June - 2019

A Tube Map of Human Anatomy: All the Systems of Our Body Visualised in the Style of the Tube

We all have bodies, but how many of us truly know our way around them? Plenty of books explain in detail the functions of and relationships between each and every part of our anatomy, but few of them do it in a way the layman — and especially the layman not yet accustomed to the sight of human viscera laid bare — can readily grasp. We need a visualisation of the human body, but what kind of visualisation can best represent it with a maximum of clarity and a minimum of mislead

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Winston Churchill Gets a Doctor’s Note to Drink “Unlimited” Alcohol in Prohibition America (1932)

In December 1931, having just embarked on a 40-stop lecture tour of the United States, Winston Churchill was running late to dine with financier Bernard Baruch on New York City’s Upper East Side. He hadn’t bothered to bring Baruch’s address, operating under the incorrect assumption that his friend was so distinguished a personage, any random cab-driving commoner would automatically recognise his building. Such were the days before mobile phones and Google Maps.... Eventually,

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John Coltrane Draws a Picture Illustrating the Mathematics of Music

Physicist and saxophonist Stephon Alexander has argued in his many public lectures and his book The Jazz of Physics that Albert Einstein and John Coltrane had quite a lot in common. Alexander in particular draws our attention to the so-called “Coltrane circle,” which resembles what any musician will recognize as the “Circle of Fifths,” but incorporates Coltrane’s own innovations. Coltrane gave the drawing to saxophonist and professor Yusef Lateef in 1967, who included it in h

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Tammi Terrell: The Tragic Story Of Motown's Forgotten Star

There’s little the music press likes more than a dead rock star to mythologise. Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse is the mantra – the slew of recent articles around the twentieth anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s passing is testament to that. However, the death itself has to fit the narrative; drugs, suicide or tragic accident all work fine, but if it’s the kind of untimely disease that could affect us mere mortals, that just won’t do at all, will it? Thomasina Mo

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15 Riveting Facts About Alan Turing

More than six decades after his death, Alan Turing’s life remains a point of fascination—even for people who have no interest in his groundbreaking work in computer science. He has been the subject of a play and an opera, and referenced in multiple novels and numerous musical albums. The Benedict Cumberbatch film about his life, The Imitation Game, received eight Oscar nominations. But just who was he in real life? Here are 15 facts you should know about Alan Turing, who was

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The Story of Joy Division's “Unknown Pleasures"

After seeing the Sex Pistols perform at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester in 1976 and inspired by their DIY ethos and lack of great musical ability, several attendees ran out to form their own band. Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley quickly formed The Buzzcocks, Mark E Smith joined The Fall, and Morrissey continued to dream of being in a band while writing letters to music mags like NME. Other attendees Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner joined forces and later recruited sing

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Watch John Bonham’s Blistering 13-Minute Drum Solo on “Moby Dick,” One of His Finest Moments Live On

I've been known to play air drums, when at home and nobody's looking. No one would know it, but I’m not half bad. Except when it comes to jazz. I know not to attempt anything by these two though: Keith Moon and John Bonham. In categories all their own, it’s no surprise both drummers loved jazz, especially the hyperkinetic Gene Krupa. (Tragically, they also shared an interest in fatal overindulgence.) They took some common influences, however, in very different directions. For

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The Alien Beauty Of Jellyfish In Alexander Semenov’s Photography

Russian marine biologist and underwater photographer Alexander Semenov creates extraordinary photographs of the deep sea aliens. Alexander is currently leading a team of scientists on a three-year-long Aquatilis expedition to explore the deep waters around the world. The aim of Aguatilis expedition is to reveal the hidden animal kingdom living miles under the surface. “You can’t actually study gelata in labs or in an aquarium, because their bodies can fall apart from a single

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The Magnificent 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe From The Ralph Lauren Collection

Designer Ralph Lauren is the proud owner of one of the world’s most handsome, interesting and fine specimens of car – the 1938 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic Coupe. This gem is one of the rarest and most expensive cars in the world, designed by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore. This beauty is estimated to be worth around $40 million US, why? Besides the fact it’s a visual work-of-art which has been on display in museums such as the Cleveland Museum of Art, there are only three know

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