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September 20, 2021
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 20, 2021
collude \kuh-LOOD\ verb
What It Means
Collude means "to conspire or plot."
// The two companies had colluded to keep...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 20, 2021
collude \kuh-LOOD\ verb
What It Means
Collude means "to conspire or plot."
// The two companies had colluded to keep...
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
You won’t feel any turbulence on this plane. Born this day in 1907, Leslie J. Payne was a folk artist from Lillian, VA, who made sculptures from scavenged materials.
The mixed-media piece above, “Sunrise, Sunset - Environmental Piece and Spirit of St Louis Plane,” features a model plane made from scrap metal and wood, with painted wings and a prominent radial engine behind the propeller. Text at the bottom reads, “Atlantic Ocean Lind Bergh Flyin 1927.” Payne became infatuated with airplanes after attending an airshow as a child in 1918, and much of his art focused around aviation. He even built full-sized “imitation planes,” as he called them, and would dress up as a pilot and invite guests to board his creations to admire the view of his property, which he had turned into an imitation airfield. There was even an air tower and hangars where he stored his planes. Payne passed away in 1980, and his creations stood undisturbed until 1987, when efforts began to restore them. Many of them now reside in the Anacostia Community Museum in Washington D.C. While his planes still can’t fly, they still allow viewers’ imaginations to take off.
Sunrise, Sunset- Environmental Piece and Spirit of St Louis Plane, Leslie Payne (1907-1981), 1974, Spark plugs, metal, sheet metal, painted wood, 10.4 x 8 in. (26.4 x 20.3 cm.)
Below: A detailed photo of the model plane in Sunrise, Sunset-Spirit of St Louis, and one of Payne’s model boats, G.H. McNeal This is Fish Boat Back in Year 1929 Run by Steam.
You won’t feel any turbulence on this plane. Born this day in 1907, Leslie J. Payne was a folk artist from Lillian, VA, who made sculptures from scavenged materials.
The mixed-media piece above, “Sunrise, Sunset - Environmental Piece and Spirit of St Louis Plane,” features a model plane made from scrap metal and wood, with painted wings and a prominent radial engine behind the propeller. Text at the bottom reads, “Atlantic Ocean Lind Bergh Flyin 1927.” Payne became infatuated with airplanes after attending an airshow as a child in 1918, and much of his art focused around aviation. He even built full-sized “imitation planes,” as he called them, and would dress up as a pilot and invite guests to board his creations to admire the view of his property, which he had turned into an imitation airfield. There was even an air tower and hangars where he stored his planes. Payne passed away in 1980, and his creations stood undisturbed until 1987, when efforts began to restore them. Many of them now reside in the Anacostia Community Museum in Washington D.C. While his planes still can’t fly, they still allow viewers’ imaginations to take off.
Sunrise, Sunset- Environmental Piece and Spirit of St Louis Plane, Leslie Payne (1907-1981), 1974, Spark plugs, metal, sheet metal, painted wood, 10.4 x 8 in. (26.4 x 20.3 cm.)
Below: A detailed photo of the model plane in Sunrise, Sunset-Spirit of St Louis, and one of Payne’s model boats, G.H. McNeal This is Fish Boat Back in Year 1929 Run by Steam.
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
A paper by economists at Harvard University, Princeton University and the University of Chicago indicates that one explanation for the low interest rates we’...
A paper by economists at Harvard University, Princeton University and the University of Chicago indicates that one explanation for the low interest rates we’...
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6 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree4 CQ
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been brutally cracking down on opposition both at home and abroad. Many have fled to neighboring Lithuania.
with PRI's The WorldBelarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been brutally cracking down on opposition both at home and abroad. Many have fled to neighboring Lithuania.
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FREETravel Daily Curio #2306Free1 CQ
Get out your checkbooks and your tool belt. The 800 year-old Italian town of Pignone is the latest to join the 1 Euro Houses Project, which gives adventurous home buyers access to historic real estate for just 1 Euro. Like other towns that have joined the project, Pignone has a small and dwindling population, despite its rich cultural heritage. Located in the province of La Spezia, many of Pignone’s younger residents have left for larger cities, leaving behind vacant houses with no one to care for their upkeep. With fewer residents, local businesses struggle to keep their lights on. That’s why dozens of small towns around Italy are so eager to embrace the 1 Euro Houses Project. By inviting out-of-towners and making it easier for foreigners to establish themselves, the mayors of the participating towns hope to keep their communities alive.
Pignone is a World Heritage Site, known for its agriculture and its annual market exhibition and food festival, “The Gardens of Pignone.” It is surrounded by mountains and is located within spitting distance of the coast. While these features make it a beloved tourist destination, it is hoping to add some at least semi-permanent residents to its population of around 600 by joining in the project. There is, of course, a catch. If you want to count yourself among their residents, you have to come prepared with a detailed plan of how you will improve and restore the property. You also have to pay a deposit of 5,000 Euros. This is to ensure that the property will be renovated and put to a dedicated use, such as becoming a full-time home, a bed and breakfast or a restaurant. These requirements are standard fare for the 1 Euro Houses Project, but if they’re too much of a hassle, there’s another option: wait and buy at market price. In other towns where houses have been sold and restored for years, many of the now move-in ready properties are being resold to people who just want the experience of living in—not renovating—their rustic Italian dream home. It may cost more than if you do the work yourself, but it’s still a bargain compared to housing in bigger cities.
Then again, what savvy homebuyer could pass on the chance to buy an Italian villa for the price of an espresso?
[Image description: Description ] Credit & copyright: Davide Papalini, image cropped for sizeGet out your checkbooks and your tool belt. The 800 year-old Italian town of Pignone is the latest to join the 1 Euro Houses Project, which gives adventurous home buyers access to historic real estate for just 1 Euro. Like other towns that have joined the project, Pignone has a small and dwindling population, despite its rich cultural heritage. Located in the province of La Spezia, many of Pignone’s younger residents have left for larger cities, leaving behind vacant houses with no one to care for their upkeep. With fewer residents, local businesses struggle to keep their lights on. That’s why dozens of small towns around Italy are so eager to embrace the 1 Euro Houses Project. By inviting out-of-towners and making it easier for foreigners to establish themselves, the mayors of the participating towns hope to keep their communities alive.
