Curio Cabinet
- By Date
- By Type
February 20, 2019
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9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
We have some new economic data that was stalled by the government shutdown. The world's largest mining company has promised to do its part on climate change ...
We have some new economic data that was stalled by the government shutdown. The world's largest mining company has promised to do its part on climate change ...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : February 20, 2019
obsequious \ub-SEE-kwee-us\ adjective
Definition
: marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
Did You Know?
An ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 20, 2019
obsequious \ub-SEE-kwee-us\ adjective
Definition
: marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
Did You Know?
An ...
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1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: Little Blessing for Sparrows in Winter. by Jeanne Murray Walker (read by Dana Ivey).
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: Little Blessing for Sparrows in Winter. by Jeanne Murray Walker (read by Dana Ivey).
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FREESports Daily Curio #1707Free1 CQ
It may be hard to believe in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere, but spring is here. Spring Training, that is. Major League Baseball starts its 2019 pre-season this week in the warm climes of Arizona and Florida. Have you ever stopped to ponder the object of baseball? Players stand at a "plate" and try to bat a ball so they can run around three "bases" before returning "home." Much has been written on the origin of the sport's quirks—much of it by sportswriters eager to get a free trip to the sun in February—including what's up with the strange bases. Home "plate" is called that because it used to be round. It was made of iron, marble, glass, or sometimes an actual ceramic plate or dish. Hence home plate's other nickname: the "dish." Towards the end of the 19th century, it was mandated that home plate be square, although it was still usually made of stone. This was before sliding was common; when players did get dirty, they often came away with a sliced and bloody leg. The square shape was oriented with one point towards the catcher and the other towards the pitcher, allowing the pitcher, batter and umpire to more easily see the width of the strike zone. It was Robert Keating, a failed professional ball player turned inventor, who invented the modern-day rubber home plate. Keating changed the shape to be an irregular pentagon, with the square part more clearly denoting the width of the strike zone while the other three points lined up with the catcher and the two foul lines. Keating believed the rubber material would give (right-handed) batters a spring as they headed towards first base, wouldn't vibrate the bat when its end struck the plate, and would avoid the bloody sliding issue. Keating's plate was adopted by the American and National Leagues for the 1901 season. As for the other three bases, the Major League Baseball Rule Book still calls for them to be "white canvas bags" that are "filled with soft material"—which explains the expression of "rounding the bag" but does not at all describe modern-day bases. C'mon, MLB, follow your own silly rules!
It may be hard to believe in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere, but spring is here. Spring Training, that is. Major League Baseball starts its 2019 pre-season this week in the warm climes of Arizona and Florida. Have you ever stopped to ponder the object of baseball? Players stand at a "plate" and try to bat a ball so they can run around three "bases" before returning "home." Much has been written on the origin of the sport's quirks—much of it by sportswriters eager to get a free trip to the sun in February—including what's up with the strange bases. Home "plate" is called that because it used to be round. It was made of iron, marble, glass, or sometimes an actual ceramic plate or dish. Hence home plate's other nickname: the "dish." Towards the end of the 19th century, it was mandated that home plate be square, although it was still usually made of stone. This was before sliding was common; when players did get dirty, they often came away with a sliced and bloody leg. The square shape was oriented with one point towards the catcher and the other towards the pitcher, allowing the pitcher, batter and umpire to more easily see the width of the strike zone. It was Robert Keating, a failed professional ball player turned inventor, who invented the modern-day rubber home plate. Keating changed the shape to be an irregular pentagon, with the square part more clearly denoting the width of the strike zone while the other three points lined up with the catcher and the two foul lines. Keating believed the rubber material would give (right-handed) batters a spring as they headed towards first base, wouldn't vibrate the bat when its end struck the plate, and would avoid the bloody sliding issue. Keating's plate was adopted by the American and National Leagues for the 1901 season. As for the other three bases, the Major League Baseball Rule Book still calls for them to be "white canvas bags" that are "filled with soft material"—which explains the expression of "rounding the bag" but does not at all describe modern-day bases. C'mon, MLB, follow your own silly rules!
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13 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree7 CQ
Until last summer, Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where women weren't allowed to drive, a policy that had been in place since 1957.
with PRI's The WorldUntil last summer, Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where women weren't allowed to drive, a policy that had been in place since 1957.
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
Last week's Grammy Awards were awash with new and veteran musical talents, though one of the best performances of the night arguably went to the sister duo Chloe x Halle. Singing Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack's duet, Where is the Love, the two showed off their thrilling harmonizing: a talent that first caught the attention of Beyoncé Knowles, who signed the two after watching their YouTube cover of her song Pretty Hurts in 2015. Since then, the two have received direct mentorship from Knowles, worked on a charity single for Michelle Obama's Let Girls Learn campaign, and recently sang America the Beautiful at the Super Bowl. The young women were up for Best New Artist at this year's Grammys after releasing The Kids Are Alright, their debut album which features the track Warrior—originally written for the film A Wrinkle in Time. A basic synth riff accompanies bigger and bolder percussive chants, perfectly capturing the hero's courageous journey in Wrinkle. Chloe x Halle may not have taken home the Best New Artist Grammy, but their standout singing no doubt earned them a great number of new fans on Sunday night.
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Getty / Lester Cohen
Last week's Grammy Awards were awash with new and veteran musical talents, though one of the best performances of the night arguably went to the sister duo Chloe x Halle. Singing Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack's duet, Where is the Love, the two showed off their thrilling harmonizing: a talent that first caught the attention of Beyoncé Knowles, who signed the two after watching their YouTube cover of her song Pretty Hurts in 2015. Since then, the two have received direct mentorship from Knowles, worked on a charity single for Michelle Obama's Let Girls Learn campaign, and recently sang America the Beautiful at the Super Bowl. The young women were up for Best New Artist at this year's Grammys after releasing The Kids Are Alright, their debut album which features the track Warrior—originally written for the film A Wrinkle in Time. A basic synth riff accompanies bigger and bolder percussive chants, perfectly capturing the hero's courageous journey in Wrinkle. Chloe x Halle may not have taken home the Best New Artist Grammy, but their standout singing no doubt earned them a great number of new fans on Sunday night.
