Geography · Maps · Observations · Paris

Map of travel time in days from Paris to French cities in the 18th century

A map showing the journey time in days from Paris to French cities in the eighteenth century. Today the trip from Paris to Nantes takes 4 hours on an express train; three hundred years ago the same road would have demanded up to 8 days, which is more than the

NB! · Observations · Pop Culture

I Do Not Believe in Partings and Losses, I Do Not Believe

Art · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

In reality, this is exactly the expression kings wear

Thanks are due to the sixteenth-century Flemish artist Cornelis Massys for capturing the loathsome Henry VIII

NB! · Observations

Let's Not Make Predictions

NB! · Observations

When the Line Would Not Connect

NB! · Observations

How wonderful that she exists

NB! · Books · Observations · Humour

Colour a Photograph of Dostoevsky Clumsily Enough with Felt-Tips and You Will Get Dobrolyubov

Archive · Observations · Society

Number of hospitals in the Russian Empire in 1891 and in Russia in 2019

According to Volume X of the Statistics of the Russian Empire for 1891, the means of combating mortality at the disposal of a country of 113 million inhabitants cannot be considered considerable. The number of hospitals reaches 3,400. According to Rosstat data for 2019, the number of hospitals in

Architecture · Observations · Society

Moncler wins city tender for premises in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan in 2018

Incidentally, in 2018 there was a small debate over whether it was appropriate to open yet another luxury boutique in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The point is that when the office of the "city showcase", something like a municipal information desk or tourist bureau, moved out, the

Observations · Paris · People · Humour

Some hold that genius is passed down by inheritance, while others have no children

Marcel Achard

Archive · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

A creepy fellow I would not let within several kilometres of my children. Let alone my wife.

A creepy fellow I would not let within several kilometres of my children. Let alone my wife. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, her five children, their governess and Rasputin. Where was Nicholas II looking?

Archive · Monarchies · Observations · Mores

One day in childhood there comes a moment when you play in the yard with your friends for the last time, until you are called indoors, but you do not yet know it

One day in childhood there comes a moment when you play in the yard with your friends for the last time, until you are called indoors, but you do not yet know it. Look closely at this photograph. The mood is much the same: the wedding of Princess Victoria Louise