Alice Roosevelt Longworth lived loudly in a quiet era. From White House mischief to decades of political influence, she remained sharp, funny, and impossible to ignore well into old age.

On the evening of 23rd March, 1931, three young men walked towards the gallows in Lahore Central Jail. Witnesses later recalled that they did not resist, did not plead, and did not falter. One of them, Bhagat Singh, reportedly called out “Inquilab Zindabad” – “Long live the revolution” – as the noose was placed around his neck. He was 23 years old. It is easy, with hindsight, to reduce Bhagat Singh to a symbol. In India today, his name appears on posters, statues, and schoo

A mid nineteenth century Japanese scroll known as He gassen shows groups locked in exaggerated “fart battles”. Often dismissed as crude humour, some believe it carried subtle satire about society and change in Edo period Japan.