A Breakdown of My Most Viewed Article When I first started writing about history and culture on Medium, I did not expect any of my articles to get more than a few clicks. Little did I know at the time about the power of Medium’s algorithm. …

An account of my 8-month-long journey I still don’t know what got into me, but I decided I wanted to pursue law as a career on a random weekday in March of 2022. I was on track to become a teacher through my university program and throwing that away to…

Rudolf Hess — Did you know that Hitler’s right-hand man was possibly a bigger lunatic than Hitler? Now we all know that Adolf Hitler was a lunatic who drove the world into the largest war humanity has witnessed. …

Japonism in the 19th Century Europe — If you are a fan of Vincent Van Gogh, you may have noticed strange elements that exist in his paintings. Hidden in corners of his paintings are certain “oriental” elements that seem out of place with what the audience would expect from a 19th-century European painter’s painting. In his most…

How a Russian Invader Became the Khan of Mongolia — In 1911, after 300 long years under the rule of the Qing Dynasty of China, Mongolia declared itself independent under the leadership of Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, who was a Tibetan Buddhist monk. However, in 1920, China reoccupied Mongolia and dethroned Khutuktu from the seat of the Khan. In 1921, in the…

Prince Yi U — When Japan annexed Korea in 1910, many of Korea’s ex-royals were given noble titles by the Japanese imperial government to ease the anger of the Korean people. Although from the outside it seemed like these royals were treated exceptionally by Japan, many of them lived tragic lives. …

The History of the Smallest Country in the World — Vatican City is officially the smallest country in the world. Situated in the middle of Rome as an enclave, it is only about 20% of the size of Central Park in Manhattan, New York City. Its population is about 1,000, only made up of the Pope, Bishops, and Clergies that…

Why Banana Flavoring Tastes Nothing Like an Actual Banana — Have you ever had a banana-flavored candy or drink and wondered why the flavor tasted nothing like an actual banana? Well, what if I told you that it actually does taste like an actual banana? The fact is, the banana flavor that most are familiar with closely resembles that of…

The Incredible Story of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor — In China’s more than 4000 years long history there has been only one case where a peasant rose to the rank in society higher than everyone else; emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang was a peasant who experience extreme poverty during 14th century China, who later became the founder and the emperor of…