Pignone is a World Heritage Site, known for its agriculture and its annual market exhibition and food festival, “The Gardens of Pignone.” It is surrounded by mountains and is located within spitting distance of the coast. While these features make it a beloved tourist destination, it is hoping to add some at least semi-permanent residents to its population of around 600 by joining in the project. There is, of course, a catch. If you want to count yourself among their residents, you have to come prepared with a detailed plan of how you will improve and restore the property. You also have to pay a deposit of 5,000 Euros. This is to ensure that the property will be renovated and put to a dedicated use, such as becoming a full-time home, a bed and breakfast or a restaurant. These requirements are standard fare for the 1 Euro Houses Project, but if they’re too much of a hassle, there’s another option: wait and buy at market price. In other towns where houses have been sold and restored for years, many of the now move-in ready properties are being resold to people who just want the experience of living in—not renovating—their rustic Italian dream home. It may cost more than if you do the work yourself, but it’s still a bargain compared to housing in bigger cities.
Then again, what savvy homebuyer could pass on the chance to buy an Italian villa for the price of an espresso?
[Image description: Description ] Credit & copyright: Davide Papalini, image cropped for size
September 19, 2021
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 19, 2021
lucid \LOO-sid\ adjective
What It Means
Lucid means "very clear and easy to understand."
// The author has a lucid w...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 19, 2021
lucid \LOO-sid\ adjective
What It Means
Lucid means "very clear and easy to understand."
// The author has a lucid w...
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8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
The third installment of the advance child tax credit hit the bank accounts of most American households with children this week, but a new national survey su...
The third installment of the advance child tax credit hit the bank accounts of most American households with children this week, but a new national survey su...
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5 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
This contradiction became a key issue during the country's elections this week. Based on the results, it isn't likely to be fully resolved soon.
with PRI's The WorldThis contradiction became a key issue during the country's elections this week. Based on the results, it isn't likely to be fully resolved soon.
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FREEStyle PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
Sequins! Feathers! Opulence! The Met Gala, officially known as the Costume Institute Gala or the Costume Institute Benefit, is famous for all three and more. This year’s Gala took place on Monday, September 13, after being cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic. As always, it was a night for celebrities to dress up in mind-boggling outfits, but “fashion’s biggest night” is also an important part of American art history; and it looked a lot different back when it first got started.
The Met Gala was the brainchild of American fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, born in 1903. Known as the “Empress of Seventh Avenue” Lambert spent decades advocating for New York fashion designers and working to establish New York as an international fashion hub. At the time that Lambert’s career began, in the late 1920s, runway fashion was considered uniquely European. Lambert had an opportunity to change that in the 1940s, when bigwigs in the fashion industry suddenly found themselves unable to travel to France, due to World War II. In 1943, Lambert founded Press Week, which would later become New York Fashion Week. Fashion designers and journalists from around the world came to New York City for the first true showcase of American runway fashion, and the event was wildly successful. Lambert knew that in order to be taken seriously, American fashion needed to become part of the art world, which would mean being showcased in museums. In 1948, Lambert decided to fundraise for the recently established Costume Institute, a gallery showcasing American fashion designs which would later merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She created a charity dinner to benefit the Institute, fittingly called the Costume Institute Gala. Compared to today’s Met Gala, this first event was a humble affair. Decor was upscale but relatively modest, just about anyone could attend, and the cost was just 50 dollars per plate.
The event shifted gears in 1972, when Diana Vreeland became consultant to the Costume Institute and took over running the Gala. Rather than inviting only people involved in the fashion industry, Vreeland invited fashionable celebrities too, from Elizabeth Taylor to Elton John. Instead of holding the event in various venues around New York City, Vreeland showcased the space that the Gala was meant to benefit by holding it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. To transform the museum into an event space worthy of her celebrity guests, Vreeland hired famed designers to decorate. To ensure that guests' outfits wouldn’t clash with the decor, and to highlight specific fashion collections being unveiled each year at the museum, Vreeland introduced themes to the Met Gala, in 1973. The first theme, The World of Balenciaga, featured bright colors and bold patterns associated with the famed Spanish fashion house. Over the years, the Gala’s themes moved away from highlighting specific brands or fashion houses and became more conceptual. For example, the 1986 theme was simply Dance. As the Gala became a more widely-publicized, celebrity-driven event, the Gala’s themes inspired fashion of its own, as designers created outfits for celebrity guests specifically to match them. Theme remains one of the most important aspects of the Modern Met Gala, though it sometimes causes controversy. The 2019 theme, Camp: Notes on Fashion left many designers disagreeing over what qualified as campy. For example, pop star Rhianna’s outfit, which included a pope-like hat and other Catholic imagery, was seen as campy by some but offensive by others.
Traditionally held on the first Monday in May, the Met Gala was pushed back by several months, in 2020, before being cancelled altogether due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Its theme would have been About Time: Fashion and Duration to mark the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 100th year. For a while, it looked as if 2021’s Met Gala might suffer the same fate as 2020’s, as it was pushed back from May. However, the event was able to take place in September, albeit with a requirement that all guests be vaccinated against Covid-19. The 2021 theme was In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, to fit the museum’s newest fashion exhibition of the same name. Stars, stripes, and nods to old Hollywood were common sights. Hopefully, future Met Galas can continue sparkling their way into our hearts each May with no further pandemic setbacks.
[Image description: Met Gala organizer Diana Vreeland is surrounded by models in old-Hollywood-style gowns at the 1974 Gala. Each celebrity holds the paper face of an old Hollywood starlet in front of their own.] Credit & copyright: Francesco ScavulloSequins! Feathers! Opulence! The Met Gala, officially known as the Costume Institute Gala or the Costume Institute Benefit, is famous for all three and more. This year’s Gala took place on Monday, September 13, after being cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic. As always, it was a night for celebrities to dress up in mind-boggling outfits, but “fashion’s biggest night” is also an important part of American art history; and it looked a lot different back when it first got started.
The Met Gala was the brainchild of American fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, born in 1903. Known as the “Empress of Seventh Avenue” Lambert spent decades advocating for New York fashion designers and working to establish New York as an international fashion hub. At the time that Lambert’s career began, in the late 1920s, runway fashion was considered uniquely European. Lambert had an opportunity to change that in the 1940s, when bigwigs in the fashion industry suddenly found themselves unable to travel to France, due to World War II. In 1943, Lambert founded Press Week, which would later become New York Fashion Week. Fashion designers and journalists from around the world came to New York City for the first true showcase of American runway fashion, and the event was wildly successful. Lambert knew that in order to be taken seriously, American fashion needed to become part of the art world, which would mean being showcased in museums. In 1948, Lambert decided to fundraise for the recently established Costume Institute, a gallery showcasing American fashion designs which would later merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She created a charity dinner to benefit the Institute, fittingly called the Costume Institute Gala. Compared to today’s Met Gala, this first event was a humble affair. Decor was upscale but relatively modest, just about anyone could attend, and the cost was just 50 dollars per plate.
