In 1900, New York City was headÂing into a cenÂtuÂry of unimagÂinÂable transÂforÂmaÂtion. And, thanks to The Library of ConÂgress (LOC), you can now revisÂit 43 videos showÂing the city layÂing the founÂdaÂtions for their burÂgeonÂing metropÂoÂlis. The clips, all black & white and silent, appear on iTuneÂsU, YouTube and the LOC web site. And I list iTuneÂsU first because it offers the easÂiÂest way to navÂiÂgate through the full colÂlecÂtion. Above, we feaÂture a scene showÂing New YorkÂers buildÂing the city’s first skyÂscrapÂers. The more you watch, the more of the perÂils you see. The colÂlecÂtion also includes scenes showÂing the FlatÂiron BuildÂing, the openÂing of the WilliamsÂburg Bridge, skatÂing on a lake in CenÂtral Park, and the excaÂvaÂtion of the tunÂnel that would evenÂtuÂalÂly enter Penn StaÂtion.
223 years ago today, the ConÂstiÂtuÂtionÂal ConÂvenÂtion startÂed meetÂing secretÂly in PhiladelÂphia. SevÂerÂal months latÂer, the meetÂings endÂed with the signÂing of the US ConÂstiÂtuÂtion. StartÂing today, the NationÂal ConÂstiÂtuÂtion CenÂter will use TwitÂter to reenÂact the events of the ConÂvenÂtion. You can folÂlow @SecretDelegate, a mysÂteÂriÂous insidÂer, who will show you what hapÂpened inside the priÂvate proÂceedÂings. The “TwitÂter ConÂvenÂtion” will conÂclude on SepÂtemÂber 17, when the ConÂstiÂtuÂtion was signed, and only then will the true idenÂtiÂty of @SecretDelegate be revealed. You can be among the first to folÂlow these tweets.
LookÂing for more Open CulÂture? Find us on TwitÂter at @openculture.
SevÂenÂty-five years ago today, on the mornÂing of May 13, 1935, a 46-year-old retired British army offiÂcer was ridÂing his motorÂcyÂcle home from the post office, when he swerved to avoid hitÂting two boys on bicyÂcles. He was thrown onto the road and susÂtained head injuries, then died six days latÂer in a provinÂcial hosÂpiÂtal. It was a munÂdane cirÂcumÂstance for the death of an extraÂorÂdiÂnary man.
Thomas Edward (T. E.) Lawrence was an intelÂlecÂtuÂal and advenÂturÂer who became known to the world as “Lawrence of AraÂbia.” Lawrence could read books by the age of four. He attendÂed Oxford on scholÂarÂship and spent one of his sumÂmer vacaÂtions hikÂing 1,100 miles through SyrÂia, PalesÂtine and Turkey to surÂvey cruÂsadÂer casÂtles for a theÂsis on milÂiÂtary archiÂtecÂture. He spoke AraÂbic, TurkÂish, GerÂman, French, Latin and Greek. When World War I broke out in 1914, he was recruitÂed into the British army for his extenÂsive first-hand knowlÂedge of the MidÂdle East. DurÂing the course of the war, Lawrence became one of the archiÂtects and leadÂers of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks – a remarkÂable advenÂture that was retold in David Lean’s 1962 film, Lawrence of AraÂbia, starÂring Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif and Alec GuinÂness.
Lawrence was an intenseÂly priÂvate man who, as LowÂell Thomas famousÂly put it, “had a genius for backÂing into the limeÂlight.” When the war was over, howÂevÂer, he sucÂceedÂed in stayÂing out of the limeÂlight by refusÂing a knightÂhood and servÂing out his milÂiÂtary career under assumed names. He transÂlatÂed Homer and wrote a memÂoir of the Arab Revolt, The SevÂen PilÂlars of WisÂdom. And he had a penÂchant for fast motorÂcyÂcles, includÂing the cusÂtom-made Brough SupeÂriÂor SS100 which he rode into town on a munÂdane errand 75 years ago today.
Today, to mark the 75th anniverÂsary of his tragÂic motor cycle acciÂdent, we feaÂture some of the only known footage of T.E. Lawrence above.