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Getty / Lester Cohen
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3 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. Although millennials' memory of recent pop tunes drops quickly, their ability to identify top hit...
with 60-Second ScienceToday's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. Although millennials' memory of recent pop tunes drops quickly, their ability to identify top hit...
February 19, 2019
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3 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree2 CQ
Poet Wrestling with Her Empire of Dirt. By Rosebud Ben Oni.
with Poetry FoundationPoet Wrestling with Her Empire of Dirt. By Rosebud Ben Oni.
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Samsung is coming out with a bendable smartphone , but who asked for that? Uganda floats taxing social media. Plus, restaurants are teaming up with food deli...
Samsung is coming out with a bendable smartphone , but who asked for that? Uganda floats taxing social media. Plus, restaurants are teaming up with food deli...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : February 19, 2019
emote \ih-MOHT\ verb
Definition
: to give expression to emotion especially in acting
Did You Know?
Emote is an examp...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 19, 2019
emote \ih-MOHT\ verb
Definition
: to give expression to emotion especially in acting
Did You Know?
Emote is an examp...
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FREESewing Daily Curio #1706Free1 CQ
Life on the prairie in the late 19th century was not easy. There was no Amazon or UPS to deliver life's necessities. What provisions could not be bartered or grown had to be ordered in advance, in bulk. A season's worth of flour, sugar, seed, and animal feed would arrive via wagon in giant cotton cloth sacks. The leftover sacks soon served another purpose: cloth for making clothes. Women would turn the plain sacks into garments like dresses, aprons, and underwear. Eventually, the companies noticed. In 1925, the Gingham Girl flour company began making their sacks out of dress-quality fabric with floral patterns. When the Great Depression came a few years later, other bulk good companies followed suit. By the mid-1930s, companies saw their sacks as a key differentiator and even sponsored sack-made fashion shows and contests. In 1933, the Textile Bag Manufacturers Association published a booklet, Sewing with Cotton Bags, which included tips like how to get the company logos out (soak the sack overnight in lard). The self-taught seamstresses went to other extremes to conceal their fabric sources. They cut, dyed, embroidered, and embellished the sacks until they looked like the store bought clothing of the times. It wasn't until well after World War II that cotton sack clothing took its place in the vintage aisle. In 1946, a Pillsbury Flour Company manager fondly remembered the days "when the wind blew across the South and you could see our name on all the girls' underpants." It was the original viral marketing!
Image credit & copyright: Life Magazine
Life on the prairie in the late 19th century was not easy. There was no Amazon or UPS to deliver life's necessities. What provisions could not be bartered or grown had to be ordered in advance, in bulk. A season's worth of flour, sugar, seed, and animal feed would arrive via wagon in giant cotton cloth sacks. The leftover sacks soon served another purpose: cloth for making clothes. Women would turn the plain sacks into garments like dresses, aprons, and underwear. Eventually, the companies noticed. In 1925, the Gingham Girl flour company began making their sacks out of dress-quality fabric with floral patterns. When the Great Depression came a few years later, other bulk good companies followed suit. By the mid-1930s, companies saw their sacks as a key differentiator and even sponsored sack-made fashion shows and contests. In 1933, the Textile Bag Manufacturers Association published a booklet, Sewing with Cotton Bags, which included tips like how to get the company logos out (soak the sack overnight in lard). The self-taught seamstresses went to other extremes to conceal their fabric sources. They cut, dyed, embroidered, and embellished the sacks until they looked like the store bought clothing of the times. It wasn't until well after World War II that cotton sack clothing took its place in the vintage aisle. In 1946, a Pillsbury Flour Company manager fondly remembered the days "when the wind blew across the South and you could see our name on all the girls' underpants." It was the original viral marketing!
Image credit & copyright: Life Magazine
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines and no stranger to startling proposals, already has a preferred new name: The Republic of Maharlika.
with PRI's The WorldRodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines and no stranger to startling proposals, already has a preferred new name: The Republic of Maharlika.
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FREEComposition Photo CurioFree1 CQ
Paramount Theater and chill? The grandiloquent Oakland, California, art deco theater is just one of dozens of locations recalling Hollywood nostalgia in Stephan Zaubitzer's Cinémas series. In 2003, Zaubitzer began photographing the big and beautiful, the small locales, and the unfinished parking lots that function as movie cinemas around the world. With the advent of internet streaming services at home, Zaubitzer says people are losing these community locations of the last century, and some of the magic of gathering to watch the latest and greatest of Hollywood (or Bollywood) storytelling. "I started the project in West Africa where, with the exception of Burkina Faso, nearly every country has seen its cinemas close down one after the other." Many of Zaubitzer's photos were taken using large format view cameras—adding to the nostalgic look and feel of these old places. We know there's nothing quite like a cozy chair and the convenience of watching movies at home, but maybe getting dressed to go to the theater could become the newest Oscar party craze?
Below: more from Zaubitzer's Cinémas series, including Liberty, Mumbai, India, the Grand Lake Theater, Oakland, California, and an outdoor theater in Rio, Alexandria, Egypt.
Image credit & copyright: Stephan Zaubitzer
Paramount Theater and chill? The grandiloquent Oakland, California, art deco theater is just one of dozens of locations recalling Hollywood nostalgia in Stephan Zaubitzer's Cinémas series. In 2003, Zaubitzer began photographing the big and beautiful, the small locales, and the unfinished parking lots that function as movie cinemas around the world. With the advent of internet streaming services at home, Zaubitzer says people are losing these community locations of the last century, and some of the magic of gathering to watch the latest and greatest of Hollywood (or Bollywood) storytelling. "I started the project in West Africa where, with the exception of Burkina Faso, nearly every country has seen its cinemas close down one after the other." Many of Zaubitzer's photos were taken using large format view cameras—adding to the nostalgic look and feel of these old places. We know there's nothing quite like a cozy chair and the convenience of watching movies at home, but maybe getting dressed to go to the theater could become the newest Oscar party craze?
Below: more from Zaubitzer's Cinémas series, including Liberty, Mumbai, India, the Grand Lake Theater, Oakland, California, and an outdoor theater in Rio, Alexandria, Egypt.
