These are the books that Princeton, Harvard and Yale professors think you should read

When asked, professors at America's most prestigious colleges — those in the top 10, according to US News & World Report — shared with Business Insider the single book they think every student should read in 2017.

College professors dole out an incredible amount of required reading to their students.

But what if they could only choose one book?

When asked, professors at America's most prestigious colleges — those in the top 10, according to US News & World Report — shared with Business Insider the single book they think every student should read in 2017.

The topics of the books spanned issues from politics to social science to Shakespearean literature.

Read on to see what professors from schools like Princeton, Harvard, and Yale think you should read this year.

Jill Abramson, Harvard: 'The Paranoid Style in American Politics,' by Richard Hofstadter

Abramson, a former executive editor of The New York Times and current Harvard English lecturer, recommends students read Richard Hofstadter's "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," first published in 1964.

Amazon.co

Abramson says the book is "everything you need to know about the root of Donald Trump's rhetoric and fake news."

James Berger, Yale: 'Orfeo,' by Richard Power

James Berger is a senior Lecturer in English and American Studies at Yale University. He recommends the 2014 novel "Orfeo," by Richard Powers.

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He implores students to read the book, explaining that:

"It is a story of music and genetics in our contemporary age of terror and surveillance. An idiosyncratic retelling of the Orpheus myth, an elderly avant garde composer who feels he has tried and exhausted every possible musical experiment, returns to his first love, biology, and seeks to inscribe a musical score onto the mutating DNA of bacteria. Yup.

"But his efforts are mistaken to be acts of bioterrorism, and so he flees into the 'underworld' of contemporary America, returning also to the various Euridices of his past. Amazing book —and you'll learn a hell of a lot about music, science, politics ... and even about Life!"

Eric Maskin, Harvard, and Maurice Schweitzer, UPenn: 'The Undoing Project,' by Michael Lewis

Amazon.com

Eric Maskin is a Harvard professor and received the 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. Maurice Schweitzer is a professor of operations, information, and decisions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Both chose Michael Lewis' "The Undoing Project."

David B. Carter, Princeton: 'The Strategy of Conflict,' by Thomas Schelling

David B. Carter is a politics professor at Princeton University. He recommended "The Strategy of Conflict," by Thomas Schelling, especially given the author's recent death. He said:

AbeBooks

"'The Strategy of Conflict' is both probably the best book ever written about conflict and still very useful and important for understanding strategic interaction among states (and individuals).

"It also happens to be a very well-written and readable book. I read it as a junior in college and it was instrumental in getting me interested in international relations more generally, and in understanding conflict behavior and strategy in particular. I know it is an old book, but think it is something that anyone would benefit from reading."

WJT Mitchell, U Chicago: 'A Theory of the Drone,' by Gregoire Chamayou

WJT Mitchell is an English and Art History professor at the University of Chicago.

The New Press

He recommends a book by French philosopher Gregoire Chamayou called "A Theory of the Drone," which attempts to understand how drones have revolutionized warfare.

Mitchell describes the book as:

"A very intelligent assessment of the new conditions ofdrone warfare in their implications for just war theory and notions of military valor."

Kenneth Warren, U Chicago: 'Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life,' by Karen E. Fields and Barbara J. Fields.Racecraft

Kenneth Warren is an English professor at The University of Chicago.

VersoBooks.com

He recommends "Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life," by Karen E. Fields and Barbara J. Fields saying, "given the resurgence of questions about race in American society I think everyone should take a look at the 2014 book."

Harold Bloom, Yale: Shakespeare

Harold Bloom, an American literary critic and Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale, kept it short and sweet saying students should read, "all of Shakespeare."

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• Theodore Roosevelt ( The War Hero ) who wrote 35 books and made history at the White House

• The Mysterious Manuscript: Book of Soyga Translated by Archangel Uriel on March 10, 1582

• Inferno 2016 Movie "Historical Review and facts"

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The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Weforum . Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Over a millennium ago, the real Ragnar Lodbrok ran a legendary battle that would ensure them a place in history

Ragnar Lodbrok or Lothbrok (Old Norse: Ragnarr Loðbrók, "Ragnar Shaggy-Breeches") was a legendary Viking ruler, king, and hero from the Viking Age described in Old Norse poetry and several sagas. In this tradition, Ragnar was the scourge of France and England in the 9th century and the father of many renowned sons, including Ivar the Boneless, Björn Ironside, Halfdan Ragnarsson, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, and Ubba. 