When you think Rome, you think the ColosÂseÂum. It’s one of the great strucÂtures of the Roman Empire, and it still domÂiÂnates the landÂscape of the modÂern city. But how deep does your knowlÂedge of the ColosÂseÂum actuÂalÂly go? Which emperÂor built the AmphitheÂatrum FlavÂiÂum (as it was origÂiÂnalÂly called)? For what purÂpose? And how, stylÂisÂtiÂcalÂly, was it origÂiÂnalÂly built and decÂoÂratÂed? All of this gets answered in an image-packed lecÂture by Yale proÂfesÂsor Diana E.E. KleinÂer, which forms part of her largÂer course on Roman ArchiÂtecÂture. (Find it on YouTube, iTunes and Yale’s Open Course web site). I queued up the lecÂture at the 20 minute, when KleinÂer starts talkÂing about the ColosÂseÂum itself. But you can move back to the very beginÂning if you want to get some more politÂiÂcal conÂtext.
This year, Tim BurÂton’s proÂducÂtion of Alice In WonÂderÂland was welÂcomed by a flurÂry of media buzz and a rather polarÂized pubÂlic response debatÂing whether the iconÂic direcÂtor had butchered or reinÂventÂed the even more iconÂic chilÂdren’s clasÂsic. But disÂcusÂsion of the film’s creÂative merÂits aside, one thing it did do brilÂliantÂly was rekinÂdle the pubÂlic’s interÂest in what’s easÂiÂly the most beloved work of chilÂdren’s litÂerÂaÂture of the past two cenÂturies.
So beloved, in fact, that Lewis CarÂrolÂl’s 1865 novÂel has genÂerÂatÂed hunÂdreds of reprints, film adapÂtaÂtions and varÂiÂous derivÂaÂtive works over the years. Many of these works are now availÂable in the pubÂlic domain — even a simÂple search in the InterÂnet Archive sends you down a rabÂbit hole of adapÂtaÂtions and remakes, spanÂning from landÂmark earÂly cinÂeÂma treaÂsures to offÂbeat prodÂucts of conÂtemÂpoÂrary digÂiÂtal culÂture.
Today, we’ve curatÂed a selecÂtion of the most interÂestÂing and culÂturÂalÂly sigÂnifÂiÂcant — the “curiÂouser and curiÂouser,” if you will — free verÂsions of, tribÂutes to, and derivÂaÂtives of Alice’s AdvenÂtures In WonÂderÂland.
The funÂdaÂmenÂtals: A Project GutenÂberg free digÂiÂtal copy of CarÂrolÂl’s origÂiÂnal Alice’s AdvenÂtures In WonÂderÂland text
A 1916 abridged verÂsion intendÂed for younger chilÂdren, digÂiÂtized by the Library of ConÂgress, is availÂable from the InterÂnaÂtionÂal ChilÂdren’s DigÂiÂtal Library and feaÂtures some wonÂderÂful illusÂtraÂtion — though, regretÂtably, it lacks the Cheshire Cat
For a clasÂsic with a spin, try this audio verÂsion read by blogÂger extraÂorÂdiÂnaire, BoingÂBoÂing co-ediÂtor, PopÂuÂlar SciÂence columÂnist and vocal free conÂtent advoÂcate Cory DocÂtorow
The earÂliÂest cinÂeÂmatÂic adapÂtaÂtion of the book, directÂed by Cecil HepÂworth in 1903, is a silent film gem, clockÂing in at just 8 minÂutes and 19 secÂonds. Watch above.
In 1915, W. W. Young directÂed the secÂond AmerÂiÂcan adapÂtaÂtion of Alice — a masÂsive six-reel proÂducÂtion that showÂcased the rapid evoÂluÂtion of filmÂmakÂing in just a decade since the first proÂducÂtion. Though much of the film is now lost, 42 minÂutes of it can be seen at the InterÂnet Archive for free
A 1966 British adapÂtaÂtion by direcÂtor Jonathan Miller for the BBC feaÂtures an ambiÂtious cast — includÂing Peter SellÂers as the King of Hearts, Sir John GielÂguld as Mock TurÂtle, Michael RedÂgrave as The CaterÂpilÂlar and Peter Cook as the Mad HatÂter — and its soundÂtrack, scored by the legÂendary Ravi Shankar, exudes the borÂderÂline folk-psyÂcheÂdelia sound of the WoodÂstock era. The film, dividÂed into sevÂen parts, is availÂable for free on YouTube.
