious in its narrative. Supposedly my grandfather had an established tradition of eating a hot potato and drinking aguardiente (fire water) in the morning. The day he died my grandmother says he rushed out to the field in a hurry and did not have his shot of aguardiente in the morning. He never came back.

[creativeenquiryghitacraig]

"A popular theory is that it began at the start of the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, when human activity had a great impact on carbon and methane in Earth’s atmosphere. Others think that the beginning of the Anthropocene should be 1945. This is when humans tested the first atomic bomb, and then dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The resulting radioactive particles were detected in soil samples globally.

In 2016, the Anthropocene Working Group agreed that the Anthropocene is different from the Holocene, and began in the year 1950 when the Great Acceleration, a dramatic increase in human activity affecting the planet, took off."

I'm interested in humanity's shift from harmony to hostility towards our natural environment. The tipping point at which we became less or not at all concerned with the natural balance and order that enabled us to thrive as a species in the first place. Or is this the logical conclusion for an advancing species with a brutal nature?

[dinosaurguts]

mine was mainly period 4 😃 i barely had anything past 1945 or before 1800 besides the 3rd saq

how was everyones apush

[erzherzog-von-edelstein]

Marital Negotiations

Summary: For the fifth day of @historical-hetalia-week . After his marriage, Austria talks candidly with his wife about their roles in the empire. This is not AusHun in a romantic sense; their marriage is political.

Characters: Austria and Hungary

Time Period and Prompt: 1867, Music

Word Count: 1.6K

Austria sat with a sigh and flipped open the cover over the keys. He ran his hand softly over the well-worn black and white keys. They felt friendly and familiar, and like exactly what he needed when the world felt so uncertain. It felt like he was in the midst of an upheaval and he needed to touch something that felt familiar.

There was so much on his mind, and he just needed a moment with something he knew well. He placed his hands in the familiar position and allowed himself to think of what suited his emotions. He didn’t need sheet music. He would play directly from the heart, and it would allow him to hear what he was feeling.

 It was no mystery what he was feeling. It was bubbling up in his chest so badly that he could not contain it. He had left a court function for the comfort of his own piano because he could no longer repress the emotions. 

They needed to escape, and if not in music, then it would come out in words and actions. He felt certain that he could make his escape from the formalities of court life because the emperor had already done so. Franz Joseph had said that he had work to attend to and had left for his study. Austria saw no reason why he should stay for the entertainment of the nobility. He found it increasingly difficult to care about anyone’s opinion except the emperor’s.

He pressed down the first key and the music flowed instinctually from there. It was Mozart, something familiar from another time. A time when he had been certain of his place in the world, and when his power had seemed less uncertain.

 Yet, it was not Mozart at his more successful and vibrant. This was the requiem that he had written at the end of his life, full of a kind of ethereal melancholy. It seemed fitting to Austria. The sounds of a once great composer facing uncertainty and the possibility of ruin were soothing to him. 

He couldn’t help but see the mirror of his own situation in the wake of his loss to Prussia. As an empire he was at his most precarious, and it seemed that even the measures he had taken to shore up the foundations would put returning to his old glory out of reach. 

As his hands moved, he thought even more acutely about the way forward and the pragmatic marriage that he had already accepted. It would not make him happy, but that was hardly the goal. It was for the good of the empire, and it was all that he could have done. He continued to play, pouring all of the anxieties in his heart into the music. It was cathartic to let loose his emotions, which he had masked for weeks underneath layers of courtly formality. 

He only broke out of his thoughts when he heard a voice say, “So, this is where you went.” 

The voice was unwelcome, as was the person it belonged to. Austria’s hands stopped on the keys and the music died in the air. Only then did he look up at Hungary, who was standing in the doorway. She had a glass of wine in her hand, so she had clearly come directly from the frivolities to find him. 

He did not respond, but he did meet her gaze so that it was clear that he had heard her. He was glad that she was wearing gloves over her ring, so that he did not have to be reminded of who he was married to. The dress she was wearing was a surprise since it had been her tradition in recent years to wear a Hussar’s uniform to spite him. He could not guess at why she had made the change.