Image credit & copyright: Stephan Zaubitzer
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3 minFREEChemistry Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
In today's Nerdy Curio from Minute Earth: Ever wondered how to date a planet? Watch and learn.
with Minute EarthIn today's Nerdy Curio from Minute Earth: Ever wondered how to date a planet? Watch and learn.
February 18, 2019
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service... A British parliamentary committee has branded Facebook a "digital gangster" as it said fresh controls should be put on social m...
From the BBC World Service... A British parliamentary committee has branded Facebook a "digital gangster" as it said fresh controls should be put on social m...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day : February 18, 2019
prestigious \preh-STIH-juss\ adjective
Definition
1 archaic : of, relating to, or marked by illusion, conjuring, or tr...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 18, 2019
prestigious \preh-STIH-juss\ adjective
Definition
1 archaic : of, relating to, or marked by illusion, conjuring, or tr...
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FREEWork Daily Curio #1705Free1 CQ
Happy Presidents' Day! The way most Americans know their old presidents is through paper money, but it wasn't always that way. Before the Civil War, U.S. currency was printed by state-backed banks in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and denominations. Counterfeiting was a major problem. Thieves would scratch the ink off of faded bills and write in their preferred number. They also utilized the new technology of photography to replicate bills that were black and white, which were most. So when the U.S. Mint began issuing its own paper currency to finance the Civil War, it was eager to devise a bill that could not be counterfeited. They chose to use green-black ink because it was less likely to fade and could not be photographed—since color photography was still a century away from reality. The Federal bank further standardized paper bills in 1929 during the Great Depression. They reduced the size of the bills to save paper, and made denominations easier to read at a glance. They decided to keep the green color because, according to the U.S. Bureau of Printing and Engraving, the ink was plentiful and durable and the color green was associated with stability. The "greenback" would go on to symbolize wealthy and economic power around the world. But don't look too closely at today's U.S. bills. In an ongoing effort to thwart counterfeiters, they contain purple, orange, blue, and even copper!
Happy Presidents' Day! The way most Americans know their old presidents is through paper money, but it wasn't always that way. Before the Civil War, U.S. currency was printed by state-backed banks in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and denominations. Counterfeiting was a major problem. Thieves would scratch the ink off of faded bills and write in their preferred number. They also utilized the new technology of photography to replicate bills that were black and white, which were most. So when the U.S. Mint began issuing its own paper currency to finance the Civil War, it was eager to devise a bill that could not be counterfeited. They chose to use green-black ink because it was less likely to fade and could not be photographed—since color photography was still a century away from reality. The Federal bank further standardized paper bills in 1929 during the Great Depression. They reduced the size of the bills to save paper, and made denominations easier to read at a glance. They decided to keep the green color because, according to the U.S. Bureau of Printing and Engraving, the ink was plentiful and durable and the color green was associated with stability. The "greenback" would go on to symbolize wealthy and economic power around the world. But don't look too closely at today's U.S. bills. In an ongoing effort to thwart counterfeiters, they contain purple, orange, blue, and even copper!
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3 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree2 CQ
Poem of the Day: If gold, your figure as mirror on the ground is. By Khadijah Queen.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: If gold, your figure as mirror on the ground is. By Khadijah Queen.
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FREEWorld History Art CurioFree1 CQ
Title: Portrait of Sultan Mehmet II
Artist: Gentile Bellini (1429-1507)
Created: 1480
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 27.5 x 20.5 in (69.9 x 52.1 cm)
Current location: The National Gallery, London, England
They should call Mehmet II the Sultan of Swing after the way he walloped the Byzantine Empire in 1453. Known as the "Conqueror," Mehmet successfully seized the empire's capital of Constantinople and re-established it as Istanbul, designating it the new hub of his Exalted Ottoman State. To celebrate his most excellent victory, he commissioned Venetian artist Gentile Bellini to paint the above portrait, The Sultan Mehmet II, in the realist style making the rounds in Europe. The sultan's aquiline nose and receding chin give evidence that the leader wanted himself accurately preserved for all of posterity to behold, with an inscription in the lower left declaring him "Victor Orbis": the Conqueror of the World. In spite of Mehmet's fearsome reputation and grandiosity, he had extended the olive branch to the Christian Republic of Venice with a request to send its best artist, Bellini, to capture his regal flair. Bellini's time in the new capital of Istanbul forever influenced his style with its elegant arabesques, just as Ottoman exports influenced the architecture in cosmopolitan Venice. Today, Mehmet's legacy is that of an earth shaker, a founder of universities, and protector of religious freedoms—enough accomplishments to warrant a mighty ego!
Image credit & copyright: The National Gallery London
Title: Portrait of Sultan Mehmet II
Artist: Gentile Bellini (1429-1507)
Created: 1480
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 27.5 x 20.5 in (69.9 x 52.1 cm)
Current location: The National Gallery, London, England
They should call Mehmet II the Sultan of Swing after the way he walloped the Byzantine Empire in 1453. Known as the "Conqueror," Mehmet successfully seized the empire's capital of Constantinople and re-established it as Istanbul, designating it the new hub of his Exalted Ottoman State. To celebrate his most excellent victory, he commissioned Venetian artist Gentile Bellini to paint the above portrait, The Sultan Mehmet II, in the realist style making the rounds in Europe. The sultan's aquiline nose and receding chin give evidence that the leader wanted himself accurately preserved for all of posterity to behold, with an inscription in the lower left declaring him "Victor Orbis": the Conqueror of the World. In spite of Mehmet's fearsome reputation and grandiosity, he had extended the olive branch to the Christian Republic of Venice with a request to send its best artist, Bellini, to capture his regal flair. Bellini's time in the new capital of Istanbul forever influenced his style with its elegant arabesques, just as Ottoman exports influenced the architecture in cosmopolitan Venice. Today, Mehmet's legacy is that of an earth shaker, a founder of universities, and protector of religious freedoms—enough accomplishments to warrant a mighty ego!
Image credit & copyright: The National Gallery London
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
With improved technology and logistics, developers are increasingly turning to a borderless new movement in modular construction, possibly disrupting the hot...
with PRI's The WorldWith improved technology and logistics, developers are increasingly turning to a borderless new movement in modular construction, possibly disrupting the hot...
