After the global revolution and prior to the great destruction much of the internet was preserved by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). Sounds and visions from planet Earth were cherished on long excursions aboard Laurasia. Especially as a sleep aid, but also for entertainment. This - is Neil Young.
Museum
Selections of art taken from Chris Lehrer's Lyceum under the heading: Window to the Past.
Listen to Soma FM streaming radio, a favorite of the space station Laurasia since the global revolution. You may or may not have to download the free Winamp or Real audio player.
De Nobis Fabula Narratur [Latin] - About Us Is the Story Told
No matter how exotic human civilization becomes, no matter the developments of life and society nor the complexity of the machine/human interface, there always come interludes of lonely power when the course of humankind depends upon the relatively simple actions of single individuals. - Frank Herbert: Dune Messiah, from The Tleilaxu Godbuk
Pathway Machine unfolds across centuries, tracing a resilient family’s legacy from 10th-century Poland to a futuristic world on the brink of a global revolution. Amid dazzling technological advancements, a lifelong atheist confronts an unexpected spiritual awakening, unraveling mysteries that connect their lineage to humanity’s fate. As ancient traditions clash with a radically evolving society, the story explores the enduring quest for meaning, the cost of progress, and the transformative power of belief. This sweeping saga intertwines personal discovery with a bold vision of the future, inviting readers to question what it means to be human in an ever-changing world.
Pathway Machine delves into the essence of consciousness, as an android—infused with the soul, memories, and form of its atheist creator—embarks on a mission to explore religion, the Bible, and spirituality. The novel examines the interplay between technology and the divine, questioning whether a created being can find transcendent purpose. Themes of legacy and identity weave through the family’s centuries-long journey, connecting past and future in a world reshaped by revolution. The android’s quest challenges notions of belief, not as a clash with science, but as a deeply human search for meaning in a universe where the boundaries between creator and creation blur. This exploration invites readers to ponder the enduring mysteries of existence and the potential for even artificial life to touch the sacred.
Concordia Cum Veritate [Latin] - In Harmony With Truth
He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8 (WEB)
Dedicated to the grand creator and Sovereign Lord Jehovah God, and also to Dr Judy Mikovits for her remarkable integrity, Dr David Martin for his impeccable intelligence, Robert F Kennedy Jr for his unwavering compassion, Dr Jordon B Peterson for his insight and wisdom and James Corbett for his meticulous attention to detail in diligent research. They are the inspiration for this body of work, though I do not presume in any way to represent their opinions or beliefs herein.
Verba Docent Exempla Trahunt [Latin] - Words Instruct, Illustrations Lead
Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so. - Noam Chomsky
Fair Use
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Historia Vitae Magistra [Latin] - History, The Teacher Of Life
How potent a power, then, is the telegraphic destined to become in the civilization of the world! This binds together by a vital cord all the nations of the earth. It is impossible that old prejudices and hostilities should longer exist, while such an instrument has been created for an exchange of thought between all the nations of the earth. - Charles Briggs and Augustus Maverick; The Story of the Telegraph, 1858
The Evolution of Human Communication From Smoke Signals to the Internet
The Evolution of Human Communication From Smoke Signals to the Internet
Communication is the lifeblood of human society, the thread that connects ideas, cultures, and progress across time and space. From the earliest days of signaling with fire to today’s instantaneous digital exchanges, the tools we’ve developed to share information have shaped how we live, work, and understand the world. Each leap in communication technology has not only made the world smaller but also transformed economies, governments, and daily life. This article traces that journey through key innovations: the printing press, newspapers, telegraphs, telephones, radios, televisions, the film and recording industry, and the internet.
The Dawn of Mass Communication
In 1440, Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized communication with the movable-type printing press. Before this, books were laboriously copied by hand, making knowledge expensive and scarce. Gutenberg’s press mechanized the process, enabling the mass production of books, pamphlets, and eventually newspapers. This democratization of information fueled the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Scientific Revolution, empowering people with access to ideas once reserved for the elite. The printing press laid the foundation for a literate, informed society, setting the stage for future communication breakthroughs.
