Brewminate (Matthew A. McIntosh)
@brewminate.bsky.social
📖 Public Historian / Adjunct History Professor
🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ Proud
💙 "Woke" and Proud
🚫 Blocking MAGA and Hate
See https://www.brewminate.com (Brewminate)
🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ Proud
💙 "Woke" and Proud
🚫 Blocking MAGA and Hate
See https://www.brewminate.com (Brewminate)
MYTHBUSTING HISTORY
Myth: Algorithms are a Silicon Valley creation.
Truth: Ada Lovelace would like a word. She described symbolic, rule-based processes in the 1840s and foresaw machines working with patterns and music. Modern tech arrived late. ⚙️🧠
#Brewminate #MythbustingHistory #AdaLovelace
Myth: Algorithms are a Silicon Valley creation.
Truth: Ada Lovelace would like a word. She described symbolic, rule-based processes in the 1840s and foresaw machines working with patterns and music. Modern tech arrived late. ⚙️🧠
#Brewminate #MythbustingHistory #AdaLovelace
January 9, 2026 at 6:39 PM
MYTHBUSTING HISTORY
Myth: Algorithms are a Silicon Valley creation.
Truth: Ada Lovelace would like a word. She described symbolic, rule-based processes in the 1840s and foresaw machines working with patterns and music. Modern tech arrived late. ⚙️🧠
#Brewminate #MythbustingHistory #AdaLovelace
Myth: Algorithms are a Silicon Valley creation.
Truth: Ada Lovelace would like a word. She described symbolic, rule-based processes in the 1840s and foresaw machines working with patterns and music. Modern tech arrived late. ⚙️🧠
#Brewminate #MythbustingHistory #AdaLovelace
TODAY IN HISTORY: January 9, 1431 – Joan of Arc on Trial
A court designed to silence a voice that changed history.
Theology as cover.
Power as motive.
Joan’s trial reminds us that when authority feels threatened, truth is often the target. 🔥⚖️
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #JoanOfArc
A court designed to silence a voice that changed history.
Theology as cover.
Power as motive.
Joan’s trial reminds us that when authority feels threatened, truth is often the target. 🔥⚖️
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #JoanOfArc
January 9, 2026 at 6:32 PM
TODAY IN HISTORY: January 9, 1431 – Joan of Arc on Trial
A court designed to silence a voice that changed history.
Theology as cover.
Power as motive.
Joan’s trial reminds us that when authority feels threatened, truth is often the target. 🔥⚖️
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #JoanOfArc
A court designed to silence a voice that changed history.
Theology as cover.
Power as motive.
Joan’s trial reminds us that when authority feels threatened, truth is often the target. 🔥⚖️
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #JoanOfArc
Ishtar of Arbela’s temple stood at the crossroads of sacred authority and imperial power, where ritual reinforced kingship and theology shaped governance. 🏛️🔥
#Brewminate #AncientHistory #Religion
#Brewminate #AncientHistory #Religion
Queen of the Land: Ishtar of Arbela Temple
Explore the Temple of Ishtar of Arbela, its religious authority, political power, and role in Mesopotamian kingship and divine legitimacy.
brewminate.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Ishtar of Arbela’s temple stood at the crossroads of sacred authority and imperial power, where ritual reinforced kingship and theology shaped governance. 🏛️🔥
#Brewminate #AncientHistory #Religion
#Brewminate #AncientHistory #Religion
The Alvar poets of Tamil tradition gave sacred language to spiritual longing and divine encounter — with female voices shaping how devotion was imagined and sung. 🌺🔥
#Brewminate #AncientPoetry #ReligionAndGender
#Brewminate #AncientPoetry #ReligionAndGender
Alvar Poets and the Female Voice in Tamil Devotion
Examine the Alvar poets and the female devotional voice in ancient Tamil Hindu love songs expressing longing, devotion, and divine intimacy.
brewminate.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:24 PM
The Alvar poets of Tamil tradition gave sacred language to spiritual longing and divine encounter — with female voices shaping how devotion was imagined and sung. 🌺🔥
#Brewminate #AncientPoetry #ReligionAndGender
#Brewminate #AncientPoetry #ReligionAndGender
Athens sculpted ideals as much as figures.