Hungary spoke as she settled herself into one of the spare seats avaliable for when he gave performances, “Why did you leave? Shall I guess?” 

He made an irritated noise in his throat at the question. She was his wife, and he supposed that he owed her an answer, but it was far too complicated. He simply said, “Guess if you must.” 

She took a drink of the wine before saying, “I do not think that you want to me seen sitting next to me. It is repulsive to you that you may have to appear to be my husband where others will see it.” 

He let out a long sigh. It was not so simple, and he was struggling to put it into words. He did not resent her entirely; he resented what the marriage meant about his own weakness. But he would also be lying if he said that he did not resent the match since she had been a particular thorn in his side since the revolutions. 

He said evasively, “You already know that this was for the good of the empire.” She looked utterly unconvinced as she retorted, “You would have rather had Bohemia until Sisi insisted otherwise.” 

He hated how correct she was, and that he had no counter. He had agreed because Franz Joseph loved his wife and the Empress loved Hungary. It had all been a process of compromise. 

He sighed again and immediately saw her roll her eyes at him. He imagined it was because he was acting every inch the melodramatic aristocrat. But he felt entitled to his melancholy, and the frustrations that came with it.

He turned on the piano bench so that he was facing her. She met his glare unflinchingly. He said, “Do you know what moment in my life made me feel the weakest I have ever felt? It was in 1487 when you took Vienna from me. You humiliated me then and it convinced me that I could never appear that weak again.” 

He remembered it clearly and had been revisiting that memory more often since the wedding. Then she had been more than petty and incalcitrant; she had been younger and ambitious and so quick to smugly proclaim her conquests. It was hard to think that he was married to the person who had once ripped his own capital from him.

She shook her head with a look of incredulity. She replied, with a look bordering on disgust, “So you decided then that you had to subjugate me to show your own strength? Should I remind you that twenty years ago you retook Budapest and built a fortress on the highest point to remind me that I would never have my autonomy?” 

There was something supremely comforting to him in the argument. It was the familiar way that they had interacted for so long, and it made so much more sense to him than trying to negotiate a marriage. 

Before he could volley back, she stopped herself and said, “Is this what we are going to do, Roderich? Are we going to keep measuring our grievances against each other until one of us gets to be the winner?” 

He couldn’t help but feel disappointed that she was refusing to take the bait that he was offering. He said, dismissively, “Well, I think that we can both see who won. Whenever you get tired of pretending here, you will go back to Budapest and have all the autonomy that you desire.” 

He was not certain why she was even pretending that they should act like spouses when she had the ability to do exactly what she had always wanted. Hungary leaned forward and said, “I know that you think this is to keep me from rebelling, but have you considered that you aren’t alone now?” 

Austria was taken aback. He asked, being genuine in his curiosity for the first time in the conversation, “What do you mean?” 

She heard the shift in his tone, and he saw the way that the slightest smile appeared on her face. It made him feel the strangest kind of warmth at the thought that she did not want to undermine him. He had spent so many years treating her as an unreliable subordinate that it felt strange to break from those thoughts. 

She answered him. “You have been mistaken about me for a very long time. You have always acted like my goal was to tear you down. All I have ever wanted was to be treated like an equal. Now that I have just as much stake in the empire, I will do everything in my power to support and protect it. You know I am the strongest part of the empire, and together we will be even stronger.” 

Austria had not thought about it in those terms and realized that he may have been underestimating their alliance. He knew that he was showing the dawning realization on his face, and that she must see it. She continued, “You do not have to sit on the throne alone anymore.” 

Austria smiled and said, “Well, perhaps we can make peace with each other, and the empire will be better for it.” 

He felt a strange weight lift off of his shoulders as he said it. The burden of worrying about Hungary’s intentions had been weighing him down far more than he had realized. If he could count on her to work towards the same goal, then the empire may not be in the dire situation that he had anticipated. 

