When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literary and Philosophical References
- Washington Irving, "Rip Van Winkle" (2.51)
- Elias Lünnrot, Kalevala (2.98)
- G.K. Chesterton (4.84)
- "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" (5.15)
- George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah (15.37)
- Plato and his Philosopher King (17.6)
- Socrates (17.6)
Historical References
- Neil Armstrong (1.2)
- Yuri Gagarin (1.3)
- Joseph Stalin (1.3)
- John F. Kennedy (1.9)
- Apartheid in South Africa (2.47)
- John Dalberg-Acton (2.88)
- The British Raj of India (3.7)
- Vladimir Lenin (3.82)
- The Russian Revolution (3.82)
- Adolf Hitler (6.8)
- Henry Morton Stanley and Dr. David Livingstone (7.16)
- The Thames (9.48, 9.63)
- House of Parliament (9.48)
- Whitehall (9.48)
- St. Paul's Cathedral (9.48)
- Nelson's Column (9.48)
- Buckingham Palace (9.49)
- French Revolution (10.1)
- "The die has been cast" (12.6)
- The Trojan Horse (12.20)
- Easter Island (13.8)
- Xantippe (17.12)
- Igor Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms" (17.36)
- The Atomic Bomb (18.77)
- World War I (21.3)
- World War II (21.3)
- Pharaohs (21.19)
- Stone Age (22.18)
- Hero of Alexandria and his steam engine (22.31)
- Edward Gibbon (23.50)
- Johann Sebastian Bach (23.54, 23.57)
Religion and Mythology References
- Matthew 4:4 (2.26-27)
- Zeus (2.80)
- Thor (2.80)
- Mohammed (2.80)
- Moses and the Promised Land (2.80, 15.45)
- The Olympians (2.104)
- Buddhism (6.28)
- The Talmud (8.37)
- Lucifer (11.51)
- The Old Testament (a.k.a. the Hebrew Bible) (12.20)
- Jonah (12.21)
- Elysian Fields (20.7)
- Pandora's Box (20.12)
Science References
- Mare Imbrium "Sea of Showers" (1.2)
- Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1.5)
- Olympus Mons (1.8)
- Kilauea (1.8)
- Lagrange Points (1.12)
- The Southern Cross, a.k.a. Crux, Constellation (7.107)
- Eridanus Constellation (8.16)
- Carina Constellation (8.20; 9.59; 12.11)
- Solar System (8.20)
- Morse code sender (9.2)
- Royal Astronomical Society (9.53)
- London Science Center (9.63)
- Cobalt bomb (12.9)
- Albert Einstein (12.15-16)
- Andes Mountains (12.32)
- The Theory of Relativity (12.16)
- Norbert Weiner (15.52)
- Nicolas Rashevsky (15.52)
- Tycho Brahe (24.5)
- Mare Crisium (24.5)
- Aurora Borealis (24.40)
- Pluto (24.56)
Pop Culture References
- Chicago Tribune (2.71)
- Time (3.63; 14.6, 14.8)
- Herald Tribune (14.21)
- Reuters (14.22)
- British Broadcasting Company (14.22)
- Plaza de Toros a.k.a. a bullring (3.124)
- 3D Chess (4.130)
- Ouija Board (8.34)
- Burning their boats idiom (15.28)
- Andrew Carson (15.56)
- Walt Disney (15.58)