Here are 25 highly specific things you've noticed before, but which you didn't know also have very specific names.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) October 1, 2022
Starting with "craquelure" - those fine cracks and lines that appear on old paintings. pic.twitter.com/ai8nPSNeZN
A brief history of your favourite fonts: pic.twitter.com/erWx3wE8ve
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) October 4, 2022
Why do clocks move in that direction?!
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) December 21, 2022
(It's got nothing to do with time...) pic.twitter.com/LeGsPlSXXn
We've all heard of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) November 9, 2022
But where are they? Who built them and why? Were they even real?
Well, the first thing is that the idea of "Seven Wonders" is itself 2,000 years old... pic.twitter.com/CkuGFy7drp
Exploring the architecture of The Lord of the Rings films: pic.twitter.com/dpqs4Gpkny
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) December 16, 2022
The Importance of Tradition
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) July 11, 2022
(and the danger of modernisation)
A short thread... pic.twitter.com/KLftd6WwUC
What are all these scribbles on your keyboard?
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) November 7, 2022
A brief history of punctuation marks: pic.twitter.com/0RTPhE8y7q
An example of architecture from every single country in the world, in alphabetical order.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 13, 2022
Starting with Afghanistan's Minaret of Jam.
1/196 pic.twitter.com/leVs2M2WI0
How Tacitus described Britain's weather in the 1st century A.D.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) May 29, 2022
Some things never change. pic.twitter.com/5iXwmZsBnu
A brief history of football, from its origins in the Middle Ages to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar:
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) November 19, 2022
(including why some people call it soccer) pic.twitter.com/mrnIGonzU7
Why have so many football team badges been simplified into corporate logos? pic.twitter.com/J4cs3Wq3QZ
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) November 14, 2022
The Ancient Greeks had two words for time:
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) August 13, 2022
1. Chronos = sequential, quantitative time
2. Kairos = fluctuating, qualitative time
Here's why you need to understand kairos... pic.twitter.com/U3dQzXJrv1
This is Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) December 7, 2022
It has more than a dozen mosques, three Catholic churches (and a monastery), three Orthodox churches, a former Evangelical Protestant church, an active synagogue and two former synagogues.
How did that happen? pic.twitter.com/6cq7YX4Ew2
21 key dates from European history you should really know by now:
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) May 31, 2022
The 61 English & British monarchs in 61 tweets:
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 2, 2022
Saw this on my afternoon walk.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 1, 2022
Opposing views from the same bridge.
What can't we do, that so-called illiterate and backwards Medieval peasants could? pic.twitter.com/HDrZmSM2vf
Unlike most countries, Britain doesn't have a written constitution.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 13, 2022
But it does have a constitution...
Here's how it works: pic.twitter.com/XXuxjJpvXJ
On the 30th January 1889, a man called Joseph Hoyos arrived at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna with an urgent message for Emperor Franz-Josef of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 11, 2022
He brought news of a shocking romantic tragedy which would shape the course of the 20th century... pic.twitter.com/0evBbTb6VE
The Problem with Science
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) July 4, 2022
(is also the best thing about science)
A short thread... pic.twitter.com/rpnNvoKnw9
Being wrong is a good thing.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) July 2, 2022
More than good, it's vital.
So here's a short guide on how to be wrong (and why you should want to be): pic.twitter.com/Q7MZAp2lRC
21 lessons from history for the 21st century:
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 7, 2022
1. Inflation is nothing new. A loaf of bread in Berlin that cost around 160 Marks at the end of 1922 cost 200,000,000,000 Marks by late 1923. pic.twitter.com/Tb4Ps0YJkn
Have you ever walked through a park or forest and realised you don't know what all the different trees are called?
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 22, 2022
Well here's how to recognise 13 common trees:
(and get more in touch with the natural world) pic.twitter.com/EdccNgEh06
In 1977 NASA sent the "Golden Records" into space with the two Voyager probes, intended to be found by intelligent extraterrestial life.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 24, 2022
They contain 115 images of life on earth, along with a variety of sounds and music. Here's what they included... pic.twitter.com/RZBWqhfru0
For all now wondering how it works.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 11, 2022
A guide to constitutional monarchy: pic.twitter.com/A7OY00kYZe
Are video games art? pic.twitter.com/ztaEo6z5Dt
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 2, 2022
We are living in the Digital Dark Age.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) July 31, 2022
99.9% of the world's information is stored digitally, and one day it might either be lost or inaccessible... pic.twitter.com/IhLP3IbSgh
How to recognise 15 common cloud formations: pic.twitter.com/FOOyfAi2Rv
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) August 1, 2022
This oddly shaped Sumerian box is five thousand years old.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) October 7, 2022
And it's the oldest board game in the world.