February 17, 2019
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : February 17, 2019
disavow \dis-uh-VOW\ verb
Definition
1 : to deny responsibility for : repudiate
2 : to refuse to acknowledge or accep...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 17, 2019
disavow \dis-uh-VOW\ verb
Definition
1 : to deny responsibility for : repudiate
2 : to refuse to acknowledge or accep...
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1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: Norroway in February. by Hannah Sanghee Park.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: Norroway in February. by Hannah Sanghee Park.
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6 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree4 CQ
A new book theorizes that technology will cause a massive upheaval and a loss of jobs at nearly every level — but argues it will ultimately will be better fo...
with PRI's The WorldA new book theorizes that technology will cause a massive upheaval and a loss of jobs at nearly every level — but argues it will ultimately will be better fo...
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2 minFREEWork Business CurioFree2 CQ
The "Nordic Diet" is a way of eating that gourmet chefs in Scandinavia started championing about 15 years ago.
with MarketplaceThe "Nordic Diet" is a way of eating that gourmet chefs in Scandinavia started championing about 15 years ago.
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4 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree3 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 1630 In which we ponder a very subjective notion of reality. Today, nature chang...
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 1630 In which we ponder a very subjective notion of reality. Today, nature chang...
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FREEArt Appreciation PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
An art exhibition opens in New York City and redefines American perceptions of beauty.
Yeah, yeah, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The platitude is a given in our day and age; but for Americans living at the beginning of the 20th century, not so much. Art critics of the era insisted upon strict adherence to classical values and aesthetics, until a group of rebellious artists called the Association of American Painters and Sculptors orchestrated the legendary Armory Show. The exhibition, which radically transformed American perceptions of art, took place on today's date in 1913.
At the turn of the century, New York City's harbors teemed with steel ships and its towers rose to unprecedented heights. But the modernization of its art scene remained stagnant. Most of the Big Apple's galleries catered to the Old Masters, holding up classical depictions of beauty alongside 19th-century realism. As European galleries clamored over the emerging Fauvist, Cubist, and Futurist styles, those in the U.S. remained out of touch with the times.
Then, in 1911, a group of progressive artists met at the Madison Gallery in New York’s Upper East Side. Dubbing themselves the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS), they conspired to revolt against conservative art institutions by launching an avant-garde exhibition, with Arthur Bowen Davies acting as its principal organizer. Davies, alongside fellow members, scoured Europe in search of any forward-thinking artists they could find for the exhibition. Meanwhile, other members corralled American artists who had thus far been shunned by conservative institutions, namely the National Academy of Design.
Throughout 1912, Davies and AAPS member Walt Kuhn amassed an arsenal of modernist paintings in Europe, which included Henri Matisse's Blue Nude (1907), Picasso's Standing Female Nude (1911), and other masterpieces. Back home, AAPS members wrangled paintings, sculptures, and sketches from a couple hundred American artists, like landscape abstractionists Albert Pinkham Ryder and Leon Dabo. Finally, the International Exhibition of Modern Art, aka the Armory Exhibit, was ready after a year of furious efforts.
On Feb. 17, 1913, the exhibit opened to a tempest of reactions. Critics balked at the "primitive" work of European modernists and compared the show to an insane asylum. In regards to the violently abstracted paintings, one connoisseur remarked, "It makes me fear for the world…. Something must be wrong with an age which can put those things in a gallery and call them art." American artists at large, however, were enraptured. Marcel Duchamp's Cubist-inspired Nude Descending a Staircase, in particular, resonated with those wary of classical styles. The piece, which was described as "an explosion in a shingle factory," depicts not a woman, but the motion of a woman clearing steps—a truly revolutionary concept at the time.
Some 87,000 people visited the Armory Exhibit in New York, with many of them walking away realizing, for the first time, the limitless potential of art. For centuries, artists had been expected to perfect form by way of raw technical skill; suddenly, the potential of art as a mode of expression was unleashed on the U.S., making way for the abstract expressionists of the '50s and the pop artists of the '60s. Critic Harriet Monroe of the Sunday Tribune wrote of the freshly exposed modernists: "These radical artists are right. They represent a search for new beauty... [and] a longing for new versions of truth observed."
Below: pieces from the 1913 Armory Show, including Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2, 2012; Paul Gauguin's Parau na te Varua ino (Words of the Devil), 1892; and Wassily Kandinsky's Improvisation 27 (Garden of Love II), 1912.
Image credit & copyright: Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art / Philadelphia Museum of Art/Copyright succession Marcel Duchamp / ADAGP, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2013 / National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. / The Metropolitan Museum of Art
An art exhibition opens in New York City and redefines American perceptions of beauty.
Yeah, yeah, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The platitude is a given in our day and age; but for Americans living at the beginning of the 20th century, not so much. Art critics of the era insisted upon strict adherence to classical values and aesthetics, until a group of rebellious artists called the Association of American Painters and Sculptors orchestrated the legendary Armory Show. The exhibition, which radically transformed American perceptions of art, took place on today's date in 1913.
At the turn of the century, New York City's harbors teemed with steel ships and its towers rose to unprecedented heights. But the modernization of its art scene remained stagnant. Most of the Big Apple's galleries catered to the Old Masters, holding up classical depictions of beauty alongside 19th-century realism. As European galleries clamored over the emerging Fauvist, Cubist, and Futurist styles, those in the U.S. remained out of touch with the times.
Then, in 1911, a group of progressive artists met at the Madison Gallery in New York’s Upper East Side. Dubbing themselves the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS), they conspired to revolt against conservative art institutions by launching an avant-garde exhibition, with Arthur Bowen Davies acting as its principal organizer. Davies, alongside fellow members, scoured Europe in search of any forward-thinking artists they could find for the exhibition. Meanwhile, other members corralled American artists who had thus far been shunned by conservative institutions, namely the National Academy of Design.
Throughout 1912, Davies and AAPS member Walt Kuhn amassed an arsenal of modernist paintings in Europe, which included Henri Matisse's Blue Nude (1907), Picasso's Standing Female Nude (1911), and other masterpieces. Back home, AAPS members wrangled paintings, sculptures, and sketches from a couple hundred American artists, like landscape abstractionists Albert Pinkham Ryder and Leon Dabo. Finally, the International Exhibition of Modern Art, aka the Armory Exhibit, was ready after a year of furious efforts.
