NB! · Observations · Society

If you are warm, do not forget to say thank you to the State Plan for the Electrification of Russia (GOELRO), adopted on 22 December 1920, which contained the decision to begin preparations for district heating

If you are warm, do not forget to say thank you to the State Plan for the Electrification of Russia (GOELRO), adopted on 22 December 1920, which contained the decision to begin preparations for district heating. Let me remind you that central heating is by no means to be found

Sixteenth-century handwritten letter in brown ink on aged paper, written in an italic script and signed Elizabeth at the bottom.

NB! · Archive · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

Two letters in Elizabeth I's own hand and how her handwriting changed over ten years

Two letters written in the hand of Queen Elizabeth I of England. We shall not discuss their contents; the question is how this young lady's handwriting changed in just 10 years, growing airier with age, but less legible. My own handwriting is also forever changing, but, unlike Elizabeth&

Books · Observations · Mores · Humour

Since yesterday the Lord tried my patience with seventeen minutes of waiting for a waiter at Kofemania, I have resolved to give up restaurant food until the end of the year

Since yesterday the Lord tried my patience with seventeen minutes of waiting for a waiter at Kofemania, I have resolved to give up restaurant food until the end of the year. Happily, the Foreign Literature Library has put a selection of New Year recipes on its website. I have already

Gold diadem with two gazelle heads and round rosettes inlaid in blue and red, shown against a dark background.

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Museums · Humour

Diadem of one of the wives of Thutmose III with gazelle heads and rosettes

Diadem of one of the wives of Thutmose III. Style 👌🏼

Black-and-white photo of a small compartment: quilted walls, a fringed bed with a pillow, a pouf, a dressing table with a mirror, a patterned carpet, a mirror at left.

NB!

Sleeping compartment with quilted walls, a bed and a dressing table

Geography · Books · Observations

"The doors of the Pullman car had not yet swung open, but the bandmaster was already flailing his arms ferociously, and the orchestra struck up the English national anthem with a lusty heave. Mamontov, steadying his sabre, hurried towards the carriage"

"The doors of the Pullman car had not yet swung open, but the bandmaster was already flailing his arms ferociously, and the orchestra struck up the English national anthem with a lusty heave. Mamontov, steadying his sabre, hurried towards the carriage." Pullman cars, which became a byword for

NB! · Observations

You'll Thank Me Later

Archive · Science · People

The 1896 X-ray image shows the hand of Albert von Kölliker, not Röntgen's wife

This is what one of the first X-ray images looks like, taken on 23 January 1896. Contrary to a misconception widespread on the internet, it is not a picture of the right hand of the wife of Wilhelm Röntgen, discoverer of the mysterious X-rays. It is a picture

Screenshot of a message advising on storing a costume horizontally, layered with rice paper or micalent.

NB! · Museums · Observations · Humour

How to Store a Costume by Museum Rules: Paper, Micalent and Horizontal Boxes

If you think your clothes deserve museum storage, here is the recipe. Do not forget the large horizontal boxes of museum-grade, acid-free conservation board

NB! · Observations · Nature · Humour

Everyone is curious about the far side of the moon, but what of the far side of the hedge?

Geography · Observations · Humour

The world's longest rail journey, from southern Portugal to Singapore

The world's longest railway journey will take about 21 days and cover 18,755 km by train: from southern Portugal to Singapore. Such a trip has become possible thanks to the opening of the high-speed railway line from Kunming in China to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

Faith · Observations · Society

Pope Francis restricts use of the old Missal and the Tridentine Mass

Pope Francis has restored restrictions on the pre-reform Latin Mass, commonly known as the Tridentine. It is scarcely noticeable, but a drama of almost schismatic proportions is now unfolding in the Catholic world. What does this mean? No, the Pope has not yet forbidden priests to say Mass in

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