WTSTW 1770: The Gweagal Shield
1770 was a year of change on the cusp of the modern world. It was the year that James Cook set sail on his first voyage aboard the Endeavour. In April...
Works That Shaped The World
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The moon has held a special place in cultures across the globe. An object of mystical wonder and focus of scientific inquiry, the moon is an enduring subject for artists, poets and writers. To land on the moon represented not only a remarkable technological achievement, but one that created in human history a shared moment of optimism. An achievement for human ambition and scientific discovery, born out of the geopolitical competition between nations. The ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Centre present Works That Shaped The World; a series of talks exploring humankind's great achievements and astonishing creations. Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing in 1969, the inaugural 2019 series explores the moon through topics ranging from Shakespeare and cinema, to environmental humanities and Pythagoras.
The Lunar Origins of Cinema: Georges Méliès and Le Voyage dans la Lune
Since the early days of cinema, the moon has been an enchanting muse. The science of filmmaking was invented by the Lumière brothers, who débuted thei...
The Globe and the Moon: Shakespeare's Astronomical Imagination
How did Shakespeare understand the moon? In plays and poems of the 16th century, the moon carried the imaginative freight of centuries. The moon is in...
Apollo 8 and Earth Rise: Earth from the Moon, Seeing the Planet Whole
"Apollo 8 was the first spacecraft to send people out of Earth's orbit. The first to go to the moon. The first in lunar orbit. And leaving Earth's or...
Harmony of the Spheres and the Lost Works of Pythagoras
"How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night. Become ...
A Unique Endeavour: The Space Race and Apollo 11
"We set sail upon this sea, because there is new knowledge to be gained." -John F Kennedy The moon has held a special place in cultures across the gl...