History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes.
This trusty aphorism, often attributed to Mark Twain, strikes just the right balance between perceptiveness and vagueness. Of course, history never repeats. That would be impossible. But rhyming words, though they sound similar, can connote far different concepts.
Indeed, periods of history can, on the surface, look new and involve new elements while also sounding eerily reminiscent of earlier periods. Today's world doesn't look or feel like any prior age of history. Technology has advanced. Entertainment has taken on many new forms. Previously unheard of transportation methods and