Herbert Block (aka Herblock) was one of the most famous political cartoonists of the 20th Century. For almost seven decades his caricatures of political events and public figures graced the Washington Post, earning him a Pulitzer Prize, a spot on … Continue reading History Thread: The Guns of Herblock
After a brief hiatus the History Thread is back! Discuss history or what have you! Continue reading The History Thread Returns!
Didn’t have time for a proper write-up this week, but it’s the anniversary of John Wilkes Booth’s death at the hands of Boston Corbett, himself a noted lunatic who castrated himself after a flirtation with prostitutes, survived several years of … Continue reading A Demented History Thread
Jamison “Jam” Handy was a remarkable man. Born in Philadelphia, Handy relocated to Chicago in his teen years where he worked variously as a reporter, cartoonist and advertising man. In his youth, Handy was an accomplished swimmer and athlete; twenty … Continue reading History Thread: A Brief History of Coily the Spring Sprite
I didn’t have time to put together a proper header this week, which is just as well. The next few weeks will be busy in Agnewland, so I’ll need some Avocado help maintaining the thread! On two of the next … Continue reading The History Thread Looks Ahead
In October 1888 Ambrose Bierce published a short story, “Charles Ashmore’s Trail,” in the San Francisco Examiner. Bierce’s tale concerned a sixteen year old boy from Troy, New York who left home one snowy evening in 1878 to retrieve water … Continue reading History Thread: Three Missing Olivers
Puella Magi Madoka Magica was a brilliant, groundbreaking anime series. It was also incredibly popular. Inevitably, it spawned mountains of merchandise, official art, video games, stage musicals, public service announcements, art exhibits, pachinko machines and a seemingly endless ream of … Continue reading The Madoka Project: The Neverending Spin-Off Story
I did not have time for a detailed write-up this week but I came across a fascinating article investigating (and debunking) one of the most famous ghost photographs of all time: the ghosts of the SS Watertown. If, like me, … Continue reading History Thread: The Case of the Phony Sea Specters
Inevitably, a series as popular as Madoka Magica inspires film adaptations. In October 2012, SHAFT released two theatrical compilation films, Beginnings and Eternal. These movies do a creditable job paring the twelve episode series into a four hour narrative, but … Continue reading The Madoka Project: The Rebellion Story
Military incompetence is a common subject for popular history. Humans are nothing if not fallible, and studying our failures can be more illuminating than tired, propagandized tales of glorious victory. Hence well-received, engaging books like Cecil Woodham-Smith’s The Reason Why (1953), Russell … Continue reading History Thread: Charles Fair’s From the Jaws of Victory (1971)
As we reach the end of Madoka Magica, it’s useful to remember how Goethe’s Faust served as a major touchstone. We’ve touched on the show’s religious symbolism, which is easy enough to read into Madoka’s transcendence into Godhood or Buddhahood … Continue reading The Madoka Project: My Very Best Friend
In 1920 Chicago was a city of 2.7 million souls, swollen with returning Great War veterans, Eastern European immigrants and Black migrants from the South. The city gained a reputation as an area of tumult, corruption and violence. In July … Continue reading History Thread: Tracking The Ragged Stranger
After the last three episodes’ bombshells, Madoka Magica no longer has many secrets. As the endgame with Walpurgisnacht approaches, characters become unusually direct and honest in explaining their motivations and questioning the Magical Girl system. All that’s left is to … Continue reading The Madoka Project: The Only Thing I Have Left To Guide Me
Like everything about Madoka Magica, Homura Akemi defies simple analysis. Introduced as an antagonistic character, throughout the series she’s offered frequent, if fleeting glimpses behind her mask. She’s a mess of contradictions: claiming to be out for herself, she shows … Continue reading The Madoka Project: I Won’t Rely on Anyone Anymore
Spiro Agnew was a man of many talents. A modestly effective Baltimore County executive, he became a race-baiting Governor of Maryland and Richard Nixon’s alliteratively-insulting Vice President, raining hellfire on hippies, reporters, activists and “radiclibs.” As Vice President, he was … Continue reading History Thread: The Literary Genius of Spiro T. Agnew
After eight episodes of playing its cards close to the chest, Madoka Magica explodes in a burst of sudden clarity. Exposition clears up loose ends, character motivations are revealed, subtext becomes text. It’s the show’s emotional low point, but it … Continue reading The Madoka Project: I’d Never Allow That To Happen
As I languish in my exile with only beef jerky and books to keep me company, here is a History Thread. Enjoy yourself but be warned to wash your hands after every post lest you join the Legion of the … Continue reading A Plague-Ridden History Thread
One common criticism of Madoka Magica I’ve encountered is that it’s tragic to the point of cruelty, remorselessly meting out dreadful fates to characters who don’t really deserve it. (It is a Gen Urobuchi joint, after all; the man’s never … Continue reading The Madoka Project: I Was Stupid, So Stupid
On this date in 1904, the Japanese Imperial Navy launched a surprise attack on the Russian Pacific Fleet at Port Arthur (modern day Lushunkou, China), initiating the Russo-Japanese War. Admiral Togo Heihachiro, Japan’s brilliant naval leader, planned to incapacitate the … Continue reading The Surprise History Thread
Before plunging into The Fall of Sayaka Miki, let’s take a moment to appreciate Kyoko Sakura. She has the least screen time of the main cast, barring Mami. Aside from Sayaka, her conversations with Homura and Madoka up till now … Continue reading The Madoka Project: Can You Face Your True Feelings?
I didn’t make a thread in advance today because I had a doctor’s appointment. But it wrapped up sooner than expected, so accept this history thread. My one, my only weekly thread (that will last beyond this spring). If it’s … Continue reading The Persistence of the History Thread
