from “Campo Marzio dell’antica Roma” (1762) by Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Community Settlement Map for 1950 (+)
City of Chicago’s Department of Development and Planning
historical map of Africa, 1808 (UT)
“Africa” from Brookes, R., The General Gazetteer; or Compendious Geographical Dictionary. Eighth Edition. Dublin, 1808.
To Make America Great Again, We Need to Leave the Country - Elliot Gerson - The Atlantic
When Americans travel abroad, they are often surprised at how well other countries do the things we used to think America does best. In fact, one reason so many American businesses still lead the world is because they benchmark the competition and emulate best practices. But suggest to an American politician that we should try to learn from other countries, and he will look at you like you are from Mars. It is somehow unpatriotic even to raise such comparisons.
Imagine if a politician were to say, “France has a better health care system than we do.” I can almost guarantee that politician would suffer electoral defeat — even though the statement, in most objective respects, is true. The U.S. is, for too many, the only country that matters; experiences anywhere else are irrelevant. Remember, we have many members of Congress who boast they have no passport.
At a time when many trend lines in the U.S. point to relative decline in this regard, one actually brings hope: More and more young Americans go abroad for some of their education. Last year, about a quarter million studied in another country; a decade ago, the number was about half that. Value will come not just from greater global consciousness, but from the direct experience that many nations simply do many things far better than we do… (» more)
// theatlantic
An invisible, ancient source of energy surrounds us—energy that powered the first explorations of the world, and that may be a key to the future.
This map shows you the delicate tracery of wind flowing over the US.
Visualize wind patterns— in near real-time!
(via Per Square Mile)
illustration by Mike Lowery for Oxford American
(I see Joy)
the Argyle Academy: ATLANTA // a few of my favorite spots
// amanda-rae
An Epic Time-Lapse Map of Europe Over the Past 1,000 Years
// theatlantic:
YouTube user harrunostasj has created a fascinating look at European history in fast forward using the Centennia Historical Atlas. The mapping software is a “dynamic, animated historical atlas including over 9,000 border changes,” tracing the rise and fall of empires from 1,000 C.E. onward. Make sure to watch the video full screen in HD to see the year in the top left corner and notes on historic events in the bottom left corner (and turn up the volume to appreciate the dramatic soundtrack from Inception).
Jerry Gretzinger: Mapping the Void (2010)
// constellationclose:braiker:nprradiopictures:
This short and sweet documentary introduces us to Jerry Gretzinger, a guy who draws a giant map of a city with a life of its own. He draws cards to let chance dictate what he adds to the map, changing the city. The amount of time he must have spent on this over the years is amazing. - Mito