She smiled and said, “I wore this dress to show you that I can compromise. I know you prefer the dress to a uniform, so I wore one. I am willing to work with you, no matter our past disagreements.” 

Austria hadn’t even considered that the dress was supposed to be sending a message to him, one that he had clearly missed. He replied, “Erszi, I may have underestimated you.” She said immediately, “Haven’t you always?”

 He chuckled and realized how long it had been since he had let himself laugh at a joke. It was more pleasant than any interaction they had in the last ten years.

She set aside the empty wine glass before standing and extending a hand to him. She said as she did so, “All that I am asking is that you make an effort.” 

He took her hand and stood up. He simply responded, “Let’s go back.”

[goldtracing]

Day 5 – Novelty / (1800 – 1945)

Here is my somewhat late debut to Day 5 of the historicalhetaliaweek. For clarifcation on the theme of the character study: It tells of Russia’s POV of the Russo-Japanese War in fast forward - so beware for Period Typical Attitudes 

Russia had thought he would obtain an easy victory against Japan.

The stars had stood in his favour, or so he had initially thought. Besides having so much more – manpower, guns, resources – he was European, and at the end of the day that was all that counted. Because everybody knew that European superiority came in the blood, that the progress of those nations was exclusively limited to those minds who regarded themselves as Western.

The East had long since lost its edge, preferring to rot in feudality rather than strive for the stars, idolizing stagnation and decadence over personal growth and honing one’s skills. If anything, the battle was decided before the first shot was fired. Fine silks and elaborate ceremonies wouldn’t save Japan from gun powder and heavy artillery. It would, however, make Ivan’s victory more satisfying.

At night, Russia contemplated if he should tear more than Korea and Manchuria from the yellow grip, if he should maul the Japanese spirit a bit more in lieu of his victory. For all he was, it was his birth right to do so – as a personification and as an empire that had interests in expansion, it was his due to subjugate and control.

That was why being defeated proved to be all the more humiliating.

He went into the conflict confident that he emerge the undisputed victor and he allowed to reap all the benefits due to that position. His laurel would be one decorated with the spoils of war, new lands, and new resources. The confirmation of conquest would be enough to quell the growing discontent festering in his bones and poisoning his mind.

Another humiliating treaty could reassert Asian inferiority, the world once again being provided living proof that eugenics held validity. Russia would make headlines; glory would be his to name and he would revel in it. It would cause the others to fear him all the more, regard him as the next hegemon in the making. Snatching away territories from Japan was just a small step in his grand dream to hold absolute power.

And yet, the island nation set out to prove him wrong from the very first day. Once, Japan had been a splintered country ruled by medieval ideals, the merchants wallowing at the bottom of the food chain while the shoguns dedicated the laws and the rules. Domains ruled by warrior poets that believed that honour was more valuable than life. The emperor had been a mere figure head – all the splendour and riches the nation could dispense invested in catering to a pampered puppet.

Yet that had all changed. Kiku had metaphorically slit himself open and turned himself inside out in the progress of the Meji Restoration. Gone were the samurai that fought battles with katanas and in artistic armour. Gone were the backward ways of the Japanese people as the nation had been catapulted forwards, somehow managing to condense centuries worth of steady progression and exploration into just a few decades. A feat of discipline and mastery on its own.

The war was a test of mettle and opportunity to expand interests for the re-established nation. For the adoption of Western ideals had set off a chain reaction that had reignited his imperial ambitions. It was also part self-preservation, because Kiku didn’t want to be carved up and exploited as Yao had. Alfred coercing him to open his ports and the chaotic consequences of that had been more than enough.

It was with dread that Ivan watched as the conscript army of Imperial Japan butchered his forces. The way his enemy plunged into battle with a vigour that was closer to suicidal idealisation than blood lust had sparked uttermost terror in him. A feat that wasn’t easy, with all that he had lived through.

Still, even as he was back into the corner that was Port Arthur, besieged by somebody he had firmly believed to be his inferior, he had hoped to salvage the situation along with his reputation.