The peplos kore reflects perceptions of youth, gender, and the sacred.
Was she human grace or divine expression in stone? 🏛️✨
#Brewminate #AncientHistory #ArtHistory
The peplos kore reflects perceptions of youth, gender, and the sacred.
Was she human grace or divine expression in stone? 🏛️✨
#Brewminate #AncientHistory #ArtHistory
The Peplos Kore in Ancient Athens: Woman or Goddess?
Explore the Peplos Kore and the scholarly debate over whether the statue represents an idealized young woman or a goddess in ancient Athenian religion.
brewminate.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Athens sculpted ideals as much as figures.
The peplos kore reflects perceptions of youth, gender, and the sacred.
Was she human grace or divine expression in stone? 🏛️✨
#Brewminate #AncientHistory #ArtHistory
The peplos kore reflects perceptions of youth, gender, and the sacred.
Was she human grace or divine expression in stone? 🏛️✨
#Brewminate #AncientHistory #ArtHistory
Women in ancient Rome were vital to religious life — but often at great personal cost.
Ritual, sacrifice, and control walked hand in hand.
History remembers the gods; it’s time to remember who paid the price. 🏛️🔥
#Brewminate #AncientHistory
Ritual, sacrifice, and control walked hand in hand.
History remembers the gods; it’s time to remember who paid the price. 🏛️🔥
#Brewminate #AncientHistory
Religion, Women, and Sacrifice in the Ancient Roman Empire Brewminate: A Bold Blend of News and Ideas
Read about Religion, Women, and Sacrifice in the Ancient Roman Empire at Brewminate. Explore insight, analysis, and history through original, engaging content.
brewminate.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Women in ancient Rome were vital to religious life — but often at great personal cost.
Ritual, sacrifice, and control walked hand in hand.
History remembers the gods; it’s time to remember who paid the price. 🏛️🔥
#Brewminate #AncientHistory
Ritual, sacrifice, and control walked hand in hand.
History remembers the gods; it’s time to remember who paid the price. 🏛️🔥
#Brewminate #AncientHistory
QUOTING HISTORY
“No wind is favorable if you don’t know your destination.”
Seneca wasn’t talking about sailing—he was talking about us.
We ignore direction when it’s easy, then beg for it once we’re lost. ⛵️
#Brewminate #QuotingHistory #Philosophy
“No wind is favorable if you don’t know your destination.”
Seneca wasn’t talking about sailing—he was talking about us.
We ignore direction when it’s easy, then beg for it once we’re lost. ⛵️
#Brewminate #QuotingHistory #Philosophy
January 8, 2026 at 6:11 PM
QUOTING HISTORY
“No wind is favorable if you don’t know your destination.”
Seneca wasn’t talking about sailing—he was talking about us.
We ignore direction when it’s easy, then beg for it once we’re lost. ⛵️
#Brewminate #QuotingHistory #Philosophy
“No wind is favorable if you don’t know your destination.”
Seneca wasn’t talking about sailing—he was talking about us.
We ignore direction when it’s easy, then beg for it once we’re lost. ⛵️
#Brewminate #QuotingHistory #Philosophy
TODAY IN HISTORY: January 8, 1297 – A Rock and a Hard Place
A monk knocks. The gates open. A dynasty is born.
François Grimaldi took Monaco by deception, not battle—proof that history often belongs to the bold, not the biggest. 🏰🔥
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #MedievalHistory
A monk knocks. The gates open. A dynasty is born.
François Grimaldi took Monaco by deception, not battle—proof that history often belongs to the bold, not the biggest. 🏰🔥
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #MedievalHistory
January 8, 2026 at 6:05 PM
TODAY IN HISTORY: January 8, 1297 – A Rock and a Hard Place
A monk knocks. The gates open. A dynasty is born.
François Grimaldi took Monaco by deception, not battle—proof that history often belongs to the bold, not the biggest. 🏰🔥
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #MedievalHistory
A monk knocks. The gates open. A dynasty is born.
