Research Book Post #2

     Fortune, the botanist dispatched to China in order to collect and record the plants of the Orient, found adversity at every turn. Due to his humble origins, Fotune was not granted the typical luxuries of a gentleman traveling on behalf of the Royal Horticultural Society. It was a long time before he could even obtain proper weapons, convincing the Society that it would be more costly if he were killed than it would be to give him a gun. Once Fortune arrived in China, he found dozens of obstacles standing in his way, not least of which was the fact that European access to China was thoroughly restricted. In order to circumvent the ridged barriers preventing him from collecting his specimens, Fortune travelled in disguise. He also encountered serious language and cultural barriers, and thus had to rely on interpreters and locals for help. After his return from his first expedition to China, Fortune published his memoir recounting his journey. The book was an instant success, appealing to botanists, those interested in foreign culture, and those who were just looking for entertainment. In one chapter, Fortune recounts his exciting encounter with some notoriously brutal Chinese pirates. While in a fevered state, he managed to scare off the Pirates through some well placed shots fired from his advanced Europens weaponry and some very quick thinking.

Thoughts and Reflections on the Enlightenment summary

     Towards the end of the 17th century, Europe saw a general refusal to accept religion as the answer to every question. This skepticism led to a paradigm shift in which people began to look at the world through a more concrete lense as opposed to the abstract and insubstantial answers which religion offered. Instead of accepting that all suffering and tragedy was the will of the Devine, people began to take measures in order to mitigate the negative impacts of things such as disease and poverty. This period was known as the Enlightenment. The Elnightenment began towards the end of the 17th century and ended shortly after the start of the 19th century. It was driven by science, reason, and a general desire to improve the quality of life. This period saw the many revolutions and the writings of such thinkers as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, all of whom were critical in shaping modern philosophy. 

Renaissance Unit Final Assessment

    The Renaissance was arguably the first time in history during which innovation and change was largely encouraged and actually achieved on such a large scale. This led to radical new technologies, philosophies, art techniques, and more. One such innovation in the realm of nautical technology was the submarine, which is widely used today for both scientific and military purposes. The first recorded proposition of a submarine dates back to 1580, when an English innkeeper by the name of William Bourne hypothesized that if one made a boat heavier than the water it displaces, it would sink. In 1623, Bourne's theory was put into practice by Cornelius Drebble, a Dutch scientist commissioned by James I of England, built what is thought to be the first functioning submarine. Although there are no credible illustrations of the vehicle, it is said to have been reminiscent of a highly compact rowboat covered in leather. From there the contraption evolved into what is now known as the modern submarine. Though it was not fully put to use directly after its creation, the submarine now serves a variety of purposes. 

     The first military use of submarines was in World War I with the German U-boats. The U-boats were clunky and unrefined, but they served their purpose in that they allowed the Germans to remain underwater and hence undetected. This allowed the German naval forces to destroy surface ships with greater ease. Due to their primitive design however, WWI era submarines were only able to remain submerged for  a small amount of time. In WWII, Germany implemented a more refined version of the U-boat. Since then, submarines have become instrumental in certain naval operations, including anti-submarine warfare, anti surface warfare, and landing special ops. 

     Modern submarines have also been put to use for non-military purposes. In the early 1900s, scientists decided to use submarines as an alternative to lighthouses. The underwater crafts would emit signals on a primitive microphone to help ships avoid shallow areas as well as other ships. Today, submarines are often used as a means of recovering the remnants of sunken ships such as the Titanic and the USS Monitor, a ship used during the Civil War. Submarines also allow for the exploration of the depths of the ocean, which are otherwise unreachable. These vehicles, first brought about in the Renaissance, are now useful tools in the fields of defense, history, and science. 

Links:

http://www.submarine-history.com/NOVAthree.htm

http://www.dosits.org/people/history/early1900/

http://www.uboat.net/articles/98.html

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/faq.html

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/issue_14/nr1.html

http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=7171

History of the World in Six Glasses Video Project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAvnm4rn1H4&feature=youtu.be

High Spirits, High Seas Summary

     Between perhaps the sixteenth and twenty-first centuries, the greatest innovations in the world stemmed primarily from Europe. Europe pioneered the Age of exploration, the Industrial Revolution, and generally crafted history through there actions. Yet around the year 1000, it was not the Europeans who was advancing the world, but the Arabs. Arabic cities existed all over the Middle East, even in places as far as Spain. The Arabs were leading the world in the realms of Science, mathematics, chemistry and more. It was the Arabs who first discovered and later perfected the process of distillation, which was used to generate a significantly higher alcohol content in beverages. Once the Europeans learned of the closely guarded secret however, distillation spread like wildfire. This caused the rapid proliferation of spirits throughout Europe, and later the New World. While Europeans were delighted by the high alcohol content of the drinks, they're practical application didn't stop with mere consumption for pleasure. Distilled wine, more commonly known as aqua vitae (water of life) was administere as medicine. Once colonies had been established and sugar asserted itself as the dominant commodity, spirits were used to barter for slaves. 

Aqua vitae 

Research Book Post #1

     Prologue summary: Britain would trade China the opium which they grew in India for Chinese tea. When China banned opium, the delicate balance between these two empires was upset. Britain went to war with China and forced China to open port cities for more extensive trade. Both tea and Opium were central to Britain's economy. In the mid 19th century, Britain decided that it was too risky to continue to rely on China for tea production and decided to try and grow their own. This cultural focus on plants led to the elevation in social status of botanist, who had previously been viewed as nothing more than gardeners. One such botanist was Robbert Fortune, who was sent to China to collect any exotic specimens he could find. 

Donatello's Equestrian Statue of Gattamaleta

Ryan Otto

World History II

Mr. Angus

November 4, 2014

                                                Donatello's Equestrian Statue of Gattamaleta 

     Donatello is recognized as one of the most influential artists in the Early Rnissance, and was highly instrumental in laying the groundwork for artists to come. His masterpiece, the Equestrian Statue of Gattamaleta, was one of his most innovative and controversial works. It was first commissioned in 1443 by the de Narni family to commemorate the renowned Erasmo de Narni, a Venetian mercenary. When the statue was finally unveiled, it caused a bit of a stir. Up until then, equestrian statues were a symbol of nobility reserved almost exclusively for emperors and kings. Despite this, the statue was well received overall, with critics calling it bold and daring. The genius in the piece lay in the detail Donatello placed in the physiognomy. It was one of the earliest instances of emotion and individuality being shown in the face of the subject. This focus on facial expression proved highly influential in the later years of the Renaissance. 

Thoughts and Reflections on: Freedom of a Christian

     Martin Luther is one of the most significant figures in the history of religion. He is best known for causing the distinction between Catholic and Protestant, and even has a Christian sect named after him. Luther caused this rift in Christianity with his short manifesto published in the early sixteenth century. In it, he stated the current problems with the church, and how a true Christian must be free. When Luther discusses freedom, he says that a Christian can only be truly free in spirit. If he, that is to say the Christian, is inwardly viruous, he has little need for laws or rulers. For the spirit of the Christian faith is not at all dependent on one's outward actions. Anyone can fast, meditate, or speak prayer, but only a pious man is worthy to go before God. Thus, the condition of the inward man is not at all dependent on the condition of the outward one. As Luther would have it, a faithful Christian has spiritual power which, in some sense, is greater than that of any king's. This power is not power over other men, but rather the power to make all things work towards his salvation.