HAistoric — Histories That Almost Were

— A newly discovered “planet” in the 2nd century BC triggered an astronomical dick-measuring contest between Rome, Egypt, and Parthia. Spoilers: the cosmos does not give a shit. —

— How one horny architect’s quest to get laid turned a legendary death-trap into a five-bull-rated luxury resort. —

🎙 On the Phonograph

— Or, How a Bunch of Self-Flagellating Monks Accidentally Kickstarted the Industrial Revolution 400 Years Early Just to Keep Their Buns Toasty. —

— How a Perfectly Good Typhoon Was Wasted on History’s Most Incompetent Sailors —

— How One Chief’s Cosmic Cowardice Robbed Humanity of Its God-Given Right to Bon-Bons —

— Before Duchamp Had a Urinal, Brother Gerald Had a Bucket and a Bad Attitude. —

— From presidential pothunting to a poncho-clad abdication, one bullet changed America from a shining city on a hill to a very weird B-movie. —

— Or, How a GRU Idiot Accidentally Invented the World’s Horniest Bioweapon —

— How a displaced cadre of Sudanese musicians accidentally invented a new genre, scandalized three major religions, and got everyone spectacularly laid. —

— Forget screams, the only sounds in the village were slurps. —

— How Italy's post-war auteurs swapped stolen bicycles for stolen starships and accidentally invented gonzo sci-fi. —

— How Atatürk’s Bauhaus Fever Dream Gave Turkey the Sweatiest Capital on Earth. —

— When the Nigerian Civil War Got a Cast of 700 Angry Ghosts —

— How A Hunt For Nazi Asshole-Art Accidentally Thwarted The World’s Shittiest Tech Smuggling Operation —

— How a Freak Frost in Constantinople Sent a Fleet of Unwashed Pirates Paddling North —