Cookie Crumbles #19

Hello all!

First off, here’s a link to an article entitled ‘Is the Absence of Violence the Same Thing as Real Peace?’ It explores an issue that is near to all of us here in Ireland, namely ‘the Troubles’ that took place in the North from the late 1960s until the late 1990s (more on that here). The title of the article itself brings to light an interesting question. After the initial aftermath of something like the Troubles or a Civil war begin to fade from the landscape, does that mean that the issue is all but over? What must be done in the way or reconciliation and dealing with polarization in order to ensure that the scars from the conflict don’t flare up again?

Photo Credit: British Museum

On a somewhat lighter note, this week in history the Rosetta Stone was found, finally giving us a guideline for decoding Egyptian hieroglyphics. Discovered by soldiers on Napoleon’s campaign through Egypt on July 15 1799, the find was written up in a report on July 19th and has been the object of much study (and debate as to who it belongs) since then. Currently part of the holdings of the British Museum, you can find out more about this incredible object here.

Here’s a link to an interesting story on ‘The Art of Deception’ or forgery and it’s place in the art world. With more and more dealers and forgery rings making the news lately, it will be interesting to see how law enforcement, and the art community, reacts.

Speaking of forgeries, our next story has long been hailed as a giant fake by many members of the public. We however, believe that it 100% did occur. We are of course speaking of the famed Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20th 1969 by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins that celebrates its 44th anniversary this year. To look at some famous photos from this historic event, check out this link from Mashable here and be sure to also look at this link to the 1969 issue of National Geographic detailing the landing which can be found here.

With all the risks involved in landing a man on the moon, there was a chance that the men would not make it back to Earth safely. As a precaution, a speech was prepared to read to the American public to explain this catastrophe and revere the men who had taken on a dangerous and ultimately life ending mission. Luckily for all of us, the men made it back safely and history (the good kind) was made. In this article
from mentalfloss, 12 famous historical speeches, including the one written in case of disastrous moon landing are recorded.

Last but not least, here’s a look into the history of the postage stamp. We’ve also included a video above from the Discovery Channel show “How It’s Made” which takes a more in-depth look at how stamps are created.

Until next week!