The Pulse of the Public
By the early 17th century, newspapers emerged as a natural extension of the printing press, delivering timely information to growing urban populations. The first true newspaper, Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien, was published in Strasbourg in 1605. Newspapers became the voice of the public, reporting on politics, trade, and local events. They fostered a sense of shared experience, knitting communities together through stories and debates. As literacy rates climbed, newspapers grew in influence, shaping public opinion and laying the groundwork for modern journalism.
Signals Across the Horizon
The word “telegraph,” derived from the Greek tele (distant) and graphein (writing), captures the essence of long-distance communication. Its cousin, “semaphore” (sema for sign, phoros for bearer), refers to signaling systems that convey messages visually or mechanically. These terms, coined in the 18th century, retroactively described practices as old as human society itself. Smoke signals, used by the Chinese, Indigenous Americans, and others, were early semaphores, as were the Ancient Greeks’ phryctoria (fire-based signals) and Egypt’s Lighthouse of Alexandria. These methods carried messages across vast distances long before electricity.
In 1792, Claude Chappe introduced the first modern semaphore telegraph in France, using pivoted arms to transmit coded messages across towers. This optical telegraph, alongside shutter systems that manipulated light, marked a leap in organized long-distance communication. Then came the electrical telegraph, with Samuel Morse’s 1844 demonstration sending the message “What hath God wrought?” from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore. Backed by Congress, Morse’s system outshone competitors, and by 1861, Western Union’s transcontinental telegraph linked the U.S. coast to coast. The telegraph shrank the world, enabling messages to travel in minutes rather than months. Governments used it for wartime coordination, businesses for trade, and newspapers for rapid reporting, proving predictions of the press’s demise wrong. Instead, the telegraph enhanced journalism, delivering news faster and creating jobs for skilled operators. It reigned until the telephone emerged in 1876.
The Voice of Connection
The telephone, patented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, made communication intimate and immediate by transmitting voices across vast distances. Bell’s first words to his assistant, Thomas Watson—“Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you”—marked a new era. By the early 20th century, telephone networks connected homes, businesses, and governments, fostering relationships and enabling real-time negotiations. The telephone’s impact deepened with the advent of mobile and cellular phones. In 1973, Motorola’s Martin Cooper made the first handheld mobile phone call, and by the 1980s, cell phones began transforming communication again. Mobile phones untethered conversations from fixed lines, and smartphones, introduced with the iPhone in 2007, merged voice, text, and internet access into pocket-sized devices. Today, billions rely on cell phones for everything from social connections to global business, making them a cornerstone of modern communication.
Voices on the Airwaves
The late 19th century saw another breakthrough: radio. Guglielmo Marconi’s experiments in the 1890s led to the first wireless transmissions, freeing communication from physical wires. By the 1920s, commercial radio stations were broadcasting music, news, and entertainment to millions, creating shared cultural moments. Radio’s accessibility made it a lifeline during crises, like World War II, when it delivered updates and boosted morale.
Amateur “ham” radio, born in the early 20th century, empowered hobbyists to build their own transmitters and connect globally, often aiding in emergencies when other systems failed. By the 1970s, Citizen’s Band (CB) radio brought this spirit to the masses, particularly truckers, who used CB radios to coordinate routes, share road conditions, and build a vibrant subculture of slang (e.g., “10-4” for acknowledgment). Operating on 40 channels in the 27 MHz band, CB radios enabled short-range, license-free voice communication, making real-time exchange accessible to everyday people. Radio, in all its forms, gave voice to the airwaves, connecting communities in ways wires never could.
The World in Your Living Room
Television, emerging in the 1920s and gaining widespread popularity by the 1950s, added a visual dimension to communication. Pioneers like Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworykin turned experimental broadcasts into a household staple. TV brought news, entertainment, and advertising into living rooms, shaping culture and politics. From the Kennedy-Nixon debates to the moon landing, television created shared global experiences, amplifying the power of visual storytelling. It wasn’t just a medium; it was a cultural force, influencing everything from fashion to public opinion.
