Bailey Poletti
@baileypoletti.bsky.social
PhD in medieval apocalyptic history, esp. 900-1100, but I try to read broadly. Trying my hand at fiction. All prophecies my own (and most likely wrong). He/him.
Pinned
Bailey Poletti
@baileypoletti.bsky.social
· Sep 29
Medieval Authors: "Do you think the Greeks might have been the baddies?"
Roman Authors: "Do you think the Greeks might have been the baddies?"
Greek Authors (including Homer): "Do you think the Greeks might have been the baddies?"
Americans: "Look at me: I'm sacking Troy!"
Roman Authors: "Do you think the Greeks might have been the baddies?"
Greek Authors (including Homer): "Do you think the Greeks might have been the baddies?"
Americans: "Look at me: I'm sacking Troy!"
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
Antibiotics are one of the greatest discoveries of the modern medical age (along with vaccines)
February 17, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Antibiotics are one of the greatest discoveries of the modern medical age (along with vaccines)
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
before antibiotics did people just die all the time from everything?
February 17, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
As a historian of apocalypticism, this is not the fated birth I was expecting, but that's kinda prophecy's whole MO, idnit?
Canonically, this means that George Jetson has already been born somewhere on Earth. The pilot episode is a midlife crisis during his 40th birthday celebration.
February 17, 2026 at 3:04 PM
As a historian of apocalypticism, this is not the fated birth I was expecting, but that's kinda prophecy's whole MO, idnit?
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
Precisely. The subject of one of my favorite pieces by Lynn Hunt, which I love teaching
February 17, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Precisely. The subject of one of my favorite pieces by Lynn Hunt, which I love teaching
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
Please read this, it’s more coherent than the thoughts of the richest assholes in the world, although that’s not saying much.
Oh hey the newsletter I threatened for weeks is finally out!
Is This Medieval Saint’s Life Feminist?
The twelfth-century "Life of Saint Ita the Virgin" gives us a surprisingly independent and active portrayal of medieval nuns.
buttondown.com
February 16, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Please read this, it’s more coherent than the thoughts of the richest assholes in the world, although that’s not saying much.
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
My son is currently very fond of the Space Shuttle but calls it the “Space Shovel.”
FYI if you are a new parent — write these cute linguistic quirks down somewhere because they *will* disappear one day and you *will* forget them.
FYI if you are a new parent — write these cute linguistic quirks down somewhere because they *will* disappear one day and you *will* forget them.
February 17, 2026 at 3:44 AM
My son is currently very fond of the Space Shuttle but calls it the “Space Shovel.”
FYI if you are a new parent — write these cute linguistic quirks down somewhere because they *will* disappear one day and you *will* forget them.
FYI if you are a new parent — write these cute linguistic quirks down somewhere because they *will* disappear one day and you *will* forget them.
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
I'm sure we've all seen the graphic that lays out the United States ' relationship with slavery. It's good, but I never thought it was quite impactful enough. So I made my own.
I've used a few key events, including my birth, to highlight how recent these events are in history.
1 square = 1 year.
I've used a few key events, including my birth, to highlight how recent these events are in history.
1 square = 1 year.
February 16, 2026 at 6:12 PM
I'm sure we've all seen the graphic that lays out the United States ' relationship with slavery. It's good, but I never thought it was quite impactful enough. So I made my own.
I've used a few key events, including my birth, to highlight how recent these events are in history.
1 square = 1 year.
I've used a few key events, including my birth, to highlight how recent these events are in history.
1 square = 1 year.
SP...
"Yes..."
...AR...
"Yes...!"
...TA...
"YES!!!"
...N.
"Awww, dammit!"
[Spartacus fans disperse]
"Yes..."
...AR...
"Yes...!"
...TA...
"YES!!!"
...N.
"Awww, dammit!"
[Spartacus fans disperse]
February 17, 2026 at 2:29 AM
SP...
"Yes..."
...AR...
"Yes...!"
...TA...
"YES!!!"
...N.
"Awww, dammit!"
[Spartacus fans disperse]
"Yes..."
...AR...
"Yes...!"
...TA...
"YES!!!"
...N.
"Awww, dammit!"
[Spartacus fans disperse]
This 🧵 is grade A Spartan-dragging, and it is glorious.
499 BC:
Ionians: Hey Sparta, we hear you guys are wArRiOrs. Wanna help us with a war?
Sparta: Maybe. Is is close by? Like three day march?
Ionians: Across the sea. Here's a map.
