> Curious: there is an unbelievably huge wealth of this type of "content" that lives almost exclusively in history books, or at least seems profoundly difficult to find on the internet.
> Then there's the insane illusion that virtually all knowledge is accessible within the first Google search result page, so I'm always pleased whenever articles like this one find their way to the surface...
The accurate and valuable knowledge humanity has produced is mostly behind paywalls: Books and scholarly journals (and also the best journalism). The masses get the dregs - rumors, speculation, ignorance, disinformation, misinformation - 99% crap is not an exaggeration, IMHO. It also is a massive barrier against anyone, including kids, who try to actually learn. Then the experts wring their hands about all the ignorance and false beliefs held by the public, and how uneducated everyone is.
Reading actual scholarly work - from people who have personally examined the primary evidence, and who have the expertise to put it in context with prior evidence and have the skills to evaluate it - is transformative (as is the best journalism - people who also examine the evidence, etc.). The difference between that and usual Internet information is mind-altering - they are different worlds, and often say completely different things. What seemed reasonable on the Internet immediately becomes ignorant and deceptive, sometimes intentionally, and useless. (An important trick is to remember next time that what seems reasonable and useful is really, no matter how convincing it feels, is really ignorant and useless.) Also, IME the scholarly work usually is easy to read - easier than the BS on the Internet, because people who know what they're talking about and have evidence tend to write clearly and get directly to the point.
I sprung for a personal subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary - I think ~$90 as a special. Just that is transformative: a quick history, at my fingertips, of every concept ever expressed in English - with the primary evidence right there!
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If we could make all the valuable, accurate information available to the public, it could be transformative for everyone. I wish the Gates Foundation would spare a few billion to buy the IP to the scholarly journals and books and make them open. That may do more than any investment.