Frank Jacobs
Big Think
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Frank:
The Paratethys Sea was the largest lake in Earth’s history
The Black, Caspian, and Aral Seas are the last surviving fragments of the Paratethys Sea, which stretched from Austria to Turkmenistan. → Read More
How octopus DNA suggests that Antarctica will melt again
Octopus DNA reveals that two populations that are geographically separated today once mated a very long time ago. → Read More
How to turn America into communist Russia: the board game
In 1934, American Communists translated a Stalinist book about revolution into a children’s game. Curiously, it didn't catch on. → Read More
This map shows why FDR’s New Deal was kind of a big deal
Almost 18,000 projects initiated by FDR are depicted on this interactive map. Love it or hate it, the New Deal was a big deal. → Read More
The horrors of World War II air war, in one stark map
Despite Göring's assurances that they wouldn't get through, Allied bombers rained destruction on Germany in World War II. → Read More
Europe's stunning digital divide, in one map
Some Europeans really don't want to use the internet. This map shows a stark divide between northwest and southeast Europe. → Read More
Colorado is not a rectangle — it has 697 sides
Colorado looks like a rectangle. It isn't. The Centennial State has not four, but 697 sides. That makes it a hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon. → Read More
What's better than maps or stamps? Maps on stamps!
When maps meet stamps, you get a love child called "cartophilately." But this amazing cultural phenomenon is on the brink of extinction. → Read More
It could be worse: 5 countries have triple-digit inflation
The U.S. has 7.7% inflation, while the UK has 11.1%. But it could be a lot worse. In Zimbabwe, it's an eye-watering 269%. → Read More
Roman roads are still connecting Europe’s wealthiest areas
All roads may not lead to Rome, but many of them lead to wealth and prosperity — even 1,500 years after the fall of the Roman Empire. → Read More
Newton’s apple tree has descendants and clones all over the world
Its apples taste bad, but institutions all over the world want a descendant or clone of Newton's apple tree, anyway. → Read More
Global population will hit 8 billion on November 15, but it will begin shrinking around 2100
Humanity is poised to pass the 8 billion milestone mid-November, but population growth is actually slowing down. → Read More
After oil and gas, Europe is now running out of wind
You might think it's impossible to run out of wind, but Europe's "wind drought" proves otherwise. And it's only going to get worse. → Read More
This shell is not just a symbol, but also a map
Scallop shells have accompanied pilgrims to and from Santiago de Compostela for centuries, for more than one reason. → Read More
One ship in two centuries: the strange tale of the SS Warrimoo
On New Year's Eve 1899, the captain of the SS Warrimoo, a Pacific steamliner, sailed into history. Or did he? → Read More
America’s early love affair with Antiquity still shows on this map
The Midwest and eastern U.S. are populated with classical town names derived from Antiquity. There are nearly 100 towns named "Troy." → Read More
Europe's dry rivers reveal creepy "hunger stones"
When rivers dry up in Central Europe, "hunger stones" with ominous inscribed warnings from centuries past reappear. → Read More
To learn psychogeography, take a strange, circular walk around London
Psychogeography allows "you yourself perform a symbolic tour of a cyclical universe encoded in microcosm" — or something like that. → Read More
Turns out most famous people aren’t that famous at all
An interactive “globe of notability” shows the curious correspondences and the strange landscape of global fame. → Read More
How Europe’s newest bridge unites (and divides) the Balkans
The Pelješac Bridge joins a divided Croatia, but it cuts Bosnia out of Europe — literally and figuratively. A bridge to unite also divides. → Read More