On Feb. 17, 1913, the exhibit opened to a tempest of reactions. Critics balked at the "primitive" work of European modernists and compared the show to an insane asylum. In regards to the violently abstracted paintings, one connoisseur remarked, "It makes me fear for the world…. Something must be wrong with an age which can put those things in a gallery and call them art." American artists at large, however, were enraptured. Marcel Duchamp's Cubist-inspired Nude Descending a Staircase, in particular, resonated with those wary of classical styles. The piece, which was described as "an explosion in a shingle factory," depicts not a woman, but the motion of a woman clearing steps—a truly revolutionary concept at the time.
Some 87,000 people visited the Armory Exhibit in New York, with many of them walking away realizing, for the first time, the limitless potential of art. For centuries, artists had been expected to perfect form by way of raw technical skill; suddenly, the potential of art as a mode of expression was unleashed on the U.S., making way for the abstract expressionists of the '50s and the pop artists of the '60s. Critic Harriet Monroe of the Sunday Tribune wrote of the freshly exposed modernists: "These radical artists are right. They represent a search for new beauty... [and] a longing for new versions of truth observed."
Below: pieces from the 1913 Armory Show, including Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2, 2012; Paul Gauguin's Parau na te Varua ino (Words of the Devil), 1892; and Wassily Kandinsky's Improvisation 27 (Garden of Love II), 1912.
Image credit & copyright: Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art / Philadelphia Museum of Art/Copyright succession Marcel Duchamp / ADAGP, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2013 / National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. / The Metropolitan Museum of Art
February 16, 2019
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1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: The Ambassador of the Interior Has a Talking to With the Minister of the Cabinet of Vengeance. By Stephanie Ellis Schlaifer.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: The Ambassador of the Interior Has a Talking to With the Minister of the Cabinet of Vengeance. By Stephanie Ellis Schlaifer.
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : February 16, 2019
gibbous \JIB-us\ adjective
Definition
1 a : marked by convexity or swelling
b of the moon or a planet : seen with mor...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 16, 2019
gibbous \JIB-us\ adjective
Definition
1 a : marked by convexity or swelling
b of the moon or a planet : seen with mor...
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4 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
The special unit has its roots in federal efforts to hunt Nazis living in the United States after World War II.
with PRI's The WorldThe special unit has its roots in federal efforts to hunt Nazis living in the United States after World War II.
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2 minFREEAstronomy Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Learn what to look for in the night sky with today's Nerdy Curio from Stardate. It sounds more like bad science fiction than real science: Radiation from an ...
with StardateLearn what to look for in the night sky with today's Nerdy Curio from Stardate. It sounds more like bad science fiction than real science: Radiation from an ...
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FREEPlay Teaser Curio #174Free1 CQ
Sorry! We messed up Teaser #172, making it impossible to solve. It has been fixed, so feel free to try again.
Here's your teaser: how many shoes does a horse need?
OK, we're kidding. We think they need four, but we have't asked our neighborhood farrier recently because, well, who has a neighborhood farrier?! What do we have? Math teasers.
In the addition problem below, each unique letter represents a different single digit. None of the numbers starts with a 0 (because that's just weird). What are the values of H, O, R, S, and E?
SHOE
SHOE
SHOE
+ SHOE
HORSEThink you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #174" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
Sorry! We messed up Teaser #172, making it impossible to solve. It has been fixed, so feel free to try again.
Here's your teaser: how many shoes does a horse need?
OK, we're kidding. We think they need four, but we have't asked our neighborhood farrier recently because, well, who has a neighborhood farrier?! What do we have? Math teasers.
In the addition problem below, each unique letter represents a different single digit. None of the numbers starts with a 0 (because that's just weird). What are the values of H, O, R, S, and E?
SHOE
SHOE
SHOE
+ SHOE
HORSEThink you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #174" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
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2 minFREEWork Business CurioFree2 CQ
The ski industry is speaking out about dwindling snowfall and shorter ski seasons.
with MarketplaceThe ski industry is speaking out about dwindling snowfall and shorter ski seasons.
February 15, 2019
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service... Spain has just announced snap elections after separatist Catalan politicians refused to back the proposed budget. We explore wh...
From the BBC World Service... Spain has just announced snap elections after separatist Catalan politicians refused to back the proposed budget. We explore wh...
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day : February 15, 2019
apotheosis \uh-pah-thee-OH-sis\ noun
Definition
1 a : the perfect form or example of something : quintessence
b : the...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 15, 2019
apotheosis \uh-pah-thee-OH-sis\ noun
Definition
1 a : the perfect form or example of something : quintessence
b : the...
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1 minFREEPoetry Poem CurioFree1 CQ
Poem of the Day: [love is more thicker than forget]. By E.E. Cummings.
with Poetry FoundationPoem of the Day: [love is more thicker than forget]. By E.E. Cummings.
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5 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Turkey ended several years of conspicuous silence on China's massive incarceration campaign of Uighurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang. Some hope it's a tippin...
with PRI's The WorldTurkey ended several years of conspicuous silence on China's massive incarceration campaign of Uighurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang. Some hope it's a tippin...
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FREEMusic Song CurioFree2 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives in honor of Presidents’ Day Weekend.
In honor of Presidents' Day weekend, we're trying our best to remember all 45. It ain't easy, but it helps to have a song. That's where Genevieve Madeline Ryan comes in. The lawyer-poet (what a combination!) wrote the lyrics to The American Presidents when she was 12 as a gift to her dad for Father's Day. Which is a weird gift, but an amazing one for a dad who's a history buff! With the encouragement of her folks, Ryan contacted some helpers to verify the lyrics' accuracy, arrange orchestration, and publish the song. The video below was produced by the White House Historical Association in 2010. We hate to break it to them, but they're going need to make an update for President Trump!
Other streaming options
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives in honor of Presidents’ Day Weekend.