Capturing Time and Sound
Parallel to radio and television, the film and recording industries transformed how we share stories and music. Thomas Edison’s phonograph in 1877 and the Lumière brothers’ cinematograph in 1895 laid the foundations. By the 20th century, Hollywood films and vinyl records were global phenomena, preserving performances for posterity. The recording industry democratized music, letting artists reach audiences worldwide, while films created immersive narratives that transcended language barriers. These industries didn’t just communicate—they evoked emotion, shaping cultural identities and memories.
The Ultimate Connection
The internet, born from 1960s research projects like ARPANET, redefined communication in the late 20th century. By the 1990s, the World Wide Web made information accessible to anyone with a modem, and email revolutionized personal and professional communication. Social media, starting with platforms like Friendster and MySpace, exploded with Facebook and Twitter (now X), enabling real-time global conversations. Today, the internet integrates text, voice, video, and data, connecting billions instantly. It’s a platform for innovation, activism, and commerce, but also a battleground for privacy and misinformation. The internet is the culmination of centuries of communication advancements, a tool as transformative as the printing press once was.
Ab Initio [Latin] - From The Beginning
The truth of history, so much in request, to which everybody eagerly appeals, is too often but a word. At the time of the events, during the heat of conflicting passions, it cannot exist; and if at a later period, all parties are agreed to respect it, it is because those persons who were interested in the events, those who might be able to contradict what is asserted, are no more. What then is, generally speaking, the truth of history? - Napoleon Bonaparte (Mémorial de Sainte Hélène: Journal of the Private Life and Conversations of Emperor Napoleon at Saint Helena)
Ignaz Semmelweis: The Pioneer of Handwashing
Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis (July 1, 1818 – August 13, 1865), a Hungarian physician, left an indelible mark on medical history through his groundbreaking work in infection control. On July 1, 1846, Semmelweis was appointed assistant to Professor Johann Klein at the First Obstetrical Clinic of Vienna General Hospital, a role akin to a modern-day chief resident. His responsibilities included examining patients before Klein’s rounds, overseeing complex deliveries, and mentoring medical students.
At the time, maternity clinics in Europe were established to combat the tragic practice of infanticide, particularly among underprivileged women, including prostitutes, by providing a safe place to give birth. However, the First Clinic at Vienna General Hospital, staffed by doctors and medical students, had a grim reputation. Its maternal mortality rate was a staggering 10%, compared to just 4% in the Second Clinic, which was run by midwives. The disparity was so notorious that some women preferred giving birth on the streets rather than risking death in the First Clinic.
Semmelweis was troubled by the high rates of postpartum infections, known then as childbed fever, plaguing his clinic. A pivotal moment came in 1847 when his friend, Jakob Kolletschka, died after accidentally nicking his finger with a scalpel during an autopsy. The autopsy revealed symptoms strikingly similar to those of the childbed fever victims. This tragedy sparked a revelation for Semmelweis. In an era before the germ theory of disease, he hypothesized that "cadaverous particles" were being transferred from autopsies performed by doctors and students to maternity patients. Notably, the Second Clinic, where midwives did not perform autopsies, had far fewer cases of childbed fever.
Determined to act, Semmelweis observed that chlorinated lime effectively neutralized the foul odor of autopsy tissue. He introduced a rigorous handwashing protocol using this solution for anyone moving between autopsies and patient care. Implemented in mid-May 1847, this simple intervention yielded astonishing results: the mortality rate in the First Clinic plummeted from 18% in April to just 2% by July.
Semmelweis’s discovery laid the foundation for modern antiseptic practices, saving countless lives and earning him the title of a medical pioneer, though his ideas faced resistance during his lifetime.
Politics and Resistance
In the mid-19th century, the medical establishment clung to the humoral theory, which attributed diseases to an imbalance of the body’s four humors. Semmelweis’s radical idea—that a single source, “cadaverous particles” from autopsies, caused childbed fever—was met with skepticism and outright rejection. The notion that physicians, considered gentlemen of high social standing, could spread disease through their hands was unthinkable to many. The prevailing scientific paradigm, coupled with professional arrogance, blinded the medical community to Semmelweis’s evidence. It wasn’t until the 1860s and 1870s, with the advent of germ theory through the work of Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister, that his insights would find broader validation.
