Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
January 16, 2024

Lasers Uncover 2,500-Year–Old Cities Underneath the Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon Rainforest hides many mysteries. Yet unknown species scurry under the dense canopy of leaves and its plants may hold hidden cures to diseases. Under the greenery also lies the relics of thousands of years of history and human occupation. The Amazon has been inhabited for at least 13,000 years—it has never been an untouched oasis, but rather has always been used and influenced by people who lived within its bounds.

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January 11, 2024

Endangered Green Sea Turtle Suffering From Hypothermia Is Rescued in Oregon

Green sea turtles are gentle giants of the ocean. Herbivores whose plant diet gives them their trademark green color, they roam the waters of the Earth. Certain populations of the green sea turtle are sadly dubbed endangered species. They weigh up to 350 pounds as adults and stretch up to 4 feet. But one individual member of the species proved much smaller, almost diminutive, when she washed ashore on an Oregon beach suffering from hypothermia.

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January 5, 2024

24-Year-Old Becomes Youngest Black Female Licensed Commercial Pilot in the U.S.

While women have made great strides in male-dominated industries over the past few decades, piloting planes remains an old boys club. Only about 5% of those with commercial pilot licenses are women. While Bessie Coleman and Amelia Earhart were famous pioneers of early aviation, it remains difficult for women to break into the industry due to lack of representation and lack of support for family life.

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January 1, 2024

Explore 870,000 Items in the New York Public Library Online Archives

Before the internet, the New York Public Library was one of the largest repositories of human knowledge in the world. People could call in and ask their random questions to experienced librarians, long before people pulled out their phones to use Google search. But the library has kept up with modern times, making books available for digital rental and providing a wealth of online resources for consultations by the curious.

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