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July 4, 2022
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2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day : July 4, 2022
Yankee \YANG-kee\ noun
What It Means
Yankee can refer broadly to anyone born or living in the U.S., or it can refer more na...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : July 4, 2022
Yankee \YANG-kee\ noun
What It Means
Yankee can refer broadly to anyone born or living in the U.S., or it can refer more na...
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
The world’s central bankers continue their meeting in Portugal, with the main theme being a familiar one: inflation. Marketplace’s China correspondent Jennif...
The world’s central bankers continue their meeting in Portugal, with the main theme being a familiar one: inflation. Marketplace’s China correspondent Jennif...
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
Would you march into battle with just a drum? In the famed painting The Spirit of ’76, a young drummer, an old drummer, and a man playing the fife do just that. And American flag carried by soldiers can be seen behind the musicians, as one wounded soldier in the foreground reaches upward. Painted by Archibald M. Willard in 1875 for the following year’s centennial celebrations in Philadelphia, the painting depicts an idealized version of army musicians in the Revolutionary War. Musicians usually consisted of those too young or too old to serve in combat, and some were even the children of the soldiers they were marching with. They served an important role in battle by relaying officers’ orders through music, which could be much more easily heard over the commotion than verbal commands. Upon public exhibition, The Spirit of ’76 (Originally titled Yankee Doodle) became wildly popular, and Willard was commissioned to create 14 more copies of the painting. You can never have too much spirit (or music) during a revolution.
The Spirit of ‘76, Archibald M. Willard (1836-1918), 1875, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in. (61 cm × 45 cm), Abbot Hall, Marblehead, MassachusettsWould you march into battle with just a drum? In the famed painting The Spirit of ’76, a young drummer, an old drummer, and a man playing the fife do just that. And American flag carried by soldiers can be seen behind the musicians, as one wounded soldier in the foreground reaches upward. Painted by Archibald M. Willard in 1875 for the following year’s centennial celebrations in Philadelphia, the painting depicts an idealized version of army musicians in the Revolutionary War. Musicians usually consisted of those too young or too old to serve in combat, and some were even the children of the soldiers they were marching with. They served an important role in battle by relaying officers’ orders through music, which could be much more easily heard over the commotion than verbal commands. Upon public exhibition, The Spirit of ’76 (Originally titled Yankee Doodle) became wildly popular, and Willard was commissioned to create 14 more copies of the painting. You can never have too much spirit (or music) during a revolution.
The Spirit of ‘76, Archibald M. Willard (1836-1918), 1875, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in. (61 cm × 45 cm), Abbot Hall, Marblehead, Massachusetts -
FREEActing Daily Curio #2471Free1 CQ
Before Hamilton, there was 1776. This Fourth of July, consider a viewing of the Tony-Award-winning musical that told the story of America’s founding on Broadway for the first time. Originally the brainchild of songwriter Sherman Edwards, the musical focuses on the days leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the perspective of the musical’s main protagonist, John Adams. Later on, with the involvement of producer Stuart Ostrow and writer Peter Stone, the show would become a first-of-its-kind production featuring a portrayal of the Founding Fathers as goofy, raucous, and even a little bit raunchy. This humanizing approach to the story of American Revolution helped popularize the musical when it debuted in 1969. However, as many historians have pointed out, 1776 took quite a few creative liberties.
For one thing, 1776 portrays many of the characters, like Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, as much more comedic and buffoonish than they really were. Thomas Jefferson’s wife, Martha,1776’s only female character, never really came to visit her husband as he wrote the Declaration, as she does in the musical. At one point in 1776, almost the entire Southern delegation stages a walkout over anti-slavery language in the Declartion. The walkout never really happened, though the matter of slavery was a contentious issue that kept Congress from unanimously voting for independence, and the scene acts to highlight the very real sentiments held by those delegates.
The show is also unapologetically political in other ways; the song Cool, Cool Considerate Men is heavily critical of conservative politicians, and Molasses to Rum is sung by Edward Rutledge of South Carolina to point out the hypocrisy of Northerners who couldn’t admit that they, too, benefited from slavery. Cool, Cool Considerate Men so offended the sensibilities of President Richard Nixon that when the cast was invited to perform at the White House, they were asked to leave out that number (they refused). The song was also omitted from the Warner Bros. film version of the musical under the orders of Jack Warner, who went so far as to attempt to destroy all film negatives of the scene. The scene does still survive in some versions of the film, and continues to be performed in stage productions. Even the theater can stage a rebellion!
[Image description: President Richard Nixon posing with the cast of 1776 at the White house in 1971.] Credit & copyright: White House Photo Office, Wikimedia Commons, Public DomainBefore Hamilton, there was 1776. This Fourth of July, consider a viewing of the Tony-Award-winning musical that told the story of America’s founding on Broadway for the first time. Originally the brainchild of songwriter Sherman Edwards, the musical focuses on the days leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the perspective of the musical’s main protagonist, John Adams. Later on, with the involvement of producer Stuart Ostrow and writer Peter Stone, the show would become a first-of-its-kind production featuring a portrayal of the Founding Fathers as goofy, raucous, and even a little bit raunchy. This humanizing approach to the story of American Revolution helped popularize the musical when it debuted in 1969. However, as many historians have pointed out, 1776 took quite a few creative liberties.
For one thing, 1776 portrays many of the characters, like Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, as much more comedic and buffoonish than they really were. Thomas Jefferson’s wife, Martha,1776’s only female character, never really came to visit her husband as he wrote the Declaration, as she does in the musical. At one point in 1776, almost the entire Southern delegation stages a walkout over anti-slavery language in the Declartion. The walkout never really happened, though the matter of slavery was a contentious issue that kept Congress from unanimously voting for independence, and the scene acts to highlight the very real sentiments held by those delegates.
The show is also unapologetically political in other ways; the song Cool, Cool Considerate Men is heavily critical of conservative politicians, and Molasses to Rum is sung by Edward Rutledge of South Carolina to point out the hypocrisy of Northerners who couldn’t admit that they, too, benefited from slavery. Cool, Cool Considerate Men so offended the sensibilities of President Richard Nixon that when the cast was invited to perform at the White House, they were asked to leave out that number (they refused). The song was also omitted from the Warner Bros. film version of the musical under the orders of Jack Warner, who went so far as to attempt to destroy all film negatives of the scene. The scene does still survive in some versions of the film, and continues to be performed in stage productions. Even the theater can stage a rebellion!