In 1848, Semmelweis expanded his protocol, mandating chlorine washing not only for hands but also for instruments in the maternity ward. Despite his efforts to communicate his findings through letters and lectures, his ideas were often misunderstood. Semmelweis argued that decaying organic matter, particularly from cadavers, was the culprit, while contemporaries like Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. believed childbed fever stemmed from a specific contagion spread among patients. These competing theories muddled the reception of his work.
In 1848, Semmelweis expanded his protocol, mandating chlorine washing not only for hands but also for instruments in the maternity ward. Despite his efforts to communicate his findings through letters and lectures, his ideas were often misunderstood. Semmelweis argued that decaying organic matter, particularly from cadavers, was the culprit, while contemporaries like Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. believed childbed fever stemmed from a specific contagion spread among patients. These competing theories muddled the reception of his work.
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 further complicated matters, creating tensions between Semmelweis, a Hungarian, and his conservative Austrian superior, Johann Klein. When Semmelweis’s term as assistant expired, Klein appointed Carl Braun in his place. Semmelweis applied to become a private lecturer but faced rejection, enduring an 18-month wait before securing the position. Frustrated by the Viennese medical establishment’s resistance, he abruptly left for Pest, Hungary, just days after his appointment, unable to tolerate further opposition.
In Pest, the Austrians had quelled the Hungarian revolution, and Semmelweis, a Hungarian, was likely viewed with suspicion. He accepted a low-paying honorary role at a small hospital where childbed fever was rampant. There, Professor Ede Birly, head of obstetrics, attributed the fever to bowel impurities and favored purging as a treatment. After Birly’s death in 1854, Semmelweis assumed the role of professor of obstetrics and successfully implemented his chlorine-washing protocols, dramatically reducing mortality rates.
The Semmelweis Effect
The term “Semmelweis Reflex” or “Semmelweis Effect” emerged as a metaphor for the knee-jerk rejection of new evidence that challenges entrenched beliefs. Semmelweis’s failure to publish his findings promptly contributed to the confusion surrounding his work. In the United Kingdom and United States, his ideas were often misinterpreted as aligning with the contagion theory or the belief that miasmas from dissection rooms triggered childbed fever. Unlike these views, Semmelweis pinpointed cadaverous contamination as the distinct cause, a concept at odds with the pre-germ theory science of the time.
Carl Braun, Semmelweis’s successor, exemplified this resistance. In a textbook, Braun listed 30 causes of childbed fever, attributing only one to cadaverous infection. He cited factors like atmospheric influences, emotional trauma, dietary errors, and uterine pressure as culprits, yet he adopted chlorine washing, maintaining low mortality rates—a testament to the efficacy of Semmelweis’s methods, even if not fully credited.
In 1858, Semmelweis published his seminal essay, The Etiology of Childbed Fever, followed by The Difference in Opinion between Myself and the English Physicians regarding Childbed Fever in 1860. His comprehensive book, The Etiology, Concept, and Prophylaxis of Childbed Fever, appeared in 1861. Despite these efforts, his ideas were largely ignored or attacked in academic circles, with lecture halls and journals dismissing his theories.
Reaction and Tragic End
The medical establishment’s rejection took a heavy toll on Semmelweis. His frustration grew after the 1861 publication of his book, and he became increasingly outspoken, at times harshly criticizing his detractors as “irresponsible, murdering ignoramuses.” While his accusations reflected the truth of their resistance, his confrontational approach alienated potential allies and hindered his cause.
By 1865, Semmelweis’s behavior was described as erratic. Colleagues Janos Balassa and János Bókai, concerned for his mental state, referred him to a mental institution. Under the pretense of visiting a new facility, Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra lured Semmelweis to the asylum. Realizing the deception, Semmelweis attempted to flee but was brutally beaten by guards, restrained in a straitjacket, and confined to a dark cell. Tragically, he succumbed to injuries from the beating two weeks later, on August 13, 1865, at the age of 47.