In honor of Presidents' Day weekend, we're trying our best to remember all 45. It ain't easy, but it helps to have a song. That's where Genevieve Madeline Ryan comes in. The lawyer-poet (what a combination!) wrote the lyrics to The American Presidents when she was 12 as a gift to her dad for Father's Day. Which is a weird gift, but an amazing one for a dad who's a history buff! With the encouragement of her folks, Ryan contacted some helpers to verify the lyrics' accuracy, arrange orchestration, and publish the song. The video below was produced by the White House Historical Association in 2010. We hate to break it to them, but they're going need to make an update for President Trump!
Other streaming options
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives in honor of Presidents’ Day Weekend.
Former President Barack Obama once described this moment as the "longest 40 minutes of my life." Chief Official White House Photographer Pete Souza recognized it as a moment that would change the world. The Situation Room, taken by Souza on May 1, 2011, marked the end of a decade-long hunt for Osama Bin Laden. It instantly became a historically-defining photograph and, in true internet-age form, meme fodder. It isn't hard to see how Souza, who also held the same position under President Reagan, gained the trust of the national security staff; he portrayed the off-the-cuff reactions of his extraordinary subjects with the same fine eye he took to more formal affairs. Among the two million images Souza snapped during the Obama administration are moments like the former president caught in Spider-Man's web, jogging with First Dog Bo, and playfully tipping the scales during a visit to the University of Texas in Austin. During his tenure, Souza's motto could have easily been "ask not what your country can do for you, but what your camera can do for your country!"
Below: more photos from Pete Souza's tenure as Chief Official White House Photographer to President Obama.
Image credit & copyright: Pete Souza
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives in honor of Presidents’ Day Weekend.
Former President Barack Obama once described this moment as the "longest 40 minutes of my life." Chief Official White House Photographer Pete Souza recognized it as a moment that would change the world. The Situation Room, taken by Souza on May 1, 2011, marked the end of a decade-long hunt for Osama Bin Laden. It instantly became a historically-defining photograph and, in true internet-age form, meme fodder. It isn't hard to see how Souza, who also held the same position under President Reagan, gained the trust of the national security staff; he portrayed the off-the-cuff reactions of his extraordinary subjects with the same fine eye he took to more formal affairs. Among the two million images Souza snapped during the Obama administration are moments like the former president caught in Spider-Man's web, jogging with First Dog Bo, and playfully tipping the scales during a visit to the University of Texas in Austin. During his tenure, Souza's motto could have easily been "ask not what your country can do for you, but what your camera can do for your country!"
Below: more photos from Pete Souza's tenure as Chief Official White House Photographer to President Obama.
Image credit & copyright: Pete Souza
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FREEAesthetic Art CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives in honor of Presidents’ Day Weekend.
Title: John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Artist: Aaron Shikler (1922–2015)
Created: 1970
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 34 x 50 in (86.4 x 127 cm)
Current location: The White House, Washington, D.C.
Why is John F. Kennedy looking down? In honor of this upcoming Presidents' Day, we take a look at one of the most unusual White House presidential portraits. The 35th president's official painting looks nothing like those of other presidents, whose subjects are posed in a stately manner, often square with the viewer. It was Jackie Kennedy who commissioned painter Aaron Shikler for the job in 1970, seven years after John's assassination. She didn't know exactly what she wanted, but she knew what she didn't want: for "him to look the way everybody else makes him look, with the bags under his eyes and that penetrating gaze. I’m tired of that image." Without a live model, Shikler used reference photographs. He was particularly struck by two. The first was an image from a New York Times article where the late president is deep in conversation with his brother Robert, and the second was of his other brother, Ted, mourning during John's funeral with his head bowed. In seeing these moments, Shikler knew he had to capture one of President Kennedy's most noble traits: his thoughtfulness. "I wanted to show him as a president who was a thinker," said Shikler. "A thinking president is a rare thing."
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives in honor of Presidents’ Day Weekend.
Title: John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Artist: Aaron Shikler (1922–2015)
Created: 1970
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 34 x 50 in (86.4 x 127 cm)
Current location: The White House, Washington, D.C.
Why is John F. Kennedy looking down? In honor of this upcoming Presidents' Day, we take a look at one of the most unusual White House presidential portraits. The 35th president's official painting looks nothing like those of other presidents, whose subjects are posed in a stately manner, often square with the viewer. It was Jackie Kennedy who commissioned painter Aaron Shikler for the job in 1970, seven years after John's assassination. She didn't know exactly what she wanted, but she knew what she didn't want: for "him to look the way everybody else makes him look, with the bags under his eyes and that penetrating gaze. I’m tired of that image." Without a live model, Shikler used reference photographs. He was particularly struck by two. The first was an image from a New York Times article where the late president is deep in conversation with his brother Robert, and the second was of his other brother, Ted, mourning during John's funeral with his head bowed. In seeing these moments, Shikler knew he had to capture one of President Kennedy's most noble traits: his thoughtfulness. "I wanted to show him as a president who was a thinker," said Shikler. "A thinking president is a rare thing."
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FREEUS History Daily CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives in honor of Presidents’ Day Weekend.
In case you can't get enough news about U.S. Presidents… here are three tidbits about Presidents' Day, which is Monday. Number one: it's not called Presidents' Day. Technically, this day has nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln, or any other U.S. president except George Washington. It's called Washington's Birthday. Period. While a law was proposed in 1968 to switch this holiday to also celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday—their birthdays are 10 days apart in February—the bill failed to pass in Congress. It's only because of businesses who use this week for sales promotions that we Americans mistakenly believe it honors both Washington and Lincoln.
Number two: George Washington changed the date of his birthday later in his life, to be February 22nd. Washington was actually born on February 11, 1731, according to the then-used Julian calendar. In 1752, however, Britain forced all its colonies to adopt the Gregorian calendar, moving Washington's birthday one year and 11 days later to February 22, 1732. But since Washington and his friends weren't exactly fans of Britain's colonial orders, they didn't accept the new calendar until much later. When Americans first started celebrating Washington's birthday in 1796—during his last year as President—there was still confusion as to which date to use.
Number three: Thanks to the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, it's impossible for Washington Day to ever fall on George Washington's actual birthday. That law, which passed in 1968, moved several holidays to always fall on Mondays so as to maximize three-day weekends for workers. Since Washington Day was officially moved to the third Monday of February, it can never fall on Washington’s actual birthday of the 22nd. Well, unless we go back to the Julian calendar.
