America's Liberian Dream

The nation of Liberia began in part as a dream of American Abolitionists.

The American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Color of the United States was dedicated to transporting freeborn blacks and emancipated slaves to Africa.

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/liberia

https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Colonization-Society

https://www.aaihs.org/the-american-colonization-society-200-years-of-the-colonizing-trick/

Paul Cuffee’s Dream

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/who-led-the-1st-back-to-africa-effort/

Economic Survival Against the Odds: 1880-1914

https://m.facebook.com/hpsol.liberia/photos/liberia-the-survival-of-an-african-state-period-review-1880-1914-by-ceska-sankar/514084695281382/

How One Historian Located Liberia’s Elusive Founding Document

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/liberias-founding-document-located-180980339/

The 1930’s: Photographs of the Country

https://www.liberiapastandpresent.org/paul-julien-in-liberia-in-1932-part-ii/

Liberia in World War II

https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2022/08/27/wwii-weapons-in-liberia/

The First Liberian Civil War was one of Africa’s bloodiest civil conflicts in the post-independence era

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/first-liberian-civil-war-1989-1996/

Liberians Celebrate 175th Independence Anniversary

https://www.liberianembassyus.org/in-the-news/liberians-celebrate-175th-independence-anniversary-on-embassy-grounds-near-washington-dc

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - Africa’s first democratically-elected female head of state

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/tcrr-chinese-workers-strike/

Edward J. Roye, Early President, from Ohio to Africa

https://aaregistry.org/story/edward-roye-politician-and-businessman/

https://liberiapastandpresent.org/EJRoye.htm

Back-to-Africa Narratives from the 1850s

https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/0-271-01710-4.html

A Modern Liberian Dream

https://frontpageafricaonline.com/opinion/letters-comments/the-liberian-dream/

Grand Challenge: Understanding the American Experience

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Title: Portrait of Edward James Roye, American-Liberian political figure Credit: public domain from Wikipedia

The Bow Takes a Bow

Archery was vital to the survival of early humans and a giant step in thinking

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/apr/16/how-archery-was-vital-to-the-survival-of-early-humans

https://www.britannica.com/technology/bow-and-arrow

Development of the bow meant we were thinking hard: human cognitive evolution and archaeology.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/bridging-theory-and-bow-hunting-human-cognitive-evolution-and-archaeology/509A69D013D25C97B92B36DD8F9017C2

The Holmegaard bow has been dated to around 7000 BC

https://worldarchery.sport/news/166330/how-old-bow-and-arrow

A Bit of Physical Science: Energy From a Bow Goes Into Kinetic Energy of the Arrow

https://www.wired.com/2014/12/much-energy-bow-goes-kinetic-energy-arrow/

http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/webproj/212_spring_2015/Addis_Gonzalez/Addis_Gonzalez/introduction--history.html

Humans hunted for meat 2 million years ago

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/sep/23/human-hunting-evolution-2million-years

Early Stone Age people hunted with sharpened sticks. Later, they used bows and arrows and spears tipped with flint or bone. People gathered nuts and fruits and dug up roots. They went fishing using nets and harpoons.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z82hsbk/articles/z34djxs

Prehistoric children were hard workers, who learned from an early age to use the weapons and tools that would help them

https://www.science.org/content/article/playing-tools-and-weapons-was-normal-part-prehistoric-childhood

Science and Culture of the Bow and Arrow

https://chem.libretexts.org/Ancillary_Materials/Exemplars_and_Case_Studies/Exemplars/Culture/Cultural_Connections_to_Potential_and_Kinetic_Energy

Legendary Archers: Female Gods and Heroes

https://legendarchery.com/blogs/archery-bowhunting-blog/7-legendary-archers-female-gods-and-heroes

The Two Most Common Bows

https://archerybull.com/crossbow-vs-longbow/

Crossbow vs. the Longbow in the Medieval Period

https://www.thebeckoning.com/medieval/crossbow/cross_l_v_c.html

Archery at the Olympic Games: the early era and the modern era.

https://worldarchery.sport/sport/history/archery-olympic-games

The Quest to Shoot an Arrow Farther Than Anyone Has Before

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/quest-shoot-arrow-farther-anyone-has-before-180979009/

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

A Hard Look at Currencies

Over the last 10,000 years, the material form that money has taken has changed considerably—from cattle and cowrie shells to today's electronic currency

What IS money?

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/history-money/ 

How Our Currency Evolved from Pelts to Money

https://mint.intuit.com/blog/investing-2/the-history-of-money/

The Origins of the Piggy Bank

https://www.paragonbank.co.uk/blog/origins-of-the-piggy-bank

What are global currency markets?

https://global.pimco.com/en-gbl/resources/education/understanding-currencies

Mom, what is bitcoin?

https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/14/pf/crypto-kids/index.html

https://www.newscientist.com/definition/bitcoin/

Cryptocurrency and blockchain

https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/financial-services/fintech/bitcoin-blockchain-cryptocurrency.html

Bitcoin's mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto

https://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-history-cryptocurrency-satoshi-nakamoto-2017-12

The enormous electricity consumption needed for cryptocurrency fuels the climate crisis

https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/bitcoin-miners-revived-dying-coal-plant-co2-emissions-soared

https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/why-bitcoin-is-bad-for-the-environment

Montana’s Hardin Generating Station, a 115-megawatt coal plant was slated for closure until bitcoin came along:

https://marathondh.com/our-facilities/

What Does the Future Hold for Cryptocurrency?

https://online.stanford.edu/future-for-cryptocurrency

https://www.forbes.com/sites/earlcarr/2021/12/30/cryptocurrency-risk-or-opportunity-the-good-the-bad--the-ugly/?sh=7fa5e58f74c8