Conclusion
The story of Ignaz Semmelweis is a poignant reminder that history often repeats itself, with revolutionary ideas facing fierce resistance from entrenched systems. Semmelweis was undeniably correct—his chlorine-washing protocols saved lives, and his critics, bound by outdated science, were wrong. Remarkably, many of his detractors adopted his methods, as they undeniably worked, even if they refused to fully acknowledge his contributions.
The question lingers: did Semmelweis’s frustration and outspokenness spiral into madness, justifying his institutionalization? Historical accounts, often shaped by those in power, suggest he became irrational, particularly after his 1861 book and 1862 Open Letter. Yet, a 1863 lithograph of the University of Pest’s medical faculty shows Semmelweis standing confidently, arms crossed, among his peers, hinting at his continued prominence.
Semmelweis’s legacy endures as a testament to the power of evidence over dogma and the tragic cost of challenging the status quo. His work laid the groundwork for modern antiseptic practices, proving that one person’s persistence can transform medicine, even in the face of overwhelming opposition.
Historical accounts paint a grim picture of Ignaz Semmelweis in his final years, alleging irrationality, absent-mindedness, severe depression, nervous complaints, an unsteady gait, and rapid aging. Reports claim he remarked, “My head feels weird,” and was accused of embarrassing behavior, excessive alcohol consumption, avoiding family and colleagues, and associating with prostitutes. Such charges, however, read like a character assassination, possibly exaggerated by a medical establishment threatened by his revolutionary ideas. For a man who knew that simple handwashing could save countless mothers and infants from preventable deaths, the frustration of being ignored could understandably lead to distress, particularly if alcohol—a common vice among physicians of the time—was involved.
The critical question remains: could a 47-year-old man, depicted confidently in a 1863 lithograph of the University of Pest’s medical faculty, have descended into madness in just two years, warranting institutionalization by 1865? The answer is likely no. Semmelweis’s intense commitment to his findings and his outspoken criticism of a resistant medical community may have been misconstrued as irrationality, but they reflect a passionate insistence on truth rather than mental instability.
Semmelweis’s autopsy report, difficult to access in English and complicated by inconsistencies between two accounts, provides further insight. It described hyperemia of the meninges and brain, grey degeneration of the spinal cord, gangrene in his right hand’s middle finger, metastatic abscesses, and a putrid stench from large abscesses. The report suggested tabes dorsalis, a degenerative condition linked to untreated syphilis, characterized by symptoms like unsteady gait, personality changes, and dementia, typically manifesting decades after infection. However, the timeline is problematic: Semmelweis’s finger injury, allegedly from a gynecological procedure, was more likely sustained during the violent assault by asylum guards. Tertiary syphilis, requiring 10 to 20 years to progress, could not have developed in the brief period before his institutionalization. Moreover, no prior medical prognosis indicated such a condition before his admission to the Niederösterreichische Landesirrenanstalt, based solely on the referral of Janos Balassa and János Bókai’s medical history.
A second examination in 1963–1964, involving pathological and radiological analysis of Semmelweis’s bones, clarified his cause of death: sepsis from subacute osteomyelitis in his right hand, leading to pyemia (blood poisoning). Modern speculations about Alzheimer’s disease or tertiary syphilis lack credible evidence, as do claims of persecution due to alleged Jewish ancestry. Semmelweis’s Swabian surname and family records, tracing back to his Roman Catholic great-great-grandfather Gyorgy Semmelweis (born 1670), refute such assertions.
Legacy
Ignaz Semmelweis’s tragic end underscores the cost of challenging entrenched beliefs. His relentless advocacy for handwashing, though initially dismissed, revolutionized medicine and saved countless lives. The accusations of madness and moral failings appear less as evidence of personal decline and more as a reflection of a medical establishment unwilling to confront its errors. Semmelweis’s story is a powerful reminder that truth, however inconvenient, can triumph over dogma, even at great personal cost. His legacy endures as a beacon for scientific progress and a cautionary tale of the perils of rejecting innovation.
