FYI June 05, 2020

  • Filed under FYI

On This Day

1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights.[1]
Kraków (/ˈkrækaʊ, -koʊ/, also US: /ˈkreɪk-, ˈkrɑːkaʊ/, UK: /ˈkrækɒf/,[3][4] Polish: [ˈkrakuf] (About this soundlisten)), written in English as Krakow and traditionally known as Cracow, is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Province, the city dates back to the 7th century.[5] Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596[6] and has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, economic, cultural and artistic life. Cited as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities,[7] its Old Town was declared the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world.

The city has grown from a Stone Age settlement to Poland’s second most important city. It began as a hamlet on Wawel Hill and was already being reported as a busy trading centre of Central Europe in 965.[5] With the establishment of new universities and cultural venues at the emergence of the Second Polish Republic in 1918 and throughout the 20th century, Kraków reaffirmed its role as a major national academic and artistic centre. The city has a population of about 770,000, with approximately 8 million additional people living within a 100 km (62 mi) radius of its main square.[8]

After the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany at the start of World War II, the newly defined Distrikt Krakau (Kraków District) became the capital of Germany’s General Government. The Jewish population of the city was forced into a walled zone known as the Kraków Ghetto, from which they were sent to German extermination camps such as the nearby Auschwitz, and the Nazi concentration camps like Płaszów.[9] However, the city was spared from destruction and major bombing.

In 1978, Karol Wojtyła, archbishop of Kraków, was elevated to the papacy as Pope John Paul II—the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.[10] Also that year, UNESCO approved Kraków’s entire Old Town and historic centre as its first World Heritage List alongside Quito.[11][12] Kraków is classified as a global city with the ranking of high sufficiency by GaWC.[13] Its extensive cultural heritage across the epochs of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture includes the Wawel Cathedral and the Royal Castle on the banks of the Vistula, the St. Mary’s Basilica, Saints Peter and Paul Church and the largest medieval market square in Europe, the Rynek Główny.[14] Kraków is home to Jagiellonian University, one of the oldest universities in the world and traditionally Poland’s most reputable institution of higher learning.

In 2000, Kraków was named European Capital of Culture. In 2013, Kraków was officially approved as a UNESCO City of Literature.[15] The city hosted the World Youth Day in July 2016.[16]

Read more ->

 
 

Born On This Day

1646 – Elena Cornaro Piscopia, Italian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1684)
Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (US: /kɔːrˌnɑːroʊ pɪˈskoʊpiə/,[4] Italian: [ˈɛːlena luˈkrɛttsja korˈnaːro piˈskɔːpja]) or Elena Lucrezia Corner (Italian: [korˈnɛr]; 5 June 1646 – 26 July 1684), also known in English as Helen Cornaro, was a Venetian philosopher of noble descent who in 1678 became one of the first women to receive an academic degree from a university, and the first to receive a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Read more ->

 
 

FYI

https://youtu.be/_l80Qm_0_EU
 
 
 
 

The Rural Blog: Appeals court bans dicamba-based herbicide sales in U.S. for 6 months; EPA is likely to reauthorize it for next year and more ->
 
 
 
 
Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent, The Guardian: Killing of elephant with explosive-laden fruit causes outrage in India Death of pregnant animal from pineapple filled with firecrackers sparks anger
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed that an investigation was being carried out into the elephant’s death, and that one arrest had been made.

“We want to assure you that your concerns will not go in vain. Justice will prevail,” tweeted Vijayan.

Kerala Forest Department meanwhile pledged that it would “leave no stone unturned to ensure max punishment to the offenders”.
 
 
 
 
By Ernie Smith, Tedium: Jagged Little Tapes
These transitional audio recording formats were briefly dominant—then, quickly grew obscure. The further back you go, the more obscure they get.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
https://youtu.be/QHsOD0kZ5k4
 
 
 
 
https://youtu.be/rTuFU6Lb1IA
 
 
 
 

Ideas

By Jill Nystul, One Good Thing: The 2 Easy DIY Treatments You Need To Fight Thinning Hair
 
 
 
 

Recipes