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives in honor of Presidents’ Day Weekend.
In case you can't get enough news about U.S. Presidents… here are three tidbits about Presidents' Day, which is Monday. Number one: it's not called Presidents' Day. Technically, this day has nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln, or any other U.S. president except George Washington. It's called Washington's Birthday. Period. While a law was proposed in 1968 to switch this holiday to also celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday—their birthdays are 10 days apart in February—the bill failed to pass in Congress. It's only because of businesses who use this week for sales promotions that we Americans mistakenly believe it honors both Washington and Lincoln.
Number two: George Washington changed the date of his birthday later in his life, to be February 22nd. Washington was actually born on February 11, 1731, according to the then-used Julian calendar. In 1752, however, Britain forced all its colonies to adopt the Gregorian calendar, moving Washington's birthday one year and 11 days later to February 22, 1732. But since Washington and his friends weren't exactly fans of Britain's colonial orders, they didn't accept the new calendar until much later. When Americans first started celebrating Washington's birthday in 1796—during his last year as President—there was still confusion as to which date to use.
Number three: Thanks to the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, it's impossible for Washington Day to ever fall on George Washington's actual birthday. That law, which passed in 1968, moved several holidays to always fall on Mondays so as to maximize three-day weekends for workers. Since Washington Day was officially moved to the third Monday of February, it can never fall on Washington’s actual birthday of the 22nd. Well, unless we go back to the Julian calendar.
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3 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 1632 Rediscovering the sunken Union Monitor. Today, we find the first modern war...
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by Engines of Our Ingenuity. Episode: 1632 Rediscovering the sunken Union Monitor. Today, we find the first modern war...
February 14, 2019
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6 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service… Showers and spa treatments while you fly. The Airbus A380 promised luxury when it first launched more than a decade ago. But the ...
From the BBC World Service… Showers and spa treatments while you fly. The Airbus A380 promised luxury when it first launched more than a decade ago. But the ...
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5 minFREEHumanities Worldly CurioFree3 CQ
Hungarian women face social expectations that they should be caretakers instead of breadwinners. The country also has the lowest rate of women in government ...
with PRI's The WorldHungarian women face social expectations that they should be caretakers instead of breadwinners. The country also has the lowest rate of women in government ...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : February 14, 2019
heartstring \HAHRT-string\ noun
Definition
: the deepest emotions or affections — usually used in plural
Did You Know...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : February 14, 2019
heartstring \HAHRT-string\ noun
Definition
: the deepest emotions or affections — usually used in plural
Did You Know...
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FREEHumanities Daily Curio #1704Free1 CQ
Poet Geoffrey Chaucer played an integral role in creating Valentine's Day as we know it. Revered as the "Father of English literature," Chaucer is the subject of today's St. Valentine's Day Themed Thursday. According to some legends, Valentine's Day originated with ancient Rome's Lupercalia: a savage festival where nude men skinned animals and lashed young women with the pelts—to promote fertility, of course. Most historians refute the link between Valentine's Day and Lupercalia's overlapping dates as mere coincidence. The name of St. Valentine actually comes from several eponymous saints who lived in ancient Roman territories. Two of them happened to be executed on February 14th for proselytizing and performing miracles; though, both were always associated with healing—not love.
It wasn't until 1382 that St. Valentine was popularly associated with love. That's when Geoffrey Chaucer penned the poem Parlement of Foules. In it, Chaucer wrote: "For this was on St. Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate." A few years later, the earliest known valentine gift was documented, when the imprisoned French Duke of Orléans composed sweet nothings for his wife, referring to her as his "very gentle Valentine." Literary minds followed Chaucer's lead, strengthening the bond between romance and St. Valentine's Day. William Shakespeare, for example, wrote in Act IV, Scene 5 of Hamlet: "To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine." The practice of sending handwritten love letters on the holiday persisted until the 1800s, when the modern valentine card and chocolate box industries were born. Which are both total scams, if you ask me. Chaucer and Shakespeare knew the truth: that real tokens of affection come from the heart—not the Hallmark aisle!
Image credit & copyright: Bettmann/Corbis
Poet Geoffrey Chaucer played an integral role in creating Valentine's Day as we know it. Revered as the "Father of English literature," Chaucer is the subject of today's St. Valentine's Day Themed Thursday. According to some legends, Valentine's Day originated with ancient Rome's Lupercalia: a savage festival where nude men skinned animals and lashed young women with the pelts—to promote fertility, of course. Most historians refute the link between Valentine's Day and Lupercalia's overlapping dates as mere coincidence. The name of St. Valentine actually comes from several eponymous saints who lived in ancient Roman territories. Two of them happened to be executed on February 14th for proselytizing and performing miracles; though, both were always associated with healing—not love.
It wasn't until 1382 that St. Valentine was popularly associated with love. That's when Geoffrey Chaucer penned the poem Parlement of Foules. In it, Chaucer wrote: "For this was on St. Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate." A few years later, the earliest known valentine gift was documented, when the imprisoned French Duke of Orléans composed sweet nothings for his wife, referring to her as his "very gentle Valentine." Literary minds followed Chaucer's lead, strengthening the bond between romance and St. Valentine's Day. William Shakespeare, for example, wrote in Act IV, Scene 5 of Hamlet: "To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine." The practice of sending handwritten love letters on the holiday persisted until the 1800s, when the modern valentine card and chocolate box industries were born. Which are both total scams, if you ask me. Chaucer and Shakespeare knew the truth: that real tokens of affection come from the heart—not the Hallmark aisle!
Image credit & copyright: Bettmann/Corbis
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
For many people, Valentine's Day will be celebrated with flowers, cards, and candies; for those in Ghana, February 14th will be a day to celebrate their main export on Chocolate Day. In the above picture, the bisected cacao fruit shows off the raw cocoa beans which, when fermented and dried, are the source of chocolate for candies, drinks, and other cocoa-related products. Cacao plants were originally brought to Ghana in the 19th century by Dutch missionaries, though it was agriculturalist Tetteh Quarshie in 1879 who was responsible for the widespread cultivation of the plant. Several different regions in Ghana now grow and harvest the plant, with the government establishing a Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in 1947 as the agency overseeing the industry's development. Chocolate Day was established in 2005 to honor the crop's legacy in the country, with local chocolatiers taking part in competitions and educational events taking place across the nation, including tourist trips to Quarshie's original cacao farm in Eastern Ghana. The U.S. may not have as rich of history with cacao crops, but that isn't stopping us from celebrating Chocolate Day in our own way!
