Roundabout History

Welcome to Roundabout History Dear History Enthusiasts, I'm thrilled to welcome you to the inaugural edition of Roundabout History, your weekly journey through the fascinating corridors of the past. Whether you're a seasoned history buff or just beginning to explore the annals of time, this newsletter is your ticket to uncovering the hidden gems, untold stories, and remarkable figures that have shaped our world. Roundabout History, seeks to show how history is more than just dates and...

Lesson Sixty-Seven Water Mirrors Dear Readers, This week, we’re reflecting (literally) on one of the lesser-known marvels of Incan ingenuity: the water mirrors of the Andes. In a civilization famed for its architecture, terraces, and imperial road systems, these shallow, reflective pools offer a quieter, more contemplative glimpse into the Inca relationship with the heavens, the earth, and time itself. Still Waters and Starry Skies Scattered across ancient Incan sites like Machu Picchu and...

Lesson Sixty-Six Il Porcellino Dear Readers, This week, we look not at an empire or event, but at a sculpture; solid, silent, and yet full of motion: Wild Boar (1925), carved in marble by Italian sculptor Pietro Bazzanti. With lifelike detail and mythic resonance, this piece embodies centuries of artistic tradition, Florentine identity, and the symbolic strength of an untamed creature. A Beast with a Pedigree Bazzanti’s Wild Boar is not an isolated creation, it is a refined replica of a much...

Lesson Sixty-Five Canis lupus familiaris Dear History Enthusiasts, This week, we turn our gaze not to a battlefield or a palace, but to a quieter, older history—one that began beside the fire, under the stars, thousands of years ago. The history of humanity is, in many ways, also the history of the dog. A Partnership Forged in the Ice Age Long before agriculture or writing, humans and wolves shared the same prey and terrain. At some point—perhaps out of mutual caution, curiosity, or...

Lesson Sixty-Four воры в законе Dear History Enthusiasts, This week, we turn our attention to a lesser-known but powerful criminal tradition born out of the chaos of revolution and repression: the Thieves in Law (vory v zakone), the elite brotherhood of the Russian underworld. The Birth of the “Thieves’ World” Although criminal networks had existed for centuries in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia—ranging from rural bandits to urban gangs—it was the collapse of Tsarist authority during...

Lesson Sixty-Three Papal Infallibility Dear Readers, This week, we dive into one of the most controversial and defining theological declarations in modern Catholic history: Papal Infallibility—a doctrine formalized not in the Middle Ages or during the height of papal power, but surprisingly in the politically volatile 19th century. To understand why and how, we begin with a brief look at the First Vatican Council. A Church Under Siege The First Vatican Council (Vatican I), convened by Pope...

Lesson Sixty-Two The Capture of Rome Dear History Enthusiasts, In this week's edition of Roundabout History, we turn our attention to a pivotal moment in European history: the Capture of Rome in 1870. Though less bloody than other battles of the 19th century, its impact was seismic, reshaping the map of Italy and marking the definitive end of centuries of papal political rule. What was once the heart of a religious empire became the crown jewel of a new nation. A Divided Peninsula For...

Lesson Sixty-One François Mackandal Dear History Enthusiasts and Revolutionists, This week, we spotlight a figure whose name still echoes through the history of revolution and resistance: François Mackandal—the maroon leader, herbalist, and rebel mastermind who helped ignite the fire that would eventually become the Haitian Revolution. From Enslaved Man to Maroon Leader François Mackandal was born in Central or West Africa and brought to Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti), then the richest...

Lesson Sixty Maroons in Nova Scotia Dear History Enthusiasts, Today we will be revisiting the compelling story of the Jamaican Maroons. This time focusing on their continued history after the Jamaican Maroon Wars, regarding their displacement to Nova Scotia. This is an often overlooked chapter in Canadian history that bridges the Caribbean and the Atlantic coast of Canada. Their arrival, resistance, and legacy continue to shape the identity of African Nova Scotians and the wider fabric of...