The Ancient Origins of Plastic Surgery [infographic]

Plastic surgery has come a very long way since the days it began which some historians date all the way back to 1213 B.C. These days it is no trouble to nip this and tuck that in just a matter of minutes with certain cosmetic surgery procedures.

Have you ever stopped and thought about the history of plastic surgery for just a second? The folks at The Plastic Surgery Institute of Southeast Texas put together this great infographic piece depicting the history of cosmetic plastic surgery into a visual timeline.

Click image to see a larger version.

20 Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold

Hundreds of thousands even millions of dollars are spent every year by art patrons eager to own the world’s most sought-after paintings.Find out a little more about this shortlist of Picasso’s, Van Gogh’s and more works from famous artists who still command the highest prices.

Pablo Picasso – Femme aux Bras Croisés (Woman with Folded Arms), 1902
Sold for $55 million in 2000


Vincent van Gogh – A Wheatfield with Cypresses, 1889
Sold for $57 million in 1993


Kazimir Malevich – Suprematist Composition, 1916
Sold for $60 million in 2008


Paul Cézanne – Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier, 1894
Sold for $60.5 million in 1999


Willem de Kooning – Police Gazette, 1955
Sold for $63.5 in 2006


Vincent van Gogh – Portrait de l’Artiste Sans Barbe (Self-portrait without beard), 1889
Sold for $71.5 million in 1998


Andy Warhol – Green Car Crash, 1963
Sold for $71.7 million in 2007


Mark Rothko –White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose), 1950
Sold for $72.8 million in 2007


Peter Paul Rubens – Massacre of the Innocents, 1611
Sold for $76.7 million in 2002


Pierre-Auguste Renoir – Bal au Moulin de la Galette, Montmartre (Dance at Le moulin de la Galette), 1876
Sold for $78.1 million in 1990


Jasper Johns – False Start, 1959
Sold for $80 million in 2006


Claude Monet – Le Bassin Aux Nymphéas (Water Lily Pond), 1919
Sold for $80.5 million in 2008


Vincent van Gogh – Portrait of Dr. Gachet, 1890
Sold for $82.5 million in 1990


Francis Bacon – Triptych, 1976
Sold for $86.3 million in 2008


Gustav Klimt – Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II, 1912
Sold for $87.9 million in 2006


Pablo Picasso – Dora Maar au Chat (Dora Maar with Cat), 1941
Sold for $95.2 in 2006


Pablo Picasso – Garçon à la Pipe (Boy with a Pipe), 1905
Sold for $104.2 million in 2004


Gustav Klimt – Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907
Sold for $135 million in 2006


Willem de Kooning – Woman III, 1953
Sold for $137.5 million in 2006


Jackson Pollock – No. 5, 1948
Sold for $140 million in 2006

Hill Of Crosses in Lithuania

The Hill of Crosses is a site of pilgrimage in northern Lithuania just outside the city of Siauliai. Standing upon a small hill are an estimated 100,000 crosses, crucifixes and rosaries that represent Christian devotion and a memorial to Lithuanian national identity.

The city of Siauliai was founded in 1236 and occupied by Teutonic Knights during the 14th century. The tradition of placing crosses dates from this period and probably first arose as a symbol of Lithuanian defiance of foreign invaders. Since the medieval period, the Hill of Crosses has represented the peaceful resistance of Lithuanian Catholicism to oppression. In 1795 Siauliai was incorporated into Russia but was returned to Lithuania in 1918. Many crosses were erected upon the hill after the peasant uprising of 1831-63. By 1895, there were at least 150 large crosses, in 1914 there were 200, and by 1940 there were 400 large crosses surrounded by thousands of smaller ones.

On September 7, 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Hill of Crosses, declaring it a place for hope, peace, love and sacrifice.

Exotic Dancers of the 1890s

Dr. Charles H. McCaghy, a professor of sociology at Bowling Green State University, specializes in the study of deviance and his interest in the topic has led to a collection of materials documenting the history of stripping.

These portraits of exotic dancers of the 19th century probably appeared scandalous at one time, but they are SFW. What is fascinating is that, outside of wearing corsets, these professional exotic dancers display the size and shape of average women who would never be offered a professional position in entertainment today.












































Via: Retronaut