[Image description: President Richard Nixon posing with the cast of 1776 at the White house in 1971.] Credit & copyright: White House Photo Office, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
July 3, 2022
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : July 3, 2022
teem \TEEM\ verb
What It Means
To teem with something is to be full of that thing, or to have much of that thing inside.
/...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : July 3, 2022
teem \TEEM\ verb
What It Means
To teem with something is to be full of that thing, or to have much of that thing inside.
/...
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FREEUS History PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
It inspired Abraham Lincoln’s most famous speech, countless documentaries, and even quite a few ghost stories. The Battle of Gettysburg, which ended on this day in 1863, is one of the most famous battles in American history and by far the bloodiest of the American Civil War with more than 50,000 estimated casualties. It was also a military campaign that didn’t go the way anyone was expecting it to. In fact, the Battle of Gettysburg became the war’s crucial turning point, unforeseen by both the Union and the Confederacy.
On May 6, 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee won his greatest military victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Although Lee’s forces had been badly outnumbered, he triumphed thanks to his sharp tactical skills, leading many to believe that the Confederacy would win the war. In high spirits, Lee decided to lead his army northward into Pennsylvania to launch an invasion in Union territory, north of the Mason-Dixon line. Lee believed that a successful invasion of the North would cause panic in cities like New York, demoralize the Union, and pave the way for the Confederacy to take control of Washington D.C., bringing the war to a quick end. Meanwhile, Union Major General Joseph Hooker was relieved of his command after his defeat at Chancellorsville, and Major General George Gordon Meade was placed in charge of around 90,000 Union troops. Under Meade’s leadership, they began moving to block Lee’s route to Washington, drawing very close to Lee’s troops in the process. Though both sides knew that the other could be nearby, they had no idea just how close they were as they both neared the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The situation was a powder keg.
On the morning of July 1st, Confederate Major General Henry Heth disobeyed orders from Lee and led a division into Gettysburg on a supply run. To his surprise, he ended up bumping right into a group of Union cavalry, and a skirmish broke out immediately. If not for Heth’s blunder, the Battle of Gettysburg might never have taken place, or might have ended differently. When later confronted about his ill-advised trip into town, Heth claimed that he and his troops desperately needed shoes, and he had no choice but to disobey Lee in order to get them. In any case, the relatively small fight took a grave turn when Union reinforcements under the command of Major General John F. Reynolds arrived in town. Reynolds was killed in the fighting, and both sides began calling for more reinforcements. Soon, tens of thousands of troops had taken to the battlefield. By nightfall, the Confederates appeared victorious. Outnumbered Union troops withdrew to an area south of town to wait for daybreak.
The Confederacy gained more ground on the battle’s second day by attempting to encircle Union troops who were defending hills and ridges south of Gettysburg. However, despite heavy losses, the Union successfully defended most of their positions, including a hill called Culp’s Hill and a ridge called Cemetery Ridge. These positions gave them advantageous high ground, with Culp’s Hill functioning as the Union’s right defensive flank. On the morning of July 3, Lee was determined to drive the Union from their high ground. This culminated in what became known as Pickett’s charge. Under orders from Lieutenant General James Longstreet, Lee’s second-in-command, around 12,5000 Confederate troops charged up the center of Cemetery Ridge, attempting to take it from the Union through sheer force. About half of them were under the command of Brigadier General George Pickett. Though one Confederate brigade did make it to the top of the ridge, Lee’s hopes of a successful, all-out assault were quickly dashed. The charge was a disaster for the Confederacy. From their position atop the ridge, Union troops picked off a critical number of Confederates. Having lost around 60 percent of his men, Lee was forced to retreat from Gettysburg, through Maryland, and then back to Virginia with wagons full of gravely injured soldiers. In fact, the ambulance wagon train stretched for around 15 to 20 miles.
Although the Civil War continued for almost two more years, the Battle of Gettysburg gave the Union a much-needed morale boost and ended the Confederacy’s long-held plan to invade the North. Just think, the U.S. might look very different today if General Heth hadn’t been so desperate for new shoes.
[Image description: Monument to Battery B, a stone monument and two cannons near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania] Credit & copyright: indiesilver, PixabayIt inspired Abraham Lincoln’s most famous speech, countless documentaries, and even quite a few ghost stories. The Battle of Gettysburg, which ended on this day in 1863, is one of the most famous battles in American history and by far the bloodiest of the American Civil War with more than 50,000 estimated casualties. It was also a military campaign that didn’t go the way anyone was expecting it to. In fact, the Battle of Gettysburg became the war’s crucial turning point, unforeseen by both the Union and the Confederacy.
On May 6, 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee won his greatest military victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Although Lee’s forces had been badly outnumbered, he triumphed thanks to his sharp tactical skills, leading many to believe that the Confederacy would win the war. In high spirits, Lee decided to lead his army northward into Pennsylvania to launch an invasion in Union territory, north of the Mason-Dixon line. Lee believed that a successful invasion of the North would cause panic in cities like New York, demoralize the Union, and pave the way for the Confederacy to take control of Washington D.C., bringing the war to a quick end. Meanwhile, Union Major General Joseph Hooker was relieved of his command after his defeat at Chancellorsville, and Major General George Gordon Meade was placed in charge of around 90,000 Union troops. Under Meade’s leadership, they began moving to block Lee’s route to Washington, drawing very close to Lee’s troops in the process. Though both sides knew that the other could be nearby, they had no idea just how close they were as they both neared the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The situation was a powder keg.
On the morning of July 1st, Confederate Major General Henry Heth disobeyed orders from Lee and led a division into Gettysburg on a supply run. To his surprise, he ended up bumping right into a group of Union cavalry, and a skirmish broke out immediately. If not for Heth’s blunder, the Battle of Gettysburg might never have taken place, or might have ended differently. When later confronted about his ill-advised trip into town, Heth claimed that he and his troops desperately needed shoes, and he had no choice but to disobey Lee in order to get them. In any case, the relatively small fight took a grave turn when Union reinforcements under the command of Major General John F. Reynolds arrived in town. Reynolds was killed in the fighting, and both sides began calling for more reinforcements. Soon, tens of thousands of troops had taken to the battlefield. By nightfall, the Confederates appeared victorious. Outnumbered Union troops withdrew to an area south of town to wait for daybreak.