François Grimaldi took Monaco by deception, not battle—proof that history often belongs to the bold, not the biggest. 🏰🔥
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #MedievalHistory
In Rome, memory was political currency. 🏛️
The Flavians didn’t simply rule — they recoded the past, turning Claudius into Nero’s divinely sanctioned stepfather to fortify their own claim.
#Brewminate #History #AncientRome
The Flavians didn’t simply rule — they recoded the past, turning Claudius into Nero’s divinely sanctioned stepfather to fortify their own claim.
#Brewminate #History #AncientRome
Claudius, Nero, and the Flavian Regime’s Memory Politics
How the Flavian regime reshaped Claudius’s legacy as Nero’s “divine” stepfather to legitimize power and rewrite Julio-Claudian memory.
brewminate.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:12 PM
In Rome, memory was political currency. 🏛️
The Flavians didn’t simply rule — they recoded the past, turning Claudius into Nero’s divinely sanctioned stepfather to fortify their own claim.
#Brewminate #History #AncientRome
The Flavians didn’t simply rule — they recoded the past, turning Claudius into Nero’s divinely sanctioned stepfather to fortify their own claim.
#Brewminate #History #AncientRome
When leadership consistently aligns with another power’s strategic interests, it’s not random — it’s a pattern.
Geopolitics lives in behavior, not speculation.
#Brewminate #Geopolitics #USPolitics
Geopolitics lives in behavior, not speculation.
#Brewminate #Geopolitics #USPolitics
Trump and the Hallmarks of a Russian Asset
An analysis of how Donald Trump’s behavior aligns with patterns historically associated with foreign-influenced political assets.
brewminate.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:09 PM
When leadership consistently aligns with another power’s strategic interests, it’s not random — it’s a pattern.
Geopolitics lives in behavior, not speculation.
#Brewminate #Geopolitics #USPolitics
Geopolitics lives in behavior, not speculation.
#Brewminate #Geopolitics #USPolitics
Napoleon’s Egypt and Syria campaign wasn’t just strategic — it was symbolic.
By casting himself as a “new Alexander,” he reframed conquest as classical legacy and Enlightenment ambition as imperial destiny. 📜
#Brewminate #History #Napoleon
By casting himself as a “new Alexander,” he reframed conquest as classical legacy and Enlightenment ambition as imperial destiny. 📜
#Brewminate #History #Napoleon
Napoleon as a “New Alexander” in Egypt and Syria
How Napoleon framed his Egypt and Syria campaign as an Alexandrian revival, blending conquest, propaganda, and Enlightenment ambition.
brewminate.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Napoleon’s Egypt and Syria campaign wasn’t just strategic — it was symbolic.
By casting himself as a “new Alexander,” he reframed conquest as classical legacy and Enlightenment ambition as imperial destiny. 📜
#Brewminate #History #Napoleon
By casting himself as a “new Alexander,” he reframed conquest as classical legacy and Enlightenment ambition as imperial destiny. 📜
#Brewminate #History #Napoleon
Greenland isn’t remote anymore ❄️
It’s where power tests alliances, probes NATO’s edges, and practices disruption without open war.
Geography is political strategy for an unhinged U.S. president — and the Arctic is no longer neutral. 🌍
#Brewminate #Geopolitics #NATO
It’s where power tests alliances, probes NATO’s edges, and practices disruption without open war.
Geography is political strategy for an unhinged U.S. president — and the Arctic is no longer neutral. 🌍
#Brewminate #Geopolitics #NATO
Greenland, NATO, and Trump
A historically grounded analysis of Greenland’s strategic significance, NATO cohesion, alliance disruption, and the geopolitical consequences of internal pressure.
brewminate.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Greenland isn’t remote anymore ❄️
It’s where power tests alliances, probes NATO’s edges, and practices disruption without open war.
Geography is political strategy for an unhinged U.S. president — and the Arctic is no longer neutral. 🌍
#Brewminate #Geopolitics #NATO
It’s where power tests alliances, probes NATO’s edges, and practices disruption without open war.