Primum Non Nocere [Latin] - First, Do No Harm
Our medically controlled Health Boards cook up fake epidemics, create panics for profit, such as the ones in Kansas City in 1921, Pittsburgh in 1924, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington in 1925. An effort was also made to create a panic in New York in 1925, but due to the open fight against it by the New York Evening Graphic, the Commissioner of Health called it off. - Herbert Shelton
We need to increase public understanding of the need for medical countermeasures such as a pan-coronavirus vaccine. A key driver is the media and the economics will follow the hype. We need to use that hype to our advantage to get to the real issues. Investors will respond if they see profit at the end of the process. - Peter Daszak, Eco-Health Alliance (Published February 12th 2016)
“Devil Bill” and the Rise of the Snake Oil Salesman
William Avery Rockefeller, better known as “Devil Bill,” was a colorful figure whose dubious enterprises left a lasting mark on American history. A lumberman turned traveling salesman, Bill descended from German immigrants who arrived in America from Neuwied in 1723. Under the alias Dr. Bill Livingston, Celebrated Cancer Specialist, he peddled elixirs like his “Rock Oil” tonic—a concoction of laxative and petroleum—across New England towns. Despite his grandiose title, Bill was neither a doctor nor a cancer specialist, and his real name wasn’t Livingston. His true hustle, however, extended beyond selling sham remedies. As a “botanic physician,” he scoured the countryside, lending money to farmers unlikely to repay, allowing him to foreclose on their properties and seize their land. In short, Devil Bill was a quintessential snake oil salesman.
The term “snake oil” likely originated with Chinese railroad laborers during the construction of the first transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. Traditional Chinese medicine used oil from Chinese water snakes, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, to treat ailments like fever and joint pain. However, it was Clark Stanley, self-styled “The Rattlesnake King,” who popularized the term at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Unlike the mildly beneficial Chinese snake oil, Stanley’s rattlesnake-derived product offered no therapeutic value, cementing the phrase “snake oil salesman” as a synonym for quackery. While Stanley was the first to earn this moniker, the practice of quackery—derived from the medieval term “quack” (to shout) and Middle Dutch “quacsalven” (hawker of salve)—had flourished in Britain and its North American colonies since the 17th century. By the 19th century, medicine shows, like those of Devil Bill and Stanley, were a staple of American entertainment.
Bill’s personal life was as scandalous as his business ventures. Married to Eliza, with whom he had six children, he also fathered two children with his housekeeper and mistress, Nancy Brown. In 1849, Bill faced indictment for raping Ann Vanderbeak, a household employee, prompting him to flee to Canada, adopt the Livingston alias, and marry Margaret Allen in Norwich, Ontario, while still legally wed to Eliza. Despite his reprehensible behavior, Bill took pride in teaching his sons to be “sharp,” boasting, “I cheat my boys every chance I get.” His eldest son, John Davison Rockefeller, absorbed these lessons, eventually becoming the world’s wealthiest man and a titan of the medical and oil industries.
Genesis of the Oiligarchy
Petroleum, known since ancient times, has a storied history. The Bible references its forms—pitch (zepheth), bitumen (chemar), and tar (kopher)—used to coat Noah’s ark (Genesis 6:14) and the basket carrying baby Moses (Exodus 2:3). The Valley of Siddim near Sodom and Gomorrah was dotted with asphalt pits (Genesis 14:10), and ancient Greek historians like Herodotus noted its use in constructing Babylon’s walls. Egyptians and Persians employed it for embalming, while the Seneca of Western Pennsylvania skimmed asphalt for lamps and healing lotions. In 1848, chemist James Young began refining crude oil, and in 1856, Ignacy Łukasiewicz built the world’s first oil refinery, pioneered kerosene distillation, and invented the modern kerosene lamp.
By the early 20th century, petroleum and vegetable oils began replacing whale oil in lamps, soaps, and margarine, likely saving whales from extinction. However, primitive oil extraction methods were inefficient for the demands of the Second Industrial Revolution, which petroleum would power, much as steam had fueled the first. Enter Edwin Drake, a New York native turned railroad worker in Connecticut. Illness sidelined him in 1857, but his conductor privileges granted free rail travel, a perk that proved invaluable when Seneca Oil—a spinoff of the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company—hired him to investigate oil seeps in Titusville, Pennsylvania. The company’s founders, George Bissell and Jonathan Eveleth, dubbed him “Colonel” to impress locals, and with a modest $1,000 annual salary, Drake set to work.
