Worldcrunch
Updated Dec. 11, 2023 at 12:10 p.m. After the death of his father, George V, on January 20, 1936, Edward VIII became the King of England at 42 years old, but shockingly announced his decision less than a year later to abdicate the throne on this day in history. Why did Edward VIII abdicate the […]
Updated Dec. 10, 2023 at 12:05 p.m. Considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues, Otis Redding, nicknamed the King of Soul, had a profound influence on other artists before his life was cut tragically short in a plane […]
Updated Nov. 30, 2023 at 12:10 p.m. The sometimes violent protests against the 1999 World Trade Organization summit in Seattle is considered the birth of the No Global movement, which sought to bring attention to the harmful effects of globalization, especially on the most vulnerable. What was the Battle for Seattle? The 1999 WTO protests […]
Updated November 29, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. As a key proponent of expanding the Vietnam War, Robert McNamara became the target of much the ire of the U.S. anti-war movement. He finally resigned after being the longest serving Secretary of Defense. Who was Robert McNamara? Most closely associated with the Vietnam war, Robert McNamara served […]
Opera has played with ideas of gender since its earliest days. Now the first openly trans performers are taking to the stage, and operas explicitly exploring trans identities are beginning to emerge.
Updated on Nov. 27, 2023 at 12:50 p.m. Helen Clark became the first elected female Prime Minister of New Zealand on this day in 1999. Who is Helen Clark? On Nov. 27, 1999, Helen Clark became the 37th prime minister of New Zealand, and the first woman to ever be elected to that office. She […]
Taiwanese, though under the weight of a far more powerful neighbor, have the tendency to idealize Israel and fail to create a self-definition beyond the island nation’s anti-China image.
Updated Nov. 18, 2023 at 4:10 p.m. During a time filled with a myriad of cults, the People’s Temple massacre became the largest cult mass killing as Jim Jones led 918 people to death by cyanide poisoning. What was Jonestown? Jim Jones established Jonestown in 1974 and began a mass exodus of his cult, the […]
Updated Nov. 17, 2023 at 12:10 p.m. In the push for an end to the Communist regime, Prague’s international students took to the streets to have their demands heard on November 17, 1989. It was the beginning of what would come to be known as the Velvet Revolution. How did the Velvet Revolution begin? On […]
Palestinians are suffering under the Israeli regime and relentless bombardment of Gaza, yet the Western world, also known to be the “civilized” world, continues to support Israel. Turkey’s complex relationship with Islamic and Middle Eastern countries as well as with the West brings back the most fundamental questions about the past and future.
The post-War generation in Germany was shaped politically by one question: Why didn’t our parents prevent the Holocaust? Nowadays, as baby boomers are retiring, the inner political wrestling seems to have fallen out of time, because anti-fascism has long changed sides.
Mali’s “mysterious city” welcomes a new class of students trained in looking after ancient books. From conservation to digitization of these works, a colossal task awaits them to preserve this endangered heritage and the secrets they contain.
Inspired by a new book on vampires, Italian writer Chiara Valerio analyzes how the figure of the vampire has come to represent life and death over centuries of science, art and culture. When understood through a modern lens, what can the vampire tell us about our own Gothic concerns?
Updated Nov. 1, 2023 at 12:50 p.m. Starting in 1954, the Algerian War was fought between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front, and ultimately led to Algeria winning its independence in 1962, ending more than a century of French colonial rule. What caused the Algerian war? The French invasion of Algiers in 1830 would […]
There is no doubt that the old museums in Europe and America bear deep imprints of the colonial era; in a mirror image, “protecting treasures” has become a transcendental reference for the new China.
While certain figures from ancient mythology are sometimes held up as LGBTQ ancestors – such as the Greek gods Apollo and Zeus, there is plenty of lesser known history about same-sex attraction and gender variance beyond a strict male-female binary.
Updated October 7, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a pivotal event in Russian and world history that started on this day in 1917. What was the October Revolution? The October Revolution was a revolution of the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, which took place in […]
Pasta may not be considered controversial today, but it played an important role during Italy’s fascist years, particularly in one family’s celebration of community and liberation.
Robert Murdoch’s resignation from Fox News Corp. so soon before the next U.S. presidential elections begs the question of how directly media coverage has impacted Joe Biden as a figure, and what this new shift in power will mean for the current President.