62% of Crypto Investors Believe They’ll Get Rich — Are They Right?

https://levelup.gitconnected.com/62-of-crypto-investors-believe-theyll-get-rich-are-they-right-a5bcec78aae1

Crypto scams are the top threat to investors ‘by far,’ say securities regulators

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/11/crypto-scams-are-the-top-threat-to-investors-by-far-say-regulators.html

https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/scam-websites

Missouri Mayor Pledges $1,000 in Bitcoin to Each Household in His Town

https://levelup.gitconnected.com/missouri-mayor-pledges-1-000-in-bitcoin-to-each-household-in-his-town-f8f696f78e85

Another New Step: Developing Digital Currency

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/20/the-fed-this-summer-will-take-another-step-ahead-in-developing-a-digital-currency.html

https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2021/06/online/digital-money-new-era-adrian-mancini-griffoli.htm

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

Grand Challenge: Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Stained Glass Past and Present

Stained glass as an art form has evolved continuously over the centuries

It is believed that glassmaking was discovered 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia.

https://www.cmog.org/article/origins-glassmaking

The Splendid History of an Ancient Art Form

https://mymodernmet.com/stained-glass-history/

1,000-Year-Old Colored Glass Beads Discovered in West Africa

https://www.livescience.com/59462-early-glassmaking-west-africa.html

Metals and chemical knowledge inform stained glass windows

https://mariekehendriksen.nl/2013/06/23/metals-and-chemical-knowledge-in-unexpected-places-stained-glass-windows/

Why stained glass works in both sacred and secular spaces

https://www.deseret.com/2016/11/14/20600344/why-stained-glass-works-in-sacred-and-secular-spaces#pieces-of-art-glass-are-assembled-into-panels-for-the-roots-of-knowledge-a-200-foot-long-stained-glass-installation-for-utah-valley-university-at-holdman-studios-in-lehi-on-nov-4-2016

The most spectacular, historic and eye-catching stained glass windows are scattered around the globe.

https://www.americanvisionwindows.com/amazing-stained-glass-windows/

Stained Glass in the Art Deco Movement

https://www.cumberlandstainedglass.com/the-evolution-of-stained-glass-in-the-art-deco-movement/

Looking ‘At’ Not ‘Through’. The Art of Stained Glass

https://magazine.artland.com/11-artists-who-worked-with-stained-glass/

Stained (Luster-Painted) Glass from Islamic Lands

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/slpg/hd_slpg.htm

The Alhambra Palace, Granada

https://www.andalucia.com/cities/granada/alhambra-comares.htm

https://buffaloah.com/a/virtual/spain/gran/alham/mex/mex.html

Akili Anderson has infused his work with Afrocentric themes

https://stainedglass.org/news/article:akili-ron-anderson-is-lending-his-spirit-for-a-better-world/

http://www.akilironanderson.com/stained-glass.html

The Stained-Glass Décor Comeback: Far From Medieval

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-stained-glass-decor-comeback-far-from-medieval-1475768450

https://www.cumberlandstainedglass.com/stained-glass-windows-are-becoming-a-popular-home-decor-trend/

Women Artists Working In Glass

https://artzealous.com/stained-glass-ceilings-5-women-artists-working-in-glass-that-you-should-know/

Stunning Tiffany Stained Glass Debuts After 100 Years of Obscurity

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-100-years-obscurity-brilliant-tiffany-stained-glass-window-shine-chicago-180977850/

Shiseido’s Interactive Stained Glass Window in Tokyo

https://www.spoon-tamago.com/2014/12/08/shiseidos-interactive-stained-glass-window-in-tokyo/

Breathtaking images of Japanese stained glass spiral staircase

https://grapee.jp/en/151595

Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, Turkey

https://www.contemporarynomad.com/turkish-stained-glass-window/

Nell Arthur's Memorial Window - White House Historical Association

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/nell-arthurs-memorial-window 

Teatro Colón (Argentina)

http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/americas/teatro-colon15.html

In Corinth, Vermont, Restoring Stained Glass Windows

https://www.vnews.com/Stained-Glass-restorer-in-Corinth-7781129

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Juan Burgos on Unsplash

Law and Justice Yesterday and Today

Sensational Trials Have Provoked Questions About the Law, Justice and Punishment

Many thanks to Kelsey Morse of White Mountains Regional HS (NH) Humanities Team for the ideas that sparked this edition.

The Right to a Trial by Jury

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/magna-carta-muse-and-mentor/trial-by-jury.html

A Discussion of the “First Murder”: the biblical tale of brother killing brother and the complex relationships among victim, perpetrator and judge.

https://billmoyers.com/content/the-first-murder/

NPR: Three current trials put a spotlight on justice

https://www.npr.org/2021/11/21/1057759761/three-current-trials-are-putting-a-spotlight-on-race-and-justice

How Medieval Europe thought of Justice

https://www.medievalists.net/2019/04/how-medieval-europe-thought-of-justice/ 

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sll/disciplines/english/lion/justice.shtml

China’s Legal System And The “Ten Abominations”

https://china-journal.org/2016/05/11/china-legal-system-ten-abominations/

The Aztec Legal System

https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/you-contribute/aztec-law 

http://azteccivilisations-justice.weebly.com/aztec-justice.html

Justifiably Infamous: The Spanish Inquisition

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Spanish-Inquisition

The Evolution of the Philippine Criminal Justice System

https://napoleoncreyes.wixsite.com/carabaojustice/single-post/2014/03/16/the-evolution-of-the-philippine-criminal-justice-system

