Celebrating “The Haunting”: A masterpiece of horror cinema.
Robert Wise's "The Haunting" is perhaps the greatest horror film ever made, undiminished after more than 60 years.
Latest
The mysterious “Othrys”: My encounter with an unsuccessful social media startup.
Does the world need another social media platform, even a well-intentioned one? We seem to have more than we can handle now.
Earthbound starship: The strange fate of the HMS Beagle.
What happened to the famous ship on which Darwin made his epic voyage of discovery?
Corruption or mercy? The Ford Watergate pardon.
Why did Gerald Ford pardon Richard Nixon after Watergate? Was it an act of cronyism, or moral and political wisdom?
Behind the Scenes: Brazil in the World Wars.
My latest deep-dive history video looks at the history of Brazil from 1914 to 1945. It's complicated.
Interiors: First-class lounge of a Convair 880 aircraft, 1958.
The idea of luxury in the skies was quite different 70 years ago than today.
Judgment Day: The apocalypse that never was, and what it means today.
A nuclear war depicted in the film "Terminator 2" has some interesting implications for the world of technology circa 2025.
Remembering Dr. Jonathan Porter: The flame of historical inspiration.
My thanks and farewell to a great history professor who inspired me, many years ago.
Historic Painting: “Phidias Showing the Frieze…” by Alma-Tadema, 1868.
This wonderful painting depicts a famous artist from ancient Greece, and his most famous creation.
Architecture of tragedy: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin murders.
A horror of almost unfathomable proportions occurred at the house Wright designed as a peaceful retreat from the world.
Searching for a story: A look at my chaotic writing process.
How I come up with creative writing ideas is a convoluted, chaotic and often frustrating process.
Interiors: St. John’s Chapel, in the White Tower, London, UK.
In many ways this room was the heart of the Norman Conquest of England.
You sure about that? “F for Fake,” Orson Welles and questioning authenticity.
Orson Welles's quirky 1973 semi-documentary ruminates on how blurry the line often is between fact and fiction.
Choose your weapon: The tech of my science fiction book “Faraway Star.”
When writing science fiction, the choices you make about the technology you depict have broad implications for the story.
Historic photo: Portland, Oregon, 1890.
In some ways, Portland has changed a lot; in others, not so much.
The Moon landing at 56: What does it still mean to us?
Has it indeed proven to be a "giant leap for mankind," as Neil Armstrong said?
“July is dressed up:” Mid-summer hiatus.
Is the jasmine in bloom? I can't smell it, but whatever.
Behind the Scenes: The American Revolution, In Its Own Words.
My latest video is a compilation of eyewitness accounts from founding of the United States.
Interiors: Kitchen of Roman-era house of Lucius Maticeius Clemens, 4th c. CE.
The idiocy and futility of conflict with Iran.
Everything about the decision to attack Iran is wrong. Every. Single. Thing.
Historic Painting: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by John Forrest, 2012.
This picture, intended to raise awareness of global warming, is a haunting visualization of its implications.
The book(s) I’m working on: “Faraway Star” and “Wild Among the Moons.”
Here's a brief introduction to the book(s) I'm working on, a very old science fiction concept whose time may finally have come.
The ship that sank a neighborhood: the General Slocum disaster.
My secret profession: Am I actually a CIA agent?
Anyone who publicly refutes paranoid conspiracy theories becomes a target of the paranoiacs themselves.
Interiors: Classroom in a school in Palamuse, rural Estonia, circa 1890s.
This classroom is where a famous Estonian novelist went to school and from which he drew much of his inspiration.
Not a “good” bad movie: Revisiting “The Room” and its terrible human failings.
This film is dead on a human level, and horribly depressing.
Historic Photo: First class dining room of the ocean liner Grosser Kurfürst, 1905.
See how the rich dined as they made their way across the Atlantic in the first decade of the 20th century.
Behind the Scenes: Mexico in World War II.
Yes, Mexico sent a squadron to the Pacific. But there's more to their WWII story than that.
Standing the test: “Somewhere In Time’s” romantic audacity.
This time travel romance from 1980 pushed the boundaries of genre as they existed when it was made, and caught the hearts of generations.
Low battery: Technology seems to be running out of steam.
Technology has less and less to offer us these days. That's why the tech industry is so terribly broken.
Interiors: Napoleon’s Bedroom, Grand Trianon Palace, Versailles.
Historian vs. AI: The technology sucks and is basically a scam.
The generative AI industry is a con. It may be one of the biggest cons in history.
King of the “Contactees”: The bizarre UFO saga of George Adamski.
How a Polish-born burger stand owner took a photo of a poultry incubator and won a loyal legion of UFO buffs the world over.
Nuclear war: The existential threat we don’t talk about.
We don't have to worry about the world ending in a nuclear holocaust anymore. Right? RIGHT?
