Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks for sending. People found remnants of the ship for years afterward, but for this jacket to reach the Delaware River? Remarkable.

Dean Jobb 🇨🇦 True Crime Writer @deanjobb.bsky.social · 1d

A @nytimes.com report of the discovery of a life jacket from the Lusitania, five years after the liner was torpedoed off Ireland, on the other side of the Atlantic.
@exlarson.bsky.social #history #oddities #war

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · 12d

Thank you!

Caroline @musicandwords.bsky.social · 12d

@exlarson.bsky.social Just to say I’ve just finished reading The Splendid and the Vile - what a truly great read. An absolutely staggering amount of research! Had a mental pic of Churchill in some of those scenarios - perhaps best not to go there! Am going to read Colville’s Fringes of Power next.

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · 17d

At last one of my books has made it to the big-ish screen! (Ethan Hawke in "The Lowdown;" see shelf behind.)

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Aug 27

Not sure what "premise" you think I'm accepting. I agree completely, especially with your last line. Well put, by the way.

Mike Moran @greygrendel.bsky.social · Aug 27

Please do not accept that premise. Soldiers do not, can not, have not, and will never provide safety. Not their purpose, not their training, and not the intent here. They are the last resort in the face of political/diplomatic failure.

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Aug 22

Just arrived at Union Station in Washington, DC. Troops on patrol in one of the safest spots in the city. At least they’re not wearing masks. Must be incredibly boring: aimlessly walking streets already patrolled by multiple federal police agencies, Amtrak police, and the DC metro cops.

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Aug 22

I'm headed to DC today. Curious to see how the city feels under occupation.

Jen Taub @jentaub.bsky.social · Aug 17

It's starting to feel a lot like 1861 around here, am I right, @exlarson.bsky.social?

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · Aug 17

WASHINGTON (AP) — South Carolina, Ohio also sending National Guard troops to DC in further escalation of federal intervention in Dem city.

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Aug 22

Thank you.

David McMillion @dmreds.bsky.social · Aug 22

A great history of the beginning of the American Civil War.

@exlarson.bsky.social

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Aug 20

Wow. Are you re-reading it? If so you may not be able to sleep.

Trick Charles 🎃 @nickcharles.bsky.social · Aug 20

First Edition:

The Berlin Diary by William L. Shirer, 1st edition.

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Aug 20

Going to DC on Friday. Never been to an occupied city. I feel like William Shirer:

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jul 31

So often in my research I come across tiny little mysteries that have zero relevance to what I'm working on, but are compelling nonetheless. Eg this, from the London Times, Sept. 5, 1871.

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jul 21

Ha. Love it.

Nicholas P. Cox @npcox.bsky.social · Jul 20

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jul 13

Good to know! I'm in good company. Bunch of my favorites here: Bryson, Mankell, Nesbo, Atkinson, and Maj S. and Per W. (Martin Beck remains my favorite detective.)

Angry Algonquin 😸 📚 🧊 🍸 @angryalgonquin.bsky.social · Jul 13

Ten writers by whom I've read more than five books:
1. Simon Winchester
2. @exlarson.bsky.social
3. @stephenking.bsky.social
4. Bill Bryson
5. Henning Mankell
6. Jo Nesbo
7. Maj Sjöwall / Per Wahlöö
8. P.D. James
9. Kate Atkinson
10. Émile Zola

𝕃.𝕁.𝔽𝕆𝕏 🇮🇸☕📚 @onefootiniceland.bsky.social · Jul 13

Ten writers by whom I've read more than five books:
1. @robinhobb.bsky.social
2. Jane Austen
3. Tolkien
4. Brian Lumley
5. Terry Pratchett
6. Stephanie Barron
7. @graskeggur.bsky.social
8. @michaelridpath.bsky.social
9. @liljawriter.bsky.social
10. Arnaldur Indriðason

#books #fun #BookSky

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Reposted by Erik Larson

Matthew Budman, book guy @matthewbudman.bsky.social · Jul 5

"We're going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with the tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: 'Give us back the Statue of Liberty. We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it.'"

