Curio Cabinet
- By Date
- By Type
May 29, 2024
-
3 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: May 29, 2024\ub-STREP-uh-rus\ adjective
What It Means
Obstreperous is a formal word that describes people or things that st...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: May 29, 2024\ub-STREP-uh-rus\ adjective
What It Means
Obstreperous is a formal word that describes people or things that st...
-
FREEWorld History Daily Curio #2881Free1 CQ
They say that a suit makes a man, and the proverb was apparently as true in the Bronze Age as it is now. Although full suits of steel plate armor are usually associated with medieval knights, the Mycenaeans of the ancient Mediterranean had their own version made of bronze. Theirs didn’t look as sleek as their later counterparts, but researchers have proven they were possibly just as protective and functional. The Mycenaean civilization existed in the Late Bronze Age and formed the basis of what would become the ancient Greek civilization. They dominated the Aegean for centuries between 1700 and 1100 BCE, and spoke the oldest form of Greek on record. Being so ancient, it might be hard to imagine that they could have had full plate armor, the type of military technology that wouldn’t be seen in Europe until millennia later. Indeed, the Mycenaean version made of bronze doesn’t closely resemble the suits of armor that came later.
In 1960, a complete set of armor was discovered in Dendra, Greece, and looked so cumbersome that many doubted its practicality as an instrument of war. Instead of the sleek plates of steel, intricate joints, and hinges that allowed medieval suits of armor to act as a second skin for knights and men-at-arms, the Mycenaean suit had a wide silhouette and pointed helmet, making its wearer look more like an ancient traffic cone than a fearsome warrior. But the battlefield isn’t a runway, and researchers at the University of Thessaly in Greece believed that the armor had more than ceremonial value, so they set out to test its durability by creating a replica of the 15-piece suit. They then had volunteers from the Hellenic Army (Greece’s military) conduct choreographed military exercises in a climate-controlled room that mimicked the ancient climate of the region. Wielding a cruciform sword, the volunteers spent 11 hours in the simulated environment. What they found was that, despite its relatively crude and bulky appearance, the armor was perfectly suitable for extended physical activity, provided excellent protection, and even allowed its wearer a full range of motion. These findings suggest that the Mycenaeans, who arrived in the region and established dominance quickly, might have done so using armors much like the one found in Dendra. Don’t judge a book by its cover, or a soldier by their armor.
[Image description: An ancient archeological site in Mycenae, Argolis, Greece, with stone ruins and walls under a blue sky.] Credit & copyright: George E. Koronaios, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law.They say that a suit makes a man, and the proverb was apparently as true in the Bronze Age as it is now. Although full suits of steel plate armor are usually associated with medieval knights, the Mycenaeans of the ancient Mediterranean had their own version made of bronze. Theirs didn’t look as sleek as their later counterparts, but researchers have proven they were possibly just as protective and functional. The Mycenaean civilization existed in the Late Bronze Age and formed the basis of what would become the ancient Greek civilization. They dominated the Aegean for centuries between 1700 and 1100 BCE, and spoke the oldest form of Greek on record. Being so ancient, it might be hard to imagine that they could have had full plate armor, the type of military technology that wouldn’t be seen in Europe until millennia later. Indeed, the Mycenaean version made of bronze doesn’t closely resemble the suits of armor that came later.
In 1960, a complete set of armor was discovered in Dendra, Greece, and looked so cumbersome that many doubted its practicality as an instrument of war. Instead of the sleek plates of steel, intricate joints, and hinges that allowed medieval suits of armor to act as a second skin for knights and men-at-arms, the Mycenaean suit had a wide silhouette and pointed helmet, making its wearer look more like an ancient traffic cone than a fearsome warrior. But the battlefield isn’t a runway, and researchers at the University of Thessaly in Greece believed that the armor had more than ceremonial value, so they set out to test its durability by creating a replica of the 15-piece suit. They then had volunteers from the Hellenic Army (Greece’s military) conduct choreographed military exercises in a climate-controlled room that mimicked the ancient climate of the region. Wielding a cruciform sword, the volunteers spent 11 hours in the simulated environment. What they found was that, despite its relatively crude and bulky appearance, the armor was perfectly suitable for extended physical activity, provided excellent protection, and even allowed its wearer a full range of motion. These findings suggest that the Mycenaeans, who arrived in the region and established dominance quickly, might have done so using armors much like the one found in Dendra. Don’t judge a book by its cover, or a soldier by their armor.
[Image description: An ancient archeological site in Mycenae, Argolis, Greece, with stone ruins and walls under a blue sky.] Credit & copyright: George E. Koronaios, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law. -
FREEDogs Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
The sky has gone to the dogs! Any successful business has to fill a need, but it's important to remember that needs are always changing. Case in point, BARK Air, an airline exclusively for dogs and their owners, recently made its first flight from New York to Los Angeles. While some business gurus would surely scoff at the idea of a pet-focused airline, multiple studies have shown that Americans’ attitudes on pet ownership have shifted dramatically over the past decade. In short, most Americans now see their pets as family members as opposed to possessions. This cultural change has made it harder for many people to stomach the thought of placing their precious pets in cargo—the only way to fly with large dogs on most major airlines. Enter BARK Air, an airline aiming to woo doting owners with the promise of a luxury flying experience for pets. On these flights, dogs of all sizes fly in-cabin, without being confined to carriers. Pups also receive treats and social interaction from staff—unfortunately, the pampering comes at a price. A one-way flight between New York and L.A. for one dog and one human costs $6,000, while a flight from New York to London is $8,000. Routes are also extremely limited, with New York, L.A., London, and Paris being the only current destinations. This all may seem like a risky business venture, but BARK Air is hoping that its current flights will serve as proof-of-concept, allowing prices to go down and more destinations to be added. Only time will tell if businesses like BARK Air remain boutique or become big-time.
