Tag: scientific history
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Arctic Celebrities, Enlightened Savants, and the Open Polar Sea
The idea of the Open Polar Sea captivated scientists studying the Arctic in the 19th century. Kat Jivkova discusses how this supposed body of water near the North Pole galvanized exploration attempts to the Arctic.
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The Strange History of X-Ray Music in the Soviet Union
Black markets throughout the Soviet Union were no stranger to selling western goods. But perhaps the most creative way to smuggle western music into the USSR was through the repurposing of X-Rays for vinyl records. Sally Dolphin explores the unique history of ‘bone music’ in the Soviet Union and how the craft help spread prohibited…
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Britain’s Most Elaborate Scientific Hoax? The Rise and Fall of the Piltdown Man
In 1912, Charles Dawson presented the “Piltdown Man” as the earliest Englishman, initially supporting Darwin’s evolutionary theory. Decades later, however, research revealed this as scientific fraud. Kat Jivkova explores the paleoanthropological debate triggered by this scandal.
Retrospect Journal 