John Sailors

—Gonzalo Fernandez Oviedo (trans. Glen Dille), citing the cleric Juan de Areyzaga, who sailed with Loasya. First impressions of an armadillo,

Rio Santa Cruz, 1526: A companion brought on board an animal...the size of a sucking pig with a pig's muzzle, cloven hooves and a body covered with a shell like armor for a horse. When it wanted, it covered itself completely with that shell and grunted like a pig. They named it "armor horse."

More:

"Second, that no lawyers or legal experts be allowed there because … experience shows how prejudicial they are … so that without their malicious nitpicking, suits would be settled quickly and justly for all parties." —Oviedo, royal instruction to Pedrarias, new Spanish governor in the Americas.

Ancient Shipwrecks Rewrite the Story of Iron Age Trade Three Iron Age ship cargoes discovered by UC San Diego and University of Haifa researchers offer unprecedented insights into early Mediterranean trade.

"A new paper documents the first-ever discovery of Iron Age ship cargoes within a former port city in Israel and provides rare, direct evidence of trade in a period previously understood largely through land-based finds."
today.ucsd.edu/story/ancien...

Medieval Warship Reveals Secrets of Shipboard Artillery - Medievalists.net New research on the medieval warship Gribshunden reveals its powerful artillery, offering insights into naval technology at the dawn of exploration.

Researchers have unveiled findings about artillery carried by a Danish-Norwegian ship that sank mysteriously off the Swedish coast in 1495. This late medieval vessel offers an unparalleled look at the technological crossroads …
www.medievalists.net/2025/08/medi...

Throughout history, few games have achieved what chess has: becoming a mirror of thought, an instrument of contemplation, and a bridge between civilisations.
en.chessbase.com/post/milleni...

British Adventurer Sets Sail to Become First Person to Circumnavigate the Globe by Land, Air and Sea Ketchell is planning to fill in his hours by livestreaming video presentations and talks to classrooms around the world.

Englishman James Ketchell is looking to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe on land, in the air, and at sea as he sets off in a sailboat from a harbor in Hampshire: 30,000 miles, 9 months now await Ketchell, who is undertaking the voyage alone.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org/british-adve...

Why three brothers are attempting a record-setting row across the Pacific Ocean It’s a story of three brothers, a boat and thousands of miles of ocean. The Maclean brothers from Scotland are in the final stretch of their attempt to row nonstop across the Pacific from Peru to Aust...

The Maclean brothers from Scotland are in the final stretch of their attempt to row nonstop across the Pacific from Peru to Australia. They’re going for more than a world record — they’re raising money for clean water projects in East Africa.
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

Guatemala to Build Its Own Section of the Interoceanic Corridor President Sheinbaum clarified that Guatemala will build its rail line to connect with Mexico's Interoceanic Corridor.

While Mexico is advancing the southern line of its Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to the Guatemalan border, the responsibility for extending the railway into Guatemala will fall onto the Guatemalan government, President Claudia Sheinbaum…
mexicobusiness.news/infrastructu...

World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Aug 14’s deadline but were unable to get consensus. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

“The stalemate was a resounding failure for the environment and for international diplomacy at a time when its frailties are in the spotlight.” 🥤🌎 www.straitstimes.com/world/world-...

english.elpais.com/science-tech...

Excellent article by Anthony and Helen Reid on Henry Stanley, Baron of Alderley and translator of Pigafetta, Barbosa, and others, and the first Muslim in the House of Lords.

A Voice for Southeast Asian Muslims in the High Colonial Era.
www.asianstudies.org/wp-content/u...

#HistoryEducation

Going Places: Travel in the Middle Ages to Open at The Getty - Medievalists.net The Getty Center will present Going Places: Travel in the Middle Ages from September 2 to November 30, 2025, exploring medieval journeys through rare manuscripts, pilgrimages, trade, and imaginative…

Going Places: Travel in the Middle Ages to Open at @gettymuseum.bsky.social www.medievalists.net/2025/08/goin... #medievalmanuscripts #travel #getty

So much for Merrick Garland.

70 years of data show extreme heat is already wiping out tropical bird populations A study using more than 90,000 scientific observations shows Earth is getting too hot for many tropical birds.

