The New Story of Old Timelines

Timelines are our fiore all’occhiello, the flower in a tuxedo pocket. Some of us might look old and certainly old-fashioned, yet we work with very young people and we use multimedia to help you make sense of the world.

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Dear FO° Reader,

At Fair Observer, we value not only diversity not only in perspectives but also in types of content. Some content works best as articles, others as photo features, podcasts or videos. We believe that the medium must match the message.

Here, we want to focus our mind on history. We believe that weighty tomes tell an imperfect tale of the past. History is the story of the human experience. With the advance of technology, we can use old photos, iconic speeches and historical videos instead of pure text to tell the story. Our timelines put together a chronology of events that brings coherence to what often seems like a chaotic, and often overwhelming, past. We encourage you to check them out on our multimedia page here.

Our timelines simulate lived reality. They are multisensory and diachronic. Readers go through entire timelines in one go or come back to refer to a slide or two from time to time. Our timelines enable our readers to place events in perspective, connect the dots and make sense of it all.

The Story of World War II

We published our signature timeline in 2019, 80 years after the beginning of World War II. This war gave birth to the postwar global order and is of historic significance. We set out to put together a chronology of events after World War I that led to another world war in just three decades. At a time when wars are breaking out again, this timeline is particularly pertinent and we encourage you to check it out.

Kashmir: 200 Years of Blood in “Paradise on Earth”

At Fair Observer, we tell stories that you do not hear elsewhere and, even if you do, they are not in such detail. For many in Europe or the US, Kashmir is a distant faraway place. People vaguely think of it as a place of silk carpets, fragrant saffron and pink salt. Yet this beautiful valley might well trigger nuclear war. Kashmir sits at the crossroads between the Tibetan Plateau and the Indus Valley. India, Pakistan and China jostle for it and we encourage you to go through our timeline of a centuries-long conflict in a religiously and politically divided land.

Corruption in Sports

Ellis Cashmore, a sociologist and expert on sports and celebrity culture, has caught the timeline bug. He has come up with many timelines but the one that catches our eye is the one on corruption in sports. At a time when more and more money is sloshing around in sports, our timeline provides you with valuable context.

As you can see, our timelines are a treasure trove. Perhaps we are being a touch too proud but, hand over heart, tell us where else can you find such comprehensive yet brief compilation of facts?

An FO° timeline serves both as an excellent start for exploring a subject as well as a memory refresher. Instructors use our timelines in the classroom, and authors use them as refreshers for context. They are a great resource to come back to again and again, and we urge you to share them with your circle.

Historically yours,

Anton Schauble Roberta Campani

Assistant Editor Communications & Outreach

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