On January 1st, 1818, Mary Shelley, at age nineteen, published the gothic novel Frankenstein. The novel dramatizes the clash of two cultures—the Enlightenment that celebrated reason and science and the Romantic age that celebrated passion and art. Our video highlights how Mary Shelley's family and those around her influenced her creation of the novel.

Written by Stephen Kern. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/march-2018-mary-shelleys-frankenstein.

This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine has returned to its pre-revolutionary position as a major agricultural exporter of key commodities. With Russia currently controlling a large portion of Ukraine’s cultivated agricultural land in the south, as well as blockading ports on the Black Sea, a significant amount of grain for export is stranded in Ukraine.   

Written by Ian M. Sheldon. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/ukraine-food-war-agriculture.  

This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.

The Russian government’s rationale for the war in Ukraine is not about oil, coal, or natural resources. It is about asserting specious historical claims. However, It is important to understand the history of Rus to place this conflict in its proper historical context.   

Written by Christian Raffensperger. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/read/kyiv-rus-ukraine-russia.

On December 2, 1980, four churchwomen—Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and lay missionary Jean Donovan—became victims of escalating violence toward church members who sided with the poor in El Salvador.

Written by Stephanie M. Huezo. Narration by Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Textual and video versions of this podcast are available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/murdered-churchwomen-el-salvador.

This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.

In 1919, Eugene Christophe was awarded the first yellow jersey, but he did not win the Tour de France that year. Learn about the history of the yellow jersey and why it was adopted as a symbol of the race. [Correction: As of 2022, France has held 7 races solely in France since 1947.]  

Written by Darcy Benson. Narration by Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this podcast is available at https://origins.osu.edu/watch/tour-de-france-and-yellow-jersey

On September 20, 1519, five ships carrying about 270 men sailed westward from the Spanish port of  Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Their goal was to reach the Spice Islands of Maluku and open a new trading route for Spain.  

Written by Dani Anthony. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this podcast is available athttps://origins.osu.edu/milestones/magellan-circumnavigation-earth.

Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.

In February-March 1616, the Catholic Church issued a prohibition against the Copernican theory of the earth’s motion. This led later (1633) to the Inquisition trial and condemnation of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) as a suspected heretic.

Written by Maurice A. Finocchiaro. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/february-2016-400-years-ago-catholic-church-prohibited-copernicanism.

On June 28, 1914, one event changed the world. A Bosnian-Serb youth Gavrilo Princip, aged only 19, shot and killed the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Austrian throne, and his wife Sophie as their motorcade passed by on the streets of Sarajevo.

Written by Brenna Miller. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/june-2014-assassin-s-shadow-beginning-world-war-i-and-legacy-gavrilo-princip.

The atomic age began between heartbeats at 8:15 am on August 6, 1945 when the Japanese city of Hiroshima was leveled by an atomic bomb. Three days later, the United States dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, marking the first time humanity broke atoms in anger.

Written by Craig Nelson. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/august-2015-hiroshima.

In March 1869, Mendeleev delivered a full paper to the Russian Chemical Society spelling out the most significant aspect of his system, that characteristics of the elements recur at a periodic interval as a function of their atomic weight. This was the first iteration of the periodic law. Come along with us as we explore the history of the periodic table of elements.

Written by Ann E. Robinson. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this is available at https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/mendeleev-periodic-table-UN-chemistry-radioactivity-noble-gases.

This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.