#OnThisDay, 7 Jan 1939, French physicist Marguerite Perey discovers element 87, which she later names francium. It was the last element to be discovered naturally.

Perey was a student of Marie Curie, and was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize but never received it.

#WomenInHistory #WomenInSTEM #ScienceHistory #History #Histodons

Happy to share my new article, "Letters from the Ottoman Empire: Migration from the Caucasus and Russia's Pan-Islamic Panic," published by Slavic Review. https://doi.org/10.1017/slr.2023.164

For years, I have been searching for Muslim refugees' letters exchanged between the #Ottoman and Russian empires in the 1850s–1914. I was lucky to find quite a few: in archives in Tbilisi, Baku, Moscow, Vladikavkaz, and Makhachkala and private collections in #Jordan and Dagestan. The article explores the secret transborder #letter exchange of Caucasus Muslims and reactions by #Russia.

I argue that Muslims' letters from the Ottoman Empire fueled the Russian government's paranoia about Pan-Islamism that purportedly threatened Russia's colonial project in the #Caucasus. The Pan-Islamic panic shaped Russia's migration policies and colonial governance, including bans on Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, emigration, and return migration.

#histodon #histodons #history #MiddleEast #Turkey

In 1920, Mamie Smith became the FIRST Black American to record a Blues song. "Crazy Blues” ushered in a new era of "race records.” Previously, white singers copied Black vocal styles in blues recordings, while Black entertainers like Ma Rainey, Ethel Waters, & Bessie Smith were confined to the "Chitlin Circuit." Mamie Smith’s success paved the way for black blues & jazz musicians to thrive.

https://youtu.be/OiJrBgbwsJw

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@blackmastodon@a.gup.pe @BlackMastodon@chirp.social #BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #music

Joseph Laroche was the only black person of the Titanic’s 2,223 passengers & crew. On April 10, 1912, he joined the ship with his family at Grande Rade harbor, France. Despite enjoying the ship's lavish offerings & dining 1st class, the family faced scorn b/c of their interracial marriage. He went down with the ship. Later, White Star Line apologized for the racism of its crew towards non-white passengers.

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@blackmastodon@a.gup.pe
@BlackMastodon@chirp.social
#BlackMastodon #History #histodons #Titanic

Every year I do an activity on the fugitive slave law & civil disobedience. We talk about whether protest is worthwhile and when, if ever, it's ok to break the law to stand for moral principles.

In past years, most students were pretty cynical & said protest wasn't helpful; they wouldn't risk their own safety and security for civil disobedience. Today, numerous students said that the risk to the country of not protesting for what is right was greater than the personal risk of getting arrested.

What has changed, beyond the random mix of students? My best guess is that the frequency of protests, esp by young people, has an influence, as does the very real sense in their generation that there are serious and urgent problems in the world. That said, when I asked how many of them had ever engaged in protest or civil disobedience, only 3/23 had.

The full lesson is on my website: https://cassandragoodhistorian.com/2021/04/15/a-lesson-in-ethics-slavery-resistance/

#histodons #history #teaching #ethics

A lesson in ethics, slavery, & resistance

Several years ago, I designed a lesson as part of a faculty ethics workshop at Marymount University that has now become one of my favorite discussions of the semester in my early U.S. survey course…

^{Cassandra Good}