Under the Sun

Under the Sun is a column History House ran during the year of 2000. If time and resources permit, we will re-launch it, but is is currently in hiatus. Dedicated to the idea that there is truly nothing new under the sun, we examine important current events and look for precedents in history. Our conclusions are sometimes profound, sometimes trivial, but all prove that it's really hard to be original with 10,000 years of recorded human history. They were already complaining when they wrote the Bible...

The Best of Under the Sun

Acquired Immunity from Details Syndrome
published 7/24/2000
South Africa's President Mbeki is sticking his head in the sand about AIDS, which is presently destroying his country. By not admitting HIV actually causes trouble, he's free to blame his nation's troubles on all manner of vague maladies. Unfortunately, this sort of rationalization has been tried before, when Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian decreed syphilis was a punishment from God. Guess what? It didn't help anything. Without actually working on the problem, everyone gets sick and dies anyway. Read the article

It Ain't de Diamonds, it's de Beers
published 5/21/2000
Looks like those nasty rebels in Sierra Leone have been financing their arms purchases through diamond sales. Considering 70% of the world’s diamonds pass through a single company's hands, it's hard not to meter out a certain amount of blame in its direction. Unfortunately, that particular company, De Beers, has a long history of squishing the competition, literally, to get that little rock on your finger. Read the article

So you Say you Want a Revolution?
published 10/16/2000
Yugoslavia had a bloodless revolution last week that ended a thirteen-year dictatorship. Milosevic, the now ex-president, managed to hold onto power through years of sanctions from the US and the EU, plus incessant NATO bombing that demolished his country. After all those troubles, the man finally fell. What changed? What was different? If past rebellions are any indication, it was probably a low-level Joe or Jane that everyone liked who tipped that first domino. History House asks the question: Who starts revolutions, anyway? Read the article

Volusian Confusion: Tilden-Hayes
published 11/20/2000
Thanks to antiquated voting methods, a potential Constitutional crisis looms over the country. Of course, it's happened before. In the same state. In some of the same counties! Two of the last century's most boring candidates, Samuel J. Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes, fought it out in the 1876 Presidential election. Who won? Nobody will ever be sure, but Hayes got to be President. How? By the forces of one man's cantankerous wife! Read the article