The Confederacy gained more ground on the battle’s second day by attempting to encircle Union troops who were defending hills and ridges south of Gettysburg. However, despite heavy losses, the Union successfully defended most of their positions, including a hill called Culp’s Hill and a ridge called Cemetery Ridge. These positions gave them advantageous high ground, with Culp’s Hill functioning as the Union’s right defensive flank. On the morning of July 3, Lee was determined to drive the Union from their high ground. This culminated in what became known as Pickett’s charge. Under orders from Lieutenant General James Longstreet, Lee’s second-in-command, around 12,5000 Confederate troops charged up the center of Cemetery Ridge, attempting to take it from the Union through sheer force. About half of them were under the command of Brigadier General George Pickett. Though one Confederate brigade did make it to the top of the ridge, Lee’s hopes of a successful, all-out assault were quickly dashed. The charge was a disaster for the Confederacy. From their position atop the ridge, Union troops picked off a critical number of Confederates. Having lost around 60 percent of his men, Lee was forced to retreat from Gettysburg, through Maryland, and then back to Virginia with wagons full of gravely injured soldiers. In fact, the ambulance wagon train stretched for around 15 to 20 miles.
Although the Civil War continued for almost two more years, the Battle of Gettysburg gave the Union a much-needed morale boost and ended the Confederacy’s long-held plan to invade the North. Just think, the U.S. might look very different today if General Heth hadn’t been so desperate for new shoes.
[Image description: Monument to Battery B, a stone monument and two cannons near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania] Credit & copyright: indiesilver, Pixabay -
7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
The Supreme Court on Thursday restricted the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. While t...
The Supreme Court on Thursday restricted the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. While t...
July 2, 2022
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : July 2, 2022
apposite \AP-uh-zit\ adjective
What It Means
Apposite is used to describe what is very appropriate, or what is suitable for...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : July 2, 2022
apposite \AP-uh-zit\ adjective
What It Means
Apposite is used to describe what is very appropriate, or what is suitable for...
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Stocks have posted their worst first half of a year since 1970, with S&P and Nasdaq down dozens of percentage points. What could this all mean? For more, we’...
Stocks have posted their worst first half of a year since 1970, with S&P and Nasdaq down dozens of percentage points. What could this all mean? For more, we’...
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FREESports Daily CurioFree1 CQ
Could ninjas strike at the Olympics? The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) has announced that an obstacle course based on the popular TV show Ninja Warrior could be added to the modern pentathlon event at the Olympics. Since 1997, Japanese TV network TBS has been airing Sasuke, a show where contestants navigate an elaborate obstacle course. Outside of Japan, it’s more commonly known as Ninja Warrior, and the U.S. has its own long-running adaptation called American Ninja Warrior. In the coming years, the “ninjas” could be competing for Olympic medals as part of the modern pentathlon event. While the event has undergone multiple changes to its repertoire, as of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the five sports included in the pentathlon were running, fencing, equestrian show-jumping, swimming and shooting. Of the five, the UIPM would be dropping the equestrian portion of the event in favor of the ninja obstacle course after the Paris 2024 Olympics. A test event will be held in Ankara, Turkey before it is added to the official Olympic program, and the course will be designed in cooperation with TBS. UIPM President Klaus Schormann told The Hollywood Reporter, “UIPM has undertaken a comprehensive and transparent process to transform Modern Pentathlon into one of the most popular, accessible and exciting sports on the Olympic program.” If things go according to plan, the pentathlon could feature an obstacle course by 2028, when the Summer Games will be held in Los Angeles. It seems a T.V.-inspired Olympic event was just a matter of course.
[Image description: Flywheels, an obstacle on one of American Ninja Warrior’s courses.] Credit & copyright: Dustin Batt, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size, image is hereby distributed under the same license linked here.Could ninjas strike at the Olympics? The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) has announced that an obstacle course based on the popular TV show Ninja Warrior could be added to the modern pentathlon event at the Olympics. Since 1997, Japanese TV network TBS has been airing Sasuke, a show where contestants navigate an elaborate obstacle course. Outside of Japan, it’s more commonly known as Ninja Warrior, and the U.S. has its own long-running adaptation called American Ninja Warrior. In the coming years, the “ninjas” could be competing for Olympic medals as part of the modern pentathlon event. While the event has undergone multiple changes to its repertoire, as of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the five sports included in the pentathlon were running, fencing, equestrian show-jumping, swimming and shooting. Of the five, the UIPM would be dropping the equestrian portion of the event in favor of the ninja obstacle course after the Paris 2024 Olympics. A test event will be held in Ankara, Turkey before it is added to the official Olympic program, and the course will be designed in cooperation with TBS. UIPM President Klaus Schormann told The Hollywood Reporter, “UIPM has undertaken a comprehensive and transparent process to transform Modern Pentathlon into one of the most popular, accessible and exciting sports on the Olympic program.” If things go according to plan, the pentathlon could feature an obstacle course by 2028, when the Summer Games will be held in Los Angeles. It seems a T.V.-inspired Olympic event was just a matter of course.
[Image description: Flywheels, an obstacle on one of American Ninja Warrior’s courses.] Credit & copyright: Dustin Batt, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size, image is hereby distributed under the same license linked here.
July 1, 2022
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: We look at the future of Hong Kong as a financial hub, a quarter-century after the end of British control. Between COVID restrict...
From the BBC World Service: We look at the future of Hong Kong as a financial hub, a quarter-century after the end of British control. Between COVID restrict...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : July 1, 2022
debunk \dee-BUNK\ verb
What It Means
To debunk something, such as a story, theory, or idea, is to show or expose the falsen...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : July 1, 2022
debunk \dee-BUNK\ verb
What It Means
To debunk something, such as a story, theory, or idea, is to show or expose the falsen...
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
We're a "monument half-full" kinda country. In 1833, the Washington National Monument Society set out to build a 600-foot Egyptian-style obelisk ringed by 30 100-foot columns in honor of America's first president. The Washington Monument was an ambitious project with tenuous funding, but its construction nevertheless began in 1848. 20,000 people gathered to see its cornerstone laid, including future-president Abraham Lincoln. And yet, six years later, the marble obelisk stalled at 156 feet—and remained there for decades. In 1853, the controversial, nativist Know-Nothing Party had taken control of the monument's society; private parties who were funding the construction quickly backed out in disgust. It wasn't until 1876 that Congress took matters into their own hands, sending in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to finish the structure—but not without snags. Because there had been such a lapse in construction, the marble quarry used for the tower had depleted years ago, and a quest for matching marble ensued. In 1884, the army finally finished construction. The obelisk, despite measuring in at only 555 feet and missing its ringed columns, became the tallest structure in the world, beating the Cologne Cathedral—by only five inches!