The event shifted gears in 1972, when Diana Vreeland became consultant to the Costume Institute and took over running the Gala. Rather than inviting only people involved in the fashion industry, Vreeland invited fashionable celebrities too, from Elizabeth Taylor to Elton John. Instead of holding the event in various venues around New York City, Vreeland showcased the space that the Gala was meant to benefit by holding it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. To transform the museum into an event space worthy of her celebrity guests, Vreeland hired famed designers to decorate. To ensure that guests' outfits wouldn’t clash with the decor, and to highlight specific fashion collections being unveiled each year at the museum, Vreeland introduced themes to the Met Gala, in 1973. The first theme, The World of Balenciaga, featured bright colors and bold patterns associated with the famed Spanish fashion house. Over the years, the Gala’s themes moved away from highlighting specific brands or fashion houses and became more conceptual. For example, the 1986 theme was simply Dance. As the Gala became a more widely-publicized, celebrity-driven event, the Gala’s themes inspired fashion of its own, as designers created outfits for celebrity guests specifically to match them. Theme remains one of the most important aspects of the Modern Met Gala, though it sometimes causes controversy. The 2019 theme, Camp: Notes on Fashion left many designers disagreeing over what qualified as campy. For example, pop star Rhianna’s outfit, which included a pope-like hat and other Catholic imagery, was seen as campy by some but offensive by others.
Traditionally held on the first Monday in May, the Met Gala was pushed back by several months, in 2020, before being cancelled altogether due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Its theme would have been About Time: Fashion and Duration to mark the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 100th year. For a while, it looked as if 2021’s Met Gala might suffer the same fate as 2020’s, as it was pushed back from May. However, the event was able to take place in September, albeit with a requirement that all guests be vaccinated against Covid-19. The 2021 theme was In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, to fit the museum’s newest fashion exhibition of the same name. Stars, stripes, and nods to old Hollywood were common sights. Hopefully, future Met Galas can continue sparkling their way into our hearts each May with no further pandemic setbacks.
[Image description: Met Gala organizer Diana Vreeland is surrounded by models in old-Hollywood-style gowns at the 1974 Gala. Each celebrity holds the paper face of an old Hollywood starlet in front of their own.] Credit & copyright: Francesco Scavullo
September 18, 2021
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 18, 2021
vignette \vin-YET\ noun
What It Means
A vignette is a short written description or a brief scene in a movie or play.
...with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 18, 2021
vignette \vin-YET\ noun
What It Means
A vignette is a short written description or a brief scene in a movie or play.
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9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
The Justice Department has moved to block the opioid settlement between OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, saying the deal would unfairly protect the Sackler fam...
The Justice Department has moved to block the opioid settlement between OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, saying the deal would unfairly protect the Sackler fam...
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6 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree4 CQ
Astrid Sletten, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council’s office in Kabul, spoke to The World’s Carol Hills about the level of need in Afghanistan and what aid...
with PRI's The WorldAstrid Sletten, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council’s office in Kabul, spoke to The World’s Carol Hills about the level of need in Afghanistan and what aid...
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FREEFootball Daily CurioFree1 CQ
Alcorn State’s football program is limping along with a staffing shortage. The Mississippi school has been unable to hold practice this week and will not be allowed to compete in any games until they can find a full-time athletic trainer.
Per NCAA rules, the team must have a full-time athletic trainer on site to treat player injuries during practice and games. Although their football team is considered one of the best among historically Black colleges and universities in the Southwest Athletic Conference, Alcorn’s athletic department has a budget of just $6 million. If they can’t immediately find someone to fill in, it means that they may miss out on $360,000 in revenue from an upcoming game against South Alabama. On his radio show, head coach Fred McNair expressed his frustration and blamed the school’s administration for their inaction. "We've got a big game that's going to make the university money, and we can't go out and get treatment for the young men and women and not knowing what's going to happen tomorrow," he said on Monday. "This is an administration issue. I could talk about it until I turn blue. This needs to be fixed." The school had brought on an athletic trainer, Fred Worthy, at the beginning of the year, but he left for a healthcare job in the private sector in July. Two part-time replacements who were hired after his departure left after they tested positive for COVID-19. Worthy returned to fill in after a game earlier this month, but said he could not return afterward. The team opted out of the 2020 season which was played in spring of 2021 due the pandemic. Without a replacement trainer, they may be sidelined for another year.[Image description: A silver football helmet lying on its side in a football field.] Credit & copyright: andzelikatokarska/Pixabay
Alcorn State’s football program is limping along with a staffing shortage. The Mississippi school has been unable to hold practice this week and will not be allowed to compete in any games until they can find a full-time athletic trainer.
Per NCAA rules, the team must have a full-time athletic trainer on site to treat player injuries during practice and games. Although their football team is considered one of the best among historically Black colleges and universities in the Southwest Athletic Conference, Alcorn’s athletic department has a budget of just $6 million. If they can’t immediately find someone to fill in, it means that they may miss out on $360,000 in revenue from an upcoming game against South Alabama. On his radio show, head coach Fred McNair expressed his frustration and blamed the school’s administration for their inaction. "We've got a big game that's going to make the university money, and we can't go out and get treatment for the young men and women and not knowing what's going to happen tomorrow," he said on Monday. "This is an administration issue. I could talk about it until I turn blue. This needs to be fixed." The school had brought on an athletic trainer, Fred Worthy, at the beginning of the year, but he left for a healthcare job in the private sector in July. Two part-time replacements who were hired after his departure left after they tested positive for COVID-19. Worthy returned to fill in after a game earlier this month, but said he could not return afterward. The team opted out of the 2020 season which was played in spring of 2021 due the pandemic. Without a replacement trainer, they may be sidelined for another year.[Image description: A silver football helmet lying on its side in a football field.] Credit & copyright: andzelikatokarska/Pixabay
September 17, 2021
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Despite U.S. sanctions, thousands of tons of Iranian fuel have been delivered to Lebanon. And Italy has become the first country ...
From the BBC World Service: Despite U.S. sanctions, thousands of tons of Iranian fuel have been delivered to Lebanon. And Italy has become the first country ...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 17, 2021
precarious \prih-KAIR-ee-us\ adjective
What It Means
Precarious means "characterized by uncertainty, insecurity, or i...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 17, 2021
precarious \prih-KAIR-ee-us\ adjective
What It Means
Precarious means "characterized by uncertainty, insecurity, or i...
