Thursday, March 28, 2024

People of the Ballet Russes

Choreographers, musicians, artists, and others formed a cohesive dance company that became the Ballet Russes. Russian ballet would never be the same. The creation and...

Prince Vladimir – Eastern Orthodoxy

Eastern Orthodoxy came to Kievan Rus by way of Constantinople, when Prince Vladimir chose the Orthodox religion over Paganism and founded St. Sophia. Kievan Rus...

The Maxim Gorky: Aviation’s Titanic

Maurie White’s father, an engineer who produced truck radiators, was one of forty people invited onto the Maxim Gorky, a mammoth passenger plane that...

Soviet Jewish Jokes: Anecdotes & Humour in the Soviet Union

Soviet Jewish anecdotes talked about emigration, nationality, economics and discrimination. Emigration humour was hugely popular and served to highlight both the poor standard of...

Boris Berezovsky’s Fall from Grace in the Year 2000

By 1999, Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky had everything a man could want. He had fancy cars, extravagant homes, the finest wines, and best of...

Tatiana Nikolaievna

Eighteen months after the birth of Olga, the Imperial Household was en route to welcoming another addition to the family. By May, all of...

Boris Berezovsky’s Rise to Power During the 1990s

When Russians refer to the "oligarchs" they are referring to a handful of big businessmen within their country. With the collapse of the Soviet...

Russian Beauty

In 1899, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was preparing for the arrival of her third child. This time, Russia anxiously awaited an heir. Relatives ardently prayed...

Holodomor: The Great Famine in Soviet Ukraine, 1932-1933

Collectivization was implemented with greater vigilance and ruthlessness in Ukraine than elsewhere in the Soviet Union. It was also used as a tool to...

Anastasia – A Century’s Mystery

In the autumn of 1900, the Tsar fell terribly ill with typhoid fever. Torn by worries for her husband, Alix was suddenly put face...