Below: the completed Washington Monument as it appears today.
Image credit & copyright: National Parks Service/FriendD1, Pixabay
It's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
We're a "monument half-full" kinda country. In 1833, the Washington National Monument Society set out to build a 600-foot Egyptian-style obelisk ringed by 30 100-foot columns in honor of America's first president. The Washington Monument was an ambitious project with tenuous funding, but its construction nevertheless began in 1848. 20,000 people gathered to see its cornerstone laid, including future-president Abraham Lincoln. And yet, six years later, the marble obelisk stalled at 156 feet—and remained there for decades. In 1853, the controversial, nativist Know-Nothing Party had taken control of the monument's society; private parties who were funding the construction quickly backed out in disgust. It wasn't until 1876 that Congress took matters into their own hands, sending in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to finish the structure—but not without snags. Because there had been such a lapse in construction, the marble quarry used for the tower had depleted years ago, and a quest for matching marble ensued. In 1884, the army finally finished construction. The obelisk, despite measuring in at only 555 feet and missing its ringed columns, became the tallest structure in the world, beating the Cologne Cathedral—by only five inches!
Below: the completed Washington Monument as it appears today.
Image credit & copyright: National Parks Service/FriendD1, Pixabay
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
Title: The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
Artist: John Trumbull (1756-1843)
Created: 1818
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 12 x 18 ft (3.7 x 5.5 m)
Current location: Rotunda, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.
For a scene that never actually happened, John Trumbull sure spent a lot of effort making the figures true to real life. He took liberties with his composition of The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, commemorating the nation's founders—even those who weren't in attendance—presenting the first draft of the document to the Second Continental Congress. But getting all 56 men to pose together for a painting proved impossible, so Trumbull found other means to capture their likeness. He spend three decades tracking down and painting 36 of the men's portraits from life, and relied on authoritative images, memory, and Thomas Jefferson's sketches for the others. In the end, he was able to "reliably" render 47 founders: 42 of the original signers, plus five other patriots. Trumbull placed primary drafters John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and Jefferson (with Declaration in hand) as the central figures. To showcase his love for the young republic and disdain for the redcoats, he added regal embellishments to the Pennsylvania State House room and captured British flags to the wall. It seems Trumbull's own patriotism and devotion rubbed off on his painting, which remains the most famous ode to America's birth.It's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
Title: The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
Artist: John Trumbull (1756-1843)
Created: 1818
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 12 x 18 ft (3.7 x 5.5 m)
Current location: Rotunda, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.
For a scene that never actually happened, John Trumbull sure spent a lot of effort making the figures true to real life. He took liberties with his composition of The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, commemorating the nation's founders—even those who weren't in attendance—presenting the first draft of the document to the Second Continental Congress. But getting all 56 men to pose together for a painting proved impossible, so Trumbull found other means to capture their likeness. He spend three decades tracking down and painting 36 of the men's portraits from life, and relied on authoritative images, memory, and Thomas Jefferson's sketches for the others. In the end, he was able to "reliably" render 47 founders: 42 of the original signers, plus five other patriots. Trumbull placed primary drafters John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and Jefferson (with Declaration in hand) as the central figures. To showcase his love for the young republic and disdain for the redcoats, he added regal embellishments to the Pennsylvania State House room and captured British flags to the wall. It seems Trumbull's own patriotism and devotion rubbed off on his painting, which remains the most famous ode to America's birth. -
FREEChemistry Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
If you are a fan of fireworks (like the ones many of our American readers will soon see on July 4th), then you are a fan of pyrotechnical chemical reactions. The first firework was set off over a thousand years ago by a Chinese monk who stuffed a piece of bamboo with gunpowder and threw it into a fire. Modern fireworks are remarkably similar: a shell, an explosive, and a fuse. The only advances have to do with the extravagant colors and shapes you see today. Individual fireworks are either a tube or sphere containing explosives with a time-delayed fuse. Inside the explosives are small colored balls nicknamed “stars.” They are what you see blazing through the sky after the initial burst. As the "stars" absorb heat energy from the exploding gunpowder, their electrons move from a stable to an excited state. This causes them to release excess energy in the form of light as they move to a lower-energy state. The materials in the “star” determine what color light is emitted. Blue is a mixture of copper chloride compounds, red is a combination of strontium and lithium salts, and yellow is simply sodium nitrate. Mixtures of these primary colors create secondary colors like purple and green, just like in grade school art class. BOOM goes the chemistry!
[Image description: Fireworks exploding against a black background.] Credit & copyright: DeltaWorks, PixabayIt's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
If you are a fan of fireworks (like the ones many of our American readers will soon see on July 4th), then you are a fan of pyrotechnical chemical reactions. The first firework was set off over a thousand years ago by a Chinese monk who stuffed a piece of bamboo with gunpowder and threw it into a fire. Modern fireworks are remarkably similar: a shell, an explosive, and a fuse. The only advances have to do with the extravagant colors and shapes you see today. Individual fireworks are either a tube or sphere containing explosives with a time-delayed fuse. Inside the explosives are small colored balls nicknamed “stars.” They are what you see blazing through the sky after the initial burst. As the "stars" absorb heat energy from the exploding gunpowder, their electrons move from a stable to an excited state. This causes them to release excess energy in the form of light as they move to a lower-energy state. The materials in the “star” determine what color light is emitted. Blue is a mixture of copper chloride compounds, red is a combination of strontium and lithium salts, and yellow is simply sodium nitrate. Mixtures of these primary colors create secondary colors like purple and green, just like in grade school art class. BOOM goes the chemistry!
