A landmark 632 years in the making: the odyssey of Cologne Cathedral.
Why did it take Germany more than six centuries to finish what was once the world's tallest building?
The Garden of Memory
The blog and newsletter of historian Sean Munger, looking at the past as a living garden of human experiences.
Latest posts
Historic Painting: “Giant Steamboats at New Orleans” by Hippolyte Sebron, 1853.
A French painter turns his eyes and brush toward the romantic riverboat era that flourished before the Civil War.
Another concept illustration for “Faraway Star” has come out!
Another illustration by my talented concept artist depicts one of the pivotal scenes in the book.
Still no winter: My novel “Life Without Giamotti,” still in print, turned 20 this week!
I still have a soft spot in my heart for my quirky science fiction epic, which has a (very small) cult following.
“The Odyssey” and “Backrooms”: Reclaiming cinema in 2026.
Two fascinating current films have left me with some optimism about where cinema of the 2020s may be headed.
Interiors: Lobby of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles.
Where do humans fit in this massive concrete and glass cathedral of commerce?
Learning about story craft from “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.”
What can a bad movie from 27 years ago teach us about how stories and characters work?
The New York City Draft/Race Riots and “Gangs of New York” (Repost).
On July 13, 1863, the worst episode of racial violence in American history turned New York into a charnel house.
A bug-free summer and its ominous implications.
Notice fewer insects around this summer? Yeah, there's a reason for that, and it's terrifying.
Whaling in the 19th century, by the numbers: A quantitative look at maritime history.
Take a look at a genuine list of all the stuff the operators of New Bedford's whaling fleet bought in 1858 to outfit their ships.
Historic Photo: Dubai Creek in 1964, compared to today.
The mainstay of this waterway used to be pearls. Now it's oil, and high finance.
Sweltering in the Old World: The European heat wave of 2003.
A horrifying heat wave in Europe in 2003 killed as many people as the Hiroshima bomb.
Behind the Scenes: San Francisco That Survived.
My latest video looks at some interesting pieces of San Francisco's history.
Midsummer Eve: A brief hiatus for this blog.
In the immortal words of Huey Lewis, all I need is a couple days off.
The legacy of Watergate in 2026: Does it still mean anything?
Does the vast scale of more recent Presidential wrongdoing mean Nixon's scandal is irrelevant?