Native American Social Structure, Laws and Punishments

https://restorativejustice.org/10fulltext/eagleharley

The Unique Problems Facing Native American Youths in the Criminal Justice System

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/10/native-american-youths-criminal-justice-system.html

Guilt or Innocence: Varieties of Ordeal and Torture

https://pages.uoregon.edu/dluebke/Witches442/442Week03--Ordeal&Torture.html

Trial by combat

https://priceonomics.com/a-brief-history-of-trial-by-combat/

How U.S. Courts Work

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/resources/law_related_education_network/how_courts_work/cases/

https://judiciallearningcenter.org/your-day-in-court/

The U.S. Federal Court System

https://www.justice.gov/usao/justice-101/federal-courts 

Stage courts versus federal courts in the U.S.

https://judiciallearningcenter.org/state-courts-vs-federal-courts/

“Jim Crow” Justice in America

https://oxfordaasc.com/page/focus-on-jim-crow-justice/jim-crow-justice

https://www.britannica.com/event/Jim-Crow-law

How the Massachusetts jury system was created.

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-the-history-of-the-jury-system

The International Court of Justice

https://www.icj-cij.org/en

Note: As always, Grand Challenges links do not necessarily represent our feelings or beliefs, but are intended to provoke inquiry, discussion, and critical thinking.

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

Gangs and Their Roots in Society

Gangs seem more numerous and powerful than ever: Some of the why, where, and when of gangs

Haitians suffocate under growing power of gangs

https://apnews.com/article/business-caribbean-port-au-prince-haiti-gangs-8793b917718e5f67f27317e765c410aa

What gangs tell us about the world we live in

 https://theconversation.com/what-gangs-tell-us-about-the-world-we-live-in-114221

Where do gangs come from? The Influence of Population
Migration Patterns on Gang Emergence

https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/content/documents/history-of-street-gangs.pdf

Chinatown tong wars

https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/chinatown-tong-wars/

Understanding gangs as armed groups

https://international-review.icrc.org/sites/default/files/irrc-878-hazen.pdf

Demobilizing South Africa’s ‘child soldier’ gangs

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2020/01/23/South-Africa-gangs-child-soldiers-apartheid

7 Infamous Gangs of 19th Century New York

https://www.history.com/news/7-infamous-gangs-of-new-york

Gang Movie: In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217505/

Central American gangs like MS-13 were born out of failed anti-crime policies

https://theconversation.com/central-american-gangs-like-ms-13-were-born-out-of-failed-anti-crime-policies-76554

Why Do Youth Join Gangs?

https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh176/files/jjbulletin/9808/why.html

Sociological Perspectives

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/sociology/gangs-from-different-sociological-perspectives-and-theories-sociology-essay.php

Brain scans on street gangs to trace reasons for life of crime

https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/brain-scans-on-street-gangs-to-trace-reasons-for-life-of-crime-6797494.html

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash

Got Milk?

In the history of our species, drinking milk is a newer habit. Today, drinking milk is common practice in Europe, North America, and a growing patchwork of other places.

Every mammal produces milk to rear its young.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160707-the-surprising-links-between-human-milk-and-the-wild

Mammals, Mutants, and… Roaches: The Science of Milk (Video)

Why Did Ancient Humans Start Consuming Milk From Other Mammals?

https://www.rawmilkinstitute.org/updates/why-humans-drink-raw-milk

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190218-when-did-humans-start-drinking-cows-milk

https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/lactase-persistence-and-human-migration/crw8btjh5izbVYPJ#r

Chemistry? In my milk??

https://dairyprocessinghandbook.tetrapak.com/chapter/chemistry-milk

The Science of Milk (Video)

Understanding human milk as a biological system

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/113/5/1063/6218075

At Rwanda’s Favorite Bars, Forget the Beer: Milk Is What’s on Tap

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/09/world/africa/rwanda-milk-bars.html

Should we buy a yak instead of a cow? How about a camel?

https://www.heifer.org/blog/why-buy-a-cow-when-you-can-get-yak-milk-instead.html?msource=KIK2F19BL0101&gclid=CjwKCAjwzaSLBhBJEiwAJSRokvsG_lSu9EtBAZnjUb_V7QIYlwm2iOSlA89SKykBdavYa5-wzqJIcxoCELEQAvD_BwE

Greater Heat Stress From Climate Change Could Lower Dairy Productivity

https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2014/november/greater-heat-stress-from-climate-change-could-lower-dairy-productivity/

Past, present, future of America’s dairy industry

https://extension.umn.edu/dairy-news/dairy-industry-50-years

Almond milk: quite good for you – very bad for the planet

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2015/oct/21/almond-milk-quite-good-for-you-very-bad-for-the-planet

Have you got milk? In your fridge? In your school? What do YOU think about milk??

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Mehrshad Rajabi on Unsplash

Healers and Herbs Throughout History

Throughout the ages, people have depended on plants and those who understood them.