While these men are historical figures, it is uncertain whether Ragnar himself existed or really fathered them. Many of the tales about him appear to conflate the deeds of several historical Viking heroes and rulers.

According to legend, Ragnar was married three times: to the shieldmaiden Lagertha, to the noblewoman Þóra Borgarhjǫrtr, and to Aslaug. Said to have been a relative of the Danish king Gudfred and son of the Swedish king Sigurd Hring, he became king himself and distinguished himself by many raids and conquests, but was at last seized by his foe, King Ælla of Northumbria, and killed by being thrown into a pit of snakes. His sons bloodily avenged him by invading England with the Great Heathen Army.

Excerpt from folio 39r of Harley MS 2278. The scene depicts Lothbrok, king of Danes, and his sons, Hinguar and Hubba, worshiping idols. photo: wikipedia.org

Historicity

As a figure of legend whose life only partially took place in times and places covered by written sources, the extent of Ragnar's historicity is not quite clear.

Ragnar acquires Kráka (Aslaug), as imagined by August Malmström. photo: wikipedia.org 

In her commentary on Saxo's Gesta Danorum, Hilda Ellis Davidson notes that Saxo's coverage of Ragnar's legend in book IX of the Gesta appears to be an attempt to consolidate many of the confusing and contradictory events and stories known to the chronicler into the reign of one king, Ragnar. 

19th century artist's impression of Ælla of Northumbria's execution of Ragnar Lodbrok photo: wikipedia.org

That is why many acts ascribed to Ragnar in the Gesta can be associated, through other sources, with various figures, some of which are more historically certain. These candidates for the "historical Ragnar" include:

• King Horik I (d. 854)
• King Reginfrid (d. 814), a king who ruled part of Denmark and came into conflict with Harald Klak, 
• The Reginherus who besieged Paris in the mid-9th century
• possibly the Ragnall (Rognvald ) of the Irish Annals, and the father of the Viking leaders who invaded England with the Great Heathen Army in 865

So far, attempts to firmly link the legendary Ragnar with one or several of those men have failed because of the difficulty in reconciling the various accounts and their chronology. Nonetheless, the core tradition of a Viking hero named Ragnar (or similar) who wreaked havoc in mid-ninth-century Europe and who fathered many famous sons is remarkably persistent, and some aspects of it are covered by relatively reliable sources, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 

According to Davidson, writing in 1979, "certain scholars in recent years have come to accept at least part of Ragnar's story as based on historical fact". Katherine Holman, on the other hand, concludes that "although his sons are historical figures, there is no evidence that Ragnar himself ever lived, and he seems to be an amalgam of several different historical figures and pure literary invention."

In popular culture

Ragnar Lodbrok is mentioned in Edwin Atherstone's novel Sea-Kings in England.

Ragnar Lothbrok is featured in Edison Marshall's 1951 novel The Viking.

Richard Parker's 1957 historical novel The Sword of Ganelon explores the character of Ragnar, his sons, and Viking raiding culture.

In The Vikings, a film of 1958, Ragnar, played by Ernest Borgnine, is captured by King Ælla and cast into a pit of wolves. His son Einar (presumably a variation of the historical Ivar), played by Kirk Douglas, vows revenge and conquers Northumbria. The script is based on Marshall's novel.

Ragnar's shipwreck, capture, and execution, as well as his sons' revenge, are portrayed in Harry Harrison's 1993 alternative history novel The Hammer and the Cross.


Played by Travis Fimmel, Ragnar is the protagonist of the History Channel's historical drama television series Vikings that debuted in 2013.



Story source: Wikipedia

Jules Verne, the writer who saw the future. two centuries ago including ( electric submarines, trains, news broadcasts, Solar Sails, Lunar Module, Helicopter and much more )

Jules Verne photo: pinterest

Many authors of science fiction novels have provided some invention or how time will change our society. Few, however, were visionaries such as Jules Verne, the writer who has brightened our childhood with his novels of adventure, but we can now reread with new eyes, to see how he foresaw the evolution of technology and science.

In the nineteenth century, a French writer still unknown to the true value described in detail astronaut moon landing, which was to take place over nearly a century.

Similarly, in the novel "2000 Leagues Under the Sea", the young Jules Verne, passionate about science and an exuberant imagination, he wrote about submarines and about technology (now still in experiment) through which water was transformed into fuel enigmatic Captain Nemo outcast scientist.

Carefully observing the world around, Jules Verne foresaw in an incredible cities of the future will look like.

