Imperialism
1824: A Year in Review
Once I learned this was also a leap year, it took only the briefest trip down the rabbit hole to learn that all the years ending in 24 are leap years. Because, math. Empires expand and contract The First Anglo-Burmese War (known as the First British Invasion in Burmese accounts*) broke out in March, following…
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Lords of the Horizon
Women’s History Month is barreling toward us and I am happily working on bringing you another March full of mini-interviews with people who are doing interesting work in women’s history. In the meantime, I’m sharing some of the books I’ve rediscovered in the process of finding room on my office shelves for the books I…
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In which I take a side trip in time and space to consider the Mayans, the Aztecs and Chocolate
During our visit to Antica Dolceria Bonajuta, the artisanal chocolate producer in Modica, our guide emphasized the fact that most modern chocolatiers, who use heat based methods such as conching and tempering to create smooth chocolate with a shiny appearance. By contrast, the Bonajuta chocolate makers still used a traditional “cold-processing” method similar to that…
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