[Image description: Fireworks exploding against a black background.] Credit & copyright: DeltaWorks, Pixabay -
FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
It's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
For some, a trip to our nation's capital inspires feelings of patriotism and awe; for George Clinton, it was another opportunity to land the P-Funk mothership and spread the good word of the funk. After playing a show in Washington, D.C., Clinton was approached by two women who told him the concert experience felt like "one nation under a groove." Inspired, Clinton took his stage prop spaceship set into the studio and encouraged his motley crew of Thumpasaurians and Synnthezoidees musicians (all part of the P-Funk mythology) to add whatever they felt like playing to One Nation Under a Groove. The freedom to be as funky as they wanted could be heard through the irresistible pastiches of rhythms and harmonies—united under the "One nation…" refrain, and Bootsy Collins' revved-up bass lines. As intergalactic anthems go, this is one that shoots for the stars, and never runs out of booty-shaking fuel!
Other streaming options
[Image description: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic performing in Louisville, Kentucky on July 4th, 2008.] Credit & copyright: Joe Schneid, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size, image is hereby distributed under the same license linked here.
It's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
For some, a trip to our nation's capital inspires feelings of patriotism and awe; for George Clinton, it was another opportunity to land the P-Funk mothership and spread the good word of the funk. After playing a show in Washington, D.C., Clinton was approached by two women who told him the concert experience felt like "one nation under a groove." Inspired, Clinton took his stage prop spaceship set into the studio and encouraged his motley crew of Thumpasaurians and Synnthezoidees musicians (all part of the P-Funk mythology) to add whatever they felt like playing to One Nation Under a Groove. The freedom to be as funky as they wanted could be heard through the irresistible pastiches of rhythms and harmonies—united under the "One nation…" refrain, and Bootsy Collins' revved-up bass lines. As intergalactic anthems go, this is one that shoots for the stars, and never runs out of booty-shaking fuel!
Other streaming options
[Image description: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic performing in Louisville, Kentucky on July 4th, 2008.] Credit & copyright: Joe Schneid, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size, image is hereby distributed under the same license linked here.
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FREEUS History Daily CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
Hands off that document! If you’ve ever considered stealing the Declaration of Independence, like in the movie National Treasure... don't. It isn't nearly as easy as Nicolas Cage made it look. Displayed at the U.S. National Archives in D.C., the document is one of the most important in the history of democracy, alongside the Magna Carta. But believe it or not, nobody considered preserving the document until the mid 1900s. Before then, it was left in the sunlight, rolled up, and in 1823 had water spilled on it. Today it’s one of the most secured documents in the world. To start with, its case is framed with titanium, filled with inert argon gas, and behind a thick pane of bulletproof glass. It is also protected by a UV-light filter and monitored using a camera system developed for the Hubble Space Telescope. The cameras have the ability to detect very slight ink-fading, along with changes in light or temperature. And just in case those systems malfunction, it is surrounded by armed guards during public hours. At night, the case is lowered 22 feet down into a secure vault. So it’s no surprise that nobody has ever tried to steal it except for Nicolas Cage.
[Image description: A desk in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, featuring hand-written documents and a feather quill.] Credit & copyright: RGY23, PixabayIt's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
Hands off that document! If you’ve ever considered stealing the Declaration of Independence, like in the movie National Treasure... don't. It isn't nearly as easy as Nicolas Cage made it look. Displayed at the U.S. National Archives in D.C., the document is one of the most important in the history of democracy, alongside the Magna Carta. But believe it or not, nobody considered preserving the document until the mid 1900s. Before then, it was left in the sunlight, rolled up, and in 1823 had water spilled on it. Today it’s one of the most secured documents in the world. To start with, its case is framed with titanium, filled with inert argon gas, and behind a thick pane of bulletproof glass. It is also protected by a UV-light filter and monitored using a camera system developed for the Hubble Space Telescope. The cameras have the ability to detect very slight ink-fading, along with changes in light or temperature. And just in case those systems malfunction, it is surrounded by armed guards during public hours. At night, the case is lowered 22 feet down into a secure vault. So it’s no surprise that nobody has ever tried to steal it except for Nicolas Cage.
[Image description: A desk in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, featuring hand-written documents and a feather quill.] Credit & copyright: RGY23, Pixabay
June 30, 2022
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7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator ousted over 30 years ago, has taken office as president of the Philippines after a...
From the BBC World Service: Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator ousted over 30 years ago, has taken office as president of the Philippines after a...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : June 30, 2022
scintillate \SIN-tuh-layt\ verb
What It Means
Scintillate means "to dazzle or impress with liveliness or wit."
// Her hil...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : June 30, 2022
scintillate \SIN-tuh-layt\ verb
What It Means
Scintillate means "to dazzle or impress with liveliness or wit."
// Her hil...
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FREEScience Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
Keep your head in the game! One June 23, researchers from Michigan State University published a paper in the journal Nature describing a new, flexible sensor that can detect concussions in athletes. Concussions are common in high-impact sports like football and hockey, with short-to-long-term symptoms ranging from memory loss to seizures. When just a single concussion can cause lasting damage and the best treatment is an early one, it’s important to be able to accurately detect when one occurs. While there are already helmets that use accelerometers to detect concussions, they have been found to be only moderately accurate, sometimes giving false readings because the device tracks the movement of the helmet instead of the wearer’s head directly. However, the newly developed sensor is attached directly to the body of the wearer, eliminating that source of error.
The sensor, which is placed on the nape of the neck as a patch, is composed of a thin piece of piezoelectric film that generates an electric charge when under tension or compression. Electrodes connect the film to a computer which keeps track of the charges produced, and the information can be analyzed for the type of sudden movements that result in concussions. Researchers attached the device to a dummy that was also equipped with a separate set of accelerometers and gyroscopes. When the dummy was dropped from two feet up in the air to simulate sports-related impacts, the results showed that the new device was 90 percent accurate at detecting potentially concussion-causing movements. The next step for the researchers will be to make the device wireless, so that it could be easily worn by athletes. No doubt this device could make a big impact in the sports world.[Image description: A football player wearing a maroon jersey tackles a player wearing a white jersey.] Credit & copyright: KeithJJ, Pixabay
Keep your head in the game! One June 23, researchers from Michigan State University published a paper in the journal Nature describing a new, flexible sensor that can detect concussions in athletes. Concussions are common in high-impact sports like football and hockey, with short-to-long-term symptoms ranging from memory loss to seizures. When just a single concussion can cause lasting damage and the best treatment is an early one, it’s important to be able to accurately detect when one occurs. While there are already helmets that use accelerometers to detect concussions, they have been found to be only moderately accurate, sometimes giving false readings because the device tracks the movement of the helmet instead of the wearer’s head directly. However, the newly developed sensor is attached directly to the body of the wearer, eliminating that source of error.