"Paris in the twentieth century" book written in 1863, describes in detail the beautiful capital of France, full of skyscrapers, and its inhabitants, that go with trains similar to those now called Maglev and use computers connected to the Internet .

Born in 1828, Jules Verne career followed his father, taking his doctorate in law in 1851, but also the frequency with pleasure Parisian literary salons.

Thus, in 1849 he was known here on the famous Alexandre Dumas and was friends with his son, who in turn would become a writer.

Poster promoting novel series "extraordinary journeys", published by Hetzel photo: pinterest

I showed his new friend the manuscript of a comedy, "Straw Ripped," which succeeded then a mount on the stage of a theater in Paris, it can be considered his literary debut. For 20 years, he continued to work in theater experience which has helped a lot in narrative construction of his novels, which are particularly captivating.

Success would come later, because the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel, whom he met in 1862 and which presented the manuscript of the novel originally entitled "Journey bubble".

Hetzel, who had already published famous authors such as Honoré de Balzac, George Sand and Victor Hugo, was delighted by the style of Jules Verne's novel because he wanted to launch a magazine that combines entertainment with science.

Under his coordination would appear the series' extraordinary journeys ", which will include 44 science fiction novels and adventure signed by Jules Verne.

These will include: "Five Weeks in a Balloon" (1863), "2,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1869), "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1864), "From the Earth to the Moon" (1865), "Children captain Grant "(1867)," around the Moon "(1870)," around the World in 80 days "(1873)," Mysterious Island "(1874).

Jules Verne died in 1905 from complications arising from diabetes, leaving behind a prolific literary work and a vision that would change the world.


From this point of view, it is difficult to say whether he foresaw what would be in the future, which would become technological progress, or if his imagination is that which he has influenced other inventors and made this development possible.

Free to speculate in this regard, we should mention that Edwin Hubble scientists like Jacques Cousteau and Hermann Oberth were fascinated by Jules Verne's novels and acknowledged that these writings were full of fantasy for them a source of inspiration.

Inventions came to life as imagined by Jules Verne?



1. electric submarines. One of the most famous novels, "2,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1869) presents Captain Nemo crossing oceans aboard a giant electric submarine, Nautilus.

Electric submarine Alvin photo: pinterest

Submarine have luxurious rooms and was supplied with electricity. In 1964 it was built the submarine Alvin, which, although much smaller and can only accommodate 3 people, works on a similar principle, being battery powered.

2. News broadcasts. In 1889, Jules Verne wrote an article entitled "In 2889", which described the media future. Instead of the classic newspaper subscribers watching a program in which reporters talk to scientists and politicians about the major events of the day.

The first TV news program was broadcast only in 1920, so after 30 years from the time that the author described this form of mass communication.

3. Solar Sails. In 1865, the novel "From the Earth to the Moon" Jules Verne wrote about a spaceship powered light. Today there is something similar - solar sails.


On May 21, 2010, the Ikaros mission, Japan successfully launched a sail like this, to investigate the planets in our approach. Vela, a width of 14 meters, powered by solar energy

The project was first proposed in 1920 and aimed sails propel the space shuttle using solar radiation, without the need for additional fuel.

4. Lunar Module. Jules Verne described throughout the novel "From the Earth to the Moon" "projectiles" that were used to transport passengers to the moon.


They were attached to the "huge cannons" that they were drawn helped "projectile" to overcome the force of gravity, using the writer usually quite detailed descriptions of the technology imagined in his books.

Lunar module used in Apollo 11 mission photo: wikipedia.org

Now there are monthly modules, which NASA managed to reach the moon. These capsules are the crew members are attached to rockets that propel them and transporting them to the destination, exactly as he had imagined Writers French almost 200 years ago.

5. The ads written in the sky. Keen observer of the world around him, Verne foresaw and promising future of advertising, and the article "In the year 2889", he described a new method of advertising like writing in the sky.

"All these announcements have noticed huge clouds reflected, were so large they could be seen by the population of entire cities or even an entire country," wrote Jules Verne.

These insights are all the more impressive amazing as the writer does not have a background in engineering or physics. It is true that he had friends passion for science and invention, and it is likely that many ideas to come out of these discussions.

Sky writing was first used in 1930 by Skywriting Corporation in the United States, and among the first customers were counted Pepsi-Cola.

For such a project requires five planes flying in formation and each issue a special smoke over 3 km altitude, so the message is visible from a great distance.

6. Videoconferencing. Also in the article "In 2889" Jules Verne described "fonotelefotul", a precursor to technology that now allows the organization videoconferencing system makes it possible to connect to people at large distance from each other.