An Historical Review of Medicinal Plants’ Usage 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3358962/

https://www.planetnatural.com/herb-gardening-guru/history/

The Original Medicinal Plant Gatherers & Conservationists

https://unitedplantsavers.org/the-original-medicinal-plant-gatherers-conservationists/

The Hope of Psychedelic Medicines for Mental Health: Massachusetts General Hospital Establishes New Center To Study Psychedelic Mental Health Treatment

https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2021/03/10/mass-general-hospital-center-psychedelic-medicine

https://time.com/5278036/michael-pollan-psychedelic-drugs/

Aboriginal bush medicine heals body and soul

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-aborigines-medicine/aboriginal-bush-medicine-heals-body-and-soul-idUSSYD26920420070903

https://hipages.com.au/article/build_a_healing_garden_with_australian_native_plan

Mexico's Curandero Healers Keeping Indigenous Culture Alive

https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/meet-mexicos-curandero-healers-enacting-surgical-miracles/

Traditional Healing in the Contemporary African Context

https://afro.com/traditional-healing-in-contemporary-context/

23 Medicinal Plants the Native Americans Used Daily

https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/references/public/GA/23MedicinalPlantstheNativeAmericansUsedonaDailyBasis.pdf

Health and Medicine in the Viking Age

http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/health_and_medicine.htm

Ancient medicinal plants of South America

https://www.pnas.org/content/116/23/11087

Ancient Ayahuasca found in 1,000-year-old shamanic pouch

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/ancient-hallucinogens-oldest-ayahuasca-found-shaman-pouch

Mesopotamia

https://www.ancient.eu/article/687/health-care-in-ancient-mesopotamia/

Ayurvedic Healing Traditions

https://www.britannica.com/science/Ayurveda

https://www.copperh2o.com/blogs/blog/ayurvedic-medicine-origin-history-and-principles

10 Great Additions Into Your Daily Recipe

https://www.permaculturenews.org/2016/06/29/top-10-herbs-and-their-health-benefits/

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Ann Kimmerer

https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass

http://www.doebay.net/appeal/Honorable%20Harvest.pdf

Grand Challenge: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

STEM, STEAM, STEMX, STEMD and beyond..

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism.

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash

Women Architects Helped Pave the Way

Female architects have made a profound impact on architecture as we know it today. What influences - and inspiration - can you find in the work we’ve collected here?

https://www.arch2o.com/5-female-architects-who-shaped-the-history-of-architecture/

https://www.som.com/news/new_website_celebrates_pioneering_women_of_american_architecture

Sheila Sri Prakash, Indian architect

https://sugermint.com/sheila-sri-prakash-indian-architect-founder-of-shilpa-architects/

Lina Bo Bardi -Expressive Architect of 20th Century Brazil.

https://www.archdaily.com/575429/spotlight-lina-bo-bardi

Marion Mahony Griffin, Entwined with Frank Lloyd Wright

https://www.pbs.org/wbgriffin/marion.htm

https://archive.curbed.com/2017/6/8/15755858/marion-mahony-walter-burley-griffin-wright-drawings

Norma Merrick Sklarek, ‘the Rosa Parks of Architecture’

https://www.the-modernist.org/news/2020/6/16/norma-merrick-sklarek-the-rosa-parks-of-architecture

https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/norma-merrick-sklarek/

Anglo-Irish Modernist Eileen Gray

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/eileen-gray-architect-designer

Kazuyo Sejima

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuyo_Sejima

Chilean Architect Sophia Hayden and the Hidden Cost of American Sexism

http://architectuul.com/architect/sophia-hayden-bennett

 https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2020/03/considering-history-sophia-hayden-and-the-hidden-cost-of-american-sexism/

Maya Lin: Becoming an American (Architect)

https://www.pbs.org/becomingamerican/ap_pjourneys_bio5.html

https://stormking.org/artist/maya-lin/

How did one of Egypt’s leading architects end up walking the red carpet at Cannes?

https://www.kinfolk.com/at-work-with-shahira-fahmy/

Parisian Charlotte Perriand

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/oct/07/charlotte-perriand-le-corbusier-design

Interview With Denise Scott Brown

https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/architect-interview-with-denise-scott-brown_o

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Italy, Milano. first Design Summit, conferenza a palazzo Mezzanotte. Sheila Sri Prakash, Chief Architect and Founder of Shilpa Architects. Credits: Alessandro Grassani/LUZphoto CC by SA-2.0

Lacrosse: From the First Americans to the World

What began as stickball, a native American Indian contest played by tribal warriors for training, recreation and religious reasons, has developed over the years into the interscholastic, professional, and international sport of lacrosse.

https://worldlacrosse.sport/about-world-lacrosse/origin-history/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxM5mcuCR8M

https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1041&context=history_theses

Iroquois Lacrosse

https://www.facebook.com/TeamIroquoisLacrosse/

13th Annual Tewaaraton Award Celebration, The Year of the Mohawk

https://www.indiantime.net/story/2013/06/06/news/13th-annual-tewaaraton-award-celebration-the-year-of-the-mohawk/10162.html

Where traditional team sport participation is declining, the rise of the girls’ lacrosse has been meteoric. 

https://www.heartlandcollegesports.com/2020/09/19/womens-lacrosse-a-new-trend-in-the-usa/

https://3dlacrosse.com/blog/harlem-lacrosse-3d-lacrosse-reaching-new-heights-year-six-partnership-girls-participation-booms

International Lacrosse

https://laxallstars.com/lacrosse-is-played-where-a-world-map-of-international-lacrosse/

https://worldlacrosse.sport/events/world-rankings/

https://www.leagueathletics.com/Page.asp?n=32325&org=denvercitylax.com

The “cross” has changed

https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/fuel/industry/innovation-and-evolution-how-lacrosse-sticks-have-changed

Wooden sticks -then and now

https://www.sutori.com/story/evolution-of-lacrosse-sticks--BrFdaPiGpgVD2tNLvdwiddR1

https://woodlacrossesticks.com/

Going Strong on Akwesasne

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/mohawk-lacrosse-still-going-strong-on-akwesasne/21073

Growing and Growing

https://www.nvlax.org/page/show/3277295-lacrosse-growth-news-on-the-growth-of-the-sport

https://www.athleticbusiness.com/programming/lacrosse-increasing-in-popularity-in-midwest.html

Haudenosaunee Women Lacrosse Players: Making Meaning and Embodying Sovereignty

https://ubir.buffalo.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10477/78668/Bassett_buffalo_0656A_16124.pdf?sequence=3

Wall Ball: Tried and true

http://www.stealthlacrosse.com/Page.asp?n=151971&org=girlylax.org

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash

Long and Winding Roads

Transportation via roads started with the development of tracks by humans with their trade routes and migratory travel. Around the world, roads have developed, bringing people (and their animals) from place to place. As they have evolved, roads continue to cross open fields and deserts, cut through forests and bogs, and traverse mountain ranges. What are the oldest roads near you? Who has shaped them, and how have they changed over time?

