Humanities

The legacies of solar deities continue to influence our world. Here are nine sun gods and goddesses from world mythology to know about.

Minimalism is about breaking things down to the barest elements necessary for a design to function. And the roots of minimalistic design can be found in the traditional Japanese Zen values of balance and simplicity. This article talks about the age-old Zen principles of creating good design.

Gods and goddesses of wisdom are usually sagacious counselors or studious scribes. However, some cultures also regard them as divine tricksters.

Mansa Musa was the king of the Mali empire. In his reign, Mali became an African powerhouse and included the countries of Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, and the Ivory Coast. Africa's legendary, fabled gold city under Mansa was his capital Timbuktu.

Richard Blanco's 'America' focuses on cultural identity, family and traditional foods served at the table. Five stanzas in free verse explore the notion of what it is to be an American citizen having been brought up in a Hispanic culture.

Princess Maud of Wales was King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra's youngest daughter. She married Prince Carl of Denmark. Carl was chosen as the new king of Norway in 1905. As King Haakon VII and Queen Maud their success came from the realisation that they needed to become as Norwegian as possible.

Will Heaven ever get overpopulated? Will it be boring? Is everyone healthy? Join me on this soul-stirring investigation of the hereafter to discover what it might be like.

Hetty Green is known as Queen and Witch of Wall Street. The Guinness Book also called her the "World's Greatest Miser." Read on to learn about her.

These remote islands remain far removed from modern civilisation. Some are completely untouched by humans, others contain the remnants of ancient civilisations, and they all host vibrant ecosystems.

Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most famous play of Shakespeare's. The deaths that take place in the play have a direct impact on the protagonists' characterization. Romeo is connected to all of the deaths, and in a sense, he is the character who is most burdened by conflict.

One of the world's best known ancient monuments was once owned by a British lawyer.

Postmodernism is a very valid explanation of the world around us. Postmodernism is an intellectual form of discourse that leans toward skepticism and tries to explain reality. The postmodern world does not believe in a fixed notion or a fixed version of events.

Castles were bastions of military might during the Middle Ages, and their conquering was pivotal to medieval military campaigns. Here's how it was done.

Sometimes called the “Queen of Pirates,” Zheng Yi Sao was the terror of the South China Sea early in the 19th century.

Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex was Queen Victoria's favourite uncle. He married illegally twice according to the Royal Marriages Act 1772. He was liberal in his outlook and more academic than his siblings. Augustus' library of over 50000 books at Kensington Palace was his great legacy.

'The Fly' is one of Blake's poems from 'Songs of Innocence and Experience', a book for both adult and child. Simple in structure, the tone is thoughtful and philosophical, the reader having to decide if the fly is alive or dead, the speaker innocent or guilty.

During the Second World War, Otto Skorzeny would lead several daring operations including the daring Grand Sasso raid which rescued Benito Mussolini from captivity and a certain death. After the war Skorzeny's life is shrouded in a certain amount of mystery, some say he became Eva Peron's lover.

This article examines and ranks the 10 worst wildfires in American history. It provides a brief overview of each event, followed by a discussion of each fire's coverage area, destruction, and fatalities.

Scientific discoveries and technological advances have radically transformed the world we live in. Compared to the long period of human history, most great inventions were made relatively recently. This is a list of ten inventions that have profoundly transformed society and our lives.

The pursuit of beauty is an age-old preoccupation with humans. The Elizabethans used ingredients in cosmetics that they didn't realise harmed and killed them. Poisons included white lead, mercury and belladonna, staples in their makeup kit.

In 'Philemon and Baucis', Gunn explores the loving relationship of two poor peasants who, having shown visiting gods Jupiter and Mercury great hospitality, request to be changed into trees as they die. The rest of the inhospitable township is drowned by flood.

In the second millennium BC, ancient civilisation was at its apex, but then a series of invasions, earthquakes and epidemics brought it all crashing down. Here are five factors that contributed to the Bronze Age collapse.

Ivan the Terrible was the Grand Prince of Moscow and the 1st Tsar of All Rus (Russia). He hated the boyars, the Russian nobility. Ivan tortured and murdered thousands of people during a campaign called the Oprichnina and he killed his eldest son. Did he have any good qualities?