Geography is political strategy for an unhinged U.S. president — and the Arctic is no longer neutral. 🌍
#Brewminate #Geopolitics #NATO
📞🌍 TODAY IN HISTORY: January 7, 1927 – Oceans of Communication
New York and London spoke across the Atlantic — live. No waiting. No ships. No cables slowing the moment.
It was fragile and expensive, but it collapsed distance forever.
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #CommunicationHistory
New York and London spoke across the Atlantic — live. No waiting. No ships. No cables slowing the moment.
It was fragile and expensive, but it collapsed distance forever.
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #CommunicationHistory
January 7, 2026 at 5:34 PM
📞🌍 TODAY IN HISTORY: January 7, 1927 – Oceans of Communication
New York and London spoke across the Atlantic — live. No waiting. No ships. No cables slowing the moment.
It was fragile and expensive, but it collapsed distance forever.
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #CommunicationHistory
New York and London spoke across the Atlantic — live. No waiting. No ships. No cables slowing the moment.
It was fragile and expensive, but it collapsed distance forever.
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #CommunicationHistory
Casus belli are often manufactured, not found. 📜
Disinformation and political framing helped propel the Mexican–American War, shaping public consent before conflict ever began.
History is instructive here.
#Brewminate #History #Disinformation
Disinformation and political framing helped propel the Mexican–American War, shaping public consent before conflict ever began.
History is instructive here.
#Brewminate #History #Disinformation
Misinformation and Disinformation in the Mexican–American War
How President James K. Polk used narrative framing, misinformation, and disinformation to provoke the Mexican–American War and secure territorial expansion.
brewminate.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Casus belli are often manufactured, not found. 📜
Disinformation and political framing helped propel the Mexican–American War, shaping public consent before conflict ever began.
History is instructive here.
#Brewminate #History #Disinformation
Disinformation and political framing helped propel the Mexican–American War, shaping public consent before conflict ever began.
History is instructive here.
#Brewminate #History #Disinformation
Misinformation spreads fastest when societies are stressed. 🧠
Periods of volatility don’t just distort facts — they reshape trust itself.
Understanding that dynamic is essential right now.
#Brewminate #Misinformation #MediaStudies
Periods of volatility don’t just distort facts — they reshape trust itself.
Understanding that dynamic is essential right now.
#Brewminate #Misinformation #MediaStudies
Misinformation in an Age of Social and Political Volatility
How misinformation spreads during periods of social instability, why volatility accelerates it, and what this means for trust, media, and democracy.
brewminate.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Misinformation spreads fastest when societies are stressed. 🧠
Periods of volatility don’t just distort facts — they reshape trust itself.
Understanding that dynamic is essential right now.
#Brewminate #Misinformation #MediaStudies
Periods of volatility don’t just distort facts — they reshape trust itself.
Understanding that dynamic is essential right now.
#Brewminate #Misinformation #MediaStudies
Photos never told the whole truth — even before digital tools. 📸
From darkrooms to propaganda, image manipulation has shaped belief for generations.
Today’s debates have deeper roots than we like to admit.
#Brewminate #MediaHistory #Photography
From darkrooms to propaganda, image manipulation has shaped belief for generations.
Today’s debates have deeper roots than we like to admit.
#Brewminate #MediaHistory #Photography
Photo Manipulation History before the Digital Age
A scholarly history of photo manipulation from early retouching and composites to propaganda, photomontage, and visual erasure before digital technology.
brewminate.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Photos never told the whole truth — even before digital tools. 📸
From darkrooms to propaganda, image manipulation has shaped belief for generations.
Today’s debates have deeper roots than we like to admit.
#Brewminate #MediaHistory #Photography
From darkrooms to propaganda, image manipulation has shaped belief for generations.
Today’s debates have deeper roots than we like to admit.
#Brewminate #MediaHistory #Photography
Deepfakes aren’t a future problem anymore. They’re already restructuring trust itself. 🧠
2025 marked the shift from viral shock to silent influence — and what’s coming next is even harder to see.
#Brewminate #Deepfakes #AI
2025 marked the shift from viral shock to silent influence — and what’s coming next is even harder to see.
