Now Online: Was Leonardo da Vinci's World Map the First to Name America?
Was Leonardo da Vinci's World Map the First to Name America? A Quincentennial Reappraisal
This quincentennial anniversary year of his death in 1519 is an appropriate moment for a reappraisal of this contribution to global cartography. Although the authenticity of this world map has been questioned, there is an obscure page of his notebooks in the Codex Atlanticus containing a sketch of this precise form of global projection, tying him securely to its genesis. Moreover, the same notebook page contains sketches of eight other global projections known at that time (early C16th), from the Roman Ptolomaic conic section projection to Rossellli's (1508) oval planispheric projection. This paper reassesses the dating of Da Vinci's unique mappamundi to suggest that it predates that of Waldseemüller (1507), and may thus have been the first map to name both America and Florida.
Tyler, CW. 2019. "Was Leonardo da Vinci's World Map the First to Name America? A Quincentennial Reappraisal," Calafia Journal, 2:7-12. PDF
Author The Diatrope InstitutePosted on October 1, 2019 Categories Art and Science, Art History, Artists, History, History of Science, Publications, Research, Technology
Is Big History a step in the right direction?
From NPR: While most history courses start with the beginning of human civilization, roughly 10,000 years ago, Big History starts with the Big Bang. Humans don't get mentioned until halfway into the course. It is exciting to hear that people are learning about history and science in tandem and I applaud the multidisciplinary as well. Like many historians, however, I wonder about the limited attention to human history in these courses. Parts 1 and 2 from NPR are below the break. Continue reading "Is Big History a step in the right direction?"
Author The Diatrope InstitutePosted on February 27, 2019 April 23, 2019 Categories Blog, History, History of Science, PublicationsTags Big Bang, Big History, Bill Gates, David Christian, Deep History, Education, History, What is history
Video Review: The Loving Story
Reviewed by Amy Ione, The Diatrope Institute, Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
Ironically, as I was wondering where to begin this review today, I noticed a car with two bumper stickers matching the sentiments I was tossing around in my mind. One read: "Hate is easy. Love takes courage." The other said: "Got Constitution?" Both relate to the details of the Loving case, in which the United States Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage [or, held laws against interracial marriage to be unconstitutional, (prompted by a suit brought against the Commonwealth of Virginia by Richard and Mildred Loving)]. The Lovings, the key figures in this case, are captured in The Loving Story video, a film produced by Nancy Buirski and Elisabeth Haviland James and available through Icarus Films.
Married in Washington, D.C. on June 2, 1958, Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter returned home to Virginia where their marriage was declared illegal because he was white and she was black and Native American. At that time, anti-miscegenation laws – laws against interracial marriage – existed in 16 states. These kinds of laws are a typical consequence of states rights in the United States, a mechanism that allows different geographical areas to reflect the mores (and biases) of specific parts of the country.
Continue reading "Video Review: The Loving Story"
Author The Diatrope InstitutePosted on February 27, 2019 April 23, 2019 Categories American Studies, Blog, Book Reviews, History, SociologyTags 14th amendment, ACLU, Bernard S. Cohen, Brown v. Board of Education, Civil Rights, Grey Villet, Icarus Films, Interracial Marriage, Law, Leonardo Reviews, Loving v. Virginia, Mildred Loving, Miscegenation, Nancy Buirski, Philip J. Hirschkop, Richard Loving, Virginia, Warren Court
Terracotta Warriors Exhibition
Definitely worth a visit. Exhibition is from February 22–May 27, 2013.
Author The Diatrope InstitutePosted on March 19, 2016 April 23, 2019 Categories Art Exhibitions, Art History, Asia, Blog, China, History, SculptureTags Asian Art Museum, China, First Emperor's, Qin, San Francisco, Terracotta Warriors.