Venice, January 13, 1628 After a long night of carnival celebration, you wake with a pounding headache, scratchy sore throat and sharp cough. You hope it’s only the ill effects of too much wine and meat. But as the morning passes, the sore throat lingers and the cough deepens. You call for the scullery boy. Fearing the worst, you pee into a glass bottle kept especially for such occasions. The glass bottle, with a wide belly, thin neck, and crystal-clear glass, is de

The problem with empires, their greatest weakness, is that they depend on people. Scheming, greedy, selfish, and complicated people. With...

April 2023. In Dublin for sightseeing. Wandering downtown and then discovering the Charles Beatty Library and Museum. A wealthy, US born...

There were many ways to lose your nose in the 16th century. The village bully insults your honor. Flash of knives. The nub of your nose...