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David Rafferty

@davidrafferty.bsky.social

4K followers 4.3K following 6.4K posts

Historian. ARC DECRA Fellow @ Adelaide with project “How Republics Die: Rome’s democratic breakdown in the 1st century BCE”. Husband and father. I’m the one who set cats and dogs against each other. Not endorsed by employer. https://davidrafferty.org

davidrafferty.org

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Reposted by David Rafferty

Nick Brown @steamtraen.eu · 1d

Next time an institution tells you how seriously it takes research misconduct, ask them if it's *this* seriously. www.bmj.com/content/297/...

In 1916 the BMJ published an article about the work done by James Shearer, an American physician working in the British Army as a sergeant (because he had no British qualification). He had described a
"delineator" which was better than x rays for portraying gunshot wounds. This caused a sensation and a lot of interest — but on investigation the work was found to have been invented. The BMJ published a retraction, but Shearer was tried by court martial and sentenced to death by firing squad.

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 7h

This is the opening paragraph to the Mr Beast autobiography.

Bluesky screenshot:

doctober
@docseuss.bsky.social
Follow
lets say a wizard has cursed you with a lot of money. you are going to become permanently brain damaged simply by being in possession of so much money. the only way out of it is to spend a lot of money on something ridiculous and not at all useful
what would you buy to break the curse?
October 14, 2025 at 7:04 PM
• Replies disabled

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 7h

THE BEST

David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 14h

Could have been worse. Could have been “I Want To Hold Your Hard”.

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 21h

The Harry Potter books are good, actually, and that is why they were popular.

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 22h

Okay now I will spend some time weeping and then i don’t know what I’ll do.

David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 22h

Just ordinary crimes, I think.

David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 22h

A question someone needs to ask Altman: what if the video people want to make is not Marilyn Monroe riding a dragon, but Sam Altman in one of those ISIS beheading videos?

David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 22h

Don’t cognitively offload without having a towel handy.

David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 1d

The sound of the last bit of water emptying out of the bath.

David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 1d

Sure thing, Colonel.

Reposted by David Rafferty

Matthew Scarborough 𓀀 @mattitiahu.bsky.social · 2d

this is a t-shirt design I submitted to the university of alberta history and classics graduate student association a decade and a half ago that they never made because they were cowards.

Marcius Porcus Cato thinking about cabbage as a cure-all wonder drug with a passage from his farming manual De agri cultura.

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Reposted by David Rafferty

Dr Lewis Webb @lewismarkwebb.bsky.social · 2d

I am deeply honoured that the American Journal of Philology awarded my article 'Spectatissima femina: Female visibility and religion in urban spaces in Republican Rome' the AJP Best Article Prize for 2024.

Citation: muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...

#AncientBlueSky #ClassicsBlueSky #BlueSkyClassics

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 2d

How long until babies in incubators?

Reposted by David Rafferty

Louvain Rees ⚰️ @hellohistoria.bsky.social · 2d

#31daysofgraves • Military 🪦

Drummer Trevor Mower (d.1920) 🪦

📍Cathays Cemetery 🪦

#Wales #History

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 3d

Understanding gender relations through Leisure Suit Larry.

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Reposted by David Rafferty

Australasian Classical Reception Studies Network (ACRSN) @acrsn.bsky.social · 4d

Oct 24 Canberra (ANU, 9am-5pm) #Fulcrum LAUNCH - "Fulcrum [https://www.fulcrumnetwork.me/] brings together Australasian scholars working on science and technology before 1500" events.humanitix.com/fulcrum-launch (free)

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 4d

This will be the 2026 remake of First Blood.

Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 4d

George Retes is a US Army veteran who spent 3 days in ICE custody after being grabbed during the California farm raids.

He did nothing wrong … he was just trying to get to work.

They pepper sprayed him, broke his car window & dragged him out.

He’s a US citizen 🧵

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 4d

Hence the thirst to prove herself. Is there an obsessions with underarms, though?

David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 5d

I’m a simple man. All I want out of life is for Kerry O’Keeffe to interview Chappell Roan while under the impression she is named for (or even the daughter of) either Ian or Greg Chappell.

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 5d

But also not valued, and so doesn’t attract a high price.

David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 5d

I saw your tweet, turned it on, and then 20 seconds later Essendon scored a goal. I’m their good luck charm.

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 5d

Kyle Sandilands has had a lock on this title for decades.

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Reposted by David Rafferty

donni saphire @donni.bsky.social · 5d

It’s actually pretty bad for your mental health to know stuff

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David Rafferty @davidrafferty.bsky.social · 5d

And disturbed by the Nike riots?