lol, whut

Martin Luther: the original Halloween decorator

It's 31 October. Most people will be thinking about Halloween. Historians, of course, will be thinking about Martin Luther, who nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg on this day in 1517. 1/4

“Clear-eyed and pragmatic, it maps a realistic path from crisis to renewal through investment, innovation and international cooperation. A hopeful work that redefines growth for a sustainable age.” — @peterfrankopan.bsky.social Free to read & download from 5th Nov doi.org/10.31389/lse...

This week, we explore the surprising story behind England’s most famous symbol — the flag of #StGeorge. How did a man born in what’s now Turkey, with Palestinian and Greek roots, become the patron saint of England? And what does his red cross really stand for today? Listen now! #history #Legacy

Boom. New ep on Martin Luther on #Legacy - where @afuahirsch.bsky.social and I show how Luther split Europe 1/4

Fabulous stuff !

Power, protest & the physics of change. Four stories this week on Global Threads: Ukraine; Madagascar; Gen Z unrest; and a Chinese leap in quantum tech. 1/5

I’m listening to this very interesting episode of the Legacy podcast about potatoes—thanks to @nelnelnellie.bsky.social for the recommendation! Thinking about the history of potatoes with an eye toward #PlantScience and what will happen going forward! On, 🥔

‘Alongside 44 historical buildings and seven archaeological sites, all three depositories of historical and archaeological material in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed.’ @josephinequinn.bsky.social on an exhibition of Gazan antiquities: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

This week on Legacy, @afuahirsch.bsky.social and I look at how the potato changed the world 1/5

This week on Legacy, @afuahirsch.bsky.social and I look at how the potato changed the world

From October 19 TCA will launch the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast with @pannierb.bsky.social and Michael Hillard featuring Peter Frankopan author of The Silk Roads A New History of the World https://ow.ly/68bz50XbmIo #CentralAsia #Podcast #CentralAsiaPodcast #Eurasia #PodcastLaunch

🔥🔥🔥

The wonderful Legacy podcast with @afuahirsch.bsky.social and @peterfrankopan.bsky.social is back, about the potato.

We’re shaking up #Legacy. After 21 series on big lives, we’re widening the lens to ideas, events….even foods. Also: new format, same depth. And now TWO episodes a week with me & @AfuaHirsch. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. #LegacyPodcast #History

Yesterday I was in Brussels for the Global Gateway Forum - a gathering of world leaders to talk about how to connect a fractured world. What I saw instead was something extraordinary - a moment when peace might have taken shape before our eyes. 🧵👇

Worth reading this thread, as always, from @peterfrankopan.bsky.social

Belarus rarely makes Western headlines — but it should this week. A quiet move by the Trump administration has just handed Alexander Lukashenka, and indirectly Vladimir Putin, an unexpected gift. 🧵👇

WTAF! This is why I love #history @peterfrankopan.bsky.social you absolute legend 🙌🏻. #books

🎉🎉🎉 My new book, #Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth & Power is published in the US today (Basic Books / Seal Press). A huge thank you to @benchu.bsky.social @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social @peterfrankopan.bsky.social @timharford.ft.com @enortonhistory.bsky.social for your kind endorsements.

Donald Trump has shifted sharply on Russia. At the #UN, he called Moscow a “paper tiger,” said its economy was “teetering” and suggested Ukraine could win back all its lost land. Why the change in tone? 🧵1/5

As if by magic, breaking this morning: Pakistan giving Saudi nuclear protection and allows its nukes to be ‘available' to Riyadh www.reuters.com/business/aer...

The nuclear order is cracking. More states are now openly debating whether having the bomb is a necessary form of protection in an increasingly dangerous world. #NuclearWeapons 1/4

Me, on the rising threat of nuclear proliferation.... www.spectator.co.uk/article/a-ne...

It was too cloudy to see the lunar eclipse tonight, so here’s some fun diagrams of eclipses from a 13th century astronomical compilation, now @bodleian.ox.ac.uk MS. Arch. Selden. B. 34, f. 47v 🌘

Tonight’s #USOpen men’s final: Jannik Sinner v Carlos Alcaraz. Their 3rd straight Slam final. A rivalry already shaping an era. 🔥🎾 1/5

Few symbols are as Venetian as the lion on a column in the Piazzetta beside St Mark’s Basilica. But new research shows it may not be Venetian at all - its copper traces point to Tang dynasty China🦁 1/5

A terrific and important book. Out now from @vnbateman.bsky.social !!! 👇👇👇

“Erudite, ambitious and richly global in scope”. A huge thank you to @peterfrankopan.bsky.social for these kind words. Get your copy of #Economica today to find out about history’s female merchants, entrepreneurs and bankers. See how women determined the rise and decline of civilisations.

In 1700, France was the powerhouse of Europe: 25 million people, one in five Europeans, and almost 1 in 25 people on Earth were French. Its armies, culture and language shaped the world. 🇫🇷 1/5

Geopolítica UE, s. XXI: capear el ascenso de Asia o jugar al resurgir de Eurasia. 'Trump has performed a ... miracle of its own: by seeking to squeeze China and weaken its influence, and to pull India more firmly into the American orbit, he has ended up pushing two rising powers closer together.'

Recommended read „Indian corridors, Russian transport schemes, Iranian transit hubs, deep water ports across Southeast Asia all are converging in ways that recall a far earlier moment in history. The metaphor of the Silk Roads is irresistible.“ Thanks to #UStariffs @peterfrankopan.bsky.social

The SCO meeting in Tianjin has been an important moment in the emergence of new ideas - and the revival of old ones 1/4

The summer of 2025. What we were promised Vs What we got

I’ve written more about the amazing Clinton-Putin meeting in June 2000 1/4

Some incredible papers were declassified on Friday: minutes of meetings between President Clinton and President Putin from June 2000. 1/4

Human aspirations for better lives can be mobilized to ensure that the natural world thrives along with people. Says Pedro Conceição @undp.org Read his op-ed in the Financial Times, which builds on the paper published in Nature in June ⬇️Proud to be working alongside the @undp.org & others on this

What happens if we tell global history from Asia's perspective? This week, @peterfrankopan.bsky.social joined @holland-tom.bsky.social on our bonus episode to discuss precisely this, available exclusively to members of The Rest Is History Club.

Already being hassled about this by our children.... www.livescience.com/technology/c...

"The obsession with looking beautiful is of course not unique to Rome, but as the Instagram generation understand well, it can be oppressive to be bombarded by images of other people in peak physical condition." #AIEthics By @peterfrankopan.bsky.social. www.ft.com/content/f529...

Wonderful essay by @peterfrankopan.bsky.social in the new FT Wealth about Don McCullin's photos of Roman sculptures on.ft.com/3U3C1RS

As all good letters should be

What a stat in this @peterfrankopan.bsky.social essay: “the state based on Moscow grew by an estimated 55 square miles per day after the Romanovs took the throne in 1613 up to the start of the 20th century”

Excellent essay by @peterfrankopan.bsky.social

What if we measured progress not just by income or life expectancy - but by how well we live with the rest of nature? A major new paper proposes the 'Nature Relationship Index (NRI)' - a bold rethink of development metrics. Here’s why it matters.👇 #NatureRelationshipIndex #GlobalThreads

Very proud to be part of a stellar group of scholars and practitioners and this groundbreaking proposal to establish a global index that puts nature at the heart of human progress. 👇

What hasn't happened in Iran in the last 8 days is as important as what has. Some thoughts open.substack.com/pub/peterfra...

Top news astanatimes.com/2025/06/worl...