David Tollen, Author at Pints of History

“300” Got It Wrong: Persian Rule Might Have Been Good for Greece – and Western Civilization

by David Tollen | Aug 7, 2014 | Classical Civilization

During the early 400’s B.C.E., the Persian Empire twice tried to conquer ancient Greece. An alliance of city-states fought back, led by Athens and Sparta. Against seemingly impossible odds, the little cities defeated the greatest empire the world had ever known....

The Death of David Carthage

by David Tollen | Aug 5, 2014 | Writing About History

I’m pleased to announce the early demise of the author David Carthage. In other words, I’ve been writing this blog under the pen name “David Carthage,” and I published my book, The Jericho River, under the same name. My actual name is David W....

Downton Abbey Revisited: What Mary Owns, and Baby George Crawley

by David Tollen | Jan 9, 2014 | The Recent Modern Age

[SPOILER ALERT: Details below from Downton Abbey Season 3 + Ep. 1, Season 4.] In a post last year, I explained The Entail, Primogeniture, and Why Matthew Inherits Downton Abbey. But the intricacies of noble (and royal) inheritance never end, and Downton Abbey’s...

The Magic of History

by David Tollen | Nov 23, 2013 | Writing About History

Last year, I spoke at a TEDx Youth conference — to an audience of smart, motivated high school students. My topic was the magic of history. I told the students many of my favorite short stories from past times. I wanted to reveal history’s endless well of...

Punctuated Equilibrium: Natural History’s Pattern, and History’s Too

by David Tollen | Oct 8, 2013 | Special Historical Studies

Biologists no longer consider evolution a steady or gradual process. New traits often spread suddenly, and a new species may crop up in tens of millennia or less. These “punctuated” or fast evolutions happen when a population faces a new stress or...