Historic Painting: “Karneval in Nizza” by Otto Dinger, 1912.
This painting captures the fun and innocence of European society in the years just before World War I.
In Wildness: Chris McCandless, Cheryl Strayed, and journeys of discovery.
Why does the wilderness call to us as a place of personal redemption?
Interiors: Crewman’s cabin from the SS Balao (reconstructed), Norway, early 1970s.
There is some very interesting Norwegian and nautical history on display in this photo.
Thunder from above: the demise of the U.S. Navy airship USS Akron.
Behind the Scenes: The Bounty, a geographic history.
My latest video takes a globetrotting look at the famous 1789 British naval mutiny and its aftermath.
Historic Photo: Sons and grandsons of Bounty mutineers on Pitcairn Island, 1862.
Nothingburger: The 2025 JFK Assassination document dump.
I looked at the JFK documents so you don't have to. Conspiracy theorists are disappointed.
America’s Paris: the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.
The vanished societies of the Pacific: A tantalizing historical mystery.
Many Pacific islands were populated in the distant past, long before their modern inhabitants got there. Who were they?
Deadly physics: The “Herald of Free Enterprise” ferry disaster of 1987.
An egregious example of human stupidity caused a disaster that claimed nearly 200 lives, but physics played a key role.
Interiors: Corridor of the Drake Hotel, Chicago, Illinois.
This quiet corridor in Chicago's historic hotel has echoed with the quiet footsteps of guests since it opened in 1920.
Romancing the road: “Convoy” and its vanished populist age.
Is the ultimate expression of liberty in America just the ability to drive fast on the interstate? This film says yes.
Historic Painting: “Katharsis” by José Clemente Orozco, 1934.
Though it looks like the cover of a modern SF graphic novel, this mural from Mexico is actually 90 years old.
The fiery curtain call: The Theatre Royal Drury Lane fire of 1809.
"May a man not be allowed to drink a glass of wine by his own fireside?"
The strangest movie I have ever seen: “The Osterman Weekend” and the story behind it.
Crossbow arrows, a nude John Hurt and a script possibly written on hallucinogens. What's not to like?
Interiors: Biblioteca Palafoxiana, ancient library in Ciudad de Puebla, Mexico.
This beautiful library room represents one of the great intellectual repositories of Colonial Mexico.
Behind the Scenes: 1981, Britain’s Awful Year.
One tragic year in the life of the UK is the subject of my newest deep dive historical video.
The day the sky turned red: The Melbourne Dust Storm of 1983.
For two terrifying hours, a mammoth wall of dust turned one of Australia's largest cities into a vision of Hell.
Historic Photo: Native American ice-cutting crew in winter, 1880s.
If you wanted ice cream in the Victorian era, you had people like this to thank for it.
My journey with “The Martian Chronicles”: a terrible but nostalgic bit of TV science fiction.
This terrible 1980 show at least gets one thing right: humanity doesn't deserve another planet to screw up like we have this one.
“Bloody Sunday’s” Father Gapon: the agent who provocateured too much.
The story of a priest mixed up in the Russian Revolution demonstrates just how confusing history can sometimes be.
Reluctantly remembered: the strange historical odyssey of the Führerbunker.
The remains of the concrete tomb where Hitler blew his brains out are a fascinating but uncomfortable artifact of history.
A bad day at the races: The legacy of the Nika riots.
How a riot involving sports hooligans came to have a material legacy that's lasted nearly 1500 years.
Historic Painting: “Prussian Troops with French Prisoners” by Christian Sell, 1875.
This picture romanticizes the brief but pivotal conflict between Prussia and France, which upended European politics.
Freezing in Montreal: The Great Ice Storm of 1998.
How 8 days of ice reduced some of Canada's largest cities to apocalyptic ghost towns out of a science fiction movie.
Year’s end: The best of the Garden in 2024.
Happy New Year! Here are what I think are the best articles from this blog from 2024.
Behind the Scenes: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, Explained & Deconstructed.
My latest in-depth YouTube video takes on one of the key moments of American involvement in the Vietnam War.
Solstice: The hallowed beginning of winter.
These modern people greeting the solstice are not unlike those who gathered here for the same purpose thousands of years ago.
London’s martyred terrier: the amazing story of the Brown Dog Riots.
In 1907. London medical students rioted over a statue of a dog. How did this happen, and why?
Historic Photo: Cavite on fire after Japanese air raid, December 1941.
This was just one part of the major Japanese offensive across the Pacific after Pearl Harbor.
My upcoming novel, “The Gangster Crown,” is now available for pre-order!
My latest book, about the rise and fall of a gangster, will be out on December 17.
That happened one night: Clark Gable’s monstrous secret.
One violent night in 1935 clouded the lives of actress Loretta Young, and her daughter, for decades afterward.
