http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/ Bringing an Historical Perspective to the Day's News en Copyright 2013 Mon, 20 May 2013 12:06:59 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss A Navy dolphin discovers a torpedo off the coast of California; in 1856 an experiment brought camels into the U.S. Army. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/05/military-mammals.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/05/military-mammals.php Deja Vu Mon, 20 May 2013 12:06:59 -0500 Chris Christie’s weight-loss surgery sparks presidential rumors; in 1905 William Howard Taft reduces the old-fashioned way. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/05/fit-for-the-job.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/05/fit-for-the-job.php Deja Vu Mon, 13 May 2013 12:39:23 -0500 A one-way trip to Mars generates thousands of willing participants; in 1609, the Virginia Company deems Jamestown is the place to be. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/05/trip-of-a-lifetime.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/05/trip-of-a-lifetime.php Deja Vu Wed, 01 May 2013 14:14:39 -0500 The World Trade Center prepares to assume the role of tallest building in NYC; in 1939, the Chrysler Building employs a complicated scheme to achieve the highest height. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/race-to-the-top.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/race-to-the-top.php Deja Vu Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:52:38 -0500 Officials search for an heir to an Indian fortune; in 1967 Anna Anderson claims she is a long lost grand duchess of Russia. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/heir-apparent.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/heir-apparent.php Deja Vu Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:33:25 -0500 An online test claims to measure the cognitive ability of canines, while J.R. Ackerley wonders whether man or beast calls the shots. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/a-dogs-world.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/a-dogs-world.php Deja Vu Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:43:59 -0500 A dramatic French prison break echoes 18th century Britain's most famous jailbird. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/jail-break.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/jail-break.php Deja Vu Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:07:58 -0500 A Louisiana town bans baggy pants, while in WWII-era Los Angeles, a riot is linked to men’s fashion. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/the-war-on-pants.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/the-war-on-pants.php Deja Vu Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:52:08 -0500 In Belarus, a fisherman is killed by a beaver’s bite, calling into question the Comte de Buffon’s 1767 assertion of their gentleness. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/dam.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/dam.php Deja Vu Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:24:08 -0500 Debtors’ prisons reappear in the U.S., while a Manchester prisoner writing in 1861 exposes the injustice of his incarceration. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/payback.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/payback.php Deja Vu Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:23:36 -0500 In 2013, President Obama gives back part of salary in solidarity with federal workers; in 1962, John F. Kennedy donated all of his to charity. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/institutional-giving.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/institutional-giving.php Deja Vu Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:41:24 -0500 NYC police arrest a runner of the numbers game, while nineteenth century reformers attempt to curb the racket. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/luck-of-the-draw.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/luck-of-the-draw.php Deja Vu Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:50:51 -0500 Sluggish opening day ticket sales worry baseball owners; World War II gave women a chance to participate in America’s pastime. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/batter-up.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/04/batter-up.php Deja Vu Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:30:42 -0500 In Russia, radioactive material is (falsely) linked to immortality, while a Qin dynasty emperor tries to cheat death. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/03/immortal-technique.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/03/immortal-technique.php Deja Vu Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:08:14 -0500 China’s new first lady sparks shopping frenzy, while an Austrian princess puts the nineteenth century’s most famous designer on the map. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/03/first-ladies-of-fashion.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/03/first-ladies-of-fashion.php Deja Vu Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:15:21 -0500 As the FBI announces a break in the 1990 art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the mystery of a stolen Belgian altarpiece may never be solved. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/03/cold-case.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/03/cold-case.php Deja Vu Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:06:31 -0500 A Bulgarian cleric tries to part with his Rolex, while Martin Luther finds godliness in poverty. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/03/gifts-received.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/03/gifts-received.php Deja Vu Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:14:07 -0500 A retiring pope harkens back to an 11th-century Japanese custom of ritual abdication. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/03/stepping-aside.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/03/stepping-aside.php Deja Vu Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:41:13 -0500 South Korea elects its first female president; in 1553, the ascension of Queen Mary I is seen by some as a punishment from higher powers. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/watch-the-throne.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/watch-the-throne.php Deja Vu Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:14:22 -0500 Oklahoma authorities attribute a death to spontaneous combustion; Charles Dickens takes the heat for suggesting the phenomenon might be real. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/bursting-into-flames.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/bursting-into-flames.php Deja Vu Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:35:13 -0500 A meteorite causes widespread panic in Russia; in 1954, the first American victim of falling space rock wants to keep her prize. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/skyfall.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/skyfall.php Deja Vu Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:45:54 -0500 Horsemeat masquerading as beef frightens British and French customers, while filet de cheval became the entrée of choice during the 1871 Siege of Paris. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/they-eat-horses-dont-they.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/they-eat-horses-dont-they.php Deja Vu Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:28:02 -0500 Considered a job for life by the Catholic Church, only a handful of popes have abdicated before Pope Benedict XVI, most recently in 1415. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/peace-im-out.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/peace-im-out.php Deja Vu Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:41:46 -0500 A sharp decline in bank robberies leaves some wondering if the crime might be a thing of the past; John Dillinger’s girlfriend remembers him fondly. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/this-is-a-stick-up.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/this-is-a-stick-up.php Deja Vu Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:48:33 -0500 In 2013, liquor production returns to Brooklyn; an 1864 whiskey raid is criticized by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/lips-that-touch-liquor.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/lips-that-touch-liquor.php Deja Vu Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:31:50 -0500 Russian authorities put a deceased lawyer on trial, while an eighth century pope prosecutes the memory of his predecessor. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/dead-again.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/02/dead-again.php Deja Vu Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:20:18 -0500 In 2013, Iran sends a monkey into space, while a 1961 primate-astronaut gets his very own LIFE magazine profile. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/01/one-small-step-for-monkeys.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/01/one-small-step-for-monkeys.php Deja Vu Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:03:48 -0500 A historic policy change will allow American women to serve in combat zones; a cross-dressing female Union solider rushes into battle. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/01/on-the-front-lines.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/01/on-the-front-lines.php Deja Vu Thu, 24 Jan 2013 14:00:01 -0500 A college football star finds out his Internet girlfriend isn’t what she seems to be—but was the fourth wife of Henry VIII the original catfish? http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/01/mystery-date.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/01/mystery-date.php Deja Vu Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:08:55 -0500 Creating inaugural gowns prove to be anything but a Cinderella-moment for contemporary fashion designers, while a bold choice by Mrs. Grover Cleveland turns the fashion world upside down. http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/01/best-dressed.php http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/deja_vu/2013/01/best-dressed.php Deja Vu Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:45:34 -0500