The Black Death wiped out half of Europe—as many as 50 million people perished as a result of the plague.

But it was also a new beginning.

The world might look very different today had the plague not set the West on a new course…🧵 Supposedly first introduced to Europe during the siege of Caffa in 1347, the disease was likely carried by fleas that hitched rides on Genoese ships sailing around the Mediterranean.

At the time, no one could have guessed the damage these little fleas would cause…

Most know Socrates as the celebrated thinker who birthed Western philosophy.

But Friedrich Nietzsche called him “anti-Greek” and a “symptom of decline” — a critic who deconstructed Greek culture…

What was Nietzsche talking about? 🧵 Socrates is widely regarded as a crucial figure in Western civilization.

Rising to fame in the 5th century BC, he mentored figures like Plato, Xenophon and Alcibiades, and was featured in Plato’s writings including the popular “Republic”.

America once believed it had a divine mission.

Rooted in American exceptionalism, this idea was known as "Manifest Destiny".

It inspired a people to conquer a continent — and push the boundaries of what was previously thought possible🧵 (thread) The term “manifest destiny” first appeared in an article by newspaper editor John O'Sullivan in 1845.

O'Sullivan, described as "always full of grand and world-embracing schemes," used the phrase in the midst of the ongoing Oregon boundary dispute with Britain.

Art Deco needs to be the architectural style for America's upcoming golden age.

Here's why🧵 Kenneth Clarke said:

“Vigour, energy, vitality: all the civilizations—or civilizing epochs—have had a weight of energy behind them.”

Art Deco embodies this vitality.

In 1322 an English knight journeyed to China, following in the footsteps of Marco Polo. 

His trip, however, involved:

-dwarves
-dragons
-centaurs & more

His wild adventure made him the most famous man in Europe...🧵 Hailing from St. Albans, Sir John Mandeville set out on a trip to the far east.

It would be over three decades until he returned, but the knight kept a log of his expedition and published it in 1371.

It is known simply as "Mandeville's Travels."

Why do civilizations arise in some places and not others?

Historian Arnold Toynbee claimed the usual answers—race, environment, resources—were too narrow.

Rather, something called “challenge and response” was the answer.

To build a civilization, you must make it STRUGGLE…🧵 Toynbee was an English historian who published the 12-volume masterwork “A Study of History,” which traced the life cycle of about two dozen civilizations.

Rather than simply naming events and dates, though, Toynbee built a framework for world history…

Is corruption inevitable?

The ancient Greeks observed that governments often devolve into distorted versions of themselves.

The problem is the ruling party's tendency to abuse power...🧵(thread) Precluding the explicit idea of social cycles is the concept of “dark ages” — dominated by poor leadership, war, famine, and tech/artistic stagnation — and “golden ages” — periods of peace, plenty, and social progress — across social scales, from city-states to civilizations.

Much of Medieval and Renaissance architecture was inspired by one man.

Artists like Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, and da Vinci learned a lot of what they knew from an obscure Roman engineer who lived more than 1000 years prior…🧵(thread) The 16th-century architect Palladio called Roman architect Vitruvius his “master and guide,” but little is known of the figure.

We do know he was a military engineer who served under Julius Caesar in the 1st century BC, specializing in the construction of ballista siege engines

Why is France called the "eldest daughter of the Church"?

It all started with baptism of an ancient king....

It might sound hyperbolic, but the baptism of Clovis changed the West — and Christianity — forever🧵 Clovis was born a pagan to Childeric I, king of the Salian Franks, in 466 AD in a chaotic period for Western Europe, as the power vacuum left by the collapsing Western Roman Empire was filled by various barbarian kingdoms: Franks, Visigoths, Alemmani, among others.

The Nine Worthies were medieval “superheroes” — a cast of exemplary men who embodied knightly virtue.

But more than anything, they represented a unified Christian narrative stretching back to antiquity.

World history was the unravelling of a divine plan…🧵 The first description of the Worthies appears in the once-popular Romance “Voeux du Paon” (Vows of the Peacock), written by Jacques de Longuyon in 1312.

Though closely tied to the high middle ages, the characters stretch back much further in time…

People want to blame feminism or the breakdown of religion for the fertility crisis, but it’s fundamentally a technological one.

