History Articles
Christopher Columbus. Image: History.com
HISTORY OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
The man who sailed from Spain to discover America was neither Spanish nor did he actually discover America, at least not the North American mainland. But it is true that:
In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue
Where was he from, where did he go, who paid for it, why is he famous, why was a holiday named after him, and what are the changing moods about this European explorer?
HISTORY OF OCTOBER 10: 42 DAY
October 10 is called 42 Day because it deals with the question of great, extraordinary, pronounced, substantial, momentous, whopping, cosmic importance to all of us:
Question: What is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything?
Answer: 42
HISTORY OF JAMES BOND: DR. NO – 64 YEARS AGO
Four years ago, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the premiere of the first James Bond film, Dr. No” (1962), I wrote the following article on the history of the Bond film franchise. I discuss each film in the series, including its iconic music. Since I originally wrote the article, I’ve visited the filming location of one of the films, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. Enjoy the following history, with an updated “What’s Next for James Bond?” section.
Saint Francis, by El Greco. Image: Wikipedia
History of St. Francis of Assisi
The man we know as St. Francis was born in Assisi, Italy, in 1181 or 1182, and died on October 3, 1226. His feast day is October 4. In October 2025, the Italian Parliament restored October 4th as a national feast, previously dropped in 1977, to take effect this year, the 800th anniversary of his death.
Ironically, it falls on a Sunday this year, so Italians won’t get an actual day off until 2027.
Who was Francis, what did he do, and why is he remarkable?
Reading Time: 4 minutes
HISTORY OF OCTOBER: THE PUMPKIN SPICE SAGA
October, the tenth month of the year in both the older Julian and the current Gregorian calendar, was the eighth month (Latin octo) in the ancient Roman calendar, but with the addition of January and February, it got bumped to Number 10.
The way it actually played out is that the months January and February were added under the Roman King Numa (c. 713 BC), but at first they sat at the end of the year. October only became Month 10 when the civil year moved its start to January 1 (153 BC).
This month is significant because, according to the modern Gregorian calendar, it is the first full month of Autumn, and of Pumpkin Spice Latte Season, initially promoted by St. Starbucks.
Or at least that’s the way it’s supposed to be. But it has not always been so.
Therein lies the saga of this coffee concoction.
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Coffee. Image: Neuroscience News
HISTORY OF COFFEE: INTERNATIONAL COFFEE DAY
Yesterday, September 29, was National Coffee Day in the US and 16 other countries.
But tomorrow, October 1, is International Coffee Day, also known as National Coffee Day in 12 countries.
Whether percolated, filtered, steeped in a French press, poured over, or made with high-pressure steam in an espresso maker – at 10 to 15 times the quantity of coffee-to-water as gravity-brewing – 90% of humans ingest this caffeinated beverage regularly, making it the most widely used psychoactive drug and capturing the imagination of people the world over.
The world drinks a little over two billion cups of coffee every day, and 125 million people depend on it for their livelihoods. About two-thirds of adults drink coffee daily, and the average coffee drinker has about three cups a day.
Reading Time: 9 minutes
Michael tramples Satan, by Guido Reni, 1636, Rome. Image: Wikipedia
HISTORY OF MICHAELMAS
September 29 is Michaelmas, meaning “Michael’s Mass” or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels.
It’s known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels, in the Roman Catholic Church, or as the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels in the Anglican Church.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, instead, celebrates the Feast of the Archangels on November 8.
Americans may not be familiar with it, but you may hear the name in British period costume dramas. Jane Austen mentioned Michaelmas 12 times in five books, almost as much as Christmas and Easter. Indeed, it comes at the beginning of her novel, Pride and Prejudice:
“Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England . . . he is to take possession before Michaelmas.” –Pride and Prejudice, chapter 1
What does Michaelmas celebrate, and how is it observed?
What is an archangel, who is Saint Michael, and why is he called a Saint?
And why shouldn’t you pick blackberries after Michaelmas?
Created with Dall•E-3 AI, naturally
Is AI Conscious?
Earlier this year, Dario Amodei, CEO of the AI company Anthropic, said that he was open to the idea that his Claude AI model could be conscious.
“We don’t know if the models are conscious. We are not even sure that we know what it would mean for a model to be conscious or whether a model can be conscious… But we’re open to the idea that it could be.”
