The Earliest Days of NASA
Maria Popova, at Brain Pickings, happened upon a treasure trove of early NASA (and its airplane-only predecessor NACA) archive photos. They are really something. From biplanes to the Mercury capsule, pre-1950 aeronautics seemed to live by the motto of “If we build it, then we can go there.” That’s a sentiment we could use a bit more of.
Yes please!
Isao Hashimoto’s extraordinary musical map of every nuclear explosion since 1945.
To the extent there can BE such a thing as an audio infographic, this is it.
Lunch break: William Stout’s 100 Cartoon Portraits of Legendary Blues Artists.
These are so wonderful. If you want more Robert Johnson, check out our story, Crossroads.
“A wild scheme” and “a useless undertaking”: Darwin’s list of his father’s objections to the voyage on the Beagle
Owen Jones (1809-1874) was an English born Welsh architect and designer. Jones created a comprehensive global design reference book, The Grammar of Ornament published in 1856.
Boys in a Glasgow back court show off their Christmas presents, which include astronaut suits and Space Hoppers. 1970
Outer space, a new frontier, was sufficiently vast and mysterious to allow designers and toy manufacturers near-complete freedom of imagination