The IBM RAMAC 305, introduced on this day in 1956, was the world’s first computer to use a magnetic hard disk drive for data storage. It stood for “Random Access Method of Accounting and Control” and was designed primarily for business data processing. What was the significance of the RAMAC 305 The RAMAC 305 marked […]
The Patagonian National Park is a spectacular and unique landscape that illustrates the outstanding beauty of nature. But it is at risk of becoming a victim of the climate crisis.
One official invitation and two booklets, issued ahead of the G20 meeting in New Delhi, refer to India as “Bharat” — a word with a long history of political, etymological and religious significance. But there is little clarity as to which name should be used in English.
More than 6,000 collaboration cases have already been filed in Ukraine — but how does the law distinguish between wilful collaboration and simply trying to survive? And what should happen to the guilty?
High school students will now need to know details of the Russian annexation of territories in eastern Ukraine and “reunification” of Crimea with Russia. Regular topics in the past, such as democracy and human rights, will no longer be part of the high school exam.
Not far from Rome’s international airport, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship company bought a state concession to try to build a massive new port to host its Oasis-class cruise ships – 72-meter-high skyscrapers on the sea. Locals in Fiumicino say one major transport hub in the area is more than enough.
The fragrances we use are not just a matter of personal taste, but a choice connected to the time in which we live. Perfumes of the 20th century varied between bold and soft, depending on the role that women played in society at the time. What does today smell like?
The images of World War II have been used many times when describing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But memory can deceive — many Ukrainian victims were forgotten as the Soviet Union spun history for its own purposes.
Volodymyr or Vladimir? As the Ukraine war rages on, Kyiv is also defending itself against Russian aggression on the linguistic battlefield, countering Russification attempts, past or present.
From the work of Dostoevsky, all the way to modern-day psychology’s concept of resilience, the idea that human beings can adapt to any event or situation persists in popular thought. But biology and history itself show it’s not quite the case.
In a deep-rooted divide that has plagued Poland for years, the role of non-Jewish citizens in the Holocaust remains a much debated issue. But now the increasingly popular far-right party Konfederacja is toeing the line of blatant Holocaust denial.
When its comes to food and national pride, there are few things that get people more riled up than debating the rightful origins of a dish or a delicacy. From hummus (for starters) to couscous (main dish) and the pavlova for desserts, we look at gastronomic feuds around the world.
Much is still unclear about the reported insurrection by Wagner mercenary group forces against the Russian regular military troops. But one long-view scenario would have Yevgeny Prigozhin making a lot of noise to ultimately help Vladimir Putin stay in power. The story of Ivan the Terrible, the dreaded 16th century Tsar, and his brutal henchman, offers a blueprint.
At the core, the controversial Italian leader, who died this week at 86, wanted to be liked, loved. That explains many of his choices, including the ones that have left a dark mark on Italy’s history.
A diplomatic genius for some, a war criminal for others, Henry Kissinger has just turned 100. An opportunity for Dominique Moïsi, who has known him well, to reflect on the German-born U.S. diplomat’s roots and driving raison d’être.
The Polish government has recently demanded official apologies from Kyiv (which is busy fighting off the Russian invasion) for historic war crimes committed by Ukrainian nationalists against ethnic Poles during World War II. The ruling PiS party is up to its old tricks of scapegoating for votes.
In a small town in southern Brazil, photos of Nazi flags and Hitler supporters are displayed in the entrance hall of a publish building. An investigation by independent media Agência Pública looks into how the Santa Catarina state, a bastion of support of former president Jair Bolsonaro, has a long history of extremist groups and hate speech.
Russia has just celebrated its Victory Day over Nazism. It’s a good time to reflect on what retribution means, and how it’s not always black and white.
Thanks to advances in science, the reintroduction of extinct animal species is now feasible — even inevitable. But beyond possible benefits for biodiversity, these projects raise numerous environmental and ethical dilemmas.
Turkey holds key elections next month. Many who were exiled over the years have returned with optimism, only to be jailed. Turkish journalist Ece Temelkuran says from now on, she will only go back on her own terms.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukrainians have begun a radical revision of their cultural habits and beliefs, casting off the relics of Russian colonialism. How Ukrainians see themselves and their country’s past will directly affect how they fight for the future.