Manly Knowledge

A History of the American Bachelor: Part I – Colonial and Revolutionary America

by Brett & Kate McKay

Many of you who read the Art of Manliness are bachelors. And if you’re married, well, you were a bachelor once, too. Bachelorhood has become such an ingrained part of the male experience, that we usually don’t give it too much thought except to make jokes about bachelor pads or married men “batching it” when [...]

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Man Knowledge: 15 Cool Spy Concealments

by Brett & Kate McKay

In a previous edition of our Man Knowledge series, we discussed the fascinating history of invisible ink. In doing the research for that post, we came across an equally interesting tool in the spy’s bag of tricks: the concealment device. Invisible ink was handy for sending secret messages, but sometimes spies and soldiers needed to [...]

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Man Knowledge: The Men in the Arena–A Primer on Roman Gladiators

by Chris

Roman gladiators occupy a special place in the minds and imaginations of modern men. The imagery of the man in the arena spans millennia, reaching from Ancient Rome itself to the 20th century and beyond. In his famous speech Citizenship in a Republic, Theodore Roosevelt spoke of that man…a man whose face was “marred by [...]

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Man Knowledge: The History of Invisible Ink

by Brett & Kate McKay

In April of this year, the CIA released its oldest classified documents and the last from the World War I era. Dating from 1917 and 1918, the papers mainly contain recipes for “secret writing”–instructions for agents of the Office of Naval Intelligence (the CIA did not yet exist) on how make invisible ink. Such a [...]

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11 Manliest Brand Icons of All Time

by Brett & Kate McKay

For over a century, companies have used masculinity and manliness (or idealized versions of it) to sell their wares to both men and women. When selling to women, advertisers hope to lure the fairer sex into opening their pocketbooks by using masculinity to symbolize the strength of their products or by associating their brands with [...]

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Man Knowledge: 5 Pirates Every Man Should Know

by Chris

Following up our recent article introducing you to the life and ways of pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy, we will now look to some of the individual personalities that made this lifestyle so fascinating for generations to come. From the sheer effectiveness of Black Bart Roberts to the fascinatingly flamboyant Blackbeard, these are [...]

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Man Knowledge: A Pirate Primer

by Chris

Once again we return to our Man Knowledge series, where we set out to equip you with a deeper knowledge of various manly and interesting topics throughout history. Today we set sail for the horizon, delving deep into a topic which has at some point captured the imagination of every young boy and grown man [...]

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The Basics of Art: The Romantic Period

by Brett & Kate McKay

This is Part III in a series designed to give readers a primer on the simple basics of some of the major periods of Western art in the hopes of giving you something to say on your next date to the museum and a deeper appreciation for art in general. The Basics of Romantic Art [...]

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Classical Rhetoric 101: The Five Canons of Rhetoric- Arrangement

by Brett & Kate McKay

Welcome back to our series on Classical Rhetoric. Today we’re continuing our five-part segment on the Five Canons of Rhetoric. Last time we discussed invention, which is essentially brainstorming and planning your speech or writing. In this installment, we’ll be exploring the canon of arrangement. Let’s get started. What Is Arrangement? Arrangement is simply the [...]

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Literature on the Frontlines: The History of Armed Services Edition Books

by Brett & Kate McKay

“Soldiering is 99% boredom, 1% sheer terror,” a Civil War soldier wrote to his wife. And since that time, the composition of war has largely remained the same—a whole lot of hurry up and wait. What to do in those periods between action, especially for the men on the frontlines, those far from any kind [...]

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Classical Rhetoric 101: The Five Canons of Rhetoric – Invention

by Brett & Kate McKay

Welcome back to our series on Classical Rhetoric. Today we’re kicking off a five-part segment on the Five Canons of Rhetoric. As you remember from our brief introduction to classical rhetoric, the Five Canons of Rhetoric constitute a system and guide on crafting powerful speeches and writing. It’s also a template by which to judge [...]

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Classical Rhetoric 101: A Brief History

by Brett & Kate McKay

This is the second in a series on classical rhetoric. In this post, we lay the foundation of our study of rhetoric by taking a look at its history. While this post is in no way a comprehensive history of rhetoric, it should give you enough background information to understand the context of the principles we’ll [...]

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Classical Rhetoric 101: An Introduction

by Brett & Kate McKay

As many of you know, I read a lot of biographies on the lives of great men from history. The part of a man’s life I enjoy learning about the most is their education. What books did they read as young men that influenced them later on in life? Where did they travel? What classes [...]

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Three Sheets to the Wind: Nautical Slang in Common Usage

by Chris

The spoken word is an extraordinary thing. Each language and its intricacies are in a constant state of flux, with words and phrases falling in and out of common usage. As such, we often adopt words and phrases we have heard used without ever considering their original meaning. A perfect example of this is the [...]

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The Basics of Art: The Baroque Period

by Brett & Kate McKay

This is Part II in a series designed to give readers a primer on the simple basics of some of the major periods of Western art in the hopes of giving you something to say on your next date to the museum and a deeper appreciation for art in general. Part I covered the basics [...]

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Man Knowledge: Lost Cities Every Man Should Know

by Chris

Once again we step into the realm of Man Knowledge, where we seek to broaden your understanding of various manly topics so that when the subject comes up in conversation, you’re ready to contribute. This time around, we’re off hacking through the jungles of who-knows-where and diving to the deepest depths of destinations unknown in [...]

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Man Knowledge: Legends of the Northwest – Mountain Men

by Chris

“Habitual watchfulness destroys every frivolity of mind and action. They seldom smile: the expression of their countenances is watchful, solemn, and determined. They ride and walk like men whose breasts have been so long exposed to the bullet and the arrow, that fear finds within them no resting place.” -Thomas J. Farnham The pages of [...]

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14 Famous Man Rooms

by Brett & Kate McKay

In reading about the lives of history’s great men, one thing I’ve noticed is that many of them had a place they could go to be alone with their thoughts. Some of these men had a study where they would retreat to think, read, and write. Others had a garage or workshop where they would [...]

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Man Knowledge: The Basics of Art-The Renaissance

by Brett & Kate McKay

We live in a world that’s highly technical and specialized. When a man goes to college these days, he spends his time learning the skills that will allow him to seek gainful employment. Little time is spent studying art or literature. These subjects are often seen as “pointless” because they don’t have any practical application [...]

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← Previous Entries

Manly Knowledge

A History of the American Bachelor: Part I – Colonial and Revolutionary America

Man Knowledge: 15 Cool Spy Concealments

Man Knowledge: The Men in the Arena–A Primer on Roman Gladiators

Man Knowledge: The History of Invisible Ink

11 Manliest Brand Icons of All Time

Man Knowledge: 5 Pirates Every Man Should Know

Man Knowledge: A Pirate Primer

The Basics of Art: The Romantic Period

Classical Rhetoric 101: The Five Canons of Rhetoric- Arrangement

Literature on the Frontlines: The History of Armed Services Edition Books

Classical Rhetoric 101: The Five Canons of Rhetoric – Invention

Classical Rhetoric 101: A Brief History

Classical Rhetoric 101: An Introduction

Three Sheets to the Wind: Nautical Slang in Common Usage

The Basics of Art: The Baroque Period

Man Knowledge: Lost Cities Every Man Should Know

Man Knowledge: Legends of the Northwest – Mountain Men

14 Famous Man Rooms

Man Knowledge: The Basics of Art-The Renaissance

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