Sparta: WHOA! Sorry, we're not really into *expeditionary warfare.*
Athens: FUCK YEAH. GET SOME GET SOME.
Ionians: Hey Sparta, we hear you guys are wArRiOrs. Wanna help us with a war?
Sparta: Maybe. Is is close by? Like three day march?
Ionians: Across the sea. Here's a map.
Sparta: WHOA! Sorry, we're not really into *expeditionary warfare.*
Athens: FUCK YEAH. GET SOME GET SOME.
February 17, 2026 at 2:27 AM
This 🧵 is grade A Spartan-dragging, and it is glorious.
When I see "i.e." I, too, think "in other words," but I intentionally mispronounced "other" in my head so that it comes out "ether." Thus: i.e. = in ether (words).
I also use the “e for example” cue. But for ie I use “i for ‘in other words’”
Maybe a top three thing I learned from five years of Latin classes…
Maybe a top three thing I learned from five years of Latin classes…
People tell me I’m a great mom
February 17, 2026 at 2:20 AM
When I see "i.e." I, too, think "in other words," but I intentionally mispronounced "other" in my head so that it comes out "ether." Thus: i.e. = in ether (words).
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
How Athens actually lost the Peloponnesian War (left a few more out, but you get the idea)
The plague, arrogance, infighting, Alcibiades' Decelea tip, several Persian fleets, the watchwords on the Epipolai, overreacting to a lunar eclipse, and chance.
February 16, 2026 at 3:15 PM
How Athens actually lost the Peloponnesian War (left a few more out, but you get the idea)
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
I'm not crying you're crying
with alt text, because everyone needs to be able to read this 😭
February 15, 2026 at 8:01 PM
I'm not crying you're crying
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
Yes it’s Valentine’s Day. But it’s also the chosen birthday of Frederick Douglass who was born in 1818 on a plantation in Talbot County, Maryland. He escaped from slavery & rose to become the most eloquent and forceful voice for the abolition of slavery & for Black voting rights in the U.S.
February 14, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Yes it’s Valentine’s Day. But it’s also the chosen birthday of Frederick Douglass who was born in 1818 on a plantation in Talbot County, Maryland. He escaped from slavery & rose to become the most eloquent and forceful voice for the abolition of slavery & for Black voting rights in the U.S.
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
#ValentinesDay 💖
Roses are red,
Water comes in litres,
Trebuchets can use a counterweight to launch a 90kg stone projectile over 300 metres.
❤️
Roses are red,
Water comes in litres,
Trebuchets can use a counterweight to launch a 90kg stone projectile over 300 metres.
❤️
February 14, 2026 at 12:49 PM
#ValentinesDay 💖
Roses are red,
Water comes in litres,
Trebuchets can use a counterweight to launch a 90kg stone projectile over 300 metres.
❤️
Roses are red,
Water comes in litres,
Trebuchets can use a counterweight to launch a 90kg stone projectile over 300 metres.
❤️
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
Including disabled people in our utopian futures pushes back against a eugenicist ideal.
I have a friend who said, of Starfleet Academy, that this took them out of it - that seeing a person in a wheelchair in the 32nd century seemed unrealistic, since medicine in Star Trek "should be able to cure whatever was wrong with them."
That's not the case, for any number of possible reasons.
That's not the case, for any number of possible reasons.
February 13, 2026 at 12:02 AM
Including disabled people in our utopian futures pushes back against a eugenicist ideal.
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
Found an additional graphic that gets even more of these quotes together.
I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
February 12, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Found an additional graphic that gets even more of these quotes together.
I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
I did a slight modification
February 11, 2026 at 8:46 PM
I did a slight modification
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
Early Modern Historians:
I need some good Charles I's Personal Rule, English Civil War, and Interregnum/Protectorate book recommendations. Anything that covers the whole period would be preferred, even surveys or popular histories are welcomed (just hood ones) as a springboard. Old or new.
Thanks!
I need some good Charles I's Personal Rule, English Civil War, and Interregnum/Protectorate book recommendations. Anything that covers the whole period would be preferred, even surveys or popular histories are welcomed (just hood ones) as a springboard. Old or new.
Thanks!
February 9, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Early Modern Historians:
I need some good Charles I's Personal Rule, English Civil War, and Interregnum/Protectorate book recommendations. Anything that covers the whole period would be preferred, even surveys or popular histories are welcomed (just hood ones) as a springboard. Old or new.
Thanks!