[Image description: A brown dachshund wrapped in a blanket, sitting by a window.] Credit & copyright: Elina Volkova, PexelsThe sky has gone to the dogs! Any successful business has to fill a need, but it's important to remember that needs are always changing. Case in point, BARK Air, an airline exclusively for dogs and their owners, recently made its first flight from New York to Los Angeles. While some business gurus would surely scoff at the idea of a pet-focused airline, multiple studies have shown that Americans’ attitudes on pet ownership have shifted dramatically over the past decade. In short, most Americans now see their pets as family members as opposed to possessions. This cultural change has made it harder for many people to stomach the thought of placing their precious pets in cargo—the only way to fly with large dogs on most major airlines. Enter BARK Air, an airline aiming to woo doting owners with the promise of a luxury flying experience for pets. On these flights, dogs of all sizes fly in-cabin, without being confined to carriers. Pups also receive treats and social interaction from staff—unfortunately, the pampering comes at a price. A one-way flight between New York and L.A. for one dog and one human costs $6,000, while a flight from New York to London is $8,000. Routes are also extremely limited, with New York, L.A., London, and Paris being the only current destinations. This all may seem like a risky business venture, but BARK Air is hoping that its current flights will serve as proof-of-concept, allowing prices to go down and more destinations to be added. Only time will tell if businesses like BARK Air remain boutique or become big-time.
[Image description: A brown dachshund wrapped in a blanket, sitting by a window.] Credit & copyright: Elina Volkova, Pexels
May 28, 2024
-
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Soccer superstar David Beckham has signed a deal to be a global ambassador for AliExpress, an online retail platform owned by Chi...
From the BBC World Service: Soccer superstar David Beckham has signed a deal to be a global ambassador for AliExpress, an online retail platform owned by Chi...
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: May 28, 2024\GAD-flye\ noun
What It Means
In literal use, gadfly refers to any of various flies (such as a horsefly, botfly...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: May 28, 2024\GAD-flye\ noun
What It Means
In literal use, gadfly refers to any of various flies (such as a horsefly, botfly...
-
FREEUS History Daily Curio #2880Free1 CQ
It’s never too late to shoot for the stars. Edward Dwight, the first Black astronaut candidate in U.S. history, was once denied the chance to go to space. Over 60 years later, he was finally able to leave the planet aboard the Blue Origin Rocket. Back in 1961, at the height of the Space Race, Dwight was hand-picked by President Kennedy to join the early astronaut program. As a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, Dwight was much like the other astronaut hopefuls: a military man willing to brave daring space missions on behalf of his country. However, as a Black man in the 60s, Dwight was overlooked in favor of his white peers. As Dwight told CBS recently, “It was a wrong, but the country wasn't ready for it and that was the problem." It wasn’t until 1967 that Robert Lawrence became the first Black astronaut when he was chosen for the U.S. Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory project, but the project was scrapped and Lawrence never got the chance to go into space. Tragically, Lawrence passed away later that year in a jet crash. Finally, in 1983, Guion Bluford became the first Black astronaut to go to space as a mission specialist aboard the Discovery.
While Dwight never had another chance to go on a mission, he was recognized for decades by NASA as the first Black astronaut candidate and was even honored by the agency when they sent his sculptures into space and named asteroids after him, according to an interview with PBS. Finally, in 2023, Dwight was invited to space by American aerospace company Blue Origin and offered a seat on the New Shepard. The Blue Origin rocket launched on May 19, taking 90-year-old Dwight, along with other civilian passengers, on a brief trip into space. Dwight stated after the flight, "It's more than righting a wrong. It's destiny. My heart I felt like it was going to happen one way or another."
[Image description: Wearing a suit and a blue face mask, Edward Dwight, raises his hands in celebration as he’s inducted into the U.S Space Force.] Credit & copyright: U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Armando A. Schwier-Morales. This image was released by the United States Air Force with the ID 200805-F-MF529-0006. Wikimedia Commons. This image or file is a work of a U.S. Air Force Airman or employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain in the United States.It’s never too late to shoot for the stars. Edward Dwight, the first Black astronaut candidate in U.S. history, was once denied the chance to go to space. Over 60 years later, he was finally able to leave the planet aboard the Blue Origin Rocket. Back in 1961, at the height of the Space Race, Dwight was hand-picked by President Kennedy to join the early astronaut program. As a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, Dwight was much like the other astronaut hopefuls: a military man willing to brave daring space missions on behalf of his country. However, as a Black man in the 60s, Dwight was overlooked in favor of his white peers. As Dwight told CBS recently, “It was a wrong, but the country wasn't ready for it and that was the problem." It wasn’t until 1967 that Robert Lawrence became the first Black astronaut when he was chosen for the U.S. Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory project, but the project was scrapped and Lawrence never got the chance to go into space. Tragically, Lawrence passed away later that year in a jet crash. Finally, in 1983, Guion Bluford became the first Black astronaut to go to space as a mission specialist aboard the Discovery.