The Appian Way (Latin- Via Appia), the first and most famous of the ancient Roman roads.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Appian-Way

El Camino Real - Traversing New Spain in Modern-day America’s West

https://www.nps.gov/elca/learn/historyculture/index.htm

https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/el_camino_real.php

Japan’s Nakasendo Highway

https://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-city-guides/nakasendo-highway

https://www.audleytravel.com/us/japan/things-to-do/walking-the-nakasendo-highway

The History of Road Transport

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_road_transport

The Appalachian Trail

https://appalachiantrail.org/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tales-from-the-appalachian-trail-34902244/

https://appalachiantrail.org/explore/

The Trans-African Highway

 https://www.inonafrica.com/2018/07/10/in-fits-and-starts-the-trans-african-highway-extends-its-reach/

Tizi n'Tichka, “the difficult mountain pass”

https://www.dangerousroads.org/africa/morocco/2738-tizi-ntichka.html

Time Traveling in Marrakech

https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/04/marrakech-fascinating-history

Regional Native American Trails

https://guides.loc.gov/native-american-spaces/published-sources/trails

Six New England Indian Trails That Turned Into Scenic Highways

https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/six-indian-trails-turned-scenic-highways-byways/

Native American infrastructure that helped make Chicago a successful city

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jan/17/native-american-routes-the-ancient-trails-hidden-in-chicagos-grid-system

The Silk Road

https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/about-silk-roads

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Silk-Road-trade-route

El Camino de Santiago

https://americanpilgrims.org/history-of-the-camino/

https://caminoways.com/camino-de-santiago

The World’s Oldest Roads

https://www.dangerousroads.org/around-the-world/statistics-and-facts/8511-the-oldest-roads-in-the-world.html

The Lincoln Highway: The first transcontinental road for automobiles in the United States.

https://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/

U.S. Highway 66 -- popularly known as Route 66 or the Mother Road -- holds a special place in American consciousness

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/travelroute66/index.htm

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/66-historybeyond/

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/route-66/

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Brendan Steeves on Unsplash

The Conga Drum: Cornerstone of Latin Rhythms

When you hear the word ‘conga,’ you might think of the dance, or you might also think of the drum that’s key to the rhythm of Conga music. The Conga drum, invented by Cuban people of African descent, is only about 200 years old. In that time, how has this music evolved, and what rhythms might inform its future?

History and Giants

https://www.ipassio.com/hobbies/percussion-instruments/congas

Chino Pozo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chano_Pozo

https://peoplepill.com/people/chino-pozo/

Ray Barreto-Jazz, Latin Giant: El Rey la Las Manos Duras

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5221802

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia0PpA4WnEQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMzv7h61F-4

Giovanni Hidalgo

https://www.discussionsinpercussion.com/home/2019/3/13/115-giovanni-hidalgo-master-percussionist-aka-goat

Descendant of African drums

http://artdrum.com/HISTORY_OF_CONGA_DRUMS.htm

How Conga drums are made (YouTube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQaWqaENf88

World Percussion

https://remo.com/experience/world-percussion/

Timbales

https://www.ipassio.com/hobbies/percussion-instruments/timbale

Timbales and conga videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MOFoGySmEA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwz9f66uR5s

Bongos

https://www.x8drums.com/v/blog/2007/03/history-of-bongo-drum.asp

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Luz Mendoza on Unsplash

The War of the Two Brothers: The Division and Downfall of the Inca Empire

Huascar & Atahualpa were two brothers, vying for control of the Incan Empire. Their feud included military betrayal, geographic allegiances, and the slaughter of innocents. As one became the clear successor to the throne, Spaniard Francisco Pizarro arrived. What happened next destroyed the entire Incan Empire…

https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-important-events/war-two-brothers-division-and-downfall-inca-empire-004745

https://www.saexpeditions.com/blog/post/huascar-and-atahualpa-the-inca-civil-war

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6jVIoDge8I

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Huascar-Inca-chieftain

With fewer than 200 men against several thousand, Pizarro lured Atahualpa to a feast in the emperor’s honor and then opened fire on the unarmed Incas.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pizarro-traps-incan-emperor-atahualpa\

Pizarro executes last Inca emperor

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pizarro-executes-last-inca-emperor

PBS Nova - The Lost Inca Empire

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/lost-inca-empire/

Eduardo Galeano was one of Latin America’s most distinguished writers, the author of an astounding three-volume history of the Americas, Memory of Fire

https://www.thenation.com/authors/eduardo-galeano/

http://www.columbia.edu/~ey2172/galeano.html

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Source: This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer.

Our Old Friend NaCl and Some Cool Salty Places Around the Globe

Salt: a compound, a taste, a mineral, a treasure. When we’re cooking, we don’t want too much, nor too little. Wars have been fought over salt, expressions created about it (“he’s worth his salt”), and all sorts of superstitions about throwing it over your shoulder. What more do you know about our friend NaCl?

It's been a big deal for humans.

https://www.mashed.com/160965/the-untold-truth-of-salt/

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/exploringourfluidearth/chemical/chemistry-and-seawater/salty-sea/weird-science-salt-essential-life

Everyone needs salt for fluid balance, muscle and nerve function. How much do we need?

