Nearly every culture has dragons — why?

They represent what must be confronted in order to achieve anything worthwhile.

If you want to be great, you need to go where the dragons are...🧵(thread) Dragon depictions are remarkably consistent across cultures. They are usually a blend of reptilian, feline, and avian features.

In the West, they are often winged, horned, and fire-breathing beasts; in the East, four-legged, serpentine creatures.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s books have inspired countless fantasy novels since he first published The Hobbit in 1937.

But what works inspired him to write in the first place?

Here are 10 of Tolkien’s favorite books🧵 1. The Red Fairy Book, Andrew Lang

Tolkien once claimed:

“I have been a lover of fairy stories since I learned to read.”

This work contains one of the great fairy stories of all time: Fafnir the dragon from the Volsunga. It influenced Tolkien’s creation of dragons like Smaug

The Roman Empire was “fine-tuned” to spread Christianity.

Some might even say Christianity needed Rome to survive at all.

It was Rome’s absolute dominance of the ancient world that allowed Christianity to flourish…🧵 When Christ was born in Bethlehem, there was already a figure who was known as a “great peacemaker” and the “son of a god” living at the time.

Augustus Caesar, the man who ended the Roman civil war and jump-started the Pax Romana, or “Roman Peace,” was the emperor.

What was daily life like for an average Roman?

Well, one central aspect of any Roman community was its bathhouse—an all-in-one library, mall, gym, and spa that incorporated Rome's greatest engineering feats…🧵 When Romans weren’t conquering the known world, they relaxed in baths, or “thermae.” Most cities had at least one, and sometimes wealthy Romans had their own private baths at their villas.

Regardless of their location, though, Roman baths were marvels of engineering…

Alexander Hamilton argued in 1787 that the United States should resemble a monarchy.

It might sound like heresy to modern Americans, but his idea had some merit.

Here’s how it would’ve worked🧵 Hamilton gave a long and impassioned speech at the constitutional convention in favor of his position, nevertheless it was resoundingly voted down in favor of the presidential system the US has today.

But what did Hamilton advocate for exactly?

Europe lost the beauty of its monarchies after World War I.

A look at all the kings and queens of Europe during the Great War🧵 King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth - Belgium

Alexander the Great’s tomb has been missing for centuries. Over 140 official attempts have been made to locate it. All have failed.

But one rogue historian thinks he’s finally found it.

He claims everyone's been looking in the wrong place…🧵 Alexander’s body wasn’t always missing. We know that figures like Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Augustus visited his tomb in Alexandria during the 1st century BC.

But somewhere along the way it disappears from the record…

Early Christians had a complete Bible by the 4th century—but that’s not the only thing they were reading to deepen their faith.

Here’s what books the early Church read besides the Bible🧵 1. The Didache, Anonymous, 1st cent.

The Didache is a brief discourse that contains moral and ritualistic teachings—a handbook for a Christian life.

It’s speculated the apostles wrote it, and contains the formulas for baptism and eucharist that are still used today.

Kings are given their authority by God himself.

At least, that's what the “divine right of kings” doctrine claims.

To modern ears it might seem absurd, but it actually has Biblical roots…🧵 (thread) Simply put, the divine right of kings is a political/religious doctrine that asserts kings are granted authority by God.

In its strongest form, monarchs are not subject to the will of the people, parliament, or any other human institution.

You’ve probably heard the words “Baroque,” “Gothic,” or “Romanesque” in relation to architecture—but what do these terms actually mean?

A guide on the major Western architectural styles🧵

(you’ll want to bookmark this thread) 1. Classical

This is the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. It is best embodied in the Greek temple—an oblong structure encased in columns.

Columns were constructed in 5 styles, or orders: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite.

Many people blame the so-called “dark ages” on Christianity — they claim the Church was an overbearing force that stifled innovation.

But in the chaos after the fall of Rome, the Church was actually a *civilizing* force that reintroduced order...🧵 The idea of the “Dark Ages” first emerged with the 14th c. scholar Petrarch. He contrasted the “darkness” of the years after the Roman Empire’s collapse with the “light” of the Classical age, led by Greece and early Rome.

You’re a medieval peasant farmer.

You’re at the bottom rung of society—bound to the land with limited social mobility…

But life isn’t all bad. Here’s what it looks like🧵 Even compared to the glorified Roman Empire, the average “Dark Age” peasant likely saw lower taxes, more freedom, and a weaker ruling class under the Manorial system—a type of Feudalism where peasants worked the land under a lord.

Oligarchy is inevitable.

From ancient Greek city-states to modern nation-states, all societies are steered by the decisions of an elite few.

Here’s why “power to the people” is a myth…🧵 Greek philosopher Plato believed the existing forms of government were flawed, critiquing them in his famous work the “Republic.”

He claimed monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy all eventually devolve into their tyrannical forms.

In 1962, C.S. Lewis was asked to name the books that had most influenced his thought.

The list he came up with was packed with time-honored classics.

Here’s his list of 10 works🧵 1. The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius

Written while he awaited execution, the work is a dialogue between Boethius and Lady Philosophy who consoles the author by discussing the fleeting nature of worldly goods. It influenced the late-antique mind more than any other work.

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.