While Dwight never had another chance to go on a mission, he was recognized for decades by NASA as the first Black astronaut candidate and was even honored by the agency when they sent his sculptures into space and named asteroids after him, according to an interview with PBS. Finally, in 2023, Dwight was invited to space by American aerospace company Blue Origin and offered a seat on the New Shepard. The Blue Origin rocket launched on May 19, taking 90-year-old Dwight, along with other civilian passengers, on a brief trip into space. Dwight stated after the flight, "It's more than righting a wrong. It's destiny. My heart I felt like it was going to happen one way or another."
[Image description: Wearing a suit and a blue face mask, Edward Dwight, raises his hands in celebration as he’s inducted into the U.S Space Force.] Credit & copyright: U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Armando A. Schwier-Morales. This image was released by the United States Air Force with the ID 200805-F-MF529-0006. Wikimedia Commons. This image or file is a work of a U.S. Air Force Airman or employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain in the United States. -
FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
It may be the epitome of 1980s camp today, but this song was a trendsetter in its time! On this day in 1983, Flashdance...What a Feeling was shooting up the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it would remain at number one for six weeks. With its heavy emphasis on synthesizer and soaring, dramatic vocals, it was the epitome of 80s pop. Written for the movie Flashdance, the song helped change the film landscape for the following decade. Specifically, it ushered in an age of musical non-musicals—movies that weren’t actually musicals, but were still heavily centered around music. These included films like Footloose and Dirty Dancing, both of which propelled their own signature songs to hit status. Though Flashdance...What a Feeling was written by singer Irene Cara and Keith Forsey, it was composed and produced by Giorgio Morodor, who had a habit of movie-song hit making, having also produced Danger Zone for Top Gun and Don't You (Forget About Me) for The Breakfast Club. Talk about a cinematic tastemaker!
It may be the epitome of 1980s camp today, but this song was a trendsetter in its time! On this day in 1983, Flashdance...What a Feeling was shooting up the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it would remain at number one for six weeks. With its heavy emphasis on synthesizer and soaring, dramatic vocals, it was the epitome of 80s pop. Written for the movie Flashdance, the song helped change the film landscape for the following decade. Specifically, it ushered in an age of musical non-musicals—movies that weren’t actually musicals, but were still heavily centered around music. These included films like Footloose and Dirty Dancing, both of which propelled their own signature songs to hit status. Though Flashdance...What a Feeling was written by singer Irene Cara and Keith Forsey, it was composed and produced by Giorgio Morodor, who had a habit of movie-song hit making, having also produced Danger Zone for Top Gun and Don't You (Forget About Me) for The Breakfast Club. Talk about a cinematic tastemaker!
May 27, 2024
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: May 27, 2024\GLEEN\ verb
What It Means
To glean is to gather or collect something bit by bit, or in a gradual way. Glean ca...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: May 27, 2024\GLEEN\ verb
What It Means
To glean is to gather or collect something bit by bit, or in a gradual way. Glean ca...
-
FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
Sitting for a portrait by a master painter might seem like an honor anyone would relish, but the subject of this piece didn’t care for the finished product. Adeline Ravoux was the 13-year-old daughter of the innkeeper at the Auberge Ravoux, where Vincent van Gogh spent the last 70 days of his life. The piece above is a portrait of her, a young girl in a greenish-blue dress next to white flowers. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and she’s looking to the right. Van Gogh made several portraits of the innkeeper’s daughter, but Adeline herself didn’t like the paintings, believing they looked nothing like her. These portraits were among the dozens of paintings the artist made in his final days. After van Gogh shot himself in the chest in an apparent suicide attempt, Adeline witnessed the artist’s rapid decline as he succumbed to infection. The details of the last two days of van Gogh’s life were recorded by Adeline in a memoir she wrote decades later. Maybe the portraits would have been more to her liking if the artist had been in a better state.
Adeline Ravoux, Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), 1890, Oil on fabric, 19.75 x 19.87 in. (50.2 x 50.5 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright: Vincent Van Gogh, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. 1958.31. Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation, Public Domain.]Sitting for a portrait by a master painter might seem like an honor anyone would relish, but the subject of this piece didn’t care for the finished product. Adeline Ravoux was the 13-year-old daughter of the innkeeper at the Auberge Ravoux, where Vincent van Gogh spent the last 70 days of his life. The piece above is a portrait of her, a young girl in a greenish-blue dress next to white flowers. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and she’s looking to the right. Van Gogh made several portraits of the innkeeper’s daughter, but Adeline herself didn’t like the paintings, believing they looked nothing like her. These portraits were among the dozens of paintings the artist made in his final days. After van Gogh shot himself in the chest in an apparent suicide attempt, Adeline witnessed the artist’s rapid decline as he succumbed to infection. The details of the last two days of van Gogh’s life were recorded by Adeline in a memoir she wrote decades later. Maybe the portraits would have been more to her liking if the artist had been in a better state.
