FYI March 03 & 04, 2020

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On This Day

1585 – The Olympic Theatre, designed by Andrea Palladio, is inaugurated in Vicenza.[2]

The Teatro Olimpico (“Olympic Theatre”) is a theatre in Vicenza, northern Italy, constructed in 1580–1585. The theatre was the final design by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio and was not completed until after his death. The trompe-l’œil onstage scenery, designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, to give the appearance of long streets receding to a distant horizon, was installed in 1585 for the very first performance held in the theatre, and is the oldest surviving stage set still in existence. The full Roman-style scaenae frons back screen across the stage is made from wood and stucco imitating marble. It was the home of the Accademia Olimpica, which was founded there in 1555.

The Teatro Olimpico is, along with the Teatro all’antica in Sabbioneta and the Teatro Farnese in Parma, one of only three Renaissance theatres remaining in existence. Both these theatres were based, in large measure, on the Teatro Olimpico. It is still used several times a year.

Since 1994, the Teatro Olimpico, together with other Palladian buildings in and around Vicenza, has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.

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1519 – Hernán Cortés arrives in Mexico in search of the Aztec civilization and its wealth.
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (/kɔːrˈtɛs/; Spanish: [eɾˈnaŋ koɾˈtes ðe monˈroj i piˈθaro]; 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of what is now mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century. Cortés was part of the generation of Spanish colonizers who began the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Born in Medellín, Spain, to a family of lesser nobility, Cortés chose to pursue adventure and riches in the New World. He went to Hispaniola and later to Cuba, where he received an encomienda (the right to the labor of certain subjects). For a short time, he served as alcalde (magistrate) of the second Spanish town founded on the island. In 1519, he was elected captain of the third expedition to the mainland, which he partly funded. His enmity with the Governor of Cuba, Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, resulted in the recall of the expedition at the last moment, an order which Cortés ignored.

Arriving on the continent, Cortés executed a successful strategy of allying with some indigenous people against others. He also used a native woman, Doña Marina, as an interpreter. She later bore his first son. When the Governor of Cuba sent emissaries to arrest Cortés, he fought them and won, using the extra troops as reinforcements. Cortés wrote letters directly to the king asking to be acknowledged for his successes instead of being punished for mutiny. After he overthrew the Aztec Empire, Cortés was awarded the title of Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca, while the more prestigious title of Viceroy was given to a high-ranking nobleman, Antonio de Mendoza. In 1541 Cortés returned to Spain, where he died six years later of natural causes but embittered.

Because of the controversial undertakings of Cortés and the scarcity of reliable sources of information about him, it is difficult to describe his personality or motivations. Early lionizing of the conquistadores did not encourage deep examination of Cortés. Modern reconsideration has done little to enlarge understanding regarding him. As a result of these historical trends, descriptions of Cortés tend to be simplistic, and either damning or idealizing.[citation needed]

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Born On This Day

1882 – Elisabeth Abegg, German anti-Nazi resistance fighter (d. 1974)[13]
Luise Wilhelmine Elisabeth Abegg (3 March 1882 – 8 August 1974) was a German educator and resistance fighter against Nazism. She provided shelter to around 80 Jews during the Holocaust and was consequently recognised as Righteous Among the Nations.

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1826 – Theodore Judah, American engineer, founded the Central Pacific Railroad (d. 1863)
Theodore Dehone Judah (March 4, 1826 – November 2, 1863) was an American railroad and civil engineer who was a central figure in the original promotion, establishment, and design of the First Transcontinental Railroad. He found investors for what became the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR). As chief engineer, he performed much of the land survey work to determine the best route for the railroad over the Sierra Nevada mountains, which was completed six years after his death.

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FYI

By Kelly Tyko, USA Today: Can’t find Purell or other hand sanitizers? Here’s how to make it at home with vodka or rubbing alcohol

 
 
 
 
By Lisa Respers France, CNN: Alex Trebek says he’s beating his cancer odds

 
 
 
 

By Liz Seegert, AHCJ: How one reporter leveraged a conference opportunity to report dementia series

 
 
 
 
I like bread ends!
Ernie Smith, Tedium: Bread End Why are the heel pieces, or end pieces, of bread seen as undesirable compared to the rest of the loaf—and what kind of waste does that create, anyway?
 
 
 
 

Recipes

By HollyMann: How to Grow Broccoli Sprouts in a Jar
 
 
By agarkovahelena: Sweet Hearts 💕 for Sweet Heart
 
 
Sandra’s Alaska Recipes: SANDRA’S INDIVIDUAL HASH BROWN BREAKFAST CASSEROLES
 
 
A Taste of Alaska: Chili Relleno Soup
 
 
Betty Crocker Kitchens: 6-Ingredient Skillets That Are Weeknight Easy
 
 
Food Network Kitchen: Our Best Chicken Thigh Recipes
 
 
Betty Crocker Kitchens: Lemon Cheesecake