Godfather of the New Renaissance | Helping you learn from history’s greats | Writing for 150,000+ on Substack | Founder https://t.co/WXTfvmwbtW
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Apr 22 • 18 tweets • 4 min read
This week marks the 2,778th anniversary of Rome's founding, which means we're in for an avalanche of AI slop about Romulus & Remus
But what about the insane plan Romulus had to build Rome in the first place?
Here's how it changed EVERYTHING about how you see the world...
1/18
When Romulus founded Rome in 753 BC, it was barely more than a collection of huts on a hill
There were no priests. No nobles. And definitely no women.
It was practically just one man — and one man can't build a city alone
So how'd he convince people to join him?
2/18
Apr 9 • 19 tweets • 4 min read
This stuff drives me up the walls
American couple visits Europe and thinks 2 weeks is enough to accurately glimpse local life
They then return to the US, complaining about why it sucks and how Europe is so much better
DELUSIONAL thinking on all accounts 🧵
I used to be all for people traveling, but unless you do it for genuinely EXTENDED periods of time, it’s impossible to get a glimpse of real culture
My first time in Europe, I lived in Spain for 6 months
I came back to the US totally convinced Europe was heaven on earth…
Mar 13 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Mussolini wished to reforge Italy as an innovative modern industrial power
But where the Bolsheviks had relished the destruction of Russia’s past, Fascist Italy would be both conscious and proud of her 1000s of years of achievement
One man was the master behind it all…🧵
Marcelo Piacentini was Italy's foremost architect of the 20th century — yet he remains largely unknown in the English-speaking world
Nevertheless, his influence has reached the imagination of millions
For ex, here’s a shot of the city I live in
It was designed by Piacentini
Mar 4 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
In 1606, Caravaggio killed a man
In response, the authorities issued a "bando capitale" — meaning anyone could kill him without consequence
So he fled Rome, and began a great period of exile
It was a tragic fall from grace that left him broken and desperate
...or was it? 🧵
What most people don’t realize is this:
It was during this time — when Caravaggio had lost everything — that he painted his greatest masterpieces
It's because, when faced with destruction, Caravaggio made a choice...
Jan 17 • 18 tweets • 7 min read
Shakespeare understood evil like no other
His plays are filled with murderers, adulterers, and thieves — but one villain stands out from all the rest
She tempted, deceived, and tried to play God — but paid the ultimate price for it…🧵
“Macbeth,” is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies
It follows Macbeth — a Scottish general — and his descent into pure evil
His unchecked ambition leads to regicide, mass murder, and widespread agony
Yet bad as this is, Macbeth is NOT the scariest villain
Jan 10 • 20 tweets • 8 min read
228 years ago, British and Spanish faced off in one of history’s most incredible naval battles
The epic showdown changed the course of history — and gave birth to Britain’s greatest hero of the past millennium
It all began by disobeying orders…🧵
Feb 14, 1797 — Britain faces an existential threat
Off the coast of Portugal, a massive Spanish fleet is sailing to unite with the French navy
If they combine forces, the Franco-Spanish armada will outnumber the Royal Navy
They'll take the English channel, and invade Britannia
Jan 9 • 23 tweets • 9 min read
You know Jonah, the guy swallowed by a whale?
Well, that’s the least interesting part of his story — what happens next is far more intriguing.
The Book of Jonah will turn your entire conception of God on its head… (thread) 🧵
To understand Jonah, you first need to understand Nineveh
Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire — a superpower known for its cruelty
Assyrian artwork brags of their brutal methods:
Among other tortures, they would impale and skin their enemies alive…
Dec 20, 2024 • 15 tweets • 6 min read
There's a dark side of Santa Claus you don't know about.
In cultures across Europe, much darker figures emerge from the folklore
These 5 "Anti-Santas" teach the harsh lessons of Christmas...🎄🧵 1) Krampus
A horned, demonic figure from Alpine folklore, Krampus is the most famous anti-Santa
He is the "ying" to the "yang" of St. Nick's charity, and emerges to punish naughty children...
He either beats them with birch rods, or drags them off to his lair to be eaten!
Dec 17, 2024 • 15 tweets • 6 min read
Only ONE man ever managed to bring Rome to her knees
He did so by embarking on an impossible task — crossing the Alps with 50,000 men, 10,000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants
Here’s how he pulled it off…🏔🧵
At the outbreak of the Second Punic War, Rome looked untouchable
Their navy ruled the seas. Their armies controlled the Italian Peninsula
And their "walls" — the Alps — made them safe from the north
No army had ever crossed them...
Dec 16, 2024 • 16 tweets • 6 min read
Leonardo da Vinci took a massive gamble painting “The Last Supper”
At first, it seemed to pay off — but success soon turned to disaster
Because what you're looking at wasn't painted by Leonardo...🧵
By the time Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint "The Last Supper," he was already a legend
The Duke of Milan wanted a fresco that would showcase the glory of his court — and rival anything in Italy
Incredibly, Leonardo had even bigger ambitions...