Adeline Ravoux, Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), 1890, Oil on fabric, 19.75 x 19.87 in. (50.2 x 50.5 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright: Vincent Van Gogh, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. 1958.31. Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation, Public Domain.] -
FREEWorld History Daily Curio #2879Free1 CQ
They say you shouldn’t throw stones from glass houses, but what about a giant piece of coal in a “Crystal Palace?” The Great Exhibition of 1851 was a months-long expo in London with exhibits from Britain and beyond, including a 24-ton chunk of coal, a fountain of perfume, and the very first international chess tournament, the latter of which took place on this day in 1851.
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, more commonly referred to as, simply, the Great Exhibition, was the brainchild of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers, and Commerce. With Prince Albert as an enthusiastic patron of the organization, the society sought to emulate the Paris Exposition that had taken place in 1849. However, the Parisian expo was exclusively a showcase of French goods and enterprises, while the organizers of the Great Exhibition had ambitions for a larger, international expo that would show off Britain’s industry, commerce, and culture. Planning for the event began in early 1850.
Looking to outdo their French counterparts, the first order of business was to erect a structure worthy of such an auspicious event. To that end, they held a design contest for a massive, ostentatious building that could be completed in about a year. The winning design, of course, was the building that would come to be known as the Crystal Palace. Made of a prefabricated iron skeleton with 900,000 square feet of glass as its skin, construction was completed in just nine months, just in time for the expo’s opening date of May 1, 1851. By the time it closed in October of the same year, the Great Exhibition had seen 6 million visitors pass under the glass panes of the Crystal Palace to behold some 14,000 exhibitions from around the world. Everything from the latest steam engines to textiles were showcased alongside emerging technologies like the telegraph, which had only been in limited use for a few decades by that point. As for the first international chess tournament, the winner was one Adolf Anderssen, a German school teacher. In the end, the Great Exhibition was also a commercial success, recouping its costs and even setting a trend. For the remainder of the century, other major cities would emulate the exhibition, like the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Hey, a great idea is a great idea.
[Image description: A painting of a large building, the Crystal Palace, with trees and picnickers surrounding it.] Credit & copyright: Dickinsons' comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851, Dickinson Brothers, 1852. Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer.They say you shouldn’t throw stones from glass houses, but what about a giant piece of coal in a “Crystal Palace?” The Great Exhibition of 1851 was a months-long expo in London with exhibits from Britain and beyond, including a 24-ton chunk of coal, a fountain of perfume, and the very first international chess tournament, the latter of which took place on this day in 1851.
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, more commonly referred to as, simply, the Great Exhibition, was the brainchild of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers, and Commerce. With Prince Albert as an enthusiastic patron of the organization, the society sought to emulate the Paris Exposition that had taken place in 1849. However, the Parisian expo was exclusively a showcase of French goods and enterprises, while the organizers of the Great Exhibition had ambitions for a larger, international expo that would show off Britain’s industry, commerce, and culture. Planning for the event began in early 1850.
Looking to outdo their French counterparts, the first order of business was to erect a structure worthy of such an auspicious event. To that end, they held a design contest for a massive, ostentatious building that could be completed in about a year. The winning design, of course, was the building that would come to be known as the Crystal Palace. Made of a prefabricated iron skeleton with 900,000 square feet of glass as its skin, construction was completed in just nine months, just in time for the expo’s opening date of May 1, 1851. By the time it closed in October of the same year, the Great Exhibition had seen 6 million visitors pass under the glass panes of the Crystal Palace to behold some 14,000 exhibitions from around the world. Everything from the latest steam engines to textiles were showcased alongside emerging technologies like the telegraph, which had only been in limited use for a few decades by that point. As for the first international chess tournament, the winner was one Adolf Anderssen, a German school teacher. In the end, the Great Exhibition was also a commercial success, recouping its costs and even setting a trend. For the remainder of the century, other major cities would emulate the exhibition, like the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Hey, a great idea is a great idea.
[Image description: A painting of a large building, the Crystal Palace, with trees and picnickers surrounding it.] Credit & copyright: Dickinsons' comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851, Dickinson Brothers, 1852. Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. -
9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Writer Andrew Lipstein embarked on a quest to freak himself out about passive investments: Things like buying index funds, for instance all the companies in ...
Writer Andrew Lipstein embarked on a quest to freak himself out about passive investments: Things like buying index funds, for instance all the companies in ...
May 26, 2024
-
3 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: May 26, 2024\sim-POH-zee-um\ noun
What It Means
Symposium can refer either to a formal meeting at which experts discuss a p...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: May 26, 2024\sim-POH-zee-um\ noun
What It Means
Symposium can refer either to a formal meeting at which experts discuss a p...
-
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
The NCAA, the governing body for college sports, and the five biggest athletic conferences have agreed to a landmark $2.8 billion settlement of a class-actio...
The NCAA, the governing body for college sports, and the five biggest athletic conferences have agreed to a landmark $2.8 billion settlement of a class-actio...