#Brewminate #Deepfakes #AI
Deepfakes in 2025: What’s Next for AI Video and Audio
Deepfakes surged in 2025. Learn what’s driving the shift, what’s coming next, and how trust, politics, and media will be tested.
brewminate.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Deepfakes aren’t a future problem anymore. They’re already restructuring trust itself. 🧠
2025 marked the shift from viral shock to silent influence — and what’s coming next is even harder to see.
#Brewminate #Deepfakes #AI
2025 marked the shift from viral shock to silent influence — and what’s coming next is even harder to see.
#Brewminate #Deepfakes #AI
Bluesky
ECHOES OF HISTORY: THEN AND NOW
Then:
Care tied to wealth. Illness meant financial ruin.
Now:
New systems, same stress. Deductibles and delays still ration care by income. 🏥⚖️
#Healthcare #History #Brewminate
ECHOES OF HISTORY: THEN AND NOW
Then:
Care tied to wealth. Illness meant financial ruin.
Now:
New systems, same stress. Deductibles and delays still ration care by income. 🏥⚖️
#Healthcare #History #Brewminate
January 6, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Bluesky
ECHOES OF HISTORY: THEN AND NOW
Then:
Care tied to wealth. Illness meant financial ruin.
Now:
New systems, same stress. Deductibles and delays still ration care by income. 🏥⚖️
#Healthcare #History #Brewminate
ECHOES OF HISTORY: THEN AND NOW
Then:
Care tied to wealth. Illness meant financial ruin.
Now:
New systems, same stress. Deductibles and delays still ration care by income. 🏥⚖️
#Healthcare #History #Brewminate
TODAY IN HISTORY: January 6, 1921 - Cornered before Crick
🧬 Born today: Marianne Grunberg-Manago.
Her work helped crack the genetic code — and she did it in an era that tried hard to overlook women in science.
Foundations matter.
#ScienceHistory #WomenInScience #Brewminate
🧬 Born today: Marianne Grunberg-Manago.
Her work helped crack the genetic code — and she did it in an era that tried hard to overlook women in science.
Foundations matter.
#ScienceHistory #WomenInScience #Brewminate
January 6, 2026 at 6:14 PM
TODAY IN HISTORY: January 6, 1921 - Cornered before Crick
🧬 Born today: Marianne Grunberg-Manago.
Her work helped crack the genetic code — and she did it in an era that tried hard to overlook women in science.
Foundations matter.
#ScienceHistory #WomenInScience #Brewminate
🧬 Born today: Marianne Grunberg-Manago.
Her work helped crack the genetic code — and she did it in an era that tried hard to overlook women in science.
Foundations matter.
#ScienceHistory #WomenInScience #Brewminate
Why do doctors wear white coats?
It’s not just fashion — it’s history, symbolism, and professional identity woven together over decades.
#MedicalHistory #Healthcare #Brewminate
It’s not just fashion — it’s history, symbolism, and professional identity woven together over decades.
#MedicalHistory #Healthcare #Brewminate
The Doctor’s White Coat and Its Historical Meaning
Explore the historical origins of the doctor’s white coat and how medicine, authority, and trust shaped its symbolic power.
brewminate.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Why do doctors wear white coats?
It’s not just fashion — it’s history, symbolism, and professional identity woven together over decades.
#MedicalHistory #Healthcare #Brewminate
It’s not just fashion — it’s history, symbolism, and professional identity woven together over decades.
#MedicalHistory #Healthcare #Brewminate
The ACA hasn’t been repealed by Congress — but policy shifts are shrinking its reach and protections.
Repeal now runs through regulation.
#Healthcare #Policy #Brewminate
Repeal now runs through regulation.
#Healthcare #Policy #Brewminate
ACA Subsidies Expire as Repeal by Attrition Finally Succeeds
The expiration of ACA subsidies was not an accident. This analysis explains how repeal by attrition succeeded where direct repeal failed.
brewminate.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:00 PM
The ACA hasn’t been repealed by Congress — but policy shifts are shrinking its reach and protections.
Repeal now runs through regulation.