Spengler observed that birthrates fall once a certain level of civilization is attained. He called it the sterility of civilized man. The fundamental change is a move away from town or village society toward one of cities, namely what he called "world cities", or massive megalopolises where people live disconnected from nature.

Should Christianity adopt a specific architectural style?

19th-century architect Augustus Pugin thought so.

He believed architecture could be a moral force — that it could shape how people behaved...🧵(thread) You’ve probably seen Pugin’s impressive Neo-Gothic designs. The Palace of Westminster and Elizabeth Tower (where Big Ben rests atop) are two of his most famous contributions.

They were products of a man who aimed to shape the world both aesthetically and spiritually…

Augustus' empire had problems: falling birth rates, declining religion, and political turmoil.

Sounds familiar right — so how did he fix them?

Augustus looked to the past — to tradition — to reform his empire.

Here’s what he did, and why it still matters 2000 year later…🧵 The empire that Caesar Augustus birthed began on rocky footing.

Civil conflict had engulfed Rome since Julius Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC; now faith in its civil and religious institutions was waning — hardly surprising given the instability of the previous decades.

Alfred the Great believed he was given authority by God himself.

This was not an excuse to abuse his power, though.

Rather, he saw it as a responsibility to care for his people, setting the template for ideal kingship🧵 (thread) Few kings were as universally loved as Alfred.

Historian Edward Freeman called him “the most perfect character in history.”

King of the Anglo-Saxons in the late 9th-century, he oversaw the complete revitalization of his realm—militarily, economically, and culturally.

Great leaders lead from the front — they don't sit back and watch their men do all the work.

Today's world leaders should take note.

A thread on courageous leaders who fought alongside their troops🧵 1. Leonidas

The Spartan king showed his willingness to sacrifice for his people when he, along with a cohort of vastly outnumbered Greeks, fought to the death at Thermopylae in 480 BC.

Despite his death, he’s become immortal in the legend that surrounds his epic last stand.

Art funded by committee is inevitably generic and uninspiring.

But masterpieces — like the works of Raphael and Michelangelo — were funded by individual egos.

Here's why democracy produces ugly art, while aristocracy gives us masterworks...🧵 First, we need to understand how the great artistic periods like the Renaissance were funded.

A key factor in the proliferation of art was a concept called patronage, where princes, popes, and other influential people provided funds for painters, sculptors, and musicians.

Another Caesar is coming, and Western civilization is at a turning point, says German historian Oswald Spengler.

He claimed we live in “the most trying times known to history of a great culture."

And there's no offramp.

Buckle up.

Here's what Spengler predicted...🧵 Oswald Spengler is best known for his two-volume work “Decline of the West”, first published in 1923.

A German schoolmaster turned reclusive scholar, Spengler presented a unique vision of history that predicted the rise and fall of civilizations…

Most empires rise, fall, and leave only ruins to tell their tale.

But some empires never die, rising like a phoenix again and again from ashes to glory.

This is the concept of "translatio imperii" — how empires inspire empires and live forever... 🧵 (thread) Translatio imperii — Latin for ‘transfer of rule’ — is the idea that one empire may live on as the successor of a former empire. It’s a natural extension of the succession of kings to the scale of nations and empires.

Great men read great books.

A thread on the great figures of history and the books that influenced them🧵 Alexander

According to Plutarch, Alexander was given an annotated copy of the Iliad which he carried with him everywhere.

He considered it a “perfect portable treasure of all military virtue and knowledge” and was especially fascinated by the character Achilles.

Among the most visible reminders of Rome's storied hegemony are its aqueducts.

These engineering marvels channeled the lifeblood of civilization for near a millennium.

Here’s how they worked🧵 (thread) Rome’s aqueducts had humble origins, much like the city itself.

The first aqueduct, the Aqua Appia, was constructed in 312 BC to supply the city’s cattle market.

The East India Company was the most powerful corporation of all time.

It had an army larger than Great Britain's, and its influence shaped the borders of nations.

So how did a company become stronger than most countries?🧵 The East India Company's origins started with famed explorer Francis Drake.

His voyage in 1577 opened the world to the East Indies, and when he returned to England in 1580, he brought exotic spices from the Spice Islands that investors believed could be a lucrative venture.