Thanksgiving 2024: Have a wonderful holiday!
I am thankful for everyone who reads this blog. Have a great holiday!
Cover Reveal: “The Gangster Crown,” my upcoming crime novel.
Here is the cover of my latest novel, a crime saga set in the 1990s.
Living Purposefully With Books.
It means giving yourself permission to get rid of books--and also to keep them.
Historic Painting: “The Hireling Shepherd” by William Holman Hunt, 1851.
This startling picture stirred up controversy when it first appeared--and still makes one a little uncomfortable today.
The tragedy of neglect: the sinking of the SS Vestris.
A leaky ship, a negligent captain, and an Atlantic storm all came together one tragic day in 1928.
The Class on September 11 is Up.
With one huge project finished, it's time to move on to the next one.
Historic Photo: Kids at an L.A. Halloween Party, 1935.
This is what Halloween looked like 89 years ago.
The Upcoming Class on my Website: “The Origins of 9/11.”
My new online course seeks to fill in some of the blind spots we have about this critical event.
A mid-autumn blog hiatus.
You won't hear from me for a few days, but there's a lot going on behind the scenes.
Watch “Roundhay Garden Scene,” the world’s very first motion picture—all 2 seconds of it.
This 2-second clip launched the entirety of world cinema.
Sorry to intrude, but we have to talk about the climate crisis. I insist.
You know those big hurricanes that are destroying the U.S. East Coast? Scientists have been warning us about them for decades.
The strangest dictator: The odd world of Moammar Qaddafi.
The Libyan despot thought of himself as a fashion icon, a car designer and believed his political opponents were on LSD.
Antonioni’s “Zabriskie Point”: a terrible, senseless and fascinating film.
A truly awful film that even its star denounced as "a big lie," Antonioni's bizarre 1970 counterculture epic has some interesting implications.
The stupidest Presidential campaign in American history.
While Putin schemes and the world burns from climate change, the candidates are talking about eating house pets and working at McDonald's. What gives?
Behind the Scenes: August 1939, Eve of War.
My newest deep-dive video profiles the moment in time just before the outbreak of World War II in Europe.
Historic Photo: Two great liners, Olympic and Mauretania, about to die.
Two of the greatest-ever ocean liners are about to be sent to the scrap yards.
A brief history of Presidential debates.
There's no evidence that they matter, but they certainly are memorable.
The book I’ve been working on: introducing “The Gangster Crown.”
My upcoming novel is the classic story of the rise and fall of a criminal kingpin, with a few modern twists.
The real “King’s Speech”: George VI addresses Britain at the start of World War II.
Hear the actual speech as he made it on September 3, 1939.
Historic Painting: “Pollice Verso” by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1872.
"AM I NOT MERCIFUL??!!!?!?!?"
The fall of American conservatism.
The conservative movement, as exemplified by Goldwater and Reagan, is moribund because it mistook campaign messaging for actual policy.
Sunn Classic Pictures: how a movie studio introduced America to fake history.
A bunch of schlocky "documentaries" from a 1970s fly-by-night film studio were not just harmless entertainment.
Update: The WOW! Signal Solved.
I missed a major piece of scholarship explaining the fascinating 1977 celestial event.
First contact for real? The enduring mystery of the WOW! Signal.
On August 15, 1977, humanity detected a signal of some kind from deep space. Its origin remains a tantalizing mystery.
Boldly going nowhere: the checkered career of the space shuttle Enterprise.
What can you do with a spaceship that can't fly in space? Not much, it turns out.
Behind the Scenes: Putin, The Rise to Power.
My newest video details the early life and rise of Russia's complicated and mercurial leader.
The lamps that went out: My yearly thoughts on the outbreak of World War I.
Edward Grey's famous quote leaves us with a lot to think about 110 years later.
Historic Photo: Summer Jam Festival at Watkins Glen, NY, 1973.
The great youth-oriented music festival attracted a staggering 600,000 people, including one who contacted me.
My own Holy Grail: Wagner’s great opera “Parsifal.”
Wagner's greatest opera leaves the modern listener with a lot to think about.
When history gives us a new precedent.
Biden shattered U.S. historical precedent on Sunday. What does it mean going forward?
The Great Fire of Rome and Nero’s fiddle: an egregious historical distortion.
The emperor did not "fiddle while Rome burned." It's a bit more complicated than that.
This may be a good time to recall 1968, good and bad.
Here are some things that were going on during those 12 tumultuous months.
Dealing With Campaign 2024: Some Historical Perspectives.
Feeling uneasy about the election? Stop reading news. Start reading history.
Historic Painting: “The Girl Who Found The Golden Horn” by Harald Slott-Møller, 1906.
This painting commemorates the discovery, in 1639, of one of the world's great Iron Age art treasures, sadly now lost to history.