Köçek
The köçek was typically a very handsome young male slave effeminate dancer, who usually cross-dressed in feminine attire, and was employed as an entertainer.
Christine Chubbuck
Christine Chubbuck was an American television news reporter who worked for stations WTOG and WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida. On the morning of July 15, 1974, Christine Chubbuck made headlines around the world when she committed suicide during a live broadcast of her news program. In a shocking and unprecedented act, Chubbuck drew a revolver and shot herself in the head, shocking viewers and leaving her colleagues and loved ones reeling with grief and disbelief.
Devil’s Island
Devil's Island was a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953, in the Salvation Islands of French Guiana. Opened in 1852, the Devil's Island system received convicts from the Prison of St-Laurent-du-Maroni, who had been deported from all parts of the Second French Empire. It was notorious both for the staff's harsh treatment of detainees and the tropical climate and diseases that contributed to high mortality. The prison system had a death rate of 75 percent at its worst and was finally closed down in 1953. Devil's Island was also notorious for being used for the exile of French political prisoners, with the most famous being Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who had been accused of spying for Germany.
Desert kites
Desert kites are dry stone wall structures found in Southwest Asia, which were first discovered from the air during the 1920s. There are over 6,000 known desert kites, with sizes ranging from less than a hundred metres to several kilometres. They typically have a kite shape formed by two convergent "antennae" that run towards an enclosure, all formed by walls of dry stone less than one metre high, but variations exist. Little is known about their ages, but the few dated examples appear to span the entire Holocene. The majority view on their purpose is that they were used as traps for hunting game animals such as gazelles, which were driven into the kites and hunted there.
Tomb of Suleyman Shah
The Tomb of Suleyman Shah, located in northern Syria near the town of Eshme, holds a profound significance in Turkish history and identity. Situated along the banks of the Euphrates River, this sacred site is revered as the final resting place of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. The story of Suleyman Shah dates back to the early 13th century when he led his tribe, the Kayi, on a journey from Central Asia to Anatolia in search of new lands. Legend has it that Suleyman Shah drowned in the Euphrates River while crossing the frontier, and his burial site became a symbol of Turkish sovereignty and territorial integrity. Over the centuries, the Tomb of Suleyman Shah has remained a focal point of Turkish national identity, revered as a sacred symbol of the nation's origins and heritage. Despite its remote location in northern Syria, the Turkish government has maintained a symbolic presence at the site, ensuring its protection and preservation. In 2015, the Turkish military undertook a daring operation to relocate the tomb to a safer location amid the turmoil of the Syrian Civil War. Turkish soldiers crossed into Syrian territory, escorted by tanks and special forces, to retrieve the tomb and transport it to a new site within Turkish territory, near the border with Syria.
Inini
Inini, once a remote and sparsely inhabited territory in South America, holds a place of historical intrigue and mystery. Located in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, Inini was a territory shrouded in dense jungle, inhabited by indigenous peoples and elusive wildlife, and largely untouched by outside influence for much of its history. The history of Inini is deeply intertwined with the exploration and colonization of South America. In the early 20th century, French explorers ventured into the uncharted depths of the Amazon basin in search of new territories to claim for their empire. Inini, named after the Inini River that flows through the region, became one such territory, annexed by France in 1930. Despite its remote location and challenging terrain, Inini captured the imagination of adventurers and explorers from around the world. Its vast expanse of pristine rainforest, teeming with exotic flora and fauna, beckoned to those with a spirit of adventure and a thirst for discovery. Inini's population was sparse and consisted primarily of indigenous tribes, who had long inhabited the region and subsisted through hunting, fishing, and gathering. French colonial authorities established a small administrative center in the town of Saint-Élie to govern the territory and oversee economic activities such as logging and rubber extraction. However, Inini's status as a French territory was short-lived, and its existence faded into obscurity in the decades that followed. With the decline of the rubber industry and the challenges posed by the inhospitable environment, Inini gradually lost its significance as a colonial outpost, and its population dwindled. Today, the territory of Inini is largely forgotten, its name relegated to the annals of history. The once-thriving colonial settlements have succumbed to the encroaching jungle, reclaimed by nature and obscured by foliage.
Tannu Tuva
Tannu Tuva was a small and remote territory located in the heart of Central Asia. Situated between Mongolia and Siberia, Tannu Tuva was characterized by its rugged landscapes, pristine wilderness, and unique cultural heritage, making it a fascinating and enigmatic region with a rich history. In the early 20th century, Tannu Tuva emerged as a semi-autonomous region within the Russian Empire, later becoming a protectorate of the Soviet Union in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. Despite its remote location and relatively small population, Tannu Tuva gained international attention in the philatelic world during the 20th century. The region issued a series of distinctive postage stamps featuring intricate designs and motifs inspired by Tuvan folklore, wildlife, and natural scenery, attracting collectors and enthusiasts from around the globe.
Alec Cobbe
Alec Cobbe is an Irish designer, artist, musical instrument collector and decorator. Cobbe studied medicine at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and underwent his clinical training at the London Hospital. Cobbe gave up his study of medicine to become a painter and trained as an art conservator at the Tate. Since the early 1980s Cobbe has advised on the redecoration of historic British country houses.
Travellers Club
The Travellers Club is a private gentlemen's club situated at 106 Pall Mall in London, United Kingdom. It is the oldest of the surviving Pall Mall clubs and one of the most exclusive, having been established in 1819. The original concept of the club, by Lord Castlereagh and others, dates from the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars. They envisaged a club where gentlemen who travelled abroad might meet and offer hospitality to distinguished foreign visitors. The original rules of 1819 excluded from membership anyone “who has not travelled out of the British islands to a distance of at least five hundred miles from London in a direct line”.
Bone Wars
The Bone Wars was a period of intense and ruthlessly competitive fossil hunting and discovery during the Gilded Age of American history, marked by a heated rivalry between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. Each of the two paleontologists used underhanded methods to try to outdo the other in the field, resorting to bribery, theft, and the destruction of bones. Each scientist also sought to ruin his rival's reputation and cut off his funding, using attacks in scientific publications.