I’m reading a book by the always-fascinating Steven Johnson, called How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World. His premise is that certain key innovations, such as the discovery of glass and refrigeration, set in motion… Read More
During the building of St. Petersburg (1703 – 16) laborers were paid only half a ruble per month. They died by the thousands of disease, starvation, and exhaustion. No wheelbarrows were available, so they transported construction materials in their uplifted caftans.