Looking Through the Past
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An Artery of Empire
The rise and fall of China's Grand Canal
Jan 18
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George Dillard
7
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The Brief But Spectacular Era of Balloon Mania
Aug 12, 2023
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George Dillard
227
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There Are People Who Can See and Others Who Cannot Even Look
May 18, 2025
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George Dillard
37
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How Ancient People Saw Themselves
Oct 26, 2025
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George Dillard
44
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How a Forgotten Battle Created a More Peaceful World
Apr 16, 2025
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George Dillard
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How Machines Shape the Way We Write
From the printing press to AI
Jan 14
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George Dillard
11
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From Eden to El Dorado
The Orinoco River's long history of attracting outsiders
Jan 11
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George Dillard
6
4
The End of Egypt
How the first cataract of the Nile has shaped millennia of history
Jan 4
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George Dillard
12
3
An Unexpectedly Modern “Fairy Wedding”
Tom Thumb’s marriage was a mix of celebrity gossip, capitalist hustle, and true love
Dec 31, 2025
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George Dillard
5
3
How to Tame a River
Should the Rhine be for poets, industry, or tourists?
Dec 28, 2025
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George Dillard
13
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Looking Back, Looking Ahead
It’s close to the end of the year, so it’s time to look back, which should be something that comes naturally for this newsletter.
Dec 21, 2025
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George Dillard
8
3
Cheese Mites and Sludge Worms: The Origins of Grossout Cinema
Prepare for a “fine attack of the jim-jams!”
Dec 17, 2025
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George Dillard
4
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The Lost Valley
Was the damming of Hetch Hetchy a crime against nature or a necessity?
Dec 14, 2025
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George Dillard
11
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From Pearl River to Gold Mountain
How Chinese immigrants helped create the West
Dec 7, 2025
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George Dillard
11
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Looking Through the Past
Illuminating forgotten corners of history and using them to think about the present
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