ˈɡræmpɪən If the enemy be rich, they are rapacious; if he be poor, they lust for dominion; neither the east nor the west has been able to satisfy them. Alone among men they covet with equal eagerness poverty and riches. To robbery, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire; they make a solitude … Continue reading Grampian
Tag Archives: History
Système International Prefixes: Part 3
Go to the first post in this series In my first two posts about the SI unit prefixes, I described how the system originated in the French Republican metric system of 1795. Part 1 dealt with those original fractional prefixes—deci-, centi- and milli-, designating a tenth, hundredth and thousandth part of the base unit. Part … Continue reading Système International Prefixes: Part 3
Système International Prefixes: Part 2
In my previous post about the Système International prefix system, I described how they originated in the French Republican metric system of 1795, which introduced a set of prefixes to designate multiples and fractions of its base units. For instance, the metre was subdivided using prefixes into decimetres, centimetres and millimetres, designating a tenth, hundredth … Continue reading Système International Prefixes: Part 2
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Système International Prefixes: Part 1
The Système International d’unités, commonly known in English as the SI units, is a version of the metric system that, in addition to a carefully specified set of measurement units, contains a list of defined prefixes to specify multiples and fractions of its basic units. This set of prefixes has grown eccentrically over the years. … Continue reading Système International Prefixes: Part 1
Antilles
ænˈtɪliːz Antilles: an extensive archipelago of Caribbean islands, making up most of the West Indies Still on a Caribbean kick, you’ll see. I confess I’m embarrassed that I’d spent a week in the Antilles before I thought:1) Where does that word come from?2) Does it have a singular? Its origins are to some extent mysterious. … Continue reading Antilles
Carrie Gibson: Empire’s Crossroads
Empire’s Crossroads is subtitled A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day. Which is what it is. It’s historian Carrie Gibson’s first book, built around her long-standing interest in the Caribbean. It was always going to be a challenge to put together a coherent narrative, given how many islands there are in … Continue reading Carrie Gibson: Empire’s Crossroads
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February 30th
Here’s the problem: the tropical year, the time it takes the Earth to go through a complete cycle of seasons, is 365.2422 days long (to four-decimal accuracy). If every calendar year were 365 days long, then the missing 0.2422 days would add up from year to year, each year starting a little earlier relative to … Continue reading February 30th
Mike Loades: Swords and Swordsmen
This is a gorgeous book. Pen & Sword have done Mike Loades proud with the production values—it’s nicely laid out, beautifully illustrated, and has a deeply satisfactory heft to it. Even if you don’t recognize his name, Loades may be familiar to you if you watch the occasional historical documentary. I most recently caught sight … Continue reading Mike Loades: Swords and Swordsmen
Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh
… and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 ɡəʊld Gold: The most precious metal, characterized by its yellow colour The word gold comes to English through the Germanic languages, and its origin can be traced all the way back to a Proto-Indo-European root … Continue reading Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh
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Mad Rush For Gold In Frozen North: Supplement
You’ll perhaps recall that when I finally got around to reading Arthur Arnold Dietz’s book, Mad Rush For Gold In Frozen North, I was a little bemused to discover it was a pretty obvious fake (at least in parts) given its widely accepted status as one of the classics of Gold Rush memoirs. My original … Continue reading Mad Rush For Gold In Frozen North: Supplement