The sensor, which is placed on the nape of the neck as a patch, is composed of a thin piece of piezoelectric film that generates an electric charge when under tension or compression. Electrodes connect the film to a computer which keeps track of the charges produced, and the information can be analyzed for the type of sudden movements that result in concussions. Researchers attached the device to a dummy that was also equipped with a separate set of accelerometers and gyroscopes. When the dummy was dropped from two feet up in the air to simulate sports-related impacts, the results showed that the new device was 90 percent accurate at detecting potentially concussion-causing movements. The next step for the researchers will be to make the device wireless, so that it could be easily worn by athletes. No doubt this device could make a big impact in the sports world.[Image description: A football player wearing a maroon jersey tackles a player wearing a white jersey.] Credit & copyright: KeithJJ, Pixabay
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FREEBiology Daily Curio #2470Free1 CQ
There’s more than gold buried in the Yukon. On June 21, gold miners digging in the permafrost of the Yukon uncovered a shockingly-well-preserved, mummified baby mammoth that is around 30,000 years old. The miners were working in the gold fields in the territory of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin people when they made the discovery. One of the workers, operating a front-end loader, felt the machine strike an unexpected object while digging near a creek. Upon further investigation, workers found the mammoth buried in the mud. The mining work was halted until two geologists could arrive on site to secure the animal’s remains, which could be the best preserved and most complete mammoth remains ever found in North America. Measuring around 4.5 feet long, the mammoth appears to have been female and was around a month old when it died. Remarkably, she still has most of her hair and skin after millennia underground.
Based on her stomach contents, the mammoth seems to have been grazing shortly before death, possibly getting stuck in the mud after wandering off from her mother while feeding. The baby mammoth has been given the name "Nun cho ga,” which means "big baby animal" in the Hän language. Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Chief Roberta Joseph said in a statement, “This is as a remarkable recovery for our First Nation, and we look forward to collaborating with the Yukon government on the next steps in the process for moving forward with these remains in a way that honours our traditions, culture, and laws. We are thankful for the Elders who have been guiding us so far and the name they provided. We are committed to respectfully handling Nun cho ga as she has chosen now to reveal herself to all of us.” Grant Zazula, a paleontologist for the Yukon government, also stated, "As an ice age paleontologist, it has been one of my life long dreams to come face to face with a real woolly mammoth. That dream came true today. Nun cho ga is beautiful and one of the most incredible mummified ice age animals ever discovered in the world. I am excited to get to know her more." It’s a second life for this woolly young one.
[Image description: A mummified baby mammoth discovered in the Yukon lies on a blue tarp.] Credit & copyright: Government of Yukon, image cropped for sizeThere’s more than gold buried in the Yukon. On June 21, gold miners digging in the permafrost of the Yukon uncovered a shockingly-well-preserved, mummified baby mammoth that is around 30,000 years old. The miners were working in the gold fields in the territory of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin people when they made the discovery. One of the workers, operating a front-end loader, felt the machine strike an unexpected object while digging near a creek. Upon further investigation, workers found the mammoth buried in the mud. The mining work was halted until two geologists could arrive on site to secure the animal’s remains, which could be the best preserved and most complete mammoth remains ever found in North America. Measuring around 4.5 feet long, the mammoth appears to have been female and was around a month old when it died. Remarkably, she still has most of her hair and skin after millennia underground.
Based on her stomach contents, the mammoth seems to have been grazing shortly before death, possibly getting stuck in the mud after wandering off from her mother while feeding. The baby mammoth has been given the name "Nun cho ga,” which means "big baby animal" in the Hän language. Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Chief Roberta Joseph said in a statement, “This is as a remarkable recovery for our First Nation, and we look forward to collaborating with the Yukon government on the next steps in the process for moving forward with these remains in a way that honours our traditions, culture, and laws. We are thankful for the Elders who have been guiding us so far and the name they provided. We are committed to respectfully handling Nun cho ga as she has chosen now to reveal herself to all of us.” Grant Zazula, a paleontologist for the Yukon government, also stated, "As an ice age paleontologist, it has been one of my life long dreams to come face to face with a real woolly mammoth. That dream came true today. Nun cho ga is beautiful and one of the most incredible mummified ice age animals ever discovered in the world. I am excited to get to know her more." It’s a second life for this woolly young one.
[Image description: A mummified baby mammoth discovered in the Yukon lies on a blue tarp.] Credit & copyright: Government of Yukon, image cropped for size
June 29, 2022
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6 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Now that Turkey has dropped its opposition, Sweden and Finland look set to join NATO shortly. Finland’s president told the BBC wh...
From the BBC World Service: Now that Turkey has dropped its opposition, Sweden and Finland look set to join NATO shortly. Finland’s president told the BBC wh...
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : June 29, 2022
duress \dur-RESS\ noun
What It Means
Duress, which is typically used with under, refers to force or threats meant to make ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : June 29, 2022
duress \dur-RESS\ noun
What It Means
Duress, which is typically used with under, refers to force or threats meant to make ...
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FREEWorld History Daily Curio #2469Free1 CQ
You’ve heard of Evita, but what about Isabel? While Evita Perón is by far the most famous of Argentenian leader Juan Perón’s wives, he had three throughout his life: the last of whom was Isabel Perón. She was secretly sworn in as the President of Argentina on this day in 1974, as her husband and predecessor Juan Perón was on his deathbed. Isabel Perón was previously the vice president in her husband’s regime, and when he died a few days later on July 1, she was officially left in charge of a nation in turmoil. Argentina was suffering from inflation, labor unrest and escalating violence by terrorist groups and guerrillas. Despite the fact that she had served as vice president and even filled in as acting president several times when her husband was ill, she could not maintain effective control over the various political groups vying for power. This may have been because, prior to her marriage to Juan Perón, Isabel Perón had no real political experience. A former nightclub dancer, Isabel Perón began working as a personal secretary to Juan Perón when he was exiled in the mid 1950s, before the two were married in 1961. Juan Perón was 36 years her senior. She visited Argentina in the 1960s and 70s to drum up support for her husband’s return to power, and on the suggestion of one of their advisers, became his running mate in the election of 1973.
