Saying that it has been an interesting year is an understatement — 2020 has brought on changes to the way we live that could have never been predicted.
We stayed home, started working from the couch, and stopped traveling.
But, we also have had the opportunity to find new ways to connect with people we love, get a little perspective on what really matters, and read more than ever before.
Out of the hundreds of posts on The Anthrotorian, these are the top 20 that resonated most with you this year.
1 | Have You Read the 10 Most-Read Books in The World?
Based on the number of books printed and sold in the last 50 years, this is the list of the top ten most-read (English) books — along with their opening line — on our planet.
How many have you read? (No, watching the movie doesn't count!)
Keep reading
2 | 9 Vintage Hawaii Travel Posters (that will make you want to pack your bags!)
There’s nothing that makes me want to pack my bags more than vintage travel posters — especially ones that show me palm trees, beaches, and a tropical paradise!
These are some prints that I have collected during various trips to the Hawaiian Islands and they instantly transport me back to the sand, sun, and floral breezes of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, The Big Island, Molokai, and Lanai.
See all the posters
3 | Greek, White, and Blue: Why are the buildings in Greece painted white and blue?
If I were to ask you to close your eyes and picture the Greek Islands, what would you see? White sand? Feta cheese? Brad Pitt dressed as Achilles?
Yes, you may see Brad, sand, and cheese, but if you are anything like me, the first image that will pop into your head will be of whitewashed walls and bright blue rooftops — the classic buildings of Greece, especially the Greek Islands, and the subject of posters plastered all over the walls of travel agencies around the world.
After visiting the breathtaking island of Santorini myself, and walking amongst these perfectly painted structures, I began to wonder… why white and blue?
Read the full article
4 | The History of The Swedish Dala Horse
Have you seen those white and black wooden horses you can get at Ikea?
You know the ones — they are next to the vases and fake flowers, right before you hit the warehouse area.
Ya, those ones.
Well, it turns out that they are actually called Dala Horses, and they are an important part of Swedish history and culture.
Learn more about the Dala horse
5 | 7 Scottish Wedding Traditions You Need to Know
I have learned first hand that Scottish weddings are not for the faint of heart — they are loud, rowdy, and a whole lot of fun!
Here's everything you need to know to be the life of the party (and not insult anyone) at the next Scottish wedding you attend.
Check out all the traditions
6 | Queen Nefertiti: The Most Beautiful Woman in Ancient Egypt
Like Helen of Troy, the beauty of Queen Nefertiti has been documented throughout history and her likeness has been studied and revered since its discovery.
Who was Queen Nefertiti?
Egypt's second most famous queen (after Cleopatra, of course) Queen Nefertiti was the wife of Akhenaten (formally known as Amenhotep IV) who came to the throne in 1352 BC and reigned for 17 years.
Learn more about this mysterious queen
7 | The Difference Between Complete and Finished
No dictionary has been able to adequately explain the difference between the words complete and finished. However, at a linguistic conference attended by some of the best linguists in the world, a single man changed that.
The director of the conference issued this challenge: "Some say there is no difference between the words complete and finished. Please explain the difference between complete and finished in a way that is easy to understand."
Keep reading
8 | Banned Books in the USA: Top Books Banned By Genre + Why They Are Censored
As soon as a book becomes banned, people all over the world want to get their hands on a copy to find out what the latest "controversial" novel has to say.
More often than not, they are disappointed as the content of the book seems a lot less shocking than something that you would see on TV on an average night. A few curse words are sometimes all it takes to ban a certain book from the average school.
What makes a book being banned so interesting is what it says about the people, place, and time period that thought it was bad enough to be banned.
See all of the banned books
9 | Michelangelo’s Slaves: The Story Behind These Unfinished Sculptures
In 1505, Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II to design his huge, free-standing tomb. The artist went straight to work, traveling to the marble quarries of Carrara — in central Italy — to hand-select the pieces that he would use to create statues for the tomb.
Choosing the stone for his sculptures was very important to the artist because he envisioned the statue as already existing within the marble.
He saw it as his job to set the statue free.
Read the full post about these sculptures
10 | 10 Quotes by Paulo Coelho To Inspire Your Next Adventure
After reading only a few pages of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, I knew that I was hooked for life on the writing of this inspiring Brazilian novelist.
These are only a few of my favorite quotes, from some of his most popular books, that are sure to inspire you to take a risk on that next adventure!
Read all of the quotes
11 | 15 Line Drawings of Beautiful Women You Need in Your Life
There is something about the simplicity of line drawings that I find beautiful, and nothing is more beautiful than a line drawing of a woman — whether it is of her profile while she is deep in thought, the curves of her back after a bath, or her smile when she is looking right at you.
