In 1956, thanks largely to the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr, segrated bus laws in Alabama were ruled unconstitutional. This letter was produced by the "Montgomery Improvement Association" headed by Martin Luther King Jr. The letter highlights caution for all those who were about to have the opportunity to sit anywhere they want on the bus. I find this to be a great read on how King wanted to maintain integrity and peace even after this victory. Take the time to read and share it with others. I'd love to know what other people's take on this is.
"It was Cincinnati that originated and perfected the system which packs fifteen bushels of corn into a pig, and packs that pig into a barrel, and sends him over the mountains and over the ocean to feed mankind." - favorite sentiment of Cincinnatians in the late 19th century. (referenced)
Cincinnati, Ohio in the early 19th century was the center of the pork industry. So much pork ran through that city it became known around the world as "Porkopolis." Various research has been done on this time period & industry, however I wanted to focus on a project developed by Dr. Robert Gioiello from the University of Cincinnati, Blue Ash Campus called "Rethinking Porkopolis." I would encourage you to look at the link below which shows you all the panels from the exhibit. I had the pleasure of sitting down and listening to Dr Gioiello speak about the Ecology of Race and its connection to the Cincinnati Pork Industry. I encourage you to spend a few minutes and learn about a subject you did not think was as important as it actually was.
While moving a "Johnny Reb" Statue in the city of Orlando a time capsule from 1911 was discovered. The time capsule was laid by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. If you haven't had a chance to see this news conference it is totally worth your time to see. Despite being against the wishes of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (who are actually fighting the city in court over opening it), the city held a news conference while they opened it for the first time. Various items such as money, a flag, and a newspaper were found. Although nothing earth shattering it was fun to watch this box opened and explored for the first time. Orlando Sentinel Article
So many people celebrated the World Series Champion Chicago
Cubs and their amazing victory over the Cleveland Indians. Not only was the
series and Game 7 unbelievably entertaining but the Cubs broke a 108 year
drought, it’s no surprise people are ready to party. Like all Pro-Sport
Champions a parade was scheduled for November 4, 2016 throughout the streets of
Chicago. This gathering turned out to be the 7th largest gathering
of people in human history. That had me wondering, what are the other six?
1)Kumbh Mela Pilgrimage, Allahabad, India on
February 10, 2013 (30 Million) – Considered to be the greatest spiritual
festival ever held in which Hindus come to bathe in a holy river. They believe
that once one takes a bath in the holy river during Kumbh Mela their
purification of sins or karma is increased. They are traditionally held in four
major location every 12 years, one of them being Allahabad. In 2013 the
festival in Allahabad was believed to have brought in nearly 120 million people
over a month with February 10th to have had an estimated 30 million
people. The following is a 60 minute video on this very event. (WARNING: male
nudity).
2)Arbaeen Pilgrimage, Karbala, Iraq on December
13, 2014 (17 Million) – A Shia Muslim event which commemorates the martyrdom of
Husayn idn Ali, grandson of Muhammad. It is a pilgrimage on foot with some
travelling as much as 300 miles. For years Saddam Hussain, dictator of Iraq,
forbid the event to be celebrated so when his regime fell the Arbaeen Pilgrimage
was started again in 2003, even being televised worldwide as a celebration of
their new found freedom. Although every year the event is one of the largest
gatherings it was especially so in 2014 because of eased visa movement in Iran. Article on the Pilgrimage
3)C.N. Annadurai Funeral, Chennai, India on
February 3, 1969 (15 Million) – Also known as Anna, which means elder brother
in Tamil, was a leader and champion of the people of Tamil Nadu a very populist
and southern state of India. We gained attention in the political arena due to
his excellent writing, speaking and debating skills in both Tamil Language as
well as English. Annadurai worked his way up the political ladder in Tamil Nadu
and in 1967 we became Chief Minister of the state. Sadly within 2 years he
developed cancer, even coming to the United States for treatment. In February
1969 he died, caused by his use of tobacco. The streets of Chennai were packed
with people paying their respects to the one of their most revered politicians.
His funeral still holds the Guinness
Book of World Records for the largest attended funeral in history.