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6 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree4 CQ
John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with The Citizen Lab in Canada who discovered the Apple iPhone breach with his colleagues, joined The World's host Ca...
with PRI's The WorldJohn Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with The Citizen Lab in Canada who discovered the Apple iPhone breach with his colleagues, joined The World's host Ca...
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FREEArchitecture Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
Now here's a futuristic ship that could save the world, and it's not even out of an Avengers movie. Slovak designer Lenka Petráková has won the prestigious 2020 National Grand Prix for Architecture for her floating station named the 8th Continent. The design would serve as both an ocean recycling and research center with living quarters. The vessel takes its name from the "8th Continent," a nickname given to the massive garbage patch floating in the Pacific Ocean—no doubt a nod to the gravity of pollution and ecological devastation caused by industrialization. While we might awe at the sleek design of the 8th Continent, Petráková did have specific intentions for each part of the ship: the large top parts will serve as sails and a hydroponic greenhouse. The middle decks will house the research and education center, as well as the ocean trash collecting area where plastic debris will be harvested from the surface of the water. The lower decks will have the viewing platforms and public outdoor areas. It may not be the traditional luxury cruise liner getaway, but the 8th Continent sure does look like a great opportunity to catch some rays and save the planet while we're at it!
[Image description: the large, futuristic 8th Continent ship floats on the water.] Credit & copyright: Lenka Petráková.
Written by: Esther P.
It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
Now here's a futuristic ship that could save the world, and it's not even out of an Avengers movie. Slovak designer Lenka Petráková has won the prestigious 2020 National Grand Prix for Architecture for her floating station named the 8th Continent. The design would serve as both an ocean recycling and research center with living quarters. The vessel takes its name from the "8th Continent," a nickname given to the massive garbage patch floating in the Pacific Ocean—no doubt a nod to the gravity of pollution and ecological devastation caused by industrialization. While we might awe at the sleek design of the 8th Continent, Petráková did have specific intentions for each part of the ship: the large top parts will serve as sails and a hydroponic greenhouse. The middle decks will house the research and education center, as well as the ocean trash collecting area where plastic debris will be harvested from the surface of the water. The lower decks will have the viewing platforms and public outdoor areas. It may not be the traditional luxury cruise liner getaway, but the 8th Continent sure does look like a great opportunity to catch some rays and save the planet while we're at it!
[Image description: the large, futuristic 8th Continent ship floats on the water.] Credit & copyright: Lenka Petráková.
Written by: Esther P.
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FREEComputer Science Daily CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
On February 6, 1959, American electrical engineer Jack Kilby filed the first-ever patent for an integrated circuit. That is, he was the inventor of the microchip. It was a monumental accomplishment made all the more remarkable by his seemingly predestined path to it. Born November 8, 1923, Jack grew up in Kansas. His father ran a tiny electric company out in the boonies, and was responsible for getting local power and phone lines running again when downed in ice storms. Naturally, Kilby became fascinated with radios as he looked up to his pops. This led to a love of electronics, which he pursued up through a master's degree in electrical engineering. All the while, he was becoming more and more convinced that electronic components could be miniaturized. Still, it wasn't until he was hired on at Texas Instruments that he found a company to fund his studies on circuits. To understand where Kilby started, we need to understand semiconductors. Semiconductors are essentially decent conductors of electricity—somewhere between highly conductive metals and poorly conductive glass. What makes them so useful is that they can be stimulated and controlled with forces like currents or electromagnetic fields.
But back to Kilby. Similarly to now, semiconductor materials like silicon were cut in thin wafers in his time. The wafers were then covered in protective stencils and "wet" etched or rinsed with acidic chemicals. Once the stencil was removed, a network of raised tracks would remain. From there, the wafer was sliced into individual semiconductors. These components were then assembled with resistors and capacitors into circuits at another location. Kilby figured he could manufacture all these electrical components onto a single hunk of semiconductor material and connect them. And, in perhaps the most important Tetris-ing act in electronics history, he managed to pull it off in a mass-producible manner. Shortly after, Kilby used his integrated circuits to co-invent the thermal printer and the handheld calculator (hence its long long-standing association with Texas Instruments). Over 40 years later, Kilby was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000 for his part in the computer revolution. Today, computer chips contain an insane amount of transistors. For example, if you count Samsung's 1 TB Flash memory module as a single unit, it packs over two trillion.
Image credit & copyright: PBS
It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
On February 6, 1959, American electrical engineer Jack Kilby filed the first-ever patent for an integrated circuit. That is, he was the inventor of the microchip. It was a monumental accomplishment made all the more remarkable by his seemingly predestined path to it. Born November 8, 1923, Jack grew up in Kansas. His father ran a tiny electric company out in the boonies, and was responsible for getting local power and phone lines running again when downed in ice storms. Naturally, Kilby became fascinated with radios as he looked up to his pops. This led to a love of electronics, which he pursued up through a master's degree in electrical engineering. All the while, he was becoming more and more convinced that electronic components could be miniaturized. Still, it wasn't until he was hired on at Texas Instruments that he found a company to fund his studies on circuits. To understand where Kilby started, we need to understand semiconductors. Semiconductors are essentially decent conductors of electricity—somewhere between highly conductive metals and poorly conductive glass. What makes them so useful is that they can be stimulated and controlled with forces like currents or electromagnetic fields.
But back to Kilby. Similarly to now, semiconductor materials like silicon were cut in thin wafers in his time. The wafers were then covered in protective stencils and "wet" etched or rinsed with acidic chemicals. Once the stencil was removed, a network of raised tracks would remain. From there, the wafer was sliced into individual semiconductors. These components were then assembled with resistors and capacitors into circuits at another location. Kilby figured he could manufacture all these electrical components onto a single hunk of semiconductor material and connect them. And, in perhaps the most important Tetris-ing act in electronics history, he managed to pull it off in a mass-producible manner. Shortly after, Kilby used his integrated circuits to co-invent the thermal printer and the handheld calculator (hence its long long-standing association with Texas Instruments). Over 40 years later, Kilby was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000 for his part in the computer revolution. Today, computer chips contain an insane amount of transistors. For example, if you count Samsung's 1 TB Flash memory module as a single unit, it packs over two trillion.