So here is a brief history of Sumer, the first civilisation, in ten objects: pic.twitter.com/HxWreSNVDm
A short history of the world in 13 maps & infographics:
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) December 10, 2022
1. Everybody alive today compared to everybody who has ever lived pic.twitter.com/Y5FuMuzt75
Why are the same words spelled differently in American and British English? pic.twitter.com/vT5PaBXyV6
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) December 14, 2022
Who is Santa Claus, why does he look like that, and where did he come from? pic.twitter.com/fQQhaotJ6f
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) December 25, 2022
Why does Argentina wear a pale blue and white football kit?
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) December 19, 2022
It's a story that involves the Byzantine Empire, Renaissance painters, Napoleon, and a revolution... pic.twitter.com/7LntiFTEdW
Why is the Imperial System of measurements so complicated? pic.twitter.com/Odj04Y8SX4
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) December 23, 2022
The Importance of Beauty in the Ordinary
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) August 9, 2022
(and the danger of things being bland)
A short thread... pic.twitter.com/VeaY2X2rvd
The Problem with Museums
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 25, 2022
(and how they commodify culture)
A short thread... pic.twitter.com/iBWcXFCvU6
A day in the life of a WW1 soldier. Thread: pic.twitter.com/PwDsgO8gBb
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 6, 2022
The history of India is vast, complex, fascinating, and important. But many people don't know enough about it.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 30, 2022
So here is a brief overview: pic.twitter.com/fzAJSy70mq
Has the world become less colourful?
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) July 26, 2022
(This graph shows the colour of objects over time) pic.twitter.com/IIbv7uRnbN
There is no "law" forbidding murder in England, but it's still illegal.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 3, 2022
Why? The common law.
A brief guide to how it works:
If you study these 13 maps for just a couple of minutes each, you'll understand history much better.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) July 6, 2022
Starting with... the migrations of prehistoric humanity. pic.twitter.com/znNxhgZLlp
We are often guilty of idolising our ancient ancestors.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) May 17, 2022
Well, here is an insult from the Epic of Gilgamesh, the world's oldest literary text (c.2100-1200 BC)
"May dregs of beer stain your beautiful lap,
May a drunk soil your festal robe with vomit!"
Some things never change.
22 ways history has repeated itself in 2022:
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 13, 2022
22 ways to become a better artist, according to Leonardo da Vinci. Thread: pic.twitter.com/gSzWucc16H
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 10, 2022
The problem with modern art.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 9, 2022
A short thread...
Humans have always been frightened of death, but in the 21st century we are particularly fearful.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 17, 2022
Let's go on a short journey through art, history, & philosophy to learn why we shouldn't be.
16 ways to embrace your mortality. pic.twitter.com/TJm6a6NvBD
Beauty isn't subjective.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 30, 2022
(it's objective, just not how you think)
A short thread... pic.twitter.com/yuN0rKx8Us
One tweet biography of every English & British monarch since Alfred the Great in 886:
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 17, 2022
1/63 pic.twitter.com/vXRqucNPvp
Perspective is everything.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 28, 2022
The "normal" world map doesn't even show countries according to their proper size.
Here are 12 other world maps to challenge your perspective: pic.twitter.com/aF3ehPXAnR
These huge "keyholes" in the city of Sakai, Japan, are actually tombs built for the Emperor Nintoku over 1,500 years ago.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 20, 2022
Since the dawn of civilisation humans have been building large and elaborate tombs. Here's what some of them have looked like... pic.twitter.com/coLZWpsd3o
The Problem with Inspirational Quotes
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) September 3, 2022
(and why the 21st century is full of them) pic.twitter.com/3fMx56hfMG
Have cars ruined cities? pic.twitter.com/BkaQNrpj1H
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) July 16, 2022
16 books you probably haven't heard of but should consider reading (and why): pic.twitter.com/nKOBYEvcMa
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) August 11, 2022
One piece of art from every decade since the year 1300, in chronological order.
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) October 11, 2022
1300-1310: The Bronze Head of Ife, Nigeria
1/83 pic.twitter.com/18TQwQow8N