-
FREELiterature PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
Quality and quantity aren’t always mutually exclusive. It’s a lesson that French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac had to learn for himself, but once he did, he became one of the most renowned and prolific writers of his time. Born this month in 1799, Balzac is largely credited for setting the standard for the modern day novel.
Born May 20, 1799, in Tours, France, Balzac’s surname was originally Balssa, but the author changed it later in life because he felt that it sounded more auspicious. After he was born, Balzac was raised by a wet nurse until he was weaned, a common practice at the time. Yet nearly as soon as he returned to his parents, he was sent away to school. At the age of 16, he began working as a lawyer’s clerk, but just three years later, he left the profession to become a writer. The young author found little success in his literary endeavors, though, and had little support from his family. Along with several novels he didn’t even publish under his own name, Balzac also suffered crippling financial blows due to a series of unsuccessful business ventures that left him deep in debt. Motivated by his need to pay off his debtors (including his own mother), he dove head first into his writing. It was an unconventional start to what became a distinguished career.
It’s an understatement to say that Balzac was not a man of moderation. When he wrote, he did so ceaselessly, for hours or sometimes days. Fueled by unchecked quantities of black coffee (some sources say as many as 50 cups a day), it wasn’t unusual for the writer to churn out page after page of handwritten works, barely stopping to eat or sleep. When he wasn’t writing, Balzac made himself known in Parisian society through scandalous affairs and affectations of grandeur. Aside from changing his name to blend into high society, Balzac also indulged in luxuries beyond his means and used the coat-of-arms of an unrelated family to represent himself. These efforts were actually pretty successful, and Balzac earned notoriety for being a gregarious braggart as much as for being a writer. As for his body of work, it was informed by his intimate understanding of Parisian society. His characters are known for their complexity and distinctly French idiosyncrasies that made them seem very real in their time. Balzac was known for portraying objects and locations in such vivid detail that they almost became characters of their own. Thus, his stories had a depth and wealth of description not commonly found in other novels of his time. That’s especially true of his magnum opus, La Comédie humaine, or The Human Comedy, in English. Written between 1829 and 1848 and consisting of 91 novels and novellas, La Comédie humaine is a collection of interconnected stories that showcase every lever of Parisian society in the years between the French Revolution and the Revolution of 1848. Through this series, Balzac explores the moral and philosophical ideas that lie at the heart of the clashes between France’s social classes, covering everything from economics to romances. Unfortunately, Balzac died relatively young at the age of 51 following a brief period of illness, just a few months after his marriage to his longtime correspondent and romantic interest Ewelina Hańska. Some believe that his heart failure was the result of his lifelong, excessive coffee consumption.
Today, Balzac is remembered for popularizing the format of the novel as it exists today. Unlike many writers of his time, he favored an omniscient narrator who presented the story with a logical flow and he portrayed interesting, flawed, relatable characters. Some have even called him the “Shakespeare of the Novel” for his witty dialogue and for his part in shaping the literary format. Drink a cup of coffee in his memory if you’d like…but maybe just the one.
[Image description: An artistic depiction of a young Honore de Balzac in sepia tones.] Credit & copyright: Achille Devéria (1800–1857), Wikimedia Commons. The Museums of the City of Paris, Balzac’s House. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.Quality and quantity aren’t always mutually exclusive. It’s a lesson that French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac had to learn for himself, but once he did, he became one of the most renowned and prolific writers of his time. Born this month in 1799, Balzac is largely credited for setting the standard for the modern day novel.
Born May 20, 1799, in Tours, France, Balzac’s surname was originally Balssa, but the author changed it later in life because he felt that it sounded more auspicious. After he was born, Balzac was raised by a wet nurse until he was weaned, a common practice at the time. Yet nearly as soon as he returned to his parents, he was sent away to school. At the age of 16, he began working as a lawyer’s clerk, but just three years later, he left the profession to become a writer. The young author found little success in his literary endeavors, though, and had little support from his family. Along with several novels he didn’t even publish under his own name, Balzac also suffered crippling financial blows due to a series of unsuccessful business ventures that left him deep in debt. Motivated by his need to pay off his debtors (including his own mother), he dove head first into his writing. It was an unconventional start to what became a distinguished career.
It’s an understatement to say that Balzac was not a man of moderation. When he wrote, he did so ceaselessly, for hours or sometimes days. Fueled by unchecked quantities of black coffee (some sources say as many as 50 cups a day), it wasn’t unusual for the writer to churn out page after page of handwritten works, barely stopping to eat or sleep. When he wasn’t writing, Balzac made himself known in Parisian society through scandalous affairs and affectations of grandeur. Aside from changing his name to blend into high society, Balzac also indulged in luxuries beyond his means and used the coat-of-arms of an unrelated family to represent himself. These efforts were actually pretty successful, and Balzac earned notoriety for being a gregarious braggart as much as for being a writer. As for his body of work, it was informed by his intimate understanding of Parisian society. His characters are known for their complexity and distinctly French idiosyncrasies that made them seem very real in their time. Balzac was known for portraying objects and locations in such vivid detail that they almost became characters of their own. Thus, his stories had a depth and wealth of description not commonly found in other novels of his time. That’s especially true of his magnum opus, La Comédie humaine, or The Human Comedy, in English. Written between 1829 and 1848 and consisting of 91 novels and novellas, La Comédie humaine is a collection of interconnected stories that showcase every lever of Parisian society in the years between the French Revolution and the Revolution of 1848. Through this series, Balzac explores the moral and philosophical ideas that lie at the heart of the clashes between France’s social classes, covering everything from economics to romances. Unfortunately, Balzac died relatively young at the age of 51 following a brief period of illness, just a few months after his marriage to his longtime correspondent and romantic interest Ewelina Hańska. Some believe that his heart failure was the result of his lifelong, excessive coffee consumption.
