Thread of photos you won’t believe are real 🧵

1. The ancient temple of Apollo in Naxos looks like a star gate in this photo by Athan Andreas 2. Wheat field in Puglia, Italy.

A 1978 photo by Franco Fontana.

The beauty of spring around the world 🧵

1. A desert bloom in Utah by Emily Dickey 2. Spring in Strasbourg

When Sophia Loren married Carlo Ponti in 1957, he promised her “the most beautiful house in the world.”

A thread about their majestic Roman villa 🧵 1. Villa Sara is a lavish 16th-century mansion in Marino, Italy, just outside Rome, boasting 50 rooms and a grand guest house.

Ponti extensively renovated it, adding a swimming pool and richly ornate furnishings that epitomized extravagance and opulence.

Thread of colorized historical photos you've (probably) never seen before 🧵

1. D-Day, Normandy, 6 June 1944 2. Evacuee Barrie Peacop eating ice cream on a seamine that washed ashore. Deal in Kent, England, February 1940.

Ancient Rome back then vs Rome today 🧵

1. The Roman Forum 2. Circus Maximus

It was an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium measuring 621 by 118 meters and seating over 150,000 spectators.

The Circus Maximus was the largest stadium in ancient Rome and later inspired circuses throughout the Roman Empire. Today, it is a public park.

These stunning photographs were taken in Egypt by Maxime Du Camp in 1849-51 🧵

1. Abu Simbel as It stood 175 years ago 2. Colossal Monolith of Amenhotep III, Gournah, 1849-1851

Historical photos you’ve (probably) never seen and facts you didn’t know about Egypt 🧵

1. Louis Armstrong and his wife in 1961 2. This is Egypt in 1897.

We owe this amazing footage to Alexandre Promio and the pioneering Lumière brothers.

This is Mount Etna right now - a thread 🧵

Insane close-up of the eruption

The ancient Romans were known for building tombs for their dogs, inscribing epitaphs to keep their memory alive — a thread 🧵

1. “I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home with my own hands 15 years ago.” 2. “You who pass on this path, if you happen to see this monument, laugh not, I pray, though it is a dog’s grave. Tears fell for me, and the dust was heaped above me By a master's hand.”

The surreal beauty of Hawaii 🧵

1. Oahu 2. Hawaii literally looks like another planet...

It is named after its largest island, possibly honoring Hawaiʻiloa, a legendary discoverer.

The word "Hawaiʻi" resembles the Proto-Polynesian "Sawaiki," meaning "homeland".

The evolution of ancient Greek sculpture 🧵 Ancient Greek sculpture is the most iconic form of fine art from Greece.

Scholars identify 3 key periods in Greek sculpture: Archaic (c. 650–480 BC), Classical (480–323 BC), and Hellenistic (post-323 BC).

Each stage reflects evolving ideals of form, realism, and expression.

Thread of the most epic moments from SpaceX Starship’s launches 🧵

1. The 33 Raptor engines in full power 2. Today's liftoff of Starship

Veterans & fallen soldiers - Memorial Day 🧵

1. Woman mourning at the grave of her husband with her two-month-old son 2. WWII veteran gives his honest opinion

This artist deserves way more attention 🧵

1. The difference between a greeting hug and a farewell hug by Fabian Perez. 2. For Fabian Perez, the purpose of art is to perpetuate beauty:

"That is what I am always striving for. God created the world and embellished it with the wonders of nature. I think it is the artist’s job to embellish it with his work".

This is one of the most haunting and detailed marble sculptures ever created - a thread 🧵

What looks like a cloak is actually flayed skin... The statue portrays Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles of Christ.

Like many early martyrs, he faced a gruesome death: according to tradition, he was flayed and then beheaded for converting the Armenian king to Christianity.

The magnificent wooden spiral staircase of Peles castle in Sinaia, Romania - a thread 🧵 An impressive example of late 19th-century craftsmanship, the spiral staircase is renowned for its elaborate carvings, elegant curves, and richly detailed design that exemplifies the opulence of the castle.

The beauty of ginkgo trees - a thread 🧵

1. This giant has existed for over 1400 years The Golden Tree of Gu Guanyin Buddhist Temple

This magnificent Ginkgo tree — one of the last surviving species of ancient Chinese flora — has stood for over 1,400 years.

It is believed to have been planted by Emperor Taizong of Tang himself in 628 AD.

10 amazing details in Las Meninas 🧵

1. Diego Velázquez includes himself painting the very scene you're looking at. So, who’s the real subject here?

You're not just looking at a painting.
The painting is looking back at you... Considered one of the most important works in Western art, this masterpiece depicts a room in the Royal Alcazar of Madrid during King Philip IV’s reign.

The scene features several figures, identifiable as members of the Spanish court, in a moment that feels like a snapshot...

15 details from one of history's most mysterious paintings - a thread on the Arnolfini Portrait🧵

1. Just 5.5 centimeters wide, the mirror in Van Eyck's masterpiece reflects the whole room, showing the couple from behind and two others: one of whom might be the artist himself. 2. There’s more to this painting than meets the eye...

Let's start with their often debated joined hands: some see a marital vow, others a contract granting the wife business authority.

Arnolfini’s raised hand indicates oath-taking, with their hands joined in consent.

The surreal scale of nature - a thread 🧵

1. The smallest known mushroom in the world 2. The northern pudu is the world's smallest species of deer

Moms in the wild - a mother's day thread 🧵

1. "Look Mom, I'm scaring them!" 2. A baby chimp was born at The Sedgwick County Zoo and needed oxygen for a few days.

Here’s a clip of the baby being reintroduced to its mother for the first time.