Imagine being forced to burn your own hand, then being declared guilty because the burn didn't heal quickly enough. Here are some medieval methods of determining guilt or innocence that were so cruel, the accused would admit guilt simply to avoid the ordeal.

The hero myth is ancient and pervasive. It features in mythical traditions throughout the world, and wherever it appears, it seems to follow the same basic formula. Here is an overview of what Joseph Campbell called "The Hero's Journey."

Princess Cecilia of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg was the 3rd wife of August I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg (in modern day Germany). In her short life she witnessed political and personal upheaval, was a keen patron of the arts and she composed the music for Oldenburg's adopted anthem.

Jean Thurel was a French soldier who fought for his country through nine decades.

Virginia Hall was a World War II spy. She had one leg but still went behind enemy lines in France to organize resistance to German occupation. Hall was considered the most dangerous Allied spy by Germany's Gestapo.

Daisy, Princess of Pless was a fabulously wealthy British-born society beauty. She married into the Prussian House of Hochberg and had 3 sons. Daisy was an Englishwoman in Germany during World War 1. How did she survive?

Samuel Colt, the gun inventor, had a brother who was a bit of a wastrel and found himself condemned to death.

"Vlad the Impaler" was born in Transylvania. As Vlad III Dracula he ruled the Principality of Wallachia and waged war against the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and rivals to his rule. He was a barbaric medieval warrior who inspired Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.

On May 8, 1927, two French aviators took off from Paris and disappeared creating one of the great mysteries of flying.

British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was the son of the 2nd Earl Egmont and he enjoyed notable careers in law and politics before he took the top job in 1809. On 11th May 1812, he was assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons.

Shelley’s "The Sensitive Plant" features a poetic drama of an Eden-like garden with the mimosa plant and a Mother-Nature-like personification, a presence that tends the garden. After the drama plays out, the speaker engages in a philosophical musing on the meaning of life and death.

A highly successful bank robber and thief was the bane of police forces on three continents.

Filipino/Tagalog nouns categorized for an easy learning for beginners. Learn the Tagalog words for cookware and kitchen utensils, fruit and veggies, animals and more.

Kat Ashley (nee Champernowne) was employed as the future Queen Elizabeth I's governess in 1537. As Elizabeth grew older the two women became friends and allies in the Tudor world of intrigues and power struggles. Kat guarded and guided her royal friend well.

This article examines and ranks the 10 worst battles of the Second World War. It provides a brief overview of each event, followed by an analysis of their total casualties.

Learn all about the Battle of Bicocca, an important historical battle that brought an end to a period of Swiss military dominance.

In US History, no figures are studied more than presidents. Each has at least one unusual story. Let's examine some and question their truth.

Lambert Simnel was crowned King Edward VI in Dublin in May 1487 after claiming to be the English Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick. Lambert had been training to pretend that he was one of the lost Princes in the Tower. Who was he and what did King Henry VII do with this challenger to his throne?

The most compelling account of King Richard III is William Shakespeare’s famous play. This is a psychological look at Richard by piecing together chronological events in the play with historical factors.

Johannes Kepler was a 17th century German astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer best known for his three laws of planetary motion. His work laid the foundation for Isaac Newton’s theory of universal gravitation. Kepler was one of the key figures in the 17th century’s scientific revolution.

The capital of France has been replicated twice.

Woodstock Manor, later Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England was a royal hunting lodge, a hideaway for a mistress, the birthplace of princes and a jail for Elizabeth Tudor before she became Queen Elizabeth I. Today Blenheim Palace's grounds cover its location.

The Confederate states' commitment to state sovereignty would soon have torn them apart.

The concept of the werewolf is more ancient than that of the vampire. It taps into primal fears of our own animalistic tendencies and reminds us of humanity's potential for savagery.

Crown Prince Wilhelm of the German Empire and Kingdom of Prussia was the successor to a withdrawn throne after his father Kaiser Wilhelm II drew nations into the First World War. In 1918 "Kaiser Bill" found himself on the losing side and exiled. What was the heir to the throne's life like?

Many faiths consider an abundance of money a form of divine blessing. Here are 9 gods and goddesses from world mythology associated with wealth.

We owe much gratitude towards our heavenly mother. She assists us toward the life that matters most—eternal life in heaven. This article tries to answer common questions concerning the Virgin Mary.