Our Story

At 7 years old I got my first job. My employer was a disillusioned, invalid priest with a private library of almost 10.000 books. This was long before the internet and with his thirst for knowledge, he had no less than 7 international newspapers delivered daily. His vision was simple, yet monumental. To create an archive of history - a vault of knowledge. Each day he would meticulously read each paper, mark out the important articles with a pen, and add the category, date and newspaper to each article. My job was to cut each of these articles out and place them in respective folders. Over the course of nearly 10 years, we built this archive together. As I cut and cut - I read and read. Slowly but surely we amassed this fountain of information, spanning from religion and philosophy to politics, war, culture, technology and science. 

 

Eventually, the old priest passed away. His two adoptive sons had no passion for the project and swiftly decided to sell all his books. The archive, however, had no financial value to them...so they simply decided to have a great bonfire in the garden. 10 years of our lives and several hundred thousand articles, carefully categorized and curated, went up in flames in less than 20 minutes. I was 16 years old and devastated. Later in life, I became familiar with why Tibetan Monks sweep away their precious Mandalas. That thought at least, retrospectively, gave me some solace. 

 

Now, nearly 30 years later, I have through the power of the age of information and the internet been enabled to slowly rebuild our archive. The vision is still the same as when I was 7 years old. To create an archive of history - a vault of knowledge. To inspire and to eternally learn. This one is for you, Torben.

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History is the study of past events and the impact they have had on the world and its people. It encompasses a wide range of subjects, including political, economic, social, and cultural events, as well as the study of important historical figures and their actions. History helps us understand how events from the past have shaped the world we live in today, and provides us with a context for a deeper understanding of current events and trends. The study of history involves analyzing primary sources, such as written records, artefacts, and photographs, as well as secondary sources, such as books, articles, and films, to gain a deeper understanding of the past.

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While we at this history site have chosen to direct our primary narrative on the photographic aspect of history, that is purely a starting point. This site aims to delve into any and all aspects of the past. The human stories, the big events, the weird and wonderful. Everything that has led us to this point in time. For as George Santayana wrote in "The Life of Reason" in 1905: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”