Image credit & copyright: PBS
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
"Hold the camera still!" Director and cinematographer Tom Lowe had no need for those words during the filming of Awaken, his technologically pioneering time-lapse documentary spanning 30 countries. His innovations in gimbal technology, or pivoted supports, enabled Lowe to produce prolonged time-lapses that remain seamlessly steady through turbulence or storms. The shot above is from a meandering helicopter ride over Dubai; in it, fog drifts between skyrises, rolling over shorter buildings. But gimbals weren't all that Lowe tinkered with: Awaken also showcases cutting-edge underwater and aerial cinematography with amazing shots of diverse cultures, beautiful animals, and nature. According to Lowe, "Awaken is a celebration of the spirit of life, an exploration of the Earth, and an ode to the cosmos." Pretty ambitious for a single film!
Below: more shots from Awaken.
Image credit & copyright: Tom Lowe
It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
"Hold the camera still!" Director and cinematographer Tom Lowe had no need for those words during the filming of Awaken, his technologically pioneering time-lapse documentary spanning 30 countries. His innovations in gimbal technology, or pivoted supports, enabled Lowe to produce prolonged time-lapses that remain seamlessly steady through turbulence or storms. The shot above is from a meandering helicopter ride over Dubai; in it, fog drifts between skyrises, rolling over shorter buildings. But gimbals weren't all that Lowe tinkered with: Awaken also showcases cutting-edge underwater and aerial cinematography with amazing shots of diverse cultures, beautiful animals, and nature. According to Lowe, "Awaken is a celebration of the spirit of life, an exploration of the Earth, and an ode to the cosmos." Pretty ambitious for a single film!
Below: more shots from Awaken.
Image credit & copyright: Tom Lowe
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FREEAesthetic Art CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
Title: The Peak Leisure Club, Hong Kong
Artist: Zaha Hadid (1950-2016)
Created: 1982-83
The late architect Zaha Hadid is best remembered for her dimension-defying structures, from the Guangzhou Opera House and Jockey Club Innovation Tower. But she employed the same genius even in 2-D work, as her dazzling and complex paintings prove. Hadid's 1983 award-winning design painting for The Peak, a proposed leisure club on the hillside above Hong Kong, is celebrated in its own right, though the project was never built. It captures a slanted view of Victoria Peak overlooking Hong Kong Harbor, with the dense vertical peaks of the city beneath. But there's also abstraction in the image's shard-like shapes, dramatic angles, and geometric color planes—almost like we're seeing the landscape from multiple viewpoints at once. These features reveal the influence Russian Constructivism and Cubo-Futurism had on Hadid's work.
The image is also reminiscent of a computer simulation, though it was painted long before the digital age. All the more proof that Hadid was way ahead of her time.
Below: another painting showing more detail for The Peak
Image credit & copyright: Zaha Hadid
It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
Title: The Peak Leisure Club, Hong Kong
Artist: Zaha Hadid (1950-2016)
Created: 1982-83
The late architect Zaha Hadid is best remembered for her dimension-defying structures, from the Guangzhou Opera House and Jockey Club Innovation Tower. But she employed the same genius even in 2-D work, as her dazzling and complex paintings prove. Hadid's 1983 award-winning design painting for The Peak, a proposed leisure club on the hillside above Hong Kong, is celebrated in its own right, though the project was never built. It captures a slanted view of Victoria Peak overlooking Hong Kong Harbor, with the dense vertical peaks of the city beneath. But there's also abstraction in the image's shard-like shapes, dramatic angles, and geometric color planes—almost like we're seeing the landscape from multiple viewpoints at once. These features reveal the influence Russian Constructivism and Cubo-Futurism had on Hadid's work.
The image is also reminiscent of a computer simulation, though it was painted long before the digital age. All the more proof that Hadid was way ahead of her time.
Below: another painting showing more detail for The Peak
Image credit & copyright: Zaha Hadid
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FREEDrums Song CurioFree2 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
The "fastest girl drummer in the world" was also one of the most innovative. Viola Smith passed away in 2020 at the age of 107 after a lifetime as a trailblazing drummer. As a teenager in Wisconsin, her father dreamed of having an all-girl jazz orchestra. Viola, being the youngest girl, got saddled with keeping the beat. Soon after, she started playing drums live and taking lessons from professional players. In 1938, she co-formed the Coquettes, a women's orchestra with Smith as the starring soloist. On tracks like Snake Charmer, Smith shows off her impeccable range, combining a jazz drum kit with orchestral percussion instruments like mallets, timpani, and dual concert bass drums surrounding her head—no doubt giving the song the intended exotic feel the title must have imparted at the time. Take a listen back to Snake Charmer, and hear what all the fuss was about when Viola Smith sat down behind a drum kit and let the fireworks fly.
Image credit & copyright: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Written by: Esther P.
It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
The "fastest girl drummer in the world" was also one of the most innovative. Viola Smith passed away in 2020 at the age of 107 after a lifetime as a trailblazing drummer. As a teenager in Wisconsin, her father dreamed of having an all-girl jazz orchestra. Viola, being the youngest girl, got saddled with keeping the beat. Soon after, she started playing drums live and taking lessons from professional players. In 1938, she co-formed the Coquettes, a women's orchestra with Smith as the starring soloist. On tracks like Snake Charmer, Smith shows off her impeccable range, combining a jazz drum kit with orchestral percussion instruments like mallets, timpani, and dual concert bass drums surrounding her head—no doubt giving the song the intended exotic feel the title must have imparted at the time. Take a listen back to Snake Charmer, and hear what all the fuss was about when Viola Smith sat down behind a drum kit and let the fireworks fly.
Image credit & copyright: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Written by: Esther P.
September 16, 2021
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: A new defense pact between Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. threatens to put even more strain on the relationship between Austral...
From the BBC World Service: A new defense pact between Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. threatens to put even more strain on the relationship between Austral...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 16, 2021
exonerate \ig-ZAH-nuh-rayt\ verb
What It Means
Exonerate means "to clear from a charge of wrongdoing or from blame."
...with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 16, 2021
exonerate \ig-ZAH-nuh-rayt\ verb
What It Means
Exonerate means "to clear from a charge of wrongdoing or from blame."
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7 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree4 CQ
Ghana faces an acute shortage of antiretroviral drugs, endangering the health and the lives of tens of thousands of HIV-positive children and pregnant women....
Pregnant women and children with HIV in Ghana struggle to access lifesaving medicine during pandemicwith PRI's The WorldGhana faces an acute shortage of antiretroviral drugs, endangering the health and the lives of tens of thousands of HIV-positive children and pregnant women....
