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Throughout the month, I’ve come across so many different facts and unexpected pieces of information across many different subjects. From the news, media, books, and conversations with friends, many fascinating facts have emerged. Part of me thinks that all of these could be connected, but I can’t find the connections yet. For now, I’ve wanted to document and share these random insights. My hope is these lead to more lines of inquiry or reveal new connections that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.
The Rescue Bigger than Dunkirk
Ferries and other boats evacuated more than 50,000 people from Lower Manhattan on the morning of 9/11, more than the number of nautical evacuees from Dunkirk in WWII.
Milk Made Every Driver in America safer
“Transit historians often credit Edward Hines, one of the Detroit area’s first road commissioners, with inventing the white center line in 1911. The epiphany was supposedly inspired by watching a milk wagon leave a trail of white liquid behind it”
This seemingly unassuming improvement to road construction dramatically increases safety in opposing traffic.
The First President They’ve Ever Known was a Black Man
In this documentary, author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates points out that there are now kids who’s first president they’ve ever known was a black man… possibilities? these implications?
The Way to Happiness by L. Ron Hubbard is the United States’ Most Translated Book
Tradeoffs of Social Media
My friend Mengming sent me this article which puts into perspective many of the abstract tensions that I’ve felt since I first made social media accounts in middle school. It names many of the tradeoffs of ‘big box social networks’ which we often feel compelled to conform to.
The Origin of Korean Ban Chan
“It’s often said that banchan originated in the time of Buddhist influence, during the mid–Three Kingdoms Era (57 B.C.E.–668 C.E.), when meat consumption was prohibited. Kim believes this to be a misconception. “Meat was just a precious food that was difficult to get,” she says. Vegetarian recipes were used within peasant, temple, and royal kitchens to accompany the culinary staple of rice (bap, or rice, can also mean “meal”), and these assorted vegetable dishes formed the foundation of Korean food.
Tiny Love Stories
I stumbled across this New York Times section: Tiny Love Story. “These true stories, each no more than 100 words, pack a punch. We gathered 10 of the most powerful to give you a boost.” This one in particular hit hard:
Strangers on a Train
We met on a train from Paris to Barcelona. Sitting next to one another, we argued over who could use the power outlet. “Désolé, je crois que c’est a moi.” (“Sorry, I think it’s mine.”) Instant crush. A perfect, flirtatious, six hours. The beginning of our love story? We agreed to meet back in Paris: On March 19, I’d wait for his train at the Gare de Lyon railway station. We didn’t know that coronavirus would confine us in different countries. Trusting in the power of the universe, we hadn’t exchanged mobile numbers. Sometimes, a romantic plan isn’t enough.
— Cecilia Pesao (originally published on April 28, 2020)
Impulse of has a History
According to the French historian Philippe de Felicé, “Eras of greatest material and moral distress seem to be those during which people dance most.”
Grocery Store Credit
Grocery stores used to get paid back in credit. People would hand a list, someone would get your items, weigh it, and pay back over time with credit.
Stay tuned for more monthly updates on interesting facts. I enjoyed gathering, recording, and sharing these as oppose to passing over them quickly.