If youโre reading this sentence, you have at least some level of literacy. But did you know that learning to read is more than just a skill? When you learned how to parse the letters on the page, your brain was quietly reorganizing itself, not just conceptually, but at the physical level. This is demonstrable in brain imaging, but we [...]
The invention of the telegraph revolutionized communication. In the 19th century, telegraphy swept across the globe, connecting continents in mere minutes and sharing detailed information for anyone willing to take the time to spell out a message. However, China soon found itself largely left out of the process. Its language was not conducive to the communication capabilities of the telegraph. [...]
Whatโs said in a courtroom matters, not just during the trial, but afterward. Imagine what would happen if judges couldnโt go back and review cases in full because those cases existed for only a brief moment in time, turning to nothing but a note of the verdict afterward. To preserve courtroom contents, people have been keeping an official record for [...]
Before technology put a computer in your pocket, information was harder to come by. Secretaries, stenographers, journalists, court reporters, and many other professionals struggled with the gap between the information they needed to share and the information they could retain at a time. Thus, the ability to write in shorthand became an invaluable professional skill, one that served as [...]
Currency has been a central element of human existence for thousands of years, and by the seventh century BC, coins were already in circulation. However, with money comes the desire for more money, and with that desire comes crafty ideas of how to secure more. This is the origin of counterfeit money.Nowadays, modern banknotes are created with counterfeiting in mind. [...]
Humans have always written too slowly for thought. Cultures across history have solved this problem in their own unique ways: Tiroโs word endings in ancient Rome, Chinese draft script, Pitman's phonetic system, and Gabelsberger's cursive "speech-sign art,โ among many others. Nowadays, fast writing often comes down to text speak. But most people will admit that writing โuโ instead of [...]
Someone in Buenos Aires might sing a song that first became popular in Italy, then was adapted in the UK, and later rewritten in Spain. And yet despite these vast changes across cultures around the world, everyone knows the words immediately, no sheet music required. How does this happen? Football chants are unique among both music and speech in that [...]
Have you ever taken a moment to look at the money you use? The banknotes in your wallet have a complex story to tell, and every bill carries a history of choices about what should be represented on it. Colors, faces, symbols, and more are all part of the equation, and by looking at them more closely, you can [...]
Weโve talked about football kits and the anthems youโll hear at the World Cup, but those arenโt the only things you might notice. If you listen to the crowd, you may hear talk of tiki-taka or the G.O.A.T on the field, and you might not know what to make of these terms. Football is so popular worldwide that [...]
Communication can cross borders in an instant nowadays, but it has not always been that way. How do people communicate when they speak different languages? Some choose to learn, but at sea, where sailors might encounter anyone of any nationality, it is simply not feasible to study enough languages. Instead, maritime crews developed an international communication system made [...]