He also said he wasn’t sure he wanted to use the word “conscious” at all.
This was on Ross Douthat‘s New York Times podcast, Interesting Times, on February 14, 2026,
Amodei was talking about Anthropic’s then-new Claude Opus 4.6, which, according to Anthropic’s own system card, assigned itself a 15-20% chance of being conscious.
The reaction was what you’d predict:
- Elon Musk, Founder of xAI, said, “He’s projecting.”
- Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, had previously written that he worries less about whether AI is conscious and more about AI that merely seems conscious and convinces users that it is.
- Futurism.com said it was disingenuous for execs of multibillion-dollar AI companies to dangle the possibility of consciousness.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Image: Farmer’s Almanac
Science of the Harvest Moon
This year, the Harvest Moon rises on September 26, 2026, with peak illumination at 12:49 PM EDT. It will be visible near the planet Saturn in the evening sky.
While last October’s Harvest Moon was a “Supermoon,” this year’s is not. We did have a Supermoon in January, and we’ll see one in both November and December. Next year, in 2027, we’ll have two, in January and February.
When we talk about a Supermoon, we’re not referring to Clark Kent’s secret identity. A “super” moon occurs when a full moon coincides with the Moon’s closest point in its elliptical orbit around Earth, known as perigee. This means the Moon’s appearance in the sky is 14% to 30% larger and brighter than that of a regular full moon, not a supermoon. This is the first supermoon of 2026. Because the Moon is closer to the Earth, tides can be higher than usual. And, of course, there are the werewolves to consider.
The term “supermoon” was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, broadly defined as either a new or full Moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90% of its closest distance to Earth.
There is also a strict definition stating that a Supermoon is the single closest New Moon and Full Moon of the year. By this definition, there can be only two of them a year – a Full Moon Supermoon and a New Moon Supermoon.
Supermoons may or may not be “Super Blue Moons,” which have nothing to do with an election year or the Rodgers and Hart song popularized by The Marcels. As I’ve explained in this article on blue moons, these occur when there are more than two full moons in the month.
But tonight is not a blue moon. Instead, it’s a…
Reading Time: 3 minutes
HISTORY OF SUKKOT: FESTIVAL OF BOOTHS
Tonight, at sunset on September 25, begins the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, also known as the Festival of Booths or the Festival of Tabernacles.
We’ve talked about the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; Sukkot, which follows five days later, differs in that it is one of the three pilgrimage festivals.
The Old Testament Book of Leviticus commands the commemoration of the Exodus of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. They were to commemorate it by living in temporary booths for a week
“… that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 23:43
The week started with a Sabbath (a day of rest from work) and ended on the eighth day with another Sabbath.
The first day was a solemn day of rest, and the seven days were followed by an eighth, Shemini Atzeret, also a day of rest.
(more…)
AI: Noise and Confusion. Created by Claude, ironically.
AI: Noise and Confusion
Recent news has been filled with stories about the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the potential existential threat it poses to humanity, voiced by smart people in the AI industry and echoed across the press and government. Last Thursday (Sept. 17), the New York Times front page ran “OpenAI Discloses 6 New Incidents of ‘Concerning’ AI Behavior.”
Do we hit the brakes or step on the accelerator?
The expression P(doom) is the probability of existentially catastrophic outcomes, or “doomsday scenarios,” from AI. Is it imminent? Is it inevitable?
Amidst all the noise and confusion, there’s often more heat than light.
Let’s look at the various voices, the cacophony of catastrophe, beginning with the AI industry leaders, Wall Street, the Press, International concerns, Congress, and concluding with the White House. And some questions we should be asking along the way.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Equinox. Author’s iPhone photo
HISTORY OF THE FALL: What is the Autumnal Equinox?
This time of year corresponded to New Year’s Day in the French Republican Calendar. However, since that calendar was only in use from 1793 to 1805, following the abolishment of the French monarchy in 1792, very few still celebrate this day.
Date of Autumn
Instead, September 22 or 23 marks the beginning of Fall, which is associated with the Equinox. This word is composed of two Latin roots, aequus and nox, meaning “equal night,” referring to the fact that daylight and nighttime are of equal duration. Americans call the season Fall, from “fall of the leaf,” while Brits say Autumn, a later French and Latin import.
What happens during the Equinox?