Shirley Wajda

Tin-glazed plate with scalloped edge. Border is lined in blue, with segments of golden yellow lined on each side in blue and linked by festoons of green leaves. At the plate's center is an image of a hot-air balloon, in which two figures in blue shirts and blue tricorn hats stand. Each waves a yellow and gold pennant. Blue clouds on the left and right sides of the balloon frame the text "Robert 1783." This plate commemorates the first gas balloon ride on December 1, 1783, in Paris, France. It was launched by physicist Jacques Alexander Charles and Nicholas Louis Robert. The flight lasted 2½ hours and covered a distance of 25 miles.

Ha! Michael, you are right, of course! I always thought the French stole the idea from George Washington. Here they are, making claims through a commemorative plate. Quelle arrogance!

I will not be dissuaded.

Oh this is a beaut. Perfect.

There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom

Always at least one in a family!

National Trust sues to stop Trump’s ballroom construction The organization, which is charged by Congress with historic preservation, is seeking to halt construction on one of the president’s priorities.

Breaking - National Trust sues to stop Trump ballroom

wapo.st/4oRY378

'AI is coming' I tell the museum stakeholders as I proudly cut the ribbon of our new Artificial Insemination exhibition

I am dead serious when I say that if one of the most vulnerable people in the country can do this with the right allies, no fight in American politics is completely hopeless.

Book cover with aerial photograph showing an oblique aerial view of the city of Paris, picturing the avanue du Bois du Boulogne and the Arc de Triomphe. The surface of the photograph is annotated in red and black ink. The book title and author appear in white serif font: Inventing Nadar: A History of Photographic Firsts, by Emily Doucet .

My book has a cover! Inventing Nadar will be out in April 2026 from @dukepress.bsky.social.

The South lost the American Civil War due to the North's air superiority.

That is ... something.

It's fitting that the cover on AI mindlessly apes an earlier creation and also displaces workers while elevating Silicon Valley plutocrats.

"Thank you for your presentation. I have a comment more than a" -- POW!

So happy I got to talk about nineteenth-century sharks (and also loan sharks) on an early American history podcast. We need more 🦈 in 🗃️ !
@whysharksmatter.bsky.social #historyofanimals #envhist #histsci #oceanhist #coastalhist

Congratulations! Looking forward to reading.

Excellent!

You're very kind! Happy to lend a hand.

Grier, Culture & Comfort: People, Parlors, & Upholstery, 1850-1930; Ames, Death in the Dining Room; Montgomery, Textiles in America; Nylander, Fabrics & Wallpapers for Historic Bldgs; Jaffee, A New Nation of Goods; Rosenstiel & Winkler, Floor Coverings for Historic Buildings.

Stealworkers

2025 Wajda household Christmas cookie list:

Buckeyes (duh, in Ohio)
Pistachio white chocolate
Maple brown sugar
Apricot cream cheese thumbprint
Ginger Molasses (w/ & w/o crystallized ginger)
Christmas sparkles
Zimsterne
Frosted orange drop
Chocolate-dipped peppermint shortbread
Raisin-filled

Christmas baking has begun: 120 buckeyes in between writing 250 words. Chapter draft by the end of the year!

The fact that we have super wealthy and extremely stupid people trying to set themselves up as new nobles has made historical nobility, which I only know from books, far more real to me. These people were not smart, they did not rule well, and rigid hierarchies of domination are very bad.

Times Roman Font Announces Shortage of Periods

Secretary of State Rubio should anticipate shortages of various characters in his recent order to return the State Department's font to Times New Roman: Recalling Steve Martin's 1997 "Times Roman Font Announces Shortage of Periods"

www.newyorker.com/magazine/199...

I would like the phrase and concept of "common decency" to make a comeback

My grad school advisor told me that it would be great if we were someday remembered for our research. But we're more likely to be remembered by our students and our colleagues for our humanity. Be a good teacher, a good departmental citizen, and a good steward of the discipline and profession.

Here at Canterbury Shaker Village (NH) we are! Lining up with a local theater for a screening and discussion.

He'll have Pantone change the Color of the Year to Graphite Gray, "a color like no other. The best color. Bigly."

It was a pleasure to sit down with the @jwomenshistory.bsky.social podcast to discuss The @nursingclio.bsky.social reader! @sarahbelle721.bsky.social, @ayahnerd.bsky.social, and I had a great time talking with Leah Cargin. 🗃️

What the font?

"Live myth-busting" of "National Treasure." #HATM