FYI October 30, 2019

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On This Day

1925 – John Logie Baird creates Britain’s first television transmitter.
John Logie Baird FRSE (/ˈloʊɡi bɛərd/;[1] 13 August 1888 – 14 June 1946) was a Scottish engineer, innovator, one of the inventors of the mechanical television, demonstrating the first working television system on 26 January 1926, and inventor of both the first publicly demonstrated colour television system, and the first purely electronic colour television picture tube.[2][3][4][5]

In 1928 the Baird Television Development Company achieved the first transatlantic television transmission.[4] Baird’s early technological successes and his role in the practical introduction of broadcast television for home entertainment have earned him a prominent place in television’s history.

Baird was ranked number 44 in the BBC’s list of the 100 Greatest Britons following a UK-wide vote in 2002.[6] In 2006, Baird was named as one of the 10 greatest Scottish scientists in history, having been listed in the National Library of Scotland’s ‘Scottish Science Hall of Fame’.[7] In 2015 he was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame.[8]

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Born On This Day

1728 – Mary Hayley, English businesswoman (d. 1808)
Mary Hayley née Wilkes (30 October 1728 – 9 May 1808) was an English businesswoman. She parlayed an inheritance from her first husband into a sizeable estate with her second husband. Upon the latter’s death, she took over the business and successfully operated a shipping firm from 1781 to 1792 before living out her life in Bath.

Hayley was born in 1728 in London to the prosperous distiller Israel Wilkes junior and was a sister to the politician John Wilkes. Kind-hearted but opinionated, she lived an unconventional life and was known for her astute observation and discussion, based upon her wide reading. Refusing to bow to custom, she attended trials at the Old Bailey and travelled throughout Britain to satisfy her wide-ranging curiosity. Marrying a widower, Samuel Storke junior, in 1752, she became a widow within the year with a young step-son. As her husband’s sole heir, she inherited his business and soon after his death married his chief clerk, George Hayley. He turned out to be a shrewd businessman, increasing her inherited wealth tenfold during his lifetime. Their business established extensive trade relationships with the American colonies, supplying the tea which gained infamy in the Boston Tea Party.

After her second husband’s death and the end of the American Revolution, American merchants owed Hayley a large debt and she became one of the few Britons who successfully recouped their losses after the war. In 1784, she purchased a frigate used by both the Continental Navy and the Royal Navy and had it refurbished as a whaling and sealing vessel. She rechristened the frigate the United States and moved to Boston, where she lived for eight years. Unusually for women at the time, she became a benefactor, donating money and goods to charitable endeavours, and ran a whaling business. Her first venture, a voyage to the Falkland Islands, resulted in a shipment of whale oil, which was seized by the British government in 1785. She successfully recouped her losses from the Crown, as it was unable to prove that she owed duty, as British merchants were exempt if one-third of their crew was also British.

In 1786, Hayley married a Scottish merchant in Boston, Patrick Jeffrey. In 1792, she left him and returned to England with the stipulation that he never again appear in her presence. After a brief stay in London, she lived out her days in Bath.

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FYI

Jezebel: The Composers Who Write YouTube Influencers’ Music, Often for Free; There Is No Such Thing As Taking Too Many Photos of Your Cat and more ->
 
 
 
 
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DeadSpin: Check Out The Wheels On This Pumpkin Thief and more ->
 
 
 
 
Gizmodo Science: How a Telescope Tragedy Led to This Amazing New X-Ray Image; The Latest Iffy Wellness Trend Is CBD-Infused Workout Gear and more ->
 
 
 
 
The Rural Blog: House bill would force government to name oil refiners that get hardship waivers under ethanol blending law; USDA publishing rule to ease widespread hemp production, which could help the young industry’s growing pains and more ->
 
 
 
 
Fast Company Compass: How I finally beat my Twitter addiction; A museum’s new collection celebrates the art of African American quilting and more ->
 
 
 
 
Carol At Make A Living Writing: Email Interviews: 3 Tips to Make Sure They Don’t Suck
 
 
 
 
National Geographic: From horror to love to fear
 
 
 
 
Open Culture: Watch the Opening of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey with the Original, Unused Score; What Guitars Were Like 400 Years Ago: An Introduction to the 9 String Baroque Guitar and more ->
 
 
 
 
The Passive Voice: Reading for fun declines between ages 8 and 9; The Panorama Project and more ->
 
 
 
 
By James Clear: The “Chosen Ones” Choose Themselves
 
 
 
 
By Niphun Mehta: Awakin Weekly: Life Is Full But Not Overcrowded
That’s a very important thing I’ve learned: If your life is in harmony with your part in the Life Pattern, and if you are obedient to the laws which govern this universe, then your life is full and good but not overcrowded. If it is overcrowded, you are doing more than is right for you to do, more than is your job to do in the total scheme of things.
 
 
 
 
By Jessica Wildfire, The Medium: The Most Important Productivity Tool You’ll Ever Use It’s three simple words — and a rock of truth.
 
 
 
 
Forbes Now: The Top-Earning Dead Celebrities Of 2019 and more ->
 
 
 
 
Today’s email was written by Michael Tabb, edited by Annaliese Griffin, and produced by Tori Smith. Quartz Obsession: Circadian rhythms
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Recipes

Perfectly Destressed: Oh My Gingerbread Lovin’ Goodness
 
 
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