Adam Higginbotham

Photograph of Tom Lehrer

Oh no. Tom Lehrer gone. At his great age, it’s not a tragedy, I know, but it just does feel bad not having his genius in the world.

The jump scare when you realize Buzz Aldrin is not looking at the flag, he's looking at you

My pal Gavin Edwards wrote Ozzy's obituary for The New York Times.

"We can put a man on the moon, but we can't bomb a tiny Asian nation into the Stone Age?" (Editorial, page 13A)

The joke at the bottom is the one that got me.

My oral history of the first atomic explosion, 80 years ago this week: “For a fleeting instant the color was unearthly green, such as one sees only in the corona of the sun during a total eclipse. It was as though the earth had opened and the skies had split.”

Winning the Cold War With le Carré and Cosmopolitan Magazine

Winning the Cold War With le Carré and Cosmopolitan Magazine www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/b...
@nytimes.com

'Over London - By Rail' (from 'London: A Pilgrimage', 1872) by Gustav Doré

Thanks, Lucy!

I was explaining to my Ukrainian colleague the phrase ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’. She told me the equivalent in Ukrainian is ‘The only free cheese is in the mousetrap’ - which is so much better

If you don’t live in California, you might be unaware of all the ICE mayhem. Here’s just part of the @latimes.com front page right now

Coming in August: The Devil Reached Toward the Sky My new book — and a special preorder promotion

My new book — an oral history of the Manhattan Project and the atomic bombings — comes out one month from today. More info (and information on preordering!) here: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/coming-in-...

This is what a city with over a thousand years of history, the capital of the largest European country, looks like when your neighbor is the terrorist state russia.

#UkrainianView

You know things are going great when you find yourself saying, "You know, as a historian, technically I can confirm humans *have* lived through worse historical moments..."

Worth putting it on the record here, though you probably already know it: “Alligator Alcatraz” is a concentration camp.

Thanks, Andrew!

I have thought about deleting this, but on the whole it seems better to leave it up with updates/corrections both in-thread and as QTs, so people looking at the original see the updates in context — and so they can see *why* researchers had the reaction they did to the archive’s bizarre announcement

Natasha Bertrand, whom Trump is seeking to get sacked for exposing the limits of the Iran bombing, is an outstanding journalist.

Follow her at @natashabertrand.bsky.social

If New York turns into London, do we get an efficient underground train system, the National Health Service, Borough Market, the Soane Museum & Bukayo Saka?

The perfect @amiberger.bsky.social content does not exi-

A russian surgeon burned "Glory to russia" into his skin during surgery. A recently released #Ukraine prisoner of war reveals his account of captivity.

United 24 Media / Instagram

SpaceX rocket explodes in new setback to Elon Musk’s Mars project Starship 36 was preparing for 10th test flight from Texas when it underwent ‘catastrophic failure’ while on stand

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Elon Musk is never getting to Mars.

Hi everyone

I was denied entry, detained, and deported from the USA over the last 48 hours because of my reporting on the Columbia student protests

I arrived back in Melbourne hours ago and had my phone handed back to me upon landing

I’ve never forgotten this picture from 2016 and how it completely reshaped my understanding of how the media covers protests.

As Immigration Protests Grip California, Democrats Enter Risky Political Terrain Scenes of unrest in Southern California, stoked by President Trump as he tries to deport more immigrants, have left Democratic leaders worried the confrontation elevates a losing issue for the party.

This an absolute insane and irresponsible way to frame a military crackdown on the freedom to protest.

Sly Stone, Funk-Rock Pioneer Who Led the Family Stone, Dies at 82 Sly Stone, the multitalented musician whose psychedelia-laced funk enraptured Woodstock Nation in the late '60s and early '70s, has died. He was 82.

R.I.P. Sly Stone, 82, whose fusion of soul, funk & rock had a huge influence on artists who followed including George Clinton, Funkadelic, Prince and even jazz legends like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, as well as sampled in music made by De La Soul, Public Enemy, Ice Cube and the Beastie Boys.

BBC Bosses Draw Up Plans to Win Over Reform Voters by Changing News and Drama Output The Director General Tim Davie and other executives discussed altering BBC “story selection” in order to secure the "trust" of supporters of Nigel Farage’s party

It must be great being a racist these days with everyone from Labour to the BBC falling over themselves to appeal to you and your Nazi friends bylinetimes.com/2025/06/09/b...

A 30-year-old woman was killed and 18 other civilians were wounded in brutal russian airstrikes on a recreation area and homes in Kharkiv.