I need some good Charles I's Personal Rule, English Civil War, and Interregnum/Protectorate book recommendations. Anything that covers the whole period would be preferred, even surveys or popular histories are welcomed (just hood ones) as a springboard. Old or new.
Thanks!
I'm adding this to the growing list of people who insist that spite is an amazing motivator (my name is on there, too).
Funny story: my career in drones exists because I have a arithmetic learning disability, tested awfully in math and couldn’t study STEM in college, and became so angered by how normal it was to look down upon non-tech people in the 2010s that I decided to master a hard tech field out of pure spite.
February 11, 2026 at 3:56 PM
I'm adding this to the growing list of people who insist that spite is an amazing motivator (my name is on there, too).
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
Random #vastearlyamerica question: is there any journal that does something to the effect of Notes, short articles, if I had a rumination on Anthony Stoddard's sermon notes? I could probably get it to 4000 words for something like the JEA's Sources & Interpretations, but it's probably easier at 2k.
February 10, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Random #vastearlyamerica question: is there any journal that does something to the effect of Notes, short articles, if I had a rumination on Anthony Stoddard's sermon notes? I could probably get it to 4000 words for something like the JEA's Sources & Interpretations, but it's probably easier at 2k.
Age verification?
🎵You'll get caught up in the...Crossfire. Crossfire. Crossfire!🎵
🎵You'll get caught up in the...Crossfire. Crossfire. Crossfire!🎵
Age verification? My mom dressed me in Garanimals.
Age verification? [garbled dial-up sounds]
February 10, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Age verification?
🎵You'll get caught up in the...Crossfire. Crossfire. Crossfire!🎵
🎵You'll get caught up in the...Crossfire. Crossfire. Crossfire!🎵
100% this.
"Sometimes two guys who like each other kiss and/or get married" is easy.
Coming back from the doctor's office last week, my daughter asked, "What's insurance? Is it like a fine? Do taxes pay for it?" and, oh boy, that took some effort!
"Sometimes two guys who like each other kiss and/or get married" is easy.
Coming back from the doctor's office last week, my daughter asked, "What's insurance? Is it like a fine? Do taxes pay for it?" and, oh boy, that took some effort!
always so funny to me when people are like “how am I supposed to explain Gay to my kids?” my kid asks me way harder shit all the time. “why did they build the road this way? why are some people bad?” I don’t know. please ask me about Gay
February 10, 2026 at 4:45 AM
100% this.
"Sometimes two guys who like each other kiss and/or get married" is easy.
Coming back from the doctor's office last week, my daughter asked, "What's insurance? Is it like a fine? Do taxes pay for it?" and, oh boy, that took some effort!
"Sometimes two guys who like each other kiss and/or get married" is easy.
Coming back from the doctor's office last week, my daughter asked, "What's insurance? Is it like a fine? Do taxes pay for it?" and, oh boy, that took some effort!
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
One of the most miserable things about living in this era is having to watch the stupidest & most arrogant people in the world have to relearn The Why of literally everything good that we collectively do the hard way.
The answer is always ‘Because a bunch of people died, fuckwit.’
The answer is always ‘Because a bunch of people died, fuckwit.’
Dr. Mehmet Oz is calling on Americans to get the measles vaccine as cases spread across the U.S.
Dr. Oz urges 'take the vaccine, please' amid measles outbreaks
Dr. Mehmet Oz is calling on Americans to get the measles vaccine as cases spread across the U.S.
bit.ly
February 10, 2026 at 1:30 AM
One of the most miserable things about living in this era is having to watch the stupidest & most arrogant people in the world have to relearn The Why of literally everything good that we collectively do the hard way.
The answer is always ‘Because a bunch of people died, fuckwit.’
The answer is always ‘Because a bunch of people died, fuckwit.’
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
some things are actually getting worse here.
In one 30-minute stretch, three legal observers were arrested — as Trump’s Border czar Tom Homan calls on locals to “end the resistance.”
“Uptick In Abductions”: ICE Ramps Up Targeting of Minneapolis Legal Observers
In one 30-minute stretch, three Minneapolis legal observers were arrested as ICE ramped up its targeting of community volunteers.
interc.pt
February 9, 2026 at 8:13 PM
some things are actually getting worse here.
Reposted by Bailey Poletti
I will read anything with the Roman Philippi sundial on the front cover—but this also happens to be a fantastic book. 📕 www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...
February 10, 2026 at 12:54 AM
I will read anything with the Roman Philippi sundial on the front cover—but this also happens to be a fantastic book. 📕 www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...