This 2‑minute verÂsion of Alice In WonÂderÂland shot in the virÂtuÂal world SecÂond Life is an eerie tesÂtaÂment to just how wideÂly CarÂrolÂl’s clasÂsic resÂonates.
PerÂhaps the biggest treaÂsure of all, Lewis CarÂrolÂl’s origÂiÂnal manÂuÂscript, availÂable from the British Library — 91 pages of preÂcious litÂerÂary hisÂtoÂry, with origÂiÂnal illusÂtraÂtions from artist John TenÂniel. The online gallery also feaÂtures a prefÂace telling the fasÂciÂnatÂing stoÂry of the Oxford mathÂeÂmatiÂcian’s real-life inspiÂraÂtion for the book and the fate of the real Alice
Maria PopoÂva is the founder and ediÂtor in chief of Brain PickÂings, a curatÂed invenÂtoÂry of eclecÂtic interÂestÂingÂness and indisÂcrimÂiÂnate curiosÂiÂty. She writes for Wired UK, GOOD MagÂaÂzine and HuffÂinÂgÂton Post, and spends a disÂturbÂing amount of time curatÂing interÂestÂingÂness on TwitÂter.
We take you back to July 16, 1969 and the launch of ApolÂlo 11, which landÂed humans on the moon for the first time. The footage slows things down, stretchÂing 30 secÂonds of action to over eight minÂutes of viewÂing time. Here’s what it looked like in real time.
Google and the RussÂian RailÂways recentÂly joined forces to creÂate a virÂtuÂal tour of the hisÂtoric Trans-SiberÂian railÂroad. It’s the longest railÂway in the world, movÂing from Moscow to VladiÂvosÂtok, cutÂting across two conÂtiÂnents, 12 regions and 87 cities. Now, you can take the six-day jourÂney from the comÂfort of your own home. Through a speÂcial page on Google Maps, you can watch video of the trip unfold, as if you were a pasÂsenÂger, and also enjoy clasÂsic RussÂian litÂerÂaÂture, music and phoÂtos along the way. As you roll out of Moscow, start lisÂtenÂing to a free audio verÂsion of TolÂstoy’s War & Peace (in RussÂian, of course) and ease into the 150 hour trip. How’s that for an epic virÂtuÂal jourÂney?
David RemÂnick won a Pulitzer in 1994 for Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the SoviÂet Empire. Then, in 1998, he began his sucÂcessÂful run as ediÂtor-in-chief of the New YorkÂer magÂaÂzine. Now, he gives you a long biogÂraÂphy (672 pages) of Barack ObaÂma, the first African-AmerÂiÂcan presÂiÂdent of the UnitÂed States. ObaÂma’s perÂsonÂal stoÂry is well known, thanks in part to ObaÂma’s own autoÂbiÂoÂgraphÂiÂcal account. But, RemÂnickÂ’s work (which debuted as the #3 bestÂseller on The New York Times non-ficÂtion list) nonetheÂless has someÂthing new to say. It is exhausÂtiveÂly researched and denseÂly detailed, and adds colÂor in areas missÂing from othÂer accounts. It also places ObaÂma a bit more squareÂly withÂin the conÂtext of AmerÂiÂca’s black freeÂdom strugÂgle.
To get a glimpse inside this new work, you’ll want to lisÂten to this interÂview with David RemÂnick. It was conÂductÂed by Michael KrasÂny in San FranÂcisÂco last week. DownÂload the mp3 or grab the iTunes verÂsion here. Or simÂply stream it below. The book, by the way, is availÂable in audio forÂmat via Audible.com, and if you try out their 14 day free triÂal, you can even downÂload the audioÂbook for free. More info on that here.
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