The two successfully won the election and took office in October of that year, but with Juan Perón’s failing health, his time as president was short-lived. As soon as he died, Isabel Perón’s most trusted adviser, José Lopez Rega, the head of the paramilitary group Alianza Anticomunista Argentina (AAA), began abusing his power to eliminate political opponents, which led to thousands of deaths. In 1976, as the country continued to decline economically and politically-motivated violence ran rampant, Isabel Perón was deposed by a military coup and arrested on charges of corruption. She was placed under house arrest for five years and after being convicted and paroled in 1981, she left for Spain where she resides to this day. Since her exile, she has faced little in the way of consequences; she was pardoned in 1983 for stealing $9 million from public funds and although Argentina issued an arrest warrant in 2007 for human rights abuses, Spain refused to extradite her. It seems that turmoil will never quite be done with this ex-leader.
[Image description: A black-and-white photo of Isabel Perón speaking at a conference surrounded by government supporters in 1976.] Credit & copyright: Cichero, César, National Museum of Fine Arts, Wikimedia Commons, Public DomainYou’ve heard of Evita, but what about Isabel? While Evita Perón is by far the most famous of Argentenian leader Juan Perón’s wives, he had three throughout his life: the last of whom was Isabel Perón. She was secretly sworn in as the President of Argentina on this day in 1974, as her husband and predecessor Juan Perón was on his deathbed. Isabel Perón was previously the vice president in her husband’s regime, and when he died a few days later on July 1, she was officially left in charge of a nation in turmoil. Argentina was suffering from inflation, labor unrest and escalating violence by terrorist groups and guerrillas. Despite the fact that she had served as vice president and even filled in as acting president several times when her husband was ill, she could not maintain effective control over the various political groups vying for power. This may have been because, prior to her marriage to Juan Perón, Isabel Perón had no real political experience. A former nightclub dancer, Isabel Perón began working as a personal secretary to Juan Perón when he was exiled in the mid 1950s, before the two were married in 1961. Juan Perón was 36 years her senior. She visited Argentina in the 1960s and 70s to drum up support for her husband’s return to power, and on the suggestion of one of their advisers, became his running mate in the election of 1973.
The two successfully won the election and took office in October of that year, but with Juan Perón’s failing health, his time as president was short-lived. As soon as he died, Isabel Perón’s most trusted adviser, José Lopez Rega, the head of the paramilitary group Alianza Anticomunista Argentina (AAA), began abusing his power to eliminate political opponents, which led to thousands of deaths. In 1976, as the country continued to decline economically and politically-motivated violence ran rampant, Isabel Perón was deposed by a military coup and arrested on charges of corruption. She was placed under house arrest for five years and after being convicted and paroled in 1981, she left for Spain where she resides to this day. Since her exile, she has faced little in the way of consequences; she was pardoned in 1983 for stealing $9 million from public funds and although Argentina issued an arrest warrant in 2007 for human rights abuses, Spain refused to extradite her. It seems that turmoil will never quite be done with this ex-leader.
[Image description: A black-and-white photo of Isabel Perón speaking at a conference surrounded by government supporters in 1976.] Credit & copyright: Cichero, César, National Museum of Fine Arts, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain -
FREEEntrepreneurship Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
You don’t have to be an artist to start a business based on pop art…you just have to be willing to collaborate! Jackson Aw founded Mighty Jaxx, a company specializing in artistic toys of pop-culture characters, without much experience in art. What Aw did have was a love of collectibles, especially toys based on his favorite comic and movie characters. In fact, the now-32-year-old Aw has been collecting toys since he was 17. In 2011, after getting inspired by the show How It’s Made, Aw began to think about making his own toys. Before taking the plunge, he took a trip to China to tour toy factories. The toy-making process was more involved than he had imagined, involving multiple machines and workers hand painting details onto each toy. There was a lot of artistry involved, even with mass-produced toys.
So Aw did what any smart businessman would do: he teamed up with an artist. With the help of a $20,000 business loan, Aw and Singaporean graffiti artist Clogtwo created Hell Lotus, a figurine of a skeletal character sitting in a “lotus position” atop a red flame shaped like a lotus flower. The figures sold out not long after debuting at 2012’s Singapore Comic Convention. For the next few years, Aw stuck with the same business model, teaming up with artists to create figures based on their works. In 2015, Aw took a leap of faith by reaching out to Warner Brothers’ Vice President of Global Toys via email. Within weeks, Aw scored a contract allowing him to make figures of many Warner Brothers’ characters, including DC Comics characters like Batman. In just one year, Mighty Jaxx’s total sales quadrupled. Today, Mighty Jaxx sells its figures in more than 80 countries and is valued at over $200 million. That’s some grown-up money for toys!
[Image description: A green-and-white robot toy, with a yellow bird perched on its hand.] Credit & copyright: vinsky2002, PixabayYou don’t have to be an artist to start a business based on pop art…you just have to be willing to collaborate! Jackson Aw founded Mighty Jaxx, a company specializing in artistic toys of pop-culture characters, without much experience in art. What Aw did have was a love of collectibles, especially toys based on his favorite comic and movie characters. In fact, the now-32-year-old Aw has been collecting toys since he was 17. In 2011, after getting inspired by the show How It’s Made, Aw began to think about making his own toys. Before taking the plunge, he took a trip to China to tour toy factories. The toy-making process was more involved than he had imagined, involving multiple machines and workers hand painting details onto each toy. There was a lot of artistry involved, even with mass-produced toys.
So Aw did what any smart businessman would do: he teamed up with an artist. With the help of a $20,000 business loan, Aw and Singaporean graffiti artist Clogtwo created Hell Lotus, a figurine of a skeletal character sitting in a “lotus position” atop a red flame shaped like a lotus flower. The figures sold out not long after debuting at 2012’s Singapore Comic Convention. For the next few years, Aw stuck with the same business model, teaming up with artists to create figures based on their works. In 2015, Aw took a leap of faith by reaching out to Warner Brothers’ Vice President of Global Toys via email. Within weeks, Aw scored a contract allowing him to make figures of many Warner Brothers’ characters, including DC Comics characters like Batman. In just one year, Mighty Jaxx’s total sales quadrupled. Today, Mighty Jaxx sells its figures in more than 80 countries and is valued at over $200 million. That’s some grown-up money for toys!
[Image description: A green-and-white robot toy, with a yellow bird perched on its hand.] Credit & copyright: vinsky2002, Pixabay
June 28, 2022
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1 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree1 CQ
Word of the Day : June 28, 2022
fulsome \FULL-sum\ adjective
What It Means
Fulsome can be a positive term, as when it's used to mean "abundant, copious," ...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day : June 28, 2022
fulsome \FULL-sum\ adjective
What It Means
Fulsome can be a positive term, as when it's used to mean "abundant, copious," ...