“…increased exposure to extreme heat has reduced bird populations in tropical regions by 25–38% since 1950.” 🦜🌡️ theconversation.com/70-years-of-...

Hominins on Sulawesi during the Early Pleistocene - Nature Early Pleistocene artefacts at Calio suggest that Sulawesi was populated by hominins at around the same time as Flores, if not earlier.

Hominins on Sulawesi during the Early Pleistocene

The dispersal of archaic hominins beyond mainland Southeast Asia (Sunda)1 represents the earliest evidence for humans crossing ocean barriers to reach isolated landmasses. Previously, the oldest indication in Wallacea…
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

China's unemployed young adults who are pretending to have jobs With Chinese youth unemployment high, individuals are paying to go into offices and pretend to work.

"… paying companies so you can pretend to work for them has become popular among young, unemployed adults in China. It has led to a growing number of such providers.

… comes amid China's sluggish economy …youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, at more than 14%." www.bbc.com/news/article...

This stone tool is over 1 million years old. How did its maker get to Sulawesi without a boat? It’s the first evidence that early humans made a formidable sea crossing from the mainland to Sulawesi at least 1 million years ago.

This stone tool is over 1 million years old. How did its maker get to Sulawesi without a boat? ⛏️🇮🇩 theconversation.com/this-stone-t...

When public media disappears, so do the stories that bring us together.

With federal funding eliminated, millions may lose their last trusted source of news and connection.

If that matters to you, now’s the time to act. Donate: n.pr/458sOhq

Enrique of Malacca - YouTube Videos surrounding the history of Enrique of Malacca, the first person to circumnavigate the globe linguistically, in 1521. Enrique’s journey began a decade ...

Enrique of Malacca, YouTube Playlist

Videos surrounding the history of Enrique of Malacca, the first person to circumnavigate the globe linguistically, in 1521.
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

After Two SpaceX Explosions, U.K. Officials Ask FAA to Change Starship Flight Plans Facing a significant increase in the number of SpaceX launches, British officials detailed their concerns about the safety of Turks and Caicos and other Caribbean territories after debris from an earl...

NEW: Facing a significant increase in the number of SpaceX launches, British officials detailed their concerns about the safety of Turks and Caicos and other Caribbean territories after debris from an earlier failed launch littered beaches and roads.

By @heathervogell.bsky.social

A Chicago Pope implies the existence of an MLA Pope and APA Pope

Donald Trump's Attempt to Control Reality He's after any institution that produces knowledge independent of him

Thanks for your insightful essay. Your fears are warranted- Trump is systematically attacking all sites of knowledge production in government or civil society that threaten his ability to control reality. He sees truth as a function of his will, and wants to make his truth our truth, I argue here.

KUDOS to who did this

Pete Hegseth has to GO
or refer to him as Pete Kegseth
💯⬇️

Literally just seen this tremendous book off the plot. An absolutely riveting account of the relationship between the German Royal Family and the Nazis. I recommend it to you. 1

Never went for Hollywood gossip, but ...

The Not-So-Humdrum Story of Magellan's "Genoese Pilot" The Roteiro of "the Genoese Pilot" is one of possibly eight (surviving) accounts of Magellan's voyage by a crew member, and it covers the fa...

The Not-So-Humdrum Story of Magellan's "Genoese Pilot"

…one of eight surviving accounts by crew members, it covers the fate of the Trinidad…Some historians discount the Roteiro's value—"humdrum," "boring"—it opens an interesting subplot in the Magellan story
www.enriqueofmalacca.com/2025/03/The-...

A research project I am working on has pivoted from documenting impacts of anti-DEI legislation to documenting what we have lost. We need to create archives of pre-P47 curriculum, scholarship, and programs. This is why. #academicsky #meded #medicaleducation

The Not-So-Humdrum Story of Magellan's "Genoese Pilot" The Roteiro of "the Genoese Pilot" is one of possibly eight (surviving) accounts of Magellan's voyage by a crew member, and it covers the fa...

The Not-So-Humdrum Story of Magellan's "Genoese Pilot"

…one of eight surviving accounts by crew members, it covers the fate of the Trinidad…Some historians discount the Roteiro's value—"humdrum," "boring"—it opens an interesting subplot in the Magellan story
www.enriqueofmalacca.com/2025/03/The-...