Self-driving car, Germany, 1920s.

Everything new is well-forgotten old.

We are learning to express ourselves correctly - not the New Year's fuss, but Saturnalia.

It was the feast in honor of Saturn that the Romans celebrated in December - and it was one of the main holidays of the year. Public affairs were suspended, schoolchildren went on vacation, criminals could not be punished, and slaves sat down at a common table with their masters.

The state spent insane amounts of money decorating cities and preparing an entertainment program for residents - they slaughtered animals, staged feasts, fights and theatrical performances.

The philosopher Seneca complained that every year, Saturnalia is celebrated for longer and longer - initially, it was only December 17, then the holiday was extended to 23, but in the end, they celebrated almost the whole of December.

Mike Tyson and his great defensive and offensive play, 1990

In the photo, Gary Gygax - his wife suspected him of cheating and the marriage was going to hell. It was because Gary was missing with friends and wouldn't let her into the basement.

When a woman freaked out one day and followed Gary, she found him and his friends hunched over hand-drawn cards. Gary is the inventor of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

On December 12, 2015, almost all countries of the planet promised to reduce greenhouse gas levels and save the planet. Even the DPRK joined the agreement.

Is it worth mentioning that by 2023, emissions from enterprises have only increased, and ordinary people have been thrown taxes, restrictions and problems out of the blue.

What we call the Caribbean crisis, the Americans call the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Cubans themselves call the October crisis.

Live and learn forever. This phrase can be heard from almost every teacher. But at the same time, few people know that in the original it sounded like this: "Live forever — learn how to live forever," and the author of this saying is Lucius Annaeus Seneca.

On October 2, 1836, Charles Darwin returned from a five-year voyage aboard the HMS Beagle. The collected information about animals and plants formed the basis of his theory of evolution. Often, one can find statements that his theory was full of racism and sexism. In reality, this is not the case. Rather, on the contrary, Darwin was the first to declare that every single person on the planet belongs to the same species. Although during the slave trade, many doubted this very much.

Bernie Sanders, the future US presidential candidate, is once again detained by the police, Chicago, 1963.

This is probably his hundredth arrest in the photo, and before that, the police tore down the leaflets he hung, freed him from the chains with which he chained himself to protesting blacks, also lay down in the path of Willis's vans and sat in the "detention" many times.

Democracy🤷‍♂

A girl protests against wearing bras, San Francisco, August 1, 1969.

There would be such protests now, but not this.

Only 66 years separate these two photos.

Almost two thousand years have passed from the invention of the engine to the first flight.

This day in history is the annexation of Texas.

On December 29, 1845, the U.S. Congress recognized Texas as the 28th state in the country. This quickly sparked a war with Mexico, whose territory the state had historically been. The Mexican-American War led to the fact that Mexico lost even more territories, right up to the Pacific coast.

Masonic prayer of the first third of the 19th century.

"Great Architect of the Universe, hear us!
We make mistakes in thought, word and deed, forgive us,
We are weak in heart, mind and soul, strengthen us,
Teach us prayer that merges with the Divine.,
Teach us the faith that works miracles.,
Teach us the love that embraces all things.,
Teach us a joyful sacrifice in Your name.,
Pour peace into the souls of all our brothers,
Enlighten all earthly beings with the illumination of Your love.
The sunbeam of the Deity ..., illuminate with a blessing
Everything that lives in all planes and spheres of the universe is yours,
Enlighten with Your blessing all the steps of the mystical ladder from the step of the fallen angels to the step of the Bright Teachers
Our leader... Thy will be done upon us."

Dear friends, I wish you a Happy New Year!
I wish there was always peace over your head. Your dreams have always come true. There was peace in your soul and joy in your heart.
It's been a difficult year for everyone. But I try not to get involved in politics.
I hope that I will have more time to give you more interesting historical facts than I have had recently.