That was why being defeated proved to be all the more humiliating.

As per usual, Nicolas proved himself to be a moron.

Really, Ivan didn’t know why he was surprised anymore. As well intentioned as he could have been, he was utterly inept as a sovereign. If the crown weighed heavy on any head, then it was on the head of a fool. He just wasn’t cut for the role as Czar.

Even as the man sent words of reassurance to the nation, he committed grave mistakes. While Russia himself took immense pride in being the biggest country of the globe, it proved to be tactical disadvantage. The land troops took months to arrive, and the fleet arrived – battered from the long journey around the Cape of Good Hope and the crews follies.

Japan seizing Port Arthur and in extension him was a smarting blow. The recently modernised and fledging empire then proceed to do the unthinkable – an Asian nation had forced a European empire on its knees.

That was why being defeated proved to be all the more humiliating.

It lead to the negotiation table, with Ivan’s blood boiling with anger, the wrath kept behind a schooled expression and subtly expression in bitter words and glares. He had been angry at his ruler, who had played his part in orchestrating this disaster, who had condemn him to defeat. At Japan, who sat across him with a stoic expression but who he knew was inwardly basking in the glory and attention he was receiving. At the world, who gawked at the novelty that was a beaten Russia and a triumphed Japan.

And most importantly, he was angry with himself, with his failure and tattered ego. His mind roiled with vows of vengeance and repercussions. First in line for his ire was the Czar and his weak grasp on power, a shy man that couldn’t have stood in greater contrast to Peter the Great.

As he endured the mocking eyes of the other Westerners, he felt loathing well up in him. For America, who for all his competitive nature and greed had elected to play the white dove and broker for peace. It was probably his way of showing he was the shining city on the hill.

For England, who had thwarted his plans and smiled at Japan in curiosity and cynical fondness. Russia knew that Britain had played puppeteer to these events to a greater extent than was apparent. He was well aware of the coy glances he sent Japan when he thought nobody was looking, how he would gaze into those chestnut eyes intently behind closed doors and wantonly slide his hand down the curve of the others spin and between a set of sinewy thighs.

For all of them, because he just had to be the example, the display, the undisputable evidence that their believes about being the pinnacle of human achievement and catagorism to be false.

[historical-hetalia-week]

2023 Prompt Announcement

Hello everyone and welcome to Historical Hetalia Week 2023! This year, the event will be held from February 20st to February 26th, 2023.

Prompts:

Day 1 (20.02): 10,000 BCE – 5000 BCE // Heirlooms

Day 2 (21.02): 5000 BCE – 0 // Celebrations

Day 3 (22.02): 0 – 1500 // Discovery

Day 4 (23.02): 1500 – 1800 // Ages (Ex: Iron Age, Gilded Age, Ming Dynasty)

Day 5 (24.02): 1800 – 1945 // Shadows

Day 6 (25.02): 1945 onwards // Reform

Day 7 (26.02): Free Day

Rules & Content Guidelines:

Your work must be tagged with the following: #historicalhetaliaweek and/or @ this blog, Day and prompt being fulfilled (i.e. #hhw day 1 & #prompt: 0-1500), proper tagging for any mature or triggering content (please see a non-exclusive list HERE)

The event prompts will be broken into time periods to encompass all of history. However, there will also be additional prompts provided for each day. Participants are required to fulfill at least one prompt for that day. Content made for the addition prompt must have a historical setting, but not necessarily the time period it is paired with.

Works including topics like genocide, ideologically sensitive issues, or recent tragedies will not be accepted. Works portraying topics like incest, pedophilia, rape, gore, and graphic violence will also not be accepted. If you are unsure if a work/idea conforms to this rule, our ask box is always open.

Additional Rules and Tagging Guidelines can be found HERE

If you have any questions about the prompts or any of the rules, please don’t hesitate to ask! Our ask box is always open and we are happy to clarify.

