I successfully defended my Master's thesis.

Well it's confirmed, I'm definitely going to the London School of Economics in September for my masters.

And of course integral parts of racial folklore like “Mother Goose” cannot be omitted.

• H. P. Lovecraft to Richard F. Searight, 5 Mar 1935, Letters to Richard F. Searight 52

Lovecraft was talking about cultural background and a grounding in literature here - he often conflated race and culture in this fashion, which was very 18th century of him - although he made some finer distinctions later in life. But the creator of Cthulhu feeling it necessary to emphasize the cultural importance of Mother Goose still tickles me whenever I read it.

From the Associated Press: US quietly publishes once-expunged papers on 1953 Iran coup

Once expunged from its official history, documents outlining the U.S.-backed 1953 coup in Iran have been quietly published by the State Department, offering a new glimpse at an operation that ultimately pushed the country toward its Islamic Revolution and hostility with the West.

The CIA’s role in the coup, which toppled Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddegh and cemented the control of the shah, was already well-known by the time the State Department offered its first compendium on the era in 1989. But any trace of American involvement in the putsch had been wiped from the report, causing historians to call it a fraud.

The papers released this month show U.S. fears over the spread of communism, as well as the British desire to regain access to Iran’s oil industry, which had been nationalized by Mosaddegh. It also offers a cautionary tale about the limits of American power as a new U.S. president long suspicious of Iran weighs the landmark nuclear deal with Tehran reached under his predecessor.

…

The 1,007-page report , comprised of letters and diplomatic cables, shows U.S. officials discussing a coup up to a year before it took place. While America worried about Soviet influence in Iran, the British remained focused on resolving a dispute over the nationalization of the country’s oil refinery at Abadan, at the time one of the world’s largest. Many also feared further instability following the 1951 assassination of Premier Ali Razmara.

• State Department document landing page
• Report PDF

It's crazy to me that when we talk about history, we only talk about like the big guys, the ones that influence the world. While there's nothing inherently wrong with that, I just wanna know more about the average joe.

For example, if someone in 2178 read about us today; they'd learn about Trump, Obama, Syrian Wars, ISIS, the change to automation and all the major people yet know practically nothing about how our lives, the day to day citizens ones. The dude with 2 kids who goes to his 9-5 job M-F, has a wife he's been married it for 5 years, live in a suburban neighborhood and drives a Honda. He has a tight knit group of friends he knows since college and is financially comfortable. What is the equivalent of that in say the early Roman Empire, or the Reign of Mansa Musa, or whatever really?

I've been realizing slowly over the past year or so how fascinating navies and naval warfare are to me, especially at the end of the 19th into the 20th Century. The scuttling of the German Fleet at Scapa Row being a favorite story, as well as an anecdote about Morton F. Plant (American Industrialist).

Morton F. Plant built what is now the administrative building of the campus I attend (It was his summer home). Little did I expect when reading Dreadnought by Robert K. Massie that I'd find a story about the time Morton almost sunk the Kaiser's Yacht.

It was Kiel Week, 1904. Ingomar, owned by Mr. Plant and Skippered by Charlie Barr (who had won the America's Cup 3 times before this), was the fastest ship there. They raced against the Kaiser.

This following passage was written by Brooke Heckstall-Smith, who was a British yachting expert onboard Ingomar that day (and I took the quote from Dreadnought

Nevertheless, as we approached Meteor ... the Imperial Yacht showed no signs of giving way! Not a word was spoken on our vessel; the silent crew lay flat on the weather deck. Morton F. Plant stood on the stairway in the companionway, his head just above the sliding hatch, his elbows resting on the coaming, a cigar in his mouth, a panama hat pulled over one eye. ... Closer and closer the yachts came together. Our gigantic Oregon bowsprit was pointing straight at the Meteor's bow. ... We should have hit her fair slap amidships. ... There was a fine breeze; we had every stitch of canvas on, including the jib topsail. ... It was a silent, tense and terrible moment. Then Barr's voice range out to me: 'Mr Smith, Rule!'. It was my duty to declare the Rule in a tight place; Barr knew it as well as I did, but it was a definite agreement between us that the responsibility was mine. 'Ingomar, right!' I replied instantly. 'Mr. Robinson, what am I to do?' should Barr. 'Hold on!' came Charlie's instant decision. ... I was prepared for a deuce of a crash. I heard old Morton F. Plant shout to his friend representing him: 'By God, Charlie, you're the boy. I'll give way to no man!' At that moment, the Meteor's helm was put down. Our bowsprit was within three feet of her rigging. Our helm was jammed down hard also, as quickly as the wheel would turn. Both vessels ranged alongside one another as they shot into the wind.

At the museum I work at, we also have on loan the ship wheel from "Columbia", the Yacht that Charlie Barr first won the America's Cup with, so that's neat too.

What do you as historians think about the possible disposession and subsequent demolition of the Birth house of Hitler in austria?

I've heard a few arguments from both sides of the issue. Politicians argue that they don't want the house to become a pilgrim site for neo nazis. On the other hand there are historians who say that it is more important to preserve this place and that a demolishment can be interpretet as a denial of the NS time.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

I asked this as a full question earlier in the week, but did't get an answer there, so I'll try again here.

Where and when did the notion of elephants being afraid of mice (or other small critters) start?

What was the most powerful ship (class and/or specific ship) in both the British and German Navy during WWI?

I'm looking for any fun, interesting, entertaining or unusual feuds between marginalized folks. So anyone other than white, straight male feuding (no offense to the white straight dudes here.)

I read an article called "Exploring the relationship between dental wear and status in late medieval subadults from England" by Heidi Dawson and Kate Brown. They looked at deciduous teeth in medieval (1086-1539, TOTALLY not late medieval) burials and sorted the "social class" of the teeth-owners based on how expensive their graves would have been in the churches they looked at, where burials within the church walls were a lot more expensive than those outside (presumably). The idea was to look at children's tooth decay across social class and see if there was any difference. The interesting part: they didn't find much difference. The deflating part: they admit they only had 10 individuals' teeth of those who were inside church walls, out of a much larger total pool.

So it's a really small sample size, but still interesting results. Any specialists on medieval children around?

Sad news: My town (Rostock, Germany) has finally started to demolish the last standing wall of the old Heinkel factory. For those who don't know, it was the place where von Ohain developed his jet engine and the first flightworthy jet airplane in the world was built.

Good news: The same city will soon start the reconstruction of one of the medieval town gates. It was heavily damaged during WWII and subsequently demolished during the GDR times.

More good news: Rostocks citizens will vote in late September whether to relocate some important artifacts of maritime history into the inner city part of the harbour. This includes our famous "Langer Heinrich" (Long Heinrich) crane, the M/V Dresden (a freighter turned into a museum) and some other things. Really hoping for a "Yes" vote because it would make all those things more accessible for visitors and tourists.

Anybody been watching The Story of China on PBS?