Here's how the writer imagined this technology, which has become a reality much sooner than he imagined: "Fonotelefotul transmit sensitive images through mirrors connected with wires".

7. Helicopter. It is true that the French novelist's passion for technology is not limited to discussions with friends. He always read magazines he found in clubs frequented and even take notes of these publications in their

In 1862, he became secretary of the Society of Aviation, which aimed "to encourage air transport machines heavier than air" as enouncing its founders.

The company soon attracted other members of the French intellectual elite, including George Sand, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne good friends.

The writer was one of the most ardent supporters of a project designed by Felix Tournachon, a journalist and avid photographer inventions, known under the pseudonym of Nadar, founder member of the Society of Aviation.


Nadar invented the helicopter. At least on paper. He imagined a device virtually fly using wings that rotate.

Cover novel "Robur the Conqueror" with drawing Albatros aircraft

Excited about the project that worked, Jules Verne wrote about in his books Aviation Society and Nadar's name even appears in the novel "From the Earth to the Moon" where amateur inventor is listed under the name Ardan.

The huge flying machine imagined by Jules Verne and his friends came to life in the novel "Robur the Conqueror" (1886), called Albatros, as the brilliant invention Robur.


The novel was illustrated by Leon Bennett after Jules Verne's clear instructions so that today we can see how he imagined this first aircraft.

"Flying crane" invented by Igor Sikorsky, after the appliance model Albatros described by Jules Verne

In 1939, he managed to get off the ground in one device, VS-300, which flew only a few centimeters, but can be considered the forerunner of today's huge Sikorsky helicopters.


Perhaps among writers of science fiction today is hiding another Jules Verne, and over tens or hundreds of years, his ideas, now considered pure fantasy, will become part of the lives of everyday people then living on Earth or on other planets.


Other articles on the same theme:

• Funerals for writer Edgar Allan Poe, 160 years after his death
• Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, great writer killed by a terrible disease
• 16 November 1849 a Russian court sentenced Fyodor Dostoevsky to death. At the last moment the execution was postponed.
• Vlad Dracula Biography (1431-1476)

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The above post is reprinted from materials provided by National Geographic . Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

If you read every day, you live longer! It has been scientifically proven

A study called "Achapter a day: Pair of reading books with longevity", conducted on a sample of over 3,500 people reveals that people who read books at least 30 minutes every day, live longer than those who do not read at all.

According to The Guardian, the study, published in the journal "Social Science & Medicine" analyzed patterns of reading 3,635 people, aged at least 50 years. On average, readers of books live nearly two years longer than people who do not read.

Respondents were divided into three categories: those who read 3.5 hours or more per week, those who read up to 3.5 hours per week and those who do not read, being considered factors such as sex, race and education .

Researchers have discovered over 12 years (the study), those who read the more chances of death were 23% lower, while those who read moderately lower by 17%.

Overall, throughout the study, 33% of those who died were reading, compared with 27% of readers, according to the researchers Avni Bavishi, Becca Levy and Martin Slade School of Public Health at Yale University.

"When readers are compared with non-readers in the mortality rate of 80%, non-readers have experienced 85 months (7.08 years), whereas experienced readers 108 months (9.00 years). Therefore, reading provided a survival advantage of 23 months, "write the researchers in the study. Bavishi said that prolonged consumption of literature has a higher yield, but "even 30 minutes a day are beneficial in terms of survival."

The paper also associate reading books rather than magazines, with longevity.

"We found that reading novels provides a greater benefit than reading newspapers or magazines. We realized that this effect is because a book involves more human mind, offering cognitive benefits, thus increasing life," he said Bavishi.

In the study, scientists have noted that there are two cognitive processes involved in reading, which creates a "survival advantage". First, reading promotes "slow process, captivating read deep" cognitive engagement "appears while the reader make connections with material things, finds applicability in the real world and ask questions about the content presented."

"The involvement may explain why cognitive vocabulary, raţionaamentul, concentration and critical thinking skills are improved by exposure to books," the researchers stressed.

Secondly, the books "promotes empathy, social perception, emotional intelligence - cognitive processes that lead to better survival."

Although respondents did not specify the kind of literature read, according to the study, most likely they read fiction. Academics suggest that analyzes future could check "if there are other benefits from reading outside of longevity, if any similar effects after reading eBooks or audio that could be read in a manner less sedentary and if different types of cards generates different effects. "

Experts have concluded that "the benefits of reading books - longevity, especially - is not only interesting characters and ideas found in novels, but more time to read."

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