[kudzucataclysm]

History leading up to the year 2005

heavily redacted btw :(

250 Ma –‘Them’ arrive and influence life on Earth.

5 BCE - Martian history begins with the Firsts.

Late 1800s – “Aliens” on Mars make contact with major earth governments; this begins a period of unprecedented scientific advancement.

November 30th 1905 – The first version of the superintelligent AI known as ‘Hammond’ is created.

1911 – First man lands on the moon. 

1915 - Lupe Altena is born.

1931 – The first instance of Martian Pneumoconiosis aka Adirondack Plague (ADP) is detected on Earth.

1937 – Lupe Altena and Hammond meet.

1943 – Carmine Keller is conscripted into the Wehrmacht at the age of 26. 5 months into his service, he is presumed KIA.

November 1945 – a comet known as Gabriel’s Arrow suddenly enters the solar system.

December 1945 – Gabriel appears in the sky on Earth. ‘Outbreaks’ of spontaneous human combustion and seemingly supernatural events occur worldwide for 6 days, and on the 7th day the Arrow leavesAround 40% of the human population at the time developed superpowers.

February 1947 –  the Yellowstone Caldera shows sudden, unusual signs of imminent eruption. The event is easily swept under the rug due to the global outbreak of superpowers.

1951 – a group of superpowered humans affected by Gabriel’s Arrow form the United Heroes Coalition overseen by the US government; world nations, especially the UN, NATO, and the Warsaw Pact sign the Stockholm Concordat, an international agreement that regulates the activities of ‘altered individuals’ to be under supervision of the UN as well as the individual’s respected government.

1952 - 1956 – Civil war on Mars occurs. The lone king, ALDEBARAN, is overthrown and eaten by 5 of his sons.

1952 – the US government publicly establishes ABIS, a form of weather modification to assist in agriculture and to potentially use in armed conflict. 

1953 – The World Stock Market collapses.

1954 – Martial Law is declared in the United States, and the US Constitution is suspended.

1957 – 1959 – Tension between Earth and Mars simmers, as it’s discovered that the Martians have been sending infiltrators to spy on earthlings for decades.

1960 – Richard Nixon wins the 1960 US presidential election. Martial Law in the US ends.

October 27th 1962 – Cuban Missile Crisis goes hot- Nixon launches airstrikes against the nuclear weapons stored in Cuba, leading to catastrophic loss of life. The USSR invades Berlin. NATO attempts to de-escalate the situation; the USSR resists all attempts at negotiation.

October 31st 1962 — Martial Law is reinstated in the US. Congress is suspended until further notice, and the military assumes control over the legislative and judicial branch.

November 30th 1962 – the USSR launches a nuclear retaliation strike against the US and Europe. The nukes detonate in the heartlands of the mainland decimating the agriculture industry. Millions die from the blasts, and nuclear detonations occur over the east coast and western Europe leading to blackouts of the electrical and ABIS grid.  The continental crust is destabilized, and the Yellowstone Supervolcano finally experiences a limited eruption, breaking open the tectonic plate under the Midwestern states.

[Collapse of the ABIS grid as well as the deaths of those who operated it irrecoverably decimates the world’s weather system.]

LUPE ALTENA, with the assistance of the USSR superhero VERONIKA, stops the caldera from completely erupting through unknown means.

The US Urban Civil War period begins months later.

1967 - 198X - The European Resettlement Program is initiated and overseen by the Sinosphere. The European diaspora results in over 200 million refugees. Europe is abandoned.

197X – Lupe Altena founds the PROMETHEAN SOCIETY.

198X – A diplomatic Martian fleet appears above Earth, offering aid and scientific knowledge in exchange for diplomatic relations and earth’s resources. The emergence of the half-Martian half-human Chimera species follows. The US Urban Civil War period ends.

August 1990 – Francis Mueller hatches from her egg. This is also the year where Gabriel’s Arrow returns.

November 30?, 1991 – Desmond Arkady is born in the shattered remains of the American Midwest.

2005- current year