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146677

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-body-regulates-salt-levels

How Salt Has Shaped Our Landscape

https://www.saltassociation.co.uk/education/physical-geography-salt-shaped-landscape/

Salar de Uyuni- the World’s Largest Salt Flat

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/salar-de-uyuni-bolivian-salt-flat

Uyuni stargazing tour - Night Sky Reflections from the World's Largest Mirror

https://www.rutaverdebolivia.com/tour/uyuni-stargazing-tour/

https://science.nasa.gov/night-sky-reflections-worlds-largest-mirror

Where Does the Ocean Get its Salt?

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/exploring-our-ocean/0/steps/730

A Luxury Salt?

https://www.dandelionchandelier.com/2019/09/15/luxury-salt/

Freshwater Is Getting Saltier, Threatening People and Wildlife

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/freshwater-is-getting-saltier-threatening-people-and-wildlife/

The Salt Flats of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

https://www.tpl.org/our-work/cabo-rojo-salt-flats

Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah: Flats are as solid as concrete, ideally suited for speed trials; several world automobile and motorcycle speed and endurance records have been established there

https://www.britannica.com/place/Bonneville-Salt-Flats

https://utah.com/bonneville-salt-flats

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/super-mario-kart-and-the-bonneville-salt-flats/id1342003491?i=1000409944879

Salinas Grandes, Argentina

https://argentina-travel-blog.sayhueque.com/salinas-grandes-salta-province/

“Man can live without gold, but he can’t live without salt”: Stuff You Should Know (Podcast)

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-you-should-know-26940277/episode/how-salt-works-29467958/

Why does salt make food taste better? (SciShow Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATrSoMlx5PE

The largest body of water in California was formed by a mistake. In 1905, the California Development Company accidentally flooded a huge depression in the Sonora Desert, creating an enormous salty lake called the Salton Sea.

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/sea-worth-salt/

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Jason Tuinstra on Unsplash

China’s Silk Road, the Xiongnu Empire and the Uighurs

Looking back over 3,000 years in the northwest corner of current-day China, we can see movement of peoples, ideas, and cultures. Some startling current events show us, however, that we might be destroying the richness of the past.

The Xiongnu Culture – Third Century BCE

http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=The_Xiong_Nu_Empire

http://www.silk-road.com/artl/xiongnu1.shtml

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiongnu

Kashgar, Cultural Capital

https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashgar

The Tarim mummies

https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/ancient-mummies-of-the-tarim-basin/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarim_mummies

A vital stop on China’s ancient Silk Road, the Uighur city of Kashgar may lose its old quarter to plans for “progress”

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/demolishing-kashgars-history-7324895/

For centuries, Uighurs have lived in a vast region of deserts, mountains and lakes in the far northwest of China, known today as Xinjiang.

https://www.codastory.com/authoritarian-tech/china-oppression-uyghurs-history/

China plans change in Uighur capital

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/china-plans-massive-change-in-uyghur-cultural-capital/article4279252/

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/how-chinas-government-is-using-ai-on-its-uighur-muslim-population/

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Bronze plaque of a man of the Ordos Plateau, long held by the Xiongnu (Source: PHGCOM, Creative Commons Share-Alike 3.0)

The Mughal Empire

Akbar the Great, Muslim emperor of India, established a sprawling kingdom through military conquests, but is known for his policy of religious tolerance, his inclusive leadership, and his support for an era of burgeoning arts, literature and science.

What other influences did he have on today’s world?

More about Akbar the Great

https://www.biography.com/political-figure/akbar-the-great

Mughal Empire (1500s, 1600s)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/mughalempire_1.shtml

https://www.nature.com/articles/150600b0

Tradition and ingenuity in Mughal architectural glazed tiles

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440314002283

Literature during the Mughal Period

http://www.historydiscussion.net/history-of-india/literature-during-the-mughal-period/2852

Science and the Indian Tradition: When Einstein Met Tagore

https://www.routledge.com/Science-and-the-Indian-Tradition-When-Einstein-Met-Tagore-1st-Edition/Gosling/p/book/9780203961889

The Art of the Mughals before 1600

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mugh/hd_mugh.htm

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/the-mughal-period/

Ustad Mansur was a revered seventeenth-century Mughal painter and court artist.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ustad_Mansur

Mughal Art: Might in Miniature

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/apr/27/mughal-art-might-in-miniature

What’s in museums and collections near you?

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Alexander Visits the Sage Plato (source: Public Domain)

The Ownership of Historical and Cultural Artifacts

Do historical objects belong in their country of origin? Scholars --and possessors-- consider one of the most contentious questions facing the West’s museums, galleries and collectors.

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/head-head/do-historical-objects-belong-their-country-origin

After a Century Abroad, a Collection of Cuneiform Is Heading Home to Iraq

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ur-cuneiform-tablet-repatriation

Yale returns Inca artifacts to Peru 

https://www.npr.org/2010/12/15/132083890/yale-returns-machu-picchu-artifacts-to-peru

Will the British Museum Ever Return These Artifacts?

https://www.history.com/news/british-museum-stolen-artifacts-nigeria

Recovering the art of the Holocaust

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/recovering-stolen-art-from-the-holocaust

How looting threatens to erase Mongolia's history and that of Genghis Khan

https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2017/oct/26/beyond-ghengis-khan-how-looting-threatens-to-erase-mongolias-history

Sacred artifacts stolen from a Native American tribe are finally returned over 100 years later

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/11/us/native-american-artifacts-returned-trnd/index.html

In New Zealand 

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/stolen-maori-treasure-returned-292086

Who should own indigenous art?