These portraits are of women I know or have met briefly while traveling — there is even a self-portrait in the mix. I’ve tried to capture a little of their personality in a few simple lines and a limited color palette so that you see a glimpse of who they are by the curves of their chin or the corner of their mouth.
Check out all the drawings
12 | Quiz: Which Book Should I Read Next?
Is your New Year's resolution to read more? Are you looking for something interesting to read on your next trip? Or, have you just finished a book and want to try something new?
Click the link below to take our quiz below to see which book you should read next!
Take the quiz
13 | What’s So Special About The Mona Lisa? The Real Story Behind Da Vinci’s Famous Painting
When my sister recently came home from a trip to Paris she seemed impressed with everything that she had seen — except for the Mona Lisa. One of the most recognized works of art in the world, reproductions of it usually come in poster-sized prints while the original, hung behind thick, bulletproof glass and guarded by a velvet rope is miniature in comparison.
She commented that in a museum filled with huge, wall-sized works of art, why should she care about something so small that she couldn’t even get close to? This is a very good question and one that I am sure A LOT of visitors to the Louvre end up asking.
Learn more about Mona
14 | What is Old English and How is it Different From Modern-Day English
When you read the words “Old English”, I am sure that the first thing that pops into your head are passages from Shakespeare's plays and words like "thou" and "ye".
I am afraid, however, that you would be incorrect.
The English that Shakespeare used is actually called Early Modern English.
So, what is Old English?
Click here to find out
15 | Ring Around The Rosie, The Plague, and The Black Death
Ring Around the Rosie (or Ring-a-Ring o'Roses if you are from the UK) is a nursery rhyme that many of us have recited on the playground at one time or another.
Though it has been part of the Mother Goose collection of folksongs since 1881, this rhyme may have been recited as early as the 1790s all over Europe, and has a pretty dark history.
Learn more
16 | Hawaii 101: What is the Meaning of Ti Leaves to Hawaiians?
On my last visit to Oahu, I ended up at a University Men’s Volleyball Game and, before sitting down, was handed a long, slim green leaf. I was told it was a “Ti Leaf” and I was supposed to use it to cheer for the team.
What are these leaves, you ask, and why do they make an appearance at major sports events?
Learn more
17 | Creating David: The Story of Michelangelo’s Famous Statue of David
In 1501, Michelangelo (yes, the same guy who painted the famous Sistine Chapel located in the Vatican in Rome) accepted a commission to carve a marble sculpture of the biblical David to be placed high atop a buttress on the Florentine Cathedral.
Interestingly, the commission was originally offered to Leonardo da Vinci who rejected it on the grounds that he despised marble sculpture as an inferior art, good only for artisans —(shockingly) he and Michelangelo were NOT best friends.
Read more about the story of this sculpture
18 | What’s The Difference Between a Reproduction and a Print?
Digital prints, giclée prints, original work, illustrations, reproductions — there are a lot of different terms that are thrown around these days when it comes to art, and each term comes with a vastly different price range.
I have always struggled with distinguishing the difference between a reproduction and a print, so I decided to do a bit of research to figure it out once and for all.
Here's what I have discovered
19 | Pantheon Facts: What’s the Difference Between The Paris Pantheon and The Roman Pantheon?
Yes, there are two famous Pantheons that you can visit in Europe — one in Paris and one in Rome — but they were both constructed for very different reasons, and were built hundreds of years apart.
One of the city’s most well preserved ancient buildings, the Pantheon in Rome was originally built as a temple to the Olympian gods (Pantheon literally means ‘all gods’) as a place where people who had different beliefs could gather and worship together.
Learn more about both Pantheons here
20 | Art or Eyesore? The Victor Emmanuel II Monument aka “The Wedding Cake” in Rome
The glaringly white Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II AKA Altare della Patria AKA Il Vittoriano AKA The Victor Emmanuel II Monument AKA The Wedding Cake was built to honor the first king of unified Italy, Victor Emmanuel.
Completed in 1935, it sits in the core of Rome between the huge Piazza Venezia and Capitoline Hill. The marble monstrosity is 135m wide and 70m high making it clearly visible to most of the city.
Read more about this Roman monument
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Meet The Author
Lindsay Shapka is an avid traveler and the creator of The Anthrotorian — a website dedicated to sharing travel tips, stories about adventures, culture quirks, artists you should know, fascinating bits of history, and more!
She is also an artist, marketing specialist, editor, and freelance writer who has work featured on websites, blogs, and in magazines like National Geographic Traveler.