Today, Balzac is remembered for popularizing the format of the novel as it exists today. Unlike many writers of his time, he favored an omniscient narrator who presented the story with a logical flow and he portrayed interesting, flawed, relatable characters. Some have even called him the “Shakespeare of the Novel” for his witty dialogue and for his part in shaping the literary format. Drink a cup of coffee in his memory if you’d like…but maybe just the one.
[Image description: An artistic depiction of a young Honore de Balzac in sepia tones.] Credit & copyright: Achille Devéria (1800–1857), Wikimedia Commons. The Museums of the City of Paris, Balzac’s House. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
May 25, 2024
-
9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
The Justice Department is suing Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, saying that it violated antitrust law. Live Nation controls at least 80% of ...
The Justice Department is suing Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, saying that it violated antitrust law. Live Nation controls at least 80% of ...
-
FREESoccer Sporty CurioFree1 CQ
Soccer fans can be notoriously rowdy, but this was a very different, tragic ball game. Almost exactly 60 years ago, over 300 people died in what would come to be known as the Estadio Nacional disaster. On May 24, 1964, the Peruvian and Argentine national teams met at Peru’s national stadium, the Estadio Nacional in Lima. It was sure to be a contentious match, as the game was part of a qualifying round for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The match started with the stadium’s 53,000 seats filled to capacity, and the game went on without either team scoring a goal for most of the match. Then, with just six minutes remaining, Argentina took the lead. With tensions understandably high, the Peruvian team managed to score a goal of their own to tie the game, or so they would have, had Uruguayan referee Ángel Eduardo Pazos not disallowed the goal due to a foul. At first, just two spectators stormed the field, but they were quickly and brutally stopped by the police. Enraged by the referee’s call and further stoked by the violent police reaction to the two spectators, the rest of the stadium began to riot. First, the massive crowd made its way down to the pitch, then the violence spread into the streets. Officially, the death toll was recorded as 328, mostly due to asphyxiation from a crowd crush, but that number may not account for those shot by police during the riot. One thing’s for certain: even one death at what should be a fun event is way too many.
Soccer fans can be notoriously rowdy, but this was a very different, tragic ball game. Almost exactly 60 years ago, over 300 people died in what would come to be known as the Estadio Nacional disaster. On May 24, 1964, the Peruvian and Argentine national teams met at Peru’s national stadium, the Estadio Nacional in Lima. It was sure to be a contentious match, as the game was part of a qualifying round for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The match started with the stadium’s 53,000 seats filled to capacity, and the game went on without either team scoring a goal for most of the match. Then, with just six minutes remaining, Argentina took the lead. With tensions understandably high, the Peruvian team managed to score a goal of their own to tie the game, or so they would have, had Uruguayan referee Ángel Eduardo Pazos not disallowed the goal due to a foul. At first, just two spectators stormed the field, but they were quickly and brutally stopped by the police. Enraged by the referee’s call and further stoked by the violent police reaction to the two spectators, the rest of the stadium began to riot. First, the massive crowd made its way down to the pitch, then the violence spread into the streets. Officially, the death toll was recorded as 328, mostly due to asphyxiation from a crowd crush, but that number may not account for those shot by police during the riot. One thing’s for certain: even one death at what should be a fun event is way too many.
May 24, 2024
-
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Google is expanding its network infrastructure, with an aim of enhancing internet connectivity and competing in the cloud computi...
From the BBC World Service: Google is expanding its network infrastructure, with an aim of enhancing internet connectivity and competing in the cloud computi...
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: May 24, 2024\ih-BULL-yunt\ adjective
What It Means
If someone or something is appealingly lively and enthusiastic, they may...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: May 24, 2024\ih-BULL-yunt\ adjective
What It Means
If someone or something is appealingly lively and enthusiastic, they may...
-
FREEBaking Daily CurioFree1 CQ
Elongated bread? Mais oui! France recently charmed the world with their release of special-edition scratch-and-sniff stamps featuring the country’s most beloved bread: the baguette. Some claim that these lengthy loaves owe their unusual shape to none other than Napoleon Bonaparte, though they existed in other forms long before his time.
Baguettes are long, thin, crispy loaves of bread made from lean dough—dough with very little fat or sugar. Baguettes might not seem like anything special at first glance, since they’re made from nothing but flour, water, salt, and yeast, but it’s the baking process that really makes them shine. First, the unbaked dough much be scored, or cut, in order for heat to spread correctly through the bread. French baguettes are usually scored using a curved-blade lame, a kind of small, extremely sharp razor. Traditional baguettes are prepared on baking stones, a type of portable cooking surface that helps the bread heat very quickly. Baguettes have to bake quickly on very high heat in order to end up soft inside and crispy outside. Technique and timing are everything, and of course the French pride themselves on both when it comes to baking their baguettes.