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6 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: European Central Bank Chief Christine Lagarde has taken the podium this morning at an annual gathering of European policymakers i...
From the BBC World Service: European Central Bank Chief Christine Lagarde has taken the podium this morning at an annual gathering of European policymakers i...
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FREEMusic Song CurioFree2 CQ
The secret to David Bowie’s first number one hit in the U.S.? Karma. John Lennon believed so, at least. The ex-Beatle did have a front row seat to Bowie’s stateside success, as he helped write and sing backup vocals for Fame, released on this day in 1975 on Bowie’s album Young Americans. It features a modified bridge originally played by Stevie Wonder (which Lennon and Bowie flipped backwards) and repeated, echoed cries of the word “fame” as the song’s narrator describes the pitfalls of celebrity. The funky tune was a far cry from Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust persona and accompanying album, which had flopped in the U.S. just a few years earlier. On John Lennon’s official website, the late musician described the process of helping Bowie achieve his first number one, just as Elton John had helped Lennon do with their 1974 collaboration, Whatever Gets You Thru The Night. “...I felt like that was like the karmic thing – you know, with me and Elton I got my first Number One – so I passed it on to Bowie and he got his,” Lennon explained. With records, what goes around always comes around.
[Image description: David Bowie wears an eyepatch and plays guitar during filming of his Rebel Rebel music video in 1974.] Credit & copyright: AVRO, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size, image is hereby distributed under the same license linked here.
The secret to David Bowie’s first number one hit in the U.S.? Karma. John Lennon believed so, at least. The ex-Beatle did have a front row seat to Bowie’s stateside success, as he helped write and sing backup vocals for Fame, released on this day in 1975 on Bowie’s album Young Americans. It features a modified bridge originally played by Stevie Wonder (which Lennon and Bowie flipped backwards) and repeated, echoed cries of the word “fame” as the song’s narrator describes the pitfalls of celebrity. The funky tune was a far cry from Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust persona and accompanying album, which had flopped in the U.S. just a few years earlier. On John Lennon’s official website, the late musician described the process of helping Bowie achieve his first number one, just as Elton John had helped Lennon do with their 1974 collaboration, Whatever Gets You Thru The Night. “...I felt like that was like the karmic thing – you know, with me and Elton I got my first Number One – so I passed it on to Bowie and he got his,” Lennon explained. With records, what goes around always comes around.
[Image description: David Bowie wears an eyepatch and plays guitar during filming of his Rebel Rebel music video in 1974.] Credit & copyright: AVRO, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size, image is hereby distributed under the same license linked here.
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FREEBiology Daily Curio #2468Free1 CQ
For these frogs, every leap is a leap of faith. A team of scientists have found that the reason some tiny species of frogs in Brazil can’t jump well is due to their undersized ear canals. The frogs in question are pumpkin toadlets, which are native to Brazil and are known for their bright colors and extremely diminutive size. Even when fully grown, they’re small enough to sit snugly on a person’s fingertip. Technically, these frogs can jump; it’s the landing that’s the tricky part. When these tiny toadlets take a leap, they instantly lose control of their bodies, often landing upside down. To figure out why, an international team consisting of scientists from the U.S. and Brazil looked at 147 species of frogs and toads to see what anatomical differences may be responsible. It turns out, the answer lies in the animals’ ear canals, which in the case of pumpkin toadlets are so small that they’re practically non-functional.
The ear canals of most frogs allow them to orient themselves quickly in mid-air. This is made possible by the fast-moving fluids within the inner ear that trigger nerve cells. However, the ear canals of pumpkin toadlets are so small and contain so little fluid that they cannot get a grasp on their orientation in the time between jumping and landing. So how have these frogs managed to not only survive but thrive without being able to effectively perform the one activity that others of their kind are so well-known for? The short answer is: these little guys just don’t need to jump much. Edward Stanley, one of the scientists involved in the research, told the press, “They’re not jumping around a lot, and when they do, they’re probably not that worried about landing, because they’re doing it out of desperation. They get more benefits from being small than they lose from their inability to stick a landing.” In addition, the researchers say that these frogs have other adaptations that help them survive despite their lack of acrobatic ability. For example, some of these frogs have bright warning colors, camouflage, or simply thicker skin. That last one might come in handy if other frogs decide to tease them about their jumping skills.
[Image description: A tiny toad sits on a human hand.] Credit & copyright: Marys_fotos, PixabayFor these frogs, every leap is a leap of faith. A team of scientists have found that the reason some tiny species of frogs in Brazil can’t jump well is due to their undersized ear canals. The frogs in question are pumpkin toadlets, which are native to Brazil and are known for their bright colors and extremely diminutive size. Even when fully grown, they’re small enough to sit snugly on a person’s fingertip. Technically, these frogs can jump; it’s the landing that’s the tricky part. When these tiny toadlets take a leap, they instantly lose control of their bodies, often landing upside down. To figure out why, an international team consisting of scientists from the U.S. and Brazil looked at 147 species of frogs and toads to see what anatomical differences may be responsible. It turns out, the answer lies in the animals’ ear canals, which in the case of pumpkin toadlets are so small that they’re practically non-functional.
The ear canals of most frogs allow them to orient themselves quickly in mid-air. This is made possible by the fast-moving fluids within the inner ear that trigger nerve cells. However, the ear canals of pumpkin toadlets are so small and contain so little fluid that they cannot get a grasp on their orientation in the time between jumping and landing. So how have these frogs managed to not only survive but thrive without being able to effectively perform the one activity that others of their kind are so well-known for? The short answer is: these little guys just don’t need to jump much. Edward Stanley, one of the scientists involved in the research, told the press, “They’re not jumping around a lot, and when they do, they’re probably not that worried about landing, because they’re doing it out of desperation. They get more benefits from being small than they lose from their inability to stick a landing.” In addition, the researchers say that these frogs have other adaptations that help them survive despite their lack of acrobatic ability. For example, some of these frogs have bright warning colors, camouflage, or simply thicker skin. That last one might come in handy if other frogs decide to tease them about their jumping skills.
[Image description: A tiny toad sits on a human hand.] Credit & copyright: Marys_fotos, Pixabay