FYI February 25, 2020

On This Day

1336 – Four thousand defenders of Pilėnai commit mass suicide rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights.
Pilėnai (also Pillenen in German) was a hill fort in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Its location is unknown and is subject to academic debates, but it is well known in the history of Lithuania due to its heroic defense against the Teutonic Order in 1336. Attacked by a large Teutonic force, the fortress, commanded by Duke Margiris, tried in vain to organize a defense against the larger and stronger invader. Losing hope, the defenders decided to burn their property and commit mass suicide to deprive the Order from prisoners and loot (cf. scorched earth). This dramatic episode from the Lithuanian Crusade has caught the public imagination, inspired many works of fiction, and became a symbol of Lithuanian struggles and resistance.

Read more ->

 
 

Born On This Day

1670 – Maria Margarethe Kirch, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1720)
Maria Margaretha Kirch (née Winckelmann, in historic sources named Maria Margaretha Kirchin; 25 February 1670 – 29 December 1720) was a German astronomer, and one of the first famous astronomers of her period due to her writings on the conjunction of the sun with Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter in 1709 and 1712 respectively.[1]

Read more ->

 
 

FYI

CBS News: 11-year-old girl brings loaded AR-15 to gun legislation hearing in Idaho
 
 
 
 
Fast Company Compass: Meet the 10 most overpaid CEOs in the U.S.; This designer lost her husband to cancer. Now she’s helping others cope—through design; Seattle’s new NHL team will give fans free public transit to get to games Seattle’s new NHL team will give fans free public transit to get to games and more ->

 
 
 
 

Today’s email was written by Eleanor Cummins, edited by Annaliese Griffin, and produced by Tori Smith. Quartz Obsession: Lazy rivers: The mellow heart of the water park
 
 
 
 
Open Culture: The Opera Database: Find Scores, Libretti & Synopses for Thousands of Operas Free Online; Watch the Spectacular Hieronymus Bosch Parade, Which Floats Through the Garden of Earthly Delights Painter’s Hometown Every Year; A Tribute to NASA’s Katherine Johnson (RIP): Learn About the Extraordinary Mathematician Who Broke Through America’s Race & Gender Barriers and more ->

 
 
 
 
The Passive Voice: The Creativity Code; Coronavirus: China’s private bookstores struggling to survive as sales drop 90 per cent, stores remain closed; Tennessee Becomes Next State Seeking Public Library Oversight, Censorship and more ->
 
 
 
 

MessyNessy 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CDXCI): One of the last fully functioning former Woolworth’s luncheonettes; Someone Found A Photo Album With A Woman Next To Hollywood Stars In A Thrift Shop; A 94-year-old man built his own helicopter; Lone Ranger Atom Bomb Ring, distributed by Kix Cereal in 1947 and more ->
 
 
 
 

Ideas

By Sky-Monkey: Transform Retired Climbing Rope Into Bowls and Other Useful Things
 
 
By ASCAS: DIY Cardboard Smartphone Film Scanner
 
 
By Meghan Telpner: 5 Ways to Store Food Without Plastic

Recipes

By In The Kitchen With Matt: Coconut Bread