I must confess. I love to read Wikipedia. I binge read it really. One article to the next, new discoveries, new adventures.
I’d like to say that this past year of lockdowns has given me more time than ever to read Wikipedia. But the reality is that I read it exactly as much as any other year, it is a constant diversion in my life.
This past year three articles stopped me cold and blew me away. I was fascinated, sucked into the story, and curious as to all of the side stories. Each of these three kept me busy for days, spaced out over the span of weeks, and to be honest I’m still not done with one of them yet.
1. U2’s Zoo TV Tour — I must admit I’m a casual listener of U2. You know they come on the radio and such... I wasn’t aware of the bands transformation from a politically serious band of the 1980’s to their more familiar incarnation as rock Mega-Stars of the 90s and oughts. This tour was that moment of transformation. It wasn’t just any rock and roll tour, it was perhaps the maximal tour of any band in history. When you read through all the stories you keep thinking “this could never happen today”.
Want to know why? (And trust me you do) a weeks worth of Wikipedia awaits.
2. Sir Walter Raleigh — You’re probably familiar with the name. He’s one of those captains of the Age of Exploration, right?
Wrong.
He lived more lives than a normal man might in a hundred tries. The article starts off “He was an English landed gentleman, writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy, and explorer.”
That enough for ya? In reading his history, one has to keep going back and forth trying to keep the chronologies consistent in your head. Secret marriages, suppressed rebellions, life in Ireland, Westminster, a stint locked up in the Tower of London... and yes the Lost City of Gold... all this and more...
3. The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro — straight from the ‘Truth is Stranger than Fiction’ file. Inspired by the success of so many airline hijackings a group of PLO half-wits decided to hijack a cruise ship. What could go wrong? A lot apparently. The cascading series of events has a Tom Clancy feel to it. Except that in fiction we often get smooth criminals, devious plots, and logically ordered events. In real life we got a wide cast of interesting characters, from the bumbling to the crazy. Only Abu Abbas stands out as an intelligent, seasoned operator. The drama escalated until the point where USA’s Delta Force was in a classic guns-drawn Mexican-standoff with Italian Carabinieri.
Wait Aren’t the Terrorists supposed to be the bad guys? This geopolitical drama is worth your attention.
Honorable Mention. Jud Süß — Joseph Goebbels produces the winter blockbuster of 1940/41. “Based on true events” of an 18th century regal drama, twisted into antisemitic propaganda, and featuring Germany’s biggest stars.
