42: 3. LONDINIUM 91 CE. Hollywood and Rome. Gaius and Germanicus concluded their meeting by critiquing Hollywood's portrayal of Roman decline, focusing on Gladiator 2. Gaius admitted he could not finish the film due to its historically inaccurate conclusion.

42: 2. LONDINIUM 91 CE. Seven Warnings, Part II. The conversation continued with Germanicus detailing the remaining maxims, noting that the United States seems to follow this list of strategic errors as if it were a program. (5) Never think "it will never hap

42: 1. LONDINIUM 91 CE. Seven Warnings, Part I. Gaius and Germanicus, joined by retired centurions, convened at the Friends of History Debating Society to discuss Germanicus's list of seven maxims detailing how empires, specifically the US, engage in self-har

41: The Legacy and Hidden History of the Graces' Style. The full set of fashion plates documenting this radical style revolution was rediscovered at the Morgan Library after being incorrectly cataloged. The true story of this fashion was radical and had been

41: Cotton, Cameos, and Cashmere: The Accessories of Revolutionary Style. The Graces made cotton, previously worn by lower classes, the most fashionable and revolutionary fabric, often importing high-quality white muslin from India. Painters like David were f

41: From Prison Garb to Neoclassical Chic: Style and Scandal in the Directory. During the Directory (circa 1795), Teresia (Madame Tallien) and Rose (not yet Josephine) held influential salons, using style to gain success in a world where women lacked financia

41: The Birth of Revolutionary French Fashion: Teresia, Rose, and Juliet. Professor Anne Higonnet's book Liberty, Equality, Fashion: The Women Who Styled the French Revolution examines how three women drove a style revolution separate from the concurrent viol

41: The Scarcity Value of Time: Impressionism and the Legacy of Julie Manet. Sebastian Smee discusses how Berthe Morisot's life is carried forward by her daughter, Julie Manet, who represents a "perfect representation of Berthe." Before Berthe succumbed to il

41: The Wedding, Manet's Decline, and the Posthumous Fight Over Morisot's Legacy. Sebastian Smee discusses how in the aftermath of the "terrible year," Édouard Manet painted Berthe Morisot several times in a series Smee considers one of the greatest records o

41: Sincerity, Transience, and the Domestic Focus of Berthe Morisot's Art. Sebastian Smee discusses how the Impressionists' defining characteristic was plein air painting—painting outside directly in front of the subject. Berthe Morisot was highly innovative,

41: May 1871: Bloody Week and Morisot's Transformation Into a Professional Artist. Sebastian Smee discusses how the Commune began to fall when French government forces returned to retake the city, resulting in Bloody Week in May 1871. The civil conflict was a

41: The Siege, Starvation, and the Start of the Communard Revolt. Sebastian Smee discusses how during the Prussian siege of Paris, Parisians suffered terribly in the coldest winter on record. Radical Republicans grew furious at the moderate government's failu

41: The Republican Fire: Manet, Gambetta, and the War That Declared a French Republic. Sebastian Smee discusses how Édouard Manet's family wanted him to pursue law or the Navy, but he became a passionate, anti-autocratic Republican inspired by the 1848 uprisi

41: Berthe Morisot and Édouard Manet: Art, Affection, and the Struggle Against Bourgeois Expectations. Sebastian Smee discusses how the Impressionists lived amidst the violence of the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. Berthe Morisot came from the wealthy haute bourge

41: Paris 1874: The Artistic Revolt Against the Salon and the Birth of Impressionism. Sebastian Smee discusses how on April 15, 1874, an exhibition opened marking the birth of Impressionism. The group, including Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley, Cézanne, Degas

41: The "Genial and Aloof" Communicator: Reagan's Psychological Defense and Exquisite Political Timing. Max Boot discusses the late Reagan administration, his personality, and his legacy. Reagan was famously defined as "genial and aloof," and Boot argues that

41: Reagan's Pragmatic Cold War Victory, Don Regan's Disastrous Tenure, and the Iran-Contra Near-Death Experience. Max Boot discusses how Ronald Reagan had no patience for communism, and in his first term, his policy toward the Soviet Union was somewhat unsuc

41: The Finest Hour: How the Assassination Attempt Secured Reaganomics and the Rise of the Baker-Deaver Troika. Max Boot discusses how on March 30, 1981, just 69 days into his administration, Ronald Reagan was shot after giving a speech in Washington and came

41: Presidential Ambition and the 1980 Victory: From Farm Hand Friendship to the "There You Go Again" Knockout. Max Boot discusses Ronald Reagan running for president, first challenging incumbent Gerald Ford in the 1976 Republican primaries. Reagan narrowly l

41: The Road to Goldwater: Ronald Reagan's Conservative Conversion via General Electric and His Confrontational Governorship. Max Boot discusses how Ronald Reagan found great success in television, hosting the General Electric Theater and earning substantial