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150421-who-should-own-indigenous-art

What’s in museums and collections near you?

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Zbysiu Rodak on Unsplash

Art Meets Science in Botanical Illustrations

Prior to the invention of photography, botanical illustration was the only way of visually recording the world’s many species of plant life.

The practice can be traced back to sometime between 50 and 70 CE, when an illustrated book was created by Greek botanist Pedanius Dioscorides to help readers identify plant species for medicinal purposes.

To read more, explore these links:

Centuries-Old Botanical Illustrations and the Art They Inspire Today

https://mymodernmet.com/history-of-botanical-illustration/

Stunning Botanical Images Are Blueprints of the Past

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/botanical-photograph-cyanotype-blueprint-past

Trees in ancient art

https://africanrockart.org/news/trees-rock-art/

From Van Gogh to O'Keeffe, Art History's Most Famous Flowers

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-van-gogh-okeeffe-art-historys-famous-flowers

Tracing the roots – stems, leaves, fruits… – of modern botany

https://www.botany.one/2016/02/tracing-the-roots-stems-leaves-fruits-of-modern-botany/

Botany meets archaeology: people and plants in the past

https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/64/18/5805/606750

Asian botanical artists

https://www.botanicalartandartists.com/famous-asian-botanical-artists-600-1900.html

China and Egypt: Tracing Ancient Healing PracticesThrough the Hibiscus

https://scholarworks.uni.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=mcnairsymposium

Tracing Goethe’s influence on botany and plant morphology

http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/inspiration/2017/10/22/tracing-goethes-influence-botany-plant-morphology/

Historical Flower Painting in China

http://www.chinaonlinemuseum.com/painting-flowers.php

The Flowering of Florence: Botanical Art for the Medici

https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/flowering-of-florence-botanical.pdf

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by British Library on Unsplash

The Iconic Pagoda

The iconic pagoda has had a unique history, spiritual and cultural role. They are found all over the world and are marvels of engineering. 

To read more, explore these links:

https://www.britannica.com/technology/pagoda

Different Types of Pagodas

https://hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/different-types-of-pagodas

Forerunner of the pagoda- the stupa:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/stupa

With earthquakes all around, why pagodas don’t collapse:

https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/1997/12/18/why-pagodas-dont-fall-down

A well-hidden, spectacular pagoda in Myanmar:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kakku-pagodas

The largest pagoda in the United States:

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM6T6P_LARGEST_Buddhist_Pagoda_in_the_United_States_Whittier_CA

A pagoda for Peace Activism:

http://www.graftonpeacepagoda.org/history/

You can draw your own pagoda:

http://www.supercoloring.com/drawing-tutorials/how-to-draw-how-the-chinese-pagoda

Can you find out more abou these Classic Chinese Pagodas?

Wooden Pagoda of Ying County.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.

The Iron Pagoda of Yougou Temple, Kaifeng.

Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Monastery.

Leifeng Pagoda.

Liuhe/Six Harmonies Pagoda.

Tiger Hill Pagoda.

Miaoying Temple White Stupa Pagoda.

What’s the pagoda nearest you?

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Sorasak on Unsplash

Mathematics, Mythology, Rice, & Computers? The Kolam

Computer scientists are studying ancient Indian art that utilizes mathematics, mythology, and rice:

To read more, explore these links:

• https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/indian-rice-art-kolam

• Computing and cosmology

  • https://indicportal.org/kolam-computing-and-cosmology-within-indian-art/

  • http://www.openculture.com/2019/05/discover-kolams-the-traditional-indian-patterns-that-combine-art-mathematics-magic.html

• Fractals & Kolams

  • https://sites.google.com/site/jeychelladurai/sample-works/procedural-models-kolam-fractals

• Teaching fractal patterns in nature

  • https://educationonline.ku.edu/articles/teaching-kids-patterns-in-nature

• A topological approach to creating a pulli kolam

  • https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1503/1503.02130.pdf

  • https://www.ikolam.com/rangoli/computer-kolam-5

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

McKay Savage/CC BY 2.0

Our Complicated Relationship with Trees

Called “Sylvan Mastodons”, sequoias astounded a young America… but saws were soon to follow

• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-california-giant-sequoia-tell-story-americans-conflicted-relationship-nature-180968389/

Incredible trees around the globe

• https://community.atlasobscura.com/t/incredible-one-of-a-kind-trees/16227

• https://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2017/1/25/giant-trees-discovered-in-africa

The massive Ceiba was also spiritual

• https://www.thoughtco.com/ceiba-pentandra-sacred-tree-maya-171615

If you’ve ever thought trees could be more alive than we think, you might want to explore more…

• https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/12/peter-wohlleben-man-who-believes-trees-talk-to-each-other

• Video: National Geographic: How Trees Talk to Each Other in the Forest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kHZ0a_6TxY

• Podcast: How trees collaborate https://www.npr.org/2017/01/13/509350471/how-do-trees-collaborate

Counting Our Trees

• https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/0904/Seeing-the-forest-for-the-trees-Why-latest-tree-census-matters

• https://www.livescience.com/52070-global-tree-census-human-impacts.html

How are YOUR neighborhoods treating trees??

Grand Challenge: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

STEM, STEAM, STEMX, STEMD and beyond..

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism.

Photo by Brandon Green on Unsplash



A Bronze Age Map of the Cosmos

In 1999, two amateur treasure hunters made a rare discovery at a small town in the Eastern German region of Saxony-Anhalt that shook the world of archeology. The remarkable find was in use from 1,800 to 1,600 BC, likely came from fmines in present-day Austria, England, and Romania, but was almost lost to black market traders.