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FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
Urine for a treat. In July, researchers in Germany published a study in Current Biology explaining how they potty trained calves with sweet, molasses-based rewards. The researchers took 16 calves and trained them to use a special, fenced-in area with artificial turf when they needed to do their business. If they urinated while in the designated area called the MooLoo, the cows received a reward. If they went outside that area, they were given a three-second cold water spray. Within 10 days, 11 of the calves were reliably using the MooLoo, and the rest just needed a little more time. “The cows are at least as good as children, age 2 to 4 years, at least as quick,” said Lindsay Matthews, senior author of the study. Despite its playful name, the MooLoo has serious potential benefits for the environment. Cows can produce up to 30 liters of urine a day which, when mixed with feces, releases ammonia emissions that can affect plant and animal life. Urine can also increase nitrates in water sources, and if it leaches into the soil, microbes turn it into nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. According to past studies, if 80% of bovine urine is collected, it could produce a 56% reduction in ammonia emissions, leading to both healthier livestock and less damage to the environment. According to Matthews, the next step is to “develop automated training systems” so that the process can scale for widespread adoption. Time for Bessie to head to school!
[Image description: A white and brown cow standing in a grassy field, flicking its tail. Other cows stand in the background.] Credit & copyright: lloorraa/Public Domain
Urine for a treat. In July, researchers in Germany published a study in Current Biology explaining how they potty trained calves with sweet, molasses-based rewards. The researchers took 16 calves and trained them to use a special, fenced-in area with artificial turf when they needed to do their business. If they urinated while in the designated area called the MooLoo, the cows received a reward. If they went outside that area, they were given a three-second cold water spray. Within 10 days, 11 of the calves were reliably using the MooLoo, and the rest just needed a little more time. “The cows are at least as good as children, age 2 to 4 years, at least as quick,” said Lindsay Matthews, senior author of the study. Despite its playful name, the MooLoo has serious potential benefits for the environment. Cows can produce up to 30 liters of urine a day which, when mixed with feces, releases ammonia emissions that can affect plant and animal life. Urine can also increase nitrates in water sources, and if it leaches into the soil, microbes turn it into nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. According to past studies, if 80% of bovine urine is collected, it could produce a 56% reduction in ammonia emissions, leading to both healthier livestock and less damage to the environment. According to Matthews, the next step is to “develop automated training systems” so that the process can scale for widespread adoption. Time for Bessie to head to school!
[Image description: A white and brown cow standing in a grassy field, flicking its tail. Other cows stand in the background.] Credit & copyright: lloorraa/Public Domain
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FREEMind + Body Daily Curio #2305Free1 CQ
Time for a trip down auditory lane. Smell is often talked about in relation to human memory, but a recent survey found that certain sounds are also great at triggering memories—specifically happy ones. Commissioned by British optical company Specsavers, the survey asked 2,000 adults, aged 50 and over, to list sounds that triggered happy memories from their youth. It also asked how often they experienced nostalgia triggered by certain sounds. About four in 10 respondents said that they experience sound-triggered memories at least twice a week. From the specific sounds that respondents listed, Specsavers Chief Audiologist Gordon Harrision created a list of the top 40 sounds most likely to trigger happy memories. Outdoor sounds, such as wind blowing through trees, were listed most often. In fact, they were found to trigger happy memories in 67 percent of respondents. Around 78 percent of those surveyed said that they spend a lot of time outside, with 72 percent referring to their yards as their “happy place.”
Somewhat surprisingly, the sound that topped Harrison’s list wasn’t a sound from nature, but rather a specific song or piece of music. Nature sounds remained the most popular throughout the rest of the list, however, with the next four items being waves crashing on the shore, birdsong, a crackling fire, and walking on fresh snow. “Sound impacts most aspects of our lives, so it is no surprise that certain sounds trigger happy youthful memories, particularly when it comes to sounds of the outdoors,” Harrison said, in a statement. “However, given the importance of our hearing, it is important to be checked out regularly to ensure such memories aren’t lost along with reduced hearing.” Harrison’s concern is understandable, since more than half of respondents said that their hearing has worsened with age, and 90 percent felt that they had taken their hearing for granted when they were younger. Meanwhile, only 26 percent had taken steps to have their hearing loss treated by an audiologist. Hopefully, this eye-opening information will spur people to think about the role that sound plays in their lives, and encourage those with hearing problems to seek treatment. After all, refreshed hearing could very well mean a refreshed memory.
[Image description: A grey and orange bird sings as it perches on a branch.] Credit & copyright: TeeFarm/PixabayTime for a trip down auditory lane. Smell is often talked about in relation to human memory, but a recent survey found that certain sounds are also great at triggering memories—specifically happy ones. Commissioned by British optical company Specsavers, the survey asked 2,000 adults, aged 50 and over, to list sounds that triggered happy memories from their youth. It also asked how often they experienced nostalgia triggered by certain sounds. About four in 10 respondents said that they experience sound-triggered memories at least twice a week. From the specific sounds that respondents listed, Specsavers Chief Audiologist Gordon Harrision created a list of the top 40 sounds most likely to trigger happy memories. Outdoor sounds, such as wind blowing through trees, were listed most often. In fact, they were found to trigger happy memories in 67 percent of respondents. Around 78 percent of those surveyed said that they spend a lot of time outside, with 72 percent referring to their yards as their “happy place.”
Somewhat surprisingly, the sound that topped Harrison’s list wasn’t a sound from nature, but rather a specific song or piece of music. Nature sounds remained the most popular throughout the rest of the list, however, with the next four items being waves crashing on the shore, birdsong, a crackling fire, and walking on fresh snow. “Sound impacts most aspects of our lives, so it is no surprise that certain sounds trigger happy youthful memories, particularly when it comes to sounds of the outdoors,” Harrison said, in a statement. “However, given the importance of our hearing, it is important to be checked out regularly to ensure such memories aren’t lost along with reduced hearing.” Harrison’s concern is understandable, since more than half of respondents said that their hearing has worsened with age, and 90 percent felt that they had taken their hearing for granted when they were younger. Meanwhile, only 26 percent had taken steps to have their hearing loss treated by an audiologist. Hopefully, this eye-opening information will spur people to think about the role that sound plays in their lives, and encourage those with hearing problems to seek treatment. After all, refreshed hearing could very well mean a refreshed memory.
[Image description: A grey and orange bird sings as it perches on a branch.] Credit & copyright: TeeFarm/Pixabay
September 15, 2021
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Shares in a range of Macau casino companies fell by up to a third as authorities announced a 45-day consultation period on future...