Dec 13, 2024 • 14 tweets • 5 min read
Canaletto used to be mocked as a "post-card" painter
Then some simple marketing advice changed his life — and he sold 200+ paintings to King George III
Here's the secret that made him the greatest marketer of the century...🧵
Born in Venice in 1697, Giovanni Antonio Canal — later known as Canaletto — grew up surrounded by art
His father was a theater set designer, so by his early 20s, Canaletto was designing opera sets for luminaries like Antonio Vivaldi
But then a trip to Rome changed everything...
Dec 11, 2024 • 14 tweets • 5 min read
In 1275, Marco Polo met the great Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan
To survive in a faraway land, Polo had to win the Khan's trust.
Here's how a cunning 21 year old European bridged the East-West divide...🧵
Marco Polo’s journey to Kublai Khan’s court was grueling
He traveled the Silk Road, crossing deserts, mountains, and war-torn lands — the polar opposite of his native Venice
By the time he reached Shangdu, Polo found himself in a world beyond imagination
Dec 9, 2024 • 14 tweets • 6 min read
Dante’s Purgatorio is an epic journey up the mountain of Purgatory.
It shows you how to conquer the 7 deadly sins at each level, and prepare your soul for Heaven.
But it's also history's greatest self-help manual to use in life...
In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Purgatory is a mountain with 10 terraces
There's a "pre-Purgatory" terrace at the bottom, and 2 "Earthly Paradise" terraces at the top
In between are 7 terraces that correspond to the 7 deadly sins
To get to heaven, you must climb the mountain…
Nov 19, 2024 • 15 tweets • 6 min read
One piece of literature influenced The Lord of the Rings more than any other
Tolkien studied it for 25 years, convinced it had a hidden meaning
What he discovered changed the face of literature and helped him create his life’s masterpiece… 🧵
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem set in 6th century Scandinavia
The story begins with a group of Danes partying in a mead hall
All is joyful in their kingdom — but an evil “shadow walker” named Grendel lurks nearby
He despises the sounds of joy and descends into the town…
Nov 18, 2024 • 12 tweets • 5 min read
Old English is the coolest language you’ve never heard of
From Beowulf to Lord of the Rings, its influence is legendary — but most people know nothing about it.
Here’s a primer on Old English, and an explanation of why we wrote "ye olde" instead of "the old"...
First off, Old English is NOT the language of Shakespeare
When you look beyond the thee’s and thou’s, Shakespeare’s English is actually quite like our own
Old English is much older — by 1,000 years or more
Compare Shakespeare’s English with the Old English of King Alfred:
Nov 15, 2024 • 15 tweets • 6 min read
Teddy Roosevelt was known for his tough, American machismo
But he started out as the polar opposite — a weak boy bedridden by asthma attacks
This is how he overcame illness, grew in fortitude, and became an icon of American exceptionalism…🧵
From his birth, Roosevelt was plagued with illness and suffered chronic asthma attacks
Doctors prescribed him whiskey and cigars to help — but they (obviously) had the opposite effect
As his health worsened, Roosevelt was increasingly bullied, and even beaten up by his peers…
Oct 29, 2024 • 16 tweets • 6 min read
George Orwell warned the government would enslave us
But another man warned we would enslave ourselves — with drugs, orgies, and endless pleasure
All this, he said, would begin by making babies in a lab...🧵
Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World depicts how society enslaves itself to pleasure
It’s set in a technologically advanced and materially prosperous society — its citizens are deprived of nothing
Unfortunately, the world is more sinister than it looks...
Oct 28, 2024 • 13 tweets • 5 min read
C.S. Lewis hated democracy.
He said it celebrates mediocrity over merit — and societies that do so are doomed to die.
Here's why, and what you can do to resist...
Lewis’ work Screwtape Proposes a Toast highlights the dangers of democracy
The story takes place in hell — literally
The main character is a demon named Screwtape, and he gives a speech saying that democracy is the key to destroying mankind
Oct 25, 2024 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
7 FACTS about fatherhood you need to know… 🧵
1. Men with daughters: she will marry your example
2. Men with sons: he will become your example... 3. The most important job is when a man is finished with work and spending time with family at home
All the finances in the world can never replace a present, loving father
Oct 22, 2024 • 15 tweets • 6 min read
Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" is the story of a passionate love affair that ends in suicide.
But it also reveals the dark reason behind why people cheat — and how to avoid doing so yourself.
Here's what her tragic story can teach you… 🧵
Anna Karenina is a rich aristocrat trapped in a loveless marriage
Her husband is kind, but career-driven. He often neglects Anna, and she finds him boring
Anna grows increasingly sad and lonely — until she meets a man at a train station…
Oct 15, 2024 • 14 tweets • 6 min read
Why did Dostoevsky fear free will?
He said it’s the cause of all evil and suffering
But he also thought there was only one thing worse than free will...
A world with no freedom at all.
Here’s why he says you need free will — even at the cost of evil, suffering and death…
Dostoevsky writes about free will in “The Grand Inquisitor” — an excerpt from his novel The Brothers Karamazov
The fictional story takes place in Spain during the Inquisition
Christ returns to Earth, performs miracles, and is arrested by inquisitors