History
(Not) Knowing Your Romans
In 2013, the author of Commemorating Augustus conducted a survey in which people on the street in Leeds, UK, were asked: “We would like to find out which Roman emperors people are most familiar with. If I ask you to name a Roman emperor, what is the first name that
Untimely Deaths: Life Expectancy for Roman Emperors
Wanted: Roman Emperor. Lifetime position. Unlimited benefits. Good grasp of military budgets essential. People skills encouraged. Good chance of assassination. Apply today! For all the power of the Roman emperors, they had a dismal survival rate. Only about 30% died of natural causes. Everyone else died of assassination, warfare, or
The Separation of Britain and Europe
Even before Brexit, there were debates as to whether the UK should be described as a European country. On one hand, the UK is certainly culturally closer to European countries than, say, Asian ones. On the other hand, there are significant differences between UK and the rest of Europe.
Empty London: Sheltering from the Blitz
In the early 19th century, this grand city became the first in the modern world* to reach a population of one million, and over the next 100 years, that number multiplied six times over. By the mid-20th century, London was home to over 8 million people. Not that you’d think
Cassie Beyer, Author
Personal
The State of Things; or a Broken Hip is a Pain in the Ass
A few months ago, I wrote how I was going for silent for a little while because I was writing a book. Specifically, I was editing my master’s thesis on Renaissance occult philosophy (not light reading) for publication, which will hopefully happen next spring. And then I went largely silent
The Antics of Team MorallyAmbiguous: Gishwhes 2015
Every year, the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the Would Has Ever Seen (Gishwhes) invades the lives of thousands of people. For one week, they find time to accomplishing things touching, silly, bizarre, challenging and occasionally moderately embarrassing, with their registration fees going to the Random Acts charity. This gem is
Leave of Absence for Publishing a Book
History, Interrupted will likely go silent for the next few weeks while I work on edits for a manuscript accepted for publication. Ten years ago, I wrote Finding God in the World: Approaches of the Renaissance Occult Philosophers to the Nature and Value of Matter as my master’s thesis. It
The Dumbing Down of History; or, Historians be Damned
Let’s take history back from the historians. This is the message of History for All by Hashtag History. Now, I’ve got nothing against popular culture history, so long as it bears some resemblance to actual history (which is why I can enjoy The Tudors but not Sleepy Hollow, for example).