For a food that’s become a cultural symbol for an entire nation, shockingly little is known about the origin of the baguette. Long, thin breads, some even brittle and stick-like, have been recorded in the country since the 18th century. One of the first written instances of the word “baguette” appears in 1920, in a Department of the Seine regulation regarding the bread’s pricing. But, though we’ll probably never know who, exactly, made the first baguette, there are plenty of myths surrounding its invention. One story holds that the bread came to be after the violent French Revolution, when a decree required that simple, accessible bread be made available to all French citizens. Some say that the baguette has working class origins, and was invented for French metro workers who weren’t allowed to bring knives to work. Baguettes are easily pulled apart, thus eliminating the need for knives. The most popular baguette story is as far from working class as one can get, as it involves Napoleon Bonaparte, the eventual Emperor of France. The story goes that, since most bread was round and difficult for soldiers to carry, Bonaparte requested that bakers make long, skinny bread so that his soldiers could tuck it under their arms as they marched. Regardless of where they came from, you can still tuck a baguette under your arm and stroll the streets of Paris in the modern day. C'est magnifique!
[Image description: A baguette on a blue plate beside a knife and a slice of pâté.] Credit & copyright: Julien Bertrand, Wikimedia Commons. The copyright holder of this work has released it into the public domain. This applies worldwide.Elongated bread? Mais oui! France recently charmed the world with their release of special-edition scratch-and-sniff stamps featuring the country’s most beloved bread: the baguette. Some claim that these lengthy loaves owe their unusual shape to none other than Napoleon Bonaparte, though they existed in other forms long before his time.
Baguettes are long, thin, crispy loaves of bread made from lean dough—dough with very little fat or sugar. Baguettes might not seem like anything special at first glance, since they’re made from nothing but flour, water, salt, and yeast, but it’s the baking process that really makes them shine. First, the unbaked dough much be scored, or cut, in order for heat to spread correctly through the bread. French baguettes are usually scored using a curved-blade lame, a kind of small, extremely sharp razor. Traditional baguettes are prepared on baking stones, a type of portable cooking surface that helps the bread heat very quickly. Baguettes have to bake quickly on very high heat in order to end up soft inside and crispy outside. Technique and timing are everything, and of course the French pride themselves on both when it comes to baking their baguettes.
For a food that’s become a cultural symbol for an entire nation, shockingly little is known about the origin of the baguette. Long, thin breads, some even brittle and stick-like, have been recorded in the country since the 18th century. One of the first written instances of the word “baguette” appears in 1920, in a Department of the Seine regulation regarding the bread’s pricing. But, though we’ll probably never know who, exactly, made the first baguette, there are plenty of myths surrounding its invention. One story holds that the bread came to be after the violent French Revolution, when a decree required that simple, accessible bread be made available to all French citizens. Some say that the baguette has working class origins, and was invented for French metro workers who weren’t allowed to bring knives to work. Baguettes are easily pulled apart, thus eliminating the need for knives. The most popular baguette story is as far from working class as one can get, as it involves Napoleon Bonaparte, the eventual Emperor of France. The story goes that, since most bread was round and difficult for soldiers to carry, Bonaparte requested that bakers make long, skinny bread so that his soldiers could tuck it under their arms as they marched. Regardless of where they came from, you can still tuck a baguette under your arm and stroll the streets of Paris in the modern day. C'est magnifique!
[Image description: A baguette on a blue plate beside a knife and a slice of pâté.] Credit & copyright: Julien Bertrand, Wikimedia Commons. The copyright holder of this work has released it into the public domain. This applies worldwide.
May 23, 2024
-
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
Consumer sentiment reports reflect a universal truth: Lower income households feel the punch of inflation worse than wealthy households. But affordable housi...
Consumer sentiment reports reflect a universal truth: Lower income households feel the punch of inflation worse than wealthy households. But affordable housi...
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: April 26, 2024\AH-mij\ noun
What It Means
An homage is something that is done to honor someone or something. It is often us...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: April 26, 2024\AH-mij\ noun
What It Means
An homage is something that is done to honor someone or something. It is often us...
-
FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
What does a protein sound like? If you’re a scientist, it may be music to your ears. Researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have begun to unravel the mystery of folding proteins, according to a report they published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. When it comes to chemistry, visualizing things via graphs and models can be very useful in understanding different reactions. However, scientists studying the processes by which proteins fold didn’t find visualizations to be particularly useful. When proteins fold to become enzymes, hormones, or any of the myriad components in the human body, they do so through a series of tens of thousands of hydrogen-bonding events. Not only does this happen on the nano to microsecond scale, proteins can fold into the wrong configurations and correct themselves by reversing the process until the correct shape is attained. When researchers tried to map these sequences, they hit a roadblock: the sequence is so complicated that the visualizations were pretty much impossible to analyze. The solution to this turned out to be data sonification, which converted each hydrogen bonding event into a sound. They used a computer program to assign a unique pitch to each part of the sequence and listened for folds, which helped them better understand how they form. This was partly possible because the human brain can process audio twice as fast as vision, and can naturally detect slight variations in pitch. As for why folding proteins are such a subject of interest, it’s because misfolded proteins cause a variety of diseases like Alzheimer’s and cystic fibrosis, so understanding the mechanism behind protein folding could give researchers insight into possible treatments. It might sound strange…but they’re not exactly playing it by ear.