From the BBC World Service: Shares in a range of Macau casino companies fell by up to a third as authorities announced a 45-day consultation period on future...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 15, 2021
tribulation \trib-yuh-LAY-shun\ noun
What It Means
Tribulation, which is often used in the phrase "trials and tribula...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 15, 2021
tribulation \trib-yuh-LAY-shun\ noun
What It Means
Tribulation, which is often used in the phrase "trials and tribula...
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FREEComposition Photo CurioFree1 CQ
Hey, you’ve got a little something on your beak. This unlucky pigeon is one this year’s recently-announced finalists in the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. We’ve written about this contest before, but this year’s competition was unique for a few reasons. In I Guess Summer’s Over by photographer John Speirs, a dead leaf has blown into a pigeon’s face, obscuring its head. The bird is perched on a concrete ledge, which makes sense since Speirs took the photo in Oban, a busy resort town in Scotland. “I was taking pics of pigeons in flight when this leaf landed on a bird’s face,” Speirs explained. The fortuitous shot joins 45 other finalists chosen from an unusually large field of entrants. This year’s contest received a record number of over 7,000 entries. As always, proceeds from the contest will benefit a wildlife charity. This year it’s Save Wild Orangutans, which works to protect the primates in Borneo. Unlike years past, however, finalists will have their work exhibited at The Photography Show in Birmingham, England. Not bad for a windswept little bird.
[Image description: A pigeon with a brown leaf covering its face.] Credit & copyright: John Speirs/Chee Kee Teo/Martina Novotna/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
Below: two more finalists from this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards; Time for school by Chee Kee Teo, and Mr. Giggles by Martina Novotna.
Hey, you’ve got a little something on your beak. This unlucky pigeon is one this year’s recently-announced finalists in the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. We’ve written about this contest before, but this year’s competition was unique for a few reasons. In I Guess Summer’s Over by photographer John Speirs, a dead leaf has blown into a pigeon’s face, obscuring its head. The bird is perched on a concrete ledge, which makes sense since Speirs took the photo in Oban, a busy resort town in Scotland. “I was taking pics of pigeons in flight when this leaf landed on a bird’s face,” Speirs explained. The fortuitous shot joins 45 other finalists chosen from an unusually large field of entrants. This year’s contest received a record number of over 7,000 entries. As always, proceeds from the contest will benefit a wildlife charity. This year it’s Save Wild Orangutans, which works to protect the primates in Borneo. Unlike years past, however, finalists will have their work exhibited at The Photography Show in Birmingham, England. Not bad for a windswept little bird.
[Image description: A pigeon with a brown leaf covering its face.] Credit & copyright: John Speirs/Chee Kee Teo/Martina Novotna/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
Below: two more finalists from this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards; Time for school by Chee Kee Teo, and Mr. Giggles by Martina Novotna.
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FREEPlay Daily Curio #2304Free1 CQ
No need to look both ways on this street. A section of the Strand, one of the busiest and most iconic streets in London, is exchanging cabs and buses for art and skateboards. Until September 24, a free, Vans-sponsored skatepark called Skate the Strand will occupy the street, as part of September on the Strand. The month-long festivities are meant to celebrate the reopening of the West End, but the long term plan is to keep cars out for good. Meanwhile, the crescent-shaped Aldwych, which connects at both ends to the Strand, will accommodate wide footways alongside two-way vehicle traffic. This will further increase pedestrian access to the historic area of London, which includes the nearby West End and Covent Garden, the Royal Opera House, and architectural sights such as the St. Mary Le Strand Church.
Fittingly named Strand Aldwych, the project was started by the Westminster City Council in January and is led by Cannon Ivers of LDA Design, an urban design consultancy. Ivers has an ambitious vision for the future of the newly converted space. In a recent statement, he said, “I see a transformed Strand Aldwych as a place where the creative process is made visible—where art is made, not just displayed, where performances are rehearsed not just performed, and where knowledge is shared not stored away.” The initiative is also a reaction to the changing needs and cultural landscape of London after the pandemic. “Covid-19 has changed how people visit and work in London. More and more people are beginning to return to our city, so there is an urgent need to tackle issues with pedestrian congestion and safety, poor air quality and noise,” said Councillor Matthew Green of Westminster City Council. “Our new plans for Strand Aldwych give us an opportunity to build back better…while continuing to celebrate the strong theatre and culture offering the Strand is known for.” For now, a “Meanwhile” design, set to be completed by late 2022, has been implemented for the city to test out how people want to use the space. It includes a collective dining area and an “Activity Lawn.” The permanent design, which will incorporate art pieces, will be implemented through the next 3 to 5 years. Time for Londoners to lace up their walking shoes.
[Image description: A busy day on Strand street, London, with red busses filling the road and pedestrians lining sidewalks.] Credit & copyright: psteph/Public DomainNo need to look both ways on this street. A section of the Strand, one of the busiest and most iconic streets in London, is exchanging cabs and buses for art and skateboards. Until September 24, a free, Vans-sponsored skatepark called Skate the Strand will occupy the street, as part of September on the Strand. The month-long festivities are meant to celebrate the reopening of the West End, but the long term plan is to keep cars out for good. Meanwhile, the crescent-shaped Aldwych, which connects at both ends to the Strand, will accommodate wide footways alongside two-way vehicle traffic. This will further increase pedestrian access to the historic area of London, which includes the nearby West End and Covent Garden, the Royal Opera House, and architectural sights such as the St. Mary Le Strand Church.
Fittingly named Strand Aldwych, the project was started by the Westminster City Council in January and is led by Cannon Ivers of LDA Design, an urban design consultancy. Ivers has an ambitious vision for the future of the newly converted space. In a recent statement, he said, “I see a transformed Strand Aldwych as a place where the creative process is made visible—where art is made, not just displayed, where performances are rehearsed not just performed, and where knowledge is shared not stored away.” The initiative is also a reaction to the changing needs and cultural landscape of London after the pandemic. “Covid-19 has changed how people visit and work in London. More and more people are beginning to return to our city, so there is an urgent need to tackle issues with pedestrian congestion and safety, poor air quality and noise,” said Councillor Matthew Green of Westminster City Council. “Our new plans for Strand Aldwych give us an opportunity to build back better…while continuing to celebrate the strong theatre and culture offering the Strand is known for.” For now, a “Meanwhile” design, set to be completed by late 2022, has been implemented for the city to test out how people want to use the space. It includes a collective dining area and an “Activity Lawn.” The permanent design, which will incorporate art pieces, will be implemented through the next 3 to 5 years. Time for Londoners to lace up their walking shoes.