To learn more, explore these links:

• https://www.ancient.eu/article/235/the-nebra-sky-disc---ancient-map-of-the-stars/

• https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/nebra-sky-disc

• https://www.businessinsider.com/nebra-sky-disk-is-oldest-depiction-of-universe-2015-1

Grand Challenges: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe

Grand Challenges: Valuing World Cultures

STEM, STEAM, STEMX, STEMD and beyond..

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism.

By Dbachmann, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1500795

Valuing and Preserving World Cultures

The conservation of world cultures and heritage, now more than ever, is a key factor in economic, scientific, social and human development.

NASA and Navajo Nation Partner in Understanding the Universe

https://www.space.com/nasa-partnership-with-navajo-nation.html

The Amazing Pyramids of Teotihuacan
https://www.livescience.com/63315-photos-teotihuacan-pyramids.html

World Heritage Challenges for the Millennium

http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/world-heritage-challenges-for-the-millennium-2007-en.pdf

This Humble Terrain in New Orleans Played an Invaluable Role in the Birth of Jazz

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/congo-square

Greek Astronomer Hipparchus' Sky Globe Still Helpful Today
https://www.space.com/719-long-lost-star-catalog-plain-sight.html

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Photo by Alex Paganelli on Unsplash

The Quebec Diaspora

Emigration from French-speaking Canada benefited American industry and culture.

To read more, explore these links:

• http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/readings/leaving.htm

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_diaspora

• http://frenchnorthamerica.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-other-side-of-cotton-franco.html?m=1

• https://bangordailynews.com/2010/03/30/news/franco-influence-big-in-state/

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

·         Shed light on the interconnections among world cultures.

·         Add to knowledge of migrations, diasporas, and interactions of cultural groups

Grand Challenge: Understanding the American Experience

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Creole girls, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, 1935 Ben Shahn - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID fsa.8a16783.

Happy New Year - In the New World, Who Got What?

A Pope Fixes the New World Dispute Between Portugal & Spain.

To read more, explore these links:

https://doctrineofdiscovery.org/treaty-of-tordesillas/

https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Tordesillas

http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/Americas/Tordesillas.html

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

·         Shed light on the interconnections among world cultures.

·         Add to knowledge of migrations, diasporas, and interactions of cultural groups,

·         Deepen our understanding of significant global political and historic patterns and events and their impact on humanity and the planet. 

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism

Wikipedia: The Cantino planisphere of 1502 shows the line of the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Otto Dix - An Unforgiving Depiction of "The Great War"

Otto Dix shows the devastation and appalling misery of the battlefield as he remembered it from the trenches. A hundred year "anniversary"of The Great War.

To read on, explore these links:

https://www.art-for-a-change.com/Express/ex11.htm

https://www.ottodix.org/

http://www.historynet.com/poison-gas-comes-to-america.htm

https://www.theartstory.org/artist-dix-otto.htm

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/decaying-weapons-world-war-II-threaten-waters-worldwide-180961046/

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

STEM, STEAM, STEMX, STEMD and beyond..

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism.

Provenance: Der Krieg; #2 National Gallery of Austrailia Canberra

Brazil's Museum Fire and the Fragility of Heritage

What do we lose when we lose a museum? How do we define our heritage? Questions from Brazil.

To learn more, explore these links:  

• http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-brazil-museum-losses-20180904-story.html

• https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/why-brazils-museum-fire-matters/

• https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/16/world/americas/brazil-museum-fire.html

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

STEM, STEAM, STEMX, STEMD and beyond..

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism.

Mauro Pimental / AFP - Getty Images via NBC News

The Cultural Force of 19th Century Japanese Baseball

Japanese immigrants to the United States were deeply familiar with baseball: Japan had embraced it in the late 1800s. During the Meiji Restoration leaders promoted baseball as a way to transform the image of Japan while facilitating international connections.

To read more, click here.

  Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

Shed light on the interconnections among world cultures.

Study historic and contemporary cultural and artistic heritage, with emphasis on the heritage, arts, indigenous knowledge and expressive systems, and contemporary art and design.

Add to knowledge of migrations, diasporas, and interactions of cultural groups.

Deepen our understanding of significant global political and historic patterns and events and their impact on humanity and the planet. 

Grand Challenge: Understanding the American Experience

Conduct research on historical migrations and diasporas to and within America and on the contemporary movements of people, art, artifacts, and cultural expressions that connect various world cultures to the American experience.

Use material culture and documentary collections to research and interpret national milestones and achievements; American life and national identity, cultural expression, the environment and changing landscape, and achievements in science and technology; political and military struggles; economic, scientific, technological, and cultural innovations; and artists and leaders that have defined the United States and the character of its people.

STEM, STEAM, STEMX, STEMD and beyond..

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism.

A team from Japan’s Waseda University in 1916 (Library of Congress)

Tanzania versus Tourism and Modernity

The Tribes of Tanzania: As safari parks encroach on their ancestral lands, indigenous groups struggle to maintain their ways of life.

To read more, click here. 

Grand Challenge: Valuing World Cultures

Add to knowledge of migrations, diasporas, and interactions of cultural groups.

Shed light on the interconnections among world cultures.

Augment knowledge about the processes leading to the loss of cultural diversity – tangible and intangible heritage.

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism.

Photo Credit: Christopher Wilson

Rage Against the Machines

What a 19th-century rebellion against automation can teach us. 

To read more, click here. 

Valuing World Cultures

Study historic and contemporary cultural and artistic heritage

Add to knowledge of migrations, diasporas, and interactions of cultural groups.

ERC Grand Challenges: For project design, for inquiry, for activism.

Photo Credit: Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash