Tim Brinkhof
Tim Brinkhof is a Dutch-born, New York-based journalist reporting on art, history, and literature. He studied early Netherlandish painting and Slavic literature at New York University, worked as an editorial assistant for Film Comment magazine, and has written for Esquire, Film & History, History Today, and History News Network.
A study proposes that an ancient trading network, called the Hopewell tradition, may have been wiped out by what is known as a cosmic airburst.
When Saint Ambrose of Milan was venerated, his life became public property, its meaning expanding with the unique interpretations of each new generation.
Many first-hand accounts from the golden age of piracy were grossly embellished, meaning it’s extremely difficult to separate Blackbeard the legend from Edward Thatch the person.
For a long time, important events could only be visualized retroactively through paintings. Photography allowed us to capture history as — or sometimes even before — it happened.
Elephants mourn the dead, dolphins give names to each other, and insects can recognize faces. The animal world is much smarter than we think.
The Siege of Leningrad lasted over two years and claimed nearly a million lives. It also inspired writers to record the bleak conditions in which they lived.
Behind the scenes, Hitler had at least three disastrous relationships, including a short-lived marriage.
Dating of volcanic ash suggests the remains are at least 230,000 years old.
Despite losing most of his extended family to the guillotine, Tocqueville grew up to become a fervent supporter of democratic revolution.
Once numbering just 27 birds, the global population of California condors is now in the hundreds.
People around the world, mostly Generation Z, are obsessed with the look and feel of gothic, elitist universities. Why?
People who visit Florence seem strangely susceptible to Stendhal syndrome, which is blamed on an overwhelming sense of awe.
The author of classics like “A Farewell to Arms” and “The Sun Also Rises” is known and loved for his simple yet effective writing style. Here’s how to imitate it.
Scientists used 3D scans to analyze the corpse of Amenhotep I. They discovered that his brain was never removed and that he was circumcised, among other curiosities.
Distinguishing fact from fiction can be tough, especially when it comes to people as controversial as Stalin.
Undiagnosed brain disease or divine inspiration? The origins of the French composer’s most provocative composition remain up for debate.
From 1974 to 1978, the chimps of Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania were at war with each other, the first time conservationists saw chimps engage in calculated, cold-blooded killing.
Ever felt sad during the holidays but weren’t sure why? Chances are you were suffering from a case of Christmas Blues.
Many of his criticisms ring true today.
Hit shows are like societal mirrors, capable of reflecting the cultural zeitgeist whose likeness they try to record.
Bears, chimps, or humans? A track of five poorly preserved footsteps at Laetoli has puzzled paleontologists for decades. Now, a research paper from Nature claims to have solved the mystery.
The most technically impressive feats of animation often strike us as eerie instead of impressive, and it’s all thanks to the uncanny valley.
The singer-songwriter distilled the essence of the holidays into a hit song, and for her efforts she was crowned the Queen of Christmas.
Cities overstimulate our senses and are full of people we don’t know. Maybe humans were meant for this.
Released in 1972, “Ways of Seeing” has proven to be as worthy of study as the artistic traditions it investigates.
Far from acting as the conduits of a benevolent deity, these religious leaders threw the teachings of their own church out of the window.
The insurmountable contrasts between their visions help explain Russia’s stunted development and hint at its destructive future.
The decades-long conflict is best understood not through secondhand accounts of historians, but the primary accounts of people who actually experienced it.
Although equal parts Hollywood blockbuster and Putinist propaganda, “Trotsky” still manages to capture the good, the bad, and the ugly of Russia’s revolutionary past.
By taking Satan out of the religious context, storytellers explored the nature of sin in new ways.