What does a protein sound like? If you’re a scientist, it may be music to your ears. Researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have begun to unravel the mystery of folding proteins, according to a report they published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. When it comes to chemistry, visualizing things via graphs and models can be very useful in understanding different reactions. However, scientists studying the processes by which proteins fold didn’t find visualizations to be particularly useful. When proteins fold to become enzymes, hormones, or any of the myriad components in the human body, they do so through a series of tens of thousands of hydrogen-bonding events. Not only does this happen on the nano to microsecond scale, proteins can fold into the wrong configurations and correct themselves by reversing the process until the correct shape is attained. When researchers tried to map these sequences, they hit a roadblock: the sequence is so complicated that the visualizations were pretty much impossible to analyze. The solution to this turned out to be data sonification, which converted each hydrogen bonding event into a sound. They used a computer program to assign a unique pitch to each part of the sequence and listened for folds, which helped them better understand how they form. This was partly possible because the human brain can process audio twice as fast as vision, and can naturally detect slight variations in pitch. As for why folding proteins are such a subject of interest, it’s because misfolded proteins cause a variety of diseases like Alzheimer’s and cystic fibrosis, so understanding the mechanism behind protein folding could give researchers insight into possible treatments. It might sound strange…but they’re not exactly playing it by ear.
-
FREEMath Daily Curio #2878Free1 CQ
Just because it’s a game, doesn’t mean it’s not serious business. John Nash passed away on this day in 2015, but not before changing mathematics forever with his innovations in game theory, including the aptly-named Nash equilibrium. Game theory is a branch of mathematics focused on analyzing two or more rational agents interacting strategically. Rational agents are mathematical models meant to simulate the behavior of an intelligent creature, like a human or animal. Game theory has a wide array of applications; it can be used to guess likely outcomes of everything from board games to economics. It was in the latter field that Nash’s contributions had the most impact. For his work in game theory and coming up with the Nash equilibrium, he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1994 along with two others: John Harsanyi and Reinhard Selten.
The Nash equilibrium, also called the Nash solution, is a situation in a non-cooperative game (like chess, where players compete against each other) in which no player stands to gain by changing their strategy. One thought experiment that can help illustrate the Nash equilibrium is the “Prisoner’s Dilemma.” In this scenario, two “prisoners” are separately given the options of confessing or remaining silent. If both confess, both get mild sentences; if one confesses, then that prisoner goes free, while the one who remained silent gets the maximum sentence; if neither confess, both get the minimum sentence. Of these scenarios, the optimal strategy for either prisoner is to confess while the other remains silent, but if both confess, that would be an example of the Nash equilibrium, as changing their choice will result in a more severe punishment. While the Nash equilibrium actually predates Nash himself, his contribution was proving that the equilibrium exists in every finite game. Since its inception, the Nash equilibrium has been applied to business decisions, politics, and military strategy. Who said that math was all numbers and graphs?
[Image description: A photo of a wooden chess set, the Rio Staunton Chess Set by House of Chess.] Credit & copyright: Wilfredor, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.Just because it’s a game, doesn’t mean it’s not serious business. John Nash passed away on this day in 2015, but not before changing mathematics forever with his innovations in game theory, including the aptly-named Nash equilibrium. Game theory is a branch of mathematics focused on analyzing two or more rational agents interacting strategically. Rational agents are mathematical models meant to simulate the behavior of an intelligent creature, like a human or animal. Game theory has a wide array of applications; it can be used to guess likely outcomes of everything from board games to economics. It was in the latter field that Nash’s contributions had the most impact. For his work in game theory and coming up with the Nash equilibrium, he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1994 along with two others: John Harsanyi and Reinhard Selten.
The Nash equilibrium, also called the Nash solution, is a situation in a non-cooperative game (like chess, where players compete against each other) in which no player stands to gain by changing their strategy. One thought experiment that can help illustrate the Nash equilibrium is the “Prisoner’s Dilemma.” In this scenario, two “prisoners” are separately given the options of confessing or remaining silent. If both confess, both get mild sentences; if one confesses, then that prisoner goes free, while the one who remained silent gets the maximum sentence; if neither confess, both get the minimum sentence. Of these scenarios, the optimal strategy for either prisoner is to confess while the other remains silent, but if both confess, that would be an example of the Nash equilibrium, as changing their choice will result in a more severe punishment. While the Nash equilibrium actually predates Nash himself, his contribution was proving that the equilibrium exists in every finite game. Since its inception, the Nash equilibrium has been applied to business decisions, politics, and military strategy. Who said that math was all numbers and graphs?
[Image description: A photo of a wooden chess set, the Rio Staunton Chess Set by House of Chess.] Credit & copyright: Wilfredor, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.