(Born December 9, 1906, in New York City; died January 1, 1992, in Arlington, Virginia) Long before she wore a Navy uniform herself, Grace Hopper looked up to her great-grandfather, Admiral Alexander Russell, and she kept him as her role model for the rest of her life. With a family that encouraged her early curiosity about science and mathematics, [...]
Walk into just about any classroom, and you'll see a familiar representation of our planet hanging on the wall: a map depicting the nation-states and continents of the contemporary world in a very specific way. Europe sits prominently at the center of the picture. To its west, North America occupies a very large piece of real estate. Greenland seems to [...]
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. [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Before every World Cup match, you’ll see the entire stadium rise for the national anthems of the countries taking part. What you might notice is the differences in approach: South Africa’s national anthem switches languages mid-song (from Xhosa to Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and then English). Conversely, Spanish people fall silent during their anthem (because it has no [...]
English is an ever-changing language, and the words we choose are far from the only elements that are added or dropped over time. Punctuation is just as integral to written communication, and it too has been invented, temporarily adopted, and then phased out (to be replaced, or not). Have you ever heard of an interrobang or a [...]
If you read our previous article on Leendert Hasenbosch’s life, you likely know that things went poorly after his “trial” onboard the Dutch East India Company’s ship. In fact, his punishment was so severe that he perished, stranded on an inhospitable island. So why would he confess in the first place? The reality is that people give false [...]