#Healthcare #Policy #Brewminate
Repeal now runs through regulation.
#Healthcare #Policy #Brewminate
For 100 years, national health care has been nominated, debated, and deferred in the U.S.
More than ideas, the battle has been about power, institutions, and public will.
#Healthcare #PolicyHistory #Brewminate
More than ideas, the battle has been about power, institutions, and public will.
#Healthcare #PolicyHistory #Brewminate
A Century Deferred and the Unraveling of American Health Care
A historic analysis of failed U.S. health care reform, from Progressive Era efforts to the ACA, and why universal coverage never took hold.
brewminate.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:56 PM
For 100 years, national health care has been nominated, debated, and deferred in the U.S.
More than ideas, the battle has been about power, institutions, and public will.
#Healthcare #PolicyHistory #Brewminate
More than ideas, the battle has been about power, institutions, and public will.
#Healthcare #PolicyHistory #Brewminate
High-deductible health plans are back in the spotlight — sold as efficiency, experienced as hesitation.
When the price of care rises, people don’t stop getting sick.
They just stop going. 🏥⚖️
#Healthcare #Policy #Brewminate
When the price of care rises, people don’t stop getting sick.
They just stop going. 🏥⚖️
#Healthcare #Policy #Brewminate
Policy Changes Renew Focus on High-Deductible Health Plans
Recent policy changes are shifting attention back to high-deductible health plans, reshaping employer coverage, consumer costs, and health care decision-making.
brewminate.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:52 PM
High-deductible health plans are back in the spotlight — sold as efficiency, experienced as hesitation.
When the price of care rises, people don’t stop getting sick.
They just stop going. 🏥⚖️
#Healthcare #Policy #Brewminate
When the price of care rises, people don’t stop getting sick.
They just stop going. 🏥⚖️
#Healthcare #Policy #Brewminate
DID YOU KNOW?
U.S. involvement with Venezuelan oil didn’t start this weekend. It’s over a century old.
What changed wasn’t the goal — just the language. Democracy gets cited.
Sovereignty gets ignored. Resources get claimed. Imperial continuity, said out loud.
🛢️🔥
#Brewminate #History #Venezuela
U.S. involvement with Venezuelan oil didn’t start this weekend. It’s over a century old.
What changed wasn’t the goal — just the language. Democracy gets cited.
Sovereignty gets ignored. Resources get claimed. Imperial continuity, said out loud.
🛢️🔥
#Brewminate #History #Venezuela
January 5, 2026 at 7:29 PM
DID YOU KNOW?
U.S. involvement with Venezuelan oil didn’t start this weekend. It’s over a century old.
What changed wasn’t the goal — just the language. Democracy gets cited.
Sovereignty gets ignored. Resources get claimed. Imperial continuity, said out loud.
🛢️🔥
#Brewminate #History #Venezuela
U.S. involvement with Venezuelan oil didn’t start this weekend. It’s over a century old.
What changed wasn’t the goal — just the language. Democracy gets cited.
Sovereignty gets ignored. Resources get claimed. Imperial continuity, said out loud.
🛢️🔥
#Brewminate #History #Venezuela
TODAY IN HISTORY: January 5, 1822 – First Mexican Empire Annexation
Central America briefly joined the First Mexican Empire after local councils voted for annexation, hoping Mexico would bring stability after Spain’s collapse. It didn’t last . 🌎📜
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #LatinAmerica
Central America briefly joined the First Mexican Empire after local councils voted for annexation, hoping Mexico would bring stability after Spain’s collapse. It didn’t last . 🌎📜
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #LatinAmerica
January 5, 2026 at 7:24 PM
TODAY IN HISTORY: January 5, 1822 – First Mexican Empire Annexation
Central America briefly joined the First Mexican Empire after local councils voted for annexation, hoping Mexico would bring stability after Spain’s collapse. It didn’t last . 🌎📜
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #LatinAmerica
Central America briefly joined the First Mexican Empire after local councils voted for annexation, hoping Mexico would bring stability after Spain’s collapse. It didn’t last . 🌎📜
#Brewminate #TodayInHistory #LatinAmerica