France denies covering-up nuclear tests near French Polynesia in Pacific

The French government on Friday denied any cover-up over radiation levels in the Pacific following its nuclear testing in the region, as state-backed discussions took place in Paris about the legacy of the explosions. A two-day meeting called by French President Emmanuel Macron began on Thursday following fresh allegations that the testing from 1966 to 1996 caused

Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II statues toppled in Canada amid anger at deaths of Indigenous children

Statues brought down as part of protests at treatment of Indigenous children in notorious residential schools Statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II have been toppled in Canada amid growing outrage over the discovery of unmarked graves belonging to Indigenous children. A group gathered at the Manitoba legislature in Winnipeg pulled down the statue of Victoria

Things Fall Apart, Part 2: Crash Course Literature 209

In which John Green concludes teaching you about Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. You’ll learn about the historical contexts of Things Fall Apart, including 19th century colonization and 20th century decolonization. We’re going to learn a little bit about Achebe’s childhood between two cultures, cover Okonkwo’s sad, sad end, and even learn a little about

If One Finger Brought Oil – Things Fall Apart Part 1: Crash Course Literature 208

In which John Green teaches you about Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel, Things Fall Apart. You’ll learn about Igboland, a region in modern day Nigeria, prior to the arrival of the British Empire. Achebe tells the story of Okonkwo, an Igbo villager who has worked his way up from life as a sharecropped and become a

Protests East and West: Crash Course European History #45

The post-World War II decades in Europe are sometimes called the Thirty Glorious Years. As those years wore on, tensions between East and West grew, and economic growth slowed or was unevenly distributed across Europe, protests and dissent arose across the continent. Note from Among the Fray: Now that we have finished World History, we

Germany to atone for Namibian colonial horrors with a billion euros of projects

Germany has agreed to fund projects in Namibia worth more than a billion euros over 30 years to atone for its role in genocide and property seizures in its-then colony more than a century ago, a Namibian government spokesman said on Thursday. Thousands of Herero and Nama people were killed by German colonial forces between

Decolonization: Crash Course European History #43

After World War II, Europe was changing radically, and its place in the world was changing as well. European powers had colonized around the world in the 18th and 19th centuries, and in the 20th century, it all came crashing down. Of course the degree of crashing was variable from country to country. Note from

Decolonization and Nationalism Triumphant: Crash Course World History #40

In which John Green teaches you about the post-World War II breakup of most of the European empires. As you’ll remember from previous installments of Crash Course, Europeans spent several centuries sailing around the world creating empires, despite the fact that most of the places they conquered were perfectly happy to carry on alone. After