French MEP demands the US 'give us back the Statue of Liberty'

A French member of the European parliament has called for the US to return the Statue of Liberty originally gifted by the French people to mark the centennial of American independence because the US…

www.france24.com

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jul 5

Just finished reading "Diavola," by Jennifer Thorne. Terrific, really scary ghost story. So much so I couldn't read it at night. Note: I have zero connection to Ms. Thorne or her publisher.
books.google.com/books/about/...

Diavola

Jennifer Thorne skewers all-too-familiar family dynamics in this sly, wickedly funny vacation-Gothic. Beautifully unhinged and deeply satisfying, Diavola is a sharp twist on the classic haunted house ...

books.google.com

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jul 5

I wonder when the French will demand that we return her.

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · Jul 4

Wow! France gifted her to us, and now they’ve captured what so many Americans are feeling on Independence Day. The values the Statue of Liberty stood for are no more.

📌 A stunning mural of the Statue of Liberty covering her face was unveiled in Roubaix, France, on July 3, 2025.

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jul 4

Ha! Thanks for telling me.

pawsagainsttrump.bsky.social @pawsagainsttrump.bsky.social · Jul 4

@exlarson.bsky.social I just HAD to share this "telepathy" moment. On page 261 of THE DEMON OF UNREST Charles H Van Wyck is mentioned. Reading no further I wondered, "is this who the Van Wyck Expressway" is named for? OMG the very next sentence: "This was not the Van Wyck...New York expressway...."

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jun 19

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · Jun 19

LA DODGERS just now:

“This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled.”

Right on, Dodgers!
More of this, please.

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jun 11

Sigh.

Liisa Lee @liisalee.bsky.social · Jun 11

Happy Anniversary to these two.
Met him at 14, married at 18, a mom at 19 and a loving, solid couple until they passed. Almost 60 years together. She was an NYCB dancer, a model, and he was a lifeguard at the family's Catskills camp, Camp Trupin💜🍰🥂(she totally carried a watermelon) 🎶

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jun 11

I like your term, "non-overlapping realities."

Christopher Mims @mims.bsky.social · Jun 8

Americans occupy non-overlapping realities and I see no end in sight to the splintering of viewpoints; it reminds me of the U.S. on the cusp of the civil war (mostly because I’m reading Erik Larson’s The Demon of Unrest)

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jun 11

Great piece by my past employer, the WSJ.

Christopher Mims @mims.bsky.social · Jun 10

WSJ: The White House Marching Orders That Sparked the L.A. Migrant Crackdown

After deportations fell short of President Trump’s campaign promises, federal agents summoned to a meeting in Washington were told to ‘just go out there and arrest illegal aliens’

www.wsj.com/us-news/prot...

The White House Marching Orders That Sparked the L.A. Migrant Crackdown

After deportations fell short of President Trump’s campaign promises, federal agents summoned to a meeting in Washington were told to “just go out there and arrest illegal aliens.”

www.wsj.com

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jun 8

THAT is lovely.

Oliver @oliver48.bsky.social · Jun 7

"This was an experiment by a kindergarten class. They dropped seeds in the cracks of the sidewalk to see what would happen.
This would help our bees "
via I Love Bees

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · Jun 8

Interesting. Thanks for the tip.

curtiswcallaway.bsky.social @curtiswcallaway.bsky.social · Jun 8

@exlarson.bsky.social have you seen the new movie “Fountain of Youth”? There’s a scene were they raise a section of the Lusitania. It’s ludicrous but fun.

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Reposted by Erik Larson

Governor Gavin Newsom @governor.ca.gov · Jun 8

The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle.

Don't give them one.

Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.

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Reposted by Erik Larson

Jooli-AHH! Ghoulia 🎃🍂🔪 @jooliaghoulia.bsky.social · Jun 3

The perfect bird feeder doesn't exi--

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Erik Larson @exlarson.bsky.social · May 25

Hysterical. How could he be that out of touch? Reminds me of Sgt. Schultz from the now-ancient Hogan's Heroes: "I know nothing. I KNOW NOTHING."

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