Image credit & copyright: Business Recorder
For many people, Valentine's Day will be celebrated with flowers, cards, and candies; for those in Ghana, February 14th will be a day to celebrate their main export on Chocolate Day. In the above picture, the bisected cacao fruit shows off the raw cocoa beans which, when fermented and dried, are the source of chocolate for candies, drinks, and other cocoa-related products. Cacao plants were originally brought to Ghana in the 19th century by Dutch missionaries, though it was agriculturalist Tetteh Quarshie in 1879 who was responsible for the widespread cultivation of the plant. Several different regions in Ghana now grow and harvest the plant, with the government establishing a Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in 1947 as the agency overseeing the industry's development. Chocolate Day was established in 2005 to honor the crop's legacy in the country, with local chocolatiers taking part in competitions and educational events taking place across the nation, including tourist trips to Quarshie's original cacao farm in Eastern Ghana. The U.S. may not have as rich of history with cacao crops, but that isn't stopping us from celebrating Chocolate Day in our own way!
Image credit & copyright: Business Recorder
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
Title: Love
Artist: Ana Tzarev (b. 1937)
Created: ca. 2013
Medium: fiberglass
Dimensions: 137.75 x 118 x 102.25 in (349.89 x 299.72 x 259.72 cm)
Love is in the air and on the sidewalks. Croatian-born sculptor and painter Ana Tzarev builds giant fiberglass poppies as part of her Love & Peace project. Tzarev began the project with small bronze sculptures of poppies, which she later amplified into larger fiberglass works. The 15-foot flowers have gone on display in cities like London, Rome, and Singapore. This particular iteration of Love was on display at New York's Dag Hammarskjold Plaza for six months, just a few blocks away from the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan. While some might opt for a… rosier flower to represent love and other positive feelings, Tzarev is recalling the poppy's history as a symbol of remembrance after World War II. From a personal stance, the red poppy was also a crop Tzarev felt "bloomed under the worst of circumstances," as her father's fallow fields overran with them when she was young. Whatever her reasoning, she makes a convincing case for picking up a dozen red poppies instead of roses for this Valentine's Day!
Below: a photo of Tzarev with one of her sculptures, and a video of the artist speaking on her Love & Peace series.
Image credit & copyright: New York City Parks, Arts Republic
Title: Love
Artist: Ana Tzarev (b. 1937)
Created: ca. 2013
Medium: fiberglass
Dimensions: 137.75 x 118 x 102.25 in (349.89 x 299.72 x 259.72 cm)
Love is in the air and on the sidewalks. Croatian-born sculptor and painter Ana Tzarev builds giant fiberglass poppies as part of her Love & Peace project. Tzarev began the project with small bronze sculptures of poppies, which she later amplified into larger fiberglass works. The 15-foot flowers have gone on display in cities like London, Rome, and Singapore. This particular iteration of Love was on display at New York's Dag Hammarskjold Plaza for six months, just a few blocks away from the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan. While some might opt for a… rosier flower to represent love and other positive feelings, Tzarev is recalling the poppy's history as a symbol of remembrance after World War II. From a personal stance, the red poppy was also a crop Tzarev felt "bloomed under the worst of circumstances," as her father's fallow fields overran with them when she was young. Whatever her reasoning, she makes a convincing case for picking up a dozen red poppies instead of roses for this Valentine's Day!
Below: a photo of Tzarev with one of her sculptures, and a video of the artist speaking on her Love & Peace series.
Image credit & copyright: New York City Parks, Arts Republic
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
Nothing says love like a Puccini aria, even in one of his least-known operas. The one-act Gianni Schicchi was inspired by a character in Dante Alighieri's Inferno who is condemned to hell for impersonating (his friend) Buoso Donati and altering his will. In the beginning of Puccini's comic opera, Schicchi is approached by the Donatis to aid in altering Buoso's will, which left a fortune all to a local monastery. After the Donatis insult Schicchi and his humble upbringing, it is his daughter Lauretta who sings the tender aria O mio babbino caro ("O My Dear Father") to plead her case for falling in love with Rinuccio Donati and helping his family recover their wealth and honor. With a gentle and wistful plea, accompanied by the most heartfelt strings and harp section of the orchestra, Lauretta makes a case her father can't refuse. Even if it means taking his time to enact a bit of cold revenge against the Donatis, leaving himself with the best bits of Buoso's fortune—and situating his daughter as a wealthy, ready-to-marry woman!
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Teatro Verdi Trieste
Nothing says love like a Puccini aria, even in one of his least-known operas. The one-act Gianni Schicchi was inspired by a character in Dante Alighieri's Inferno who is condemned to hell for impersonating (his friend) Buoso Donati and altering his will. In the beginning of Puccini's comic opera, Schicchi is approached by the Donatis to aid in altering Buoso's will, which left a fortune all to a local monastery. After the Donatis insult Schicchi and his humble upbringing, it is his daughter Lauretta who sings the tender aria O mio babbino caro ("O My Dear Father") to plead her case for falling in love with Rinuccio Donati and helping his family recover their wealth and honor. With a gentle and wistful plea, accompanied by the most heartfelt strings and harp section of the orchestra, Lauretta makes a case her father can't refuse. Even if it means taking his time to enact a bit of cold revenge against the Donatis, leaving himself with the best bits of Buoso's fortune—and situating his daughter as a wealthy, ready-to-marry woman!
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Teatro Verdi Trieste
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2 minFREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree2 CQ
Today's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. A species of hermit crab appears to have evolved a large penis to enable intercourse without leav...
with 60-Second ScienceToday's Nerdy Curio is brought to you by 60-Second Science. A species of hermit crab appears to have evolved a large penis to enable intercourse without leav...