A night scene in the Arizona desert near Lowell Observatory shows a long-eared dog leaping toward two glowing planets in the sky. Uranus appears larger and turquoise-blue, while Pluto is smaller and pale. Stars form a dog-bone constellation above the observatory dome, with desert rocks and cacti surrounding the scene.

Pluto, Uranus and a Dog in the Arizona Desert

Some dates produce connections almost automatically.13 March is one of those. Three astronomical milestones line up neatly on the same day. 1781 — William Herschel discovers Uranus in Bath. 1855 — Birth of Percival Lowell. 1930 — Discovery of Pluto is announced from Lowell Observatory in Arizona. Astronomers deliberately chose 13 March for the announcement […]

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David Brent dancing in the Wernham Hogg office while Vogons stamp paperwork and read a Sun newspaper headline about Gorbachev taking power, with Tim Canterbury looking at the camera

Link Salad – 11 March: Vogons, Newspapers, and the Day Gorbachev Took Over

Today’s link salad starts with the birthday of Douglas Adams, born on 11 March 1952 in Cambridge. Adams created The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, where the bureaucratic alien race known as the Vogons spend their time stamping forms, filing paperwork and reciting terrible poetry. From science fiction bureaucracy we move to real-world media power. […]

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Pixel-art Super Mario–style go-kart race in the Mushroom Kingdom where a suited 1960s advertising executive resembling Don Draper leads the race while other suited executives drive behind him while distracted on their mobile phones.

Happy Mad MAR10 Day

Happy MAR10 Day 🍄 (Super Mario Bros., 1985) Happy Birthday Jon Hamm (1971) — Don Draper, Mad Men Happy Anniversary ☎️ — first telephone call (1876) Mario, Mad Men, and the Telephone Today’s Link Salad connects three very different moments in cultural and technological history. First, MAR10 Day — widely celebrated as Mario Day, because […]

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Two Davids. One birthday. 🎨 Michelangelo, born 6 March 1475, created the legendary David. 🎸 David Gilmour, born 6 March 1946, shaped the sound of The Dark Side of the Moon. A Renaissance statue. A progressive rock guitarist. Two Davids linked by art, light, and the same moon.

Two Davids

Two Davids under the same moon On 6 March 1475, the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo was born. More than any other sculptor, he defined the heroic language of the Renaissance. Among his works, one stands above all others: David, the towering marble figure that has come to symbolise the artistic confidence of Florence. Four and […]

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Surreal montage showing Malenkov and Khrushchev dancing in Soviet military uniforms to Prokofiev’s Dance of the Knights behind Alan Sugar in the Canary Wharf Apprentice boardroom.

Dance of the Soviets

Some dates in history produce strange coincidences. Others produce moments where one death completely overshadows another. 5 March 1953 is one of those rare days. On that day Joseph Stalin died. For the Soviet Union — and much of the world — it marked the end of one of the most powerful and brutal regimes […]

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Illustrated scene of Carmen performing with an orange on a Miami Beach stage while Paddington Bear sits in the foreground eating a marmalade sandwich, with Art Deco buildings behind.

Miami Nice: Why 3 March Smells Faintly of Oranges 🍊🌴🎭

Some dates arrive quietly.Others arrive with a full orchestra. 3 March 1875 was the night Carmen premiered in Paris. Composed by Georges Bizet, it introduced audiences to a heroine who was anything but modest. Carmen is heat, defiance and independence in human form. She doesn’t drift onto the stage — she claims it. That larger-than-life […]

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King Kongcorde

Today is 2nd March, and it’s the anniversary of three very different but surprisingly connected moments: 🎂 The birth of Dr. Seuss (1904)🦍 The New York release of King Kong (1933)✈️ The first test flight of Concorde (1969, Toulouse) Let’s begin with a question. ❓ Quiz Question Where was Dr. Seuss born? A) New YorkB) […]

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