[Image description: A busy day on Strand street, London, with red busses filling the road and pedestrians lining sidewalks.] Credit & copyright: psteph/Public Domain -
4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Naysan Rafati, a senior Iran analyst with the International Crisis Group, joined The World's Carol Hills to discuss a recent agreement between Iran and the U...
Iran-UN nuclear agreement signals 'very, very tempered optimism' for negotiations, Iran analyst sayswith PRI's The WorldNaysan Rafati, a senior Iran analyst with the International Crisis Group, joined The World's Carol Hills to discuss a recent agreement between Iran and the U...
September 14, 2021
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: The Chinese conglomerate Evergrande has detailed the extent of its financial problems. Plus, we examine the future of Norway’s oi...
From the BBC World Service: The Chinese conglomerate Evergrande has detailed the extent of its financial problems. Plus, we examine the future of Norway’s oi...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : September 14, 2021
responsive \rih-SPAHN-siv\ adjective
What It Means
Responsive means "quick to respond or react in a desired or approp...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : September 14, 2021
responsive \rih-SPAHN-siv\ adjective
What It Means
Responsive means "quick to respond or react in a desired or approp...
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FREESong CurioFree2 CQ
If Cuba doesn’t like your sound, just mambo your way to Hollywood. That’s what Cuban bandleader and composer Pérez Prado, who passed away on this day in 1989, did in the 1950s. After popularizing (and some say inventing) mambo music, Prado left Cuba in 1947. Conservative groups in his native country claimed that his music had been influenced by jazz, which they staunchly opposed. So, Prado began touring Latin America, racking up hits as he went. His music set off a mambo dance craze which, by the mid-1950s, had made its way to the states. Prado’s first U.S. number one hit came in 1955 with Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White. Originally a French pop tune, Prado recorded his version of the song, featuring a cha-cha-cha beat, in 1954, for the Jane Russell movie Underwater. After watching Russell dance to the tune, audiences went wild for it. With its romantic, danceable beat and bright, sweeping trumpet provided by the legendary player Billy Regis, the song remained number one on the U.S. pop charts for ten consecutive weeks. How’s that for jazzy?
[Image description: Pérez Prado] Credit & copyright: Public Domain
If Cuba doesn’t like your sound, just mambo your way to Hollywood. That’s what Cuban bandleader and composer Pérez Prado, who passed away on this day in 1989, did in the 1950s. After popularizing (and some say inventing) mambo music, Prado left Cuba in 1947. Conservative groups in his native country claimed that his music had been influenced by jazz, which they staunchly opposed. So, Prado began touring Latin America, racking up hits as he went. His music set off a mambo dance craze which, by the mid-1950s, had made its way to the states. Prado’s first U.S. number one hit came in 1955 with Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White. Originally a French pop tune, Prado recorded his version of the song, featuring a cha-cha-cha beat, in 1954, for the Jane Russell movie Underwater. After watching Russell dance to the tune, audiences went wild for it. With its romantic, danceable beat and bright, sweeping trumpet provided by the legendary player Billy Regis, the song remained number one on the U.S. pop charts for ten consecutive weeks. How’s that for jazzy?
[Image description: Pérez Prado] Credit & copyright: Public Domain
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FREEWorld History Daily Curio #2303Free1 CQ
Let the bidding begin. On September 29, hundreds of rare, centuries-old gold coins will go up for auction, almost two years after they were discovered by stonemasons at a French construction site. Back in 2012, François Mion and his wife bought a historic mansion in Brittany, France, which was believed to have been built in the 13th century. In late 2019, they began renovations on the property to connect a barn and a nursery to the main building. Mion was working in Paris when he received a call from the workers, but “thought it was a joke” at first, according to an interview with Le Télégramme. The workers had discovered a metal box hidden inside a stone wall. The box was stuffed full of gold coins. A few days later, they found a leather pouch hidden above wooden beams with even more coins inside. In total, there were 239 coins minted between 1610 and 1715, during the reigns of Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV. Believed to be the life savings of a wealthy trader or landowner who previously inhabited the property, the find is estimated to be worth up to €300,000 ($354,223.50).
The coins’ high value is mainly due to their rarity. One of the coins is an example of what coin collectors call a "double Louis d’or", of which only around 120 are known to exist, and is worth up to €15,000 ($17,711.17) by itself. The French government passed a law in 2016 making all treasures discovered in France property of the state. However, because the Mions purchased the mansion in 2012, they get to keep the proceeds of the sale. The couple will keep half for themselves, and the other half will be split among the three workers who discovered the coins. Seems like a pretty fair distribution of treasure!
[Image description: A pile of gold coins against a white background.] Credit & copyright: Ivoire Auction HouseLet the bidding begin. On September 29, hundreds of rare, centuries-old gold coins will go up for auction, almost two years after they were discovered by stonemasons at a French construction site. Back in 2012, François Mion and his wife bought a historic mansion in Brittany, France, which was believed to have been built in the 13th century. In late 2019, they began renovations on the property to connect a barn and a nursery to the main building. Mion was working in Paris when he received a call from the workers, but “thought it was a joke” at first, according to an interview with Le Télégramme. The workers had discovered a metal box hidden inside a stone wall. The box was stuffed full of gold coins. A few days later, they found a leather pouch hidden above wooden beams with even more coins inside. In total, there were 239 coins minted between 1610 and 1715, during the reigns of Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV. Believed to be the life savings of a wealthy trader or landowner who previously inhabited the property, the find is estimated to be worth up to €300,000 ($354,223.50).
The coins’ high value is mainly due to their rarity. One of the coins is an example of what coin collectors call a "double Louis d’or", of which only around 120 are known to exist, and is worth up to €15,000 ($17,711.17) by itself. The French government passed a law in 2016 making all treasures discovered in France property of the state. However, because the Mions purchased the mansion in 2012, they get to keep the proceeds of the sale. The couple will keep half for themselves, and the other half will be split among the three workers who discovered the coins. Seems like a pretty fair distribution of treasure!
[Image description: A pile of gold coins against a white background.] Credit & copyright: Ivoire Auction House -
7 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree4 CQ
For former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes, 9/11 was a life-changing event. Rhodes joined The World's host Marco Werman to talk about the last 20 years since 9/11, ...
with PRI's The WorldFor former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes, 9/11 was a life-changing event. Rhodes joined The World's host Marco Werman to talk about the last 20 years since 9/11, ...