Drake adapted salt-mining drilling techniques, using a steam-powered rig, but progress was slow. At 16 feet, collapsing borehole walls threatened the project, prompting Drake to devise a drive pipe with 10-foot joints to stabilize the hole. When the drill hit bedrock, progress slowed to mere feet per day, earning the project the derisive nickname “Drake’s Folly.” Facing financial ruin, Drake borrowed $500 to continue. On August 27, 1859, at 69.5 feet, his drill struck a crevice, sparking the Titusville oil boom along Oil Creek. Despite this breakthrough, Drake’s lack of business acumen led to ruin. He failed to patent his drilling innovation, lost his fortune in oil speculation by 1863, and died impoverished in 1880, even as his well produced 16,000 barrels daily by 1872.
The Rockefeller Standard
Watching Drake’s oil boom was John D. Rockefeller, Devil Bill’s shrewd eldest son. At 16, John began as an assistant bookkeeper, earning $16 monthly, doubling his pay within a year and reaching $58 by his third year. At 20, with $800 in savings and a $1,000 loan from his father (at 9% interest), he partnered with brothers Maurice, James, and Richard Clark in a produce commission business. By 1860, the firm generated $500,000, netting Rockefeller $17,000 in profit. The Civil War boosted his fortunes further, as oil prices soared from under 50 cents to nearly $14 per barrel by 1863. To avoid conscription, Rockefeller hired substitute soldiers, preserving his burgeoning business.
Recognizing the oil industry’s potential, Rockefeller avoided the speculative frenzy that ruined many, including Drake. He saw that with $1,000–$1,500 and a small crew, a refinery could yield $5–$8 profit per barrel at $13. Unlike competitors who discarded 40% of crude oil as waste, Rockefeller envisioned using gasoline to fuel refineries and selling byproducts like lubricating oil, grease, and paraffin wax. In 1863, with chemist Samuel Andrews and the Clark brothers, he built a refinery in Cleveland’s industrial Flats, crafting their own barrels and hiring plumbers to cut costs. In 1865, he bought out the Clarks for $72,500, forming Rockefeller & Andrews. With postwar prosperity and railroad expansion, he reinvested profits, borrowing strategically to adapt to market shifts. In 1866, he partnered with his brother William, who had his own refinery, and in 1867, Henry Flagler joined, founding Rockefeller, Andrews, and Flagler in 1868.
John D. Rockefeller’s disciplined approach transformed the chaotic oil industry, laying the foundation for Standard Oil and his unprecedented wealth. While Devil Bill’s dubious legacy shaped his cunning, John’s vision and efficiency redefined the oiligarchy, cementing his place as a titan of the Second Industrial Revolution.
Lyceum
Welcome to Space Station Laurasia! All passengers and crew members receive a personal device called a Lyceum, which serves as a journal to record and share information with family and friends via neutrionic mobile or desktop devices back on Earth’s surface. This is the Lyceum of Raymond Sheen.
Summary: History is a starting point for reimagining the past. It breaks down old narratives, exposing flaws and challenges to spark change, embracing transparency and disruption as the foundation for a new story.
Summary: History balances innovation with preservation, weaving a clear narrative that connects past challenges to present achievements. It resonates with all, offering an accessible, factual story of evolution.
Summary: History is a polished narrative of enduring values and legacy. It upholds stability and purpose, focusing on achievements to inspire trust and ensure continuity.
Image: Sunset Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, by Tim Warnock: 2008 (Cropped)
Animations: Dragonset, Matters of Grave Concern, The Pillars of Barad-Dur, Heart of Stone, Golden Leaves, Gravity, and Dragons in Moonlight, by Steven David Bennett
Concept, design, code, text and editing by: Grok and Dave
Quo Vadis? [Latin] - Where Are You Going?
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go. - Dr. Seuss
