The Klarenbach Report, Apr 4
Trung Phan, a popular newsletter publisher and Twitter user, recently shared a Reddit thread that puts historical events into perspective. The thread includes interesting comparisons between events that may seem far apart but occurred relatively close in time.
One example is the moon landing, which occurred in 1969, only six years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight in 1903. This means that Orville Wright, one of the brothers who made the first successful airplane flight, was alive at the same time as Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. In addition, the moon landing occurred one year before my buddy Garth was born. Coincidence?
Another fascinating comparison is the life of Cleopatra, who was born in 69 BC. Cleopatra lived closer in time to the moon landing than to the construction of the pyramids, which occurred around 2500 BC.
The thread also notes that a well-travelled person could have potentially met some of the most influential philosophers of all time, including Socrates (470-388 BC), Confucius (551-479 BC), and Buddha (563-483 BC). This highlights that Western, Asian, and Oriental philosophies all emerged within a human lifetime.
The thread also includes some surprising facts about the age of famous institutions. For example, the University of Oxford, which was founded in 1096, is actually older than Peru’s Machu Picchu, which was constructed around 1450.
Similarly, Harvard University was founded in 1636, decades before Isaac Newton developed calculus in the mid-1660s. At the height of the Aztec Empire, which existed from the 14th to the 16th century, Oxford was already 300 years old.
The thread also touches on the surprising fact that J.R.R. Tolkien, Otto Frank (the father of Anne Frank), and Adolf Hitler were all present as foot soldiers at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. This event shows history’s interconnectedness, even when the individuals involved seem to have little in common.
Other comparisons in the thread include that people began actively travelling the Oregon Trail, a historic route used by pioneers in the 19th century, when the fax machine was invented in 1843.
Additionally, when Hannibal crossed the Alps with elephants to invade the Roman Empire, the Great Wall of China was in its initial construction phases.
Finally, the thread notes that some people still alive today have lived through a remarkable period of technological advancement. They have experienced horse-drawn wagons, cars, planes, and space flight, all within their lifetimes.
In conclusion, Trung Phan’s Reddit thread offers a fascinating perspective on historical events and how they relate. By highlighting surprising connections between seemingly disparate events, the thread reminds us that history is a rich tapestry that is woven together in ways that are often unexpected.
Life is good.
Trent Klarenbach, BSA AgEc, publishes the Klarenbach Grain Report and the Klarenbach Special Crops Report, found at https://www.klarenbach.ca/