Manly Knowledge

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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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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Man Knowledge: Dueling Part II – Prominent Duels in American History

by Chris

Share The United States currently finds itself in a rancorous political moment, with partisan name-calling on the one hand and much hand-wringing about the classless nature of the debate on the other. Those in the latter camp seem to think that politics has devolved from an unspecified golden age in which politicians sipped tea and [...]

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Man Knowledge: An Affair of Honor – The Duel

by Chris

Editor’s note: This post was co-written by Chris Hutcheson and Brett McKay. In our modern age, solving a problem by asking a dude to step outside is generally considered an immature, low class thing to do. But for many centuries, challenging another man to a duel was not only considered a pinnacle of honor, but [...]

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Man Knowledge: The Greek Philosophers

by A Manly Guest Contributor

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Ernesto Fernandez. Ernesto is a graduate student in the Philosophy Department of Biscayne College at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, FL. So there you are, deadlocked in the men’s underwear section, torn between the solid and striped cotton boxer-briefs and wondering which one Chuck Norris would buy. And [...]

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Man Knowledge: Early 20th Century Battles Every Man Should Know

by Chris

It’s probably happened to you before. In the midst of an in depth conversation on a manly topic (such as the great outdoors, history, literature, etc), someone looks to you for information that for whatever reason they assume you have. After all, you’re sporting that sweet new Art of Manliness T-shirt and spent half the [...]

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A Beginner’s Guide to The Art of Manliness: A Guided Tour

by Brett & Kate McKay

While many of you have been following The Art of Manliness since we started back in 2008, some of you are fairly new readers. To help you new arrivals get the most out of AoM and navigate around our extensive archives and community section, we’ve compiled this beginner’s guide. First a note: There’s a TON [...]

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Mankind’s Greatest Adventure: Celebrating the Men and Mission of Apollo 11

by Chris

40 years ago today on July 20, 1969, a decade of preparation and centuries of imagination culminated in man’s first steps onto a celestial body other than Earth. As Neil Armstrong climbed down the ladder of the Lunar Module Eagle, he uttered the timeless words that would forever stand as testament to mankind’s ability to [...]

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Men of Legend: The Battle of the Alamo

by Chris

Few men so well embody masculinity as the legendary assembly that stood in defense of the Alamo from February 23 to March 6, 1836. With a cast of characters larger than life itself, the story of the Battle of the Alamo stands out in early American history.The most notable of these men, David Crockett, was [...]

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The 35 Greatest Speeches in History

by Brett & Kate McKay

If a man wishes to become a great orator, he must first become a student of the great orators who have come before him. He must immerse himself in their texts, listening for the turns of phrases and textual symmetries, the pauses and crescendos, the metaphors and melodies that have enabled the greatest speeches to [...]

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