"Rococo" - once a style of art, now a way to describe excess. Originally, Rococo referred to the ornate, playful aesthetic that flourished in 18th-century France, all pastel colors, curving lines, and decorative abundance. Today, the word has stretched beyond art history.

How the well read behave at a dinner party. Arrive curious. The best guests aren't the most impressive, they're the most interested. Ask thoughtful questions. Listen like it matters. Most people wait for their turn to speak, the well read actually listen. Carry 3 conversation

Historic Vids He imagined the cathedral rising from the ground like a vision of heaven. Pillars would soar upward like the trunks of mighty trees, branching into ribs that met in a vault high above the heads of men. Sunlight would pour through great windows of colored glass and fall in pools

The Sword of Damocles The phrase originates from an old Greek legend where a courtier eager for power is seated beneath a sword hanging by a single strand of horsehair. This illustrates how people in positions of power live in a state of anxiety about an ever impending sense of

Historic Vids 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲. 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗻. - Albert Einstein

“Civilization is what old men manage to salvage from the onslaught of young idealists.” Nicolás Gómez Dávila

One of the most beautiful libraries on earth.

It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. There is no fun in doing nothing when you have nothing to do. Wasting time is merely an occupation then, and a most exhausting one. Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen. Jerome K.

Historic Vids A daft punky thrash The name Daft Punk from a 1993 Melody Maker review that dismissed their earlier band Darlin' as "daft punky thrash." Instead of taking offense, they adopted it as their new name, later noting it came far easier than naming Darlin’.

Historic Vids There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. Ernest Hemingway

Historic Vids There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars. Jack Kerouac, On the Road

The Three-Body Problem In physics, the gravitational pull between two objects is perfectly predictable. Add a third, and the system becomes chaotic, tiny shifts create wildly unpredictable futures. In the 2008 novel - The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin - this concept is

Standing to attention at the Tower of London! 🏰 Say hello to our raven Poppy on guard outside the Jewel House 🐦‍⬛ 📸 From the Ravens Team

Details of Notre-Dame

Historic Vids If you are allergic to a thing, it is best not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly if the thing is cats. Lemony Snicket, The Wide Window

“Beware of Ides of March!” March 15, 44 BC: Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of Roman senators led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus. They stabbed him 23 times at a Senate meeting in the Theatre of Pompey.

The act of the hand salute is a relatively recent addition to the Royal Navy having been introduced in 1890. It replaced the custom of removing ones hat as a mark of respect.

Historic Vids Maradona's "Goal of the Century" as depicted in - World Cup Italia '90, sticker collection series, released in 1990.