4)Funeral of Ayatollah Khomeini, Tehran, Iran on
June 11, 1989 (10 Milllion) – Ayatollah Khomeini led the Iranian Revolution in
1979, founded the Islamic Republic of Iran and became Supreme Leader until his
death in 1989. Khomeini was very outspoken about democracy and the United
States, saying democracy was a kin to prostitution and the United States was
the “Great Satan.” Within Iran he was treated with god-like status where even
to this day one can be punished for speaking against him. Khomeini died as a
result of five heart attacks over a ten day period. Nearly one-sixth of the population
poured into the streets of Tehran to see the 20 mile procession. The heat was
so unbearable for the people that fire trucks were seen spraying water on the
crowds. This along with the extreme pain of losing their leader led to chaos in
the crowds. When his body was flown in by helicopter to the gravesite the
people’s grief seemed to overwhelm them, grabbing for his body and attempting
to tear his shrouds off. After all was said and done, 10 people were trampled
to death, 400 with serious injuries, and thousands more were treated as a
result.
5)Pope Francis visit to the Philippines, Manila,
Philippines on January 18, 2015 (6 Million) – In the Philippines, 80% of the
population consider themselves devoutly Catholic. His visit to the country is a
once-in-a-lifetime experience. Pope Francis was rounding out his visit to the
Philippines with a mass and despite the rain throughout the day it didn’t stop anyone
from coming out to see their holy father.
6)World Youth Day, Manila, Philippines on January
15, 1995 (5 Million) – We are back in Manila for number six. Exactly 20 years
early Pope John Paul II visited Manila for World Youth Day. Celebrating a mass
on the last day the crowds started to grow around Luneta Park. Some people even
admitted that there was no chance they would be able to physically see the pope
but being this close was important because they could feel his presence.
7)Chicago Cubs World Series Parade, Chicago, Illinois
on November 4, 2016 – Typically you would think an outdoor event in Chicago in
November wouldn’t get a lot of people out. However the weather was nice and
this is the Cubs winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years. It was
something special to celebrate. People lined the streets for the parade route
as well as in Grant Park where the rally took place. As early as 4 am people
were piling into the city. No crowds like this have ever been seen in the
Western Hemisphere.
I would like to welcome everyone to the Carnivalseque! If you are unfamiliar Carnivalseque is an interdiscipinary blog carnival dedicated to pre-modern history. Every six weeks or so a new blogger hosts the carnival from nominations that are received. I've been fairly dormant on my blog over the last 6-8 months due to a career change which, as excited as I am, has taken a considerable amount of my free time. Hosting has forced me to get back to reading and writing about history, which I so dearly love. So let's get started.
Title:Archaeology and History: A Fruitful Dialogue? & The Great Divide? Historians, Archeologists and the Interpretation of the Past Blog: History Matters @unishefhistory Author: Charles West & Hugh Willmott What an appropriate way to start our Carnivalesque with the discussion of archaeologists versus historians. Sometimes there can be a revival or even animosity between the two disciplines. A series here by the Department of History highlights why early medieval history is "blessed, not cursed, to have two vibrant intellectual traditions working on the same period of time."
Title:How to Make a Cooked Bird Sing, c. 1450 Blog: Ask the Past advice from old books @askthepast Author: Elizabeth Archibald Posted for Thanksgiving Day this is hilarious and I promise you won't be disappointed when you read it. Anything I write here will not do it justice.
Title:F - Facial Reconstruction Blog: Hx: Leppers, Lancets, Lobotomies Author: Paul Middleton There are some pictures in this that are pretty graphic however if you are interested in a brief history of facial reconstruction which dates back to 1597 then this is for you.
Title:When and How Geology Became a Science Blog: The Renaissance Mathematicus @rmathematicus Author: Thony Cristie The history of geology as a science has in important role in the disciplines that we study. Tied nicely with the History Matter posts on archeology and history this posts focuses on how geology became a science. It even provides some great links a fuller look into this subject.
We did not get as many nominations as I had hoped but still we have some great blogs here on various disciplines that are worth reading. Please feel free to comment on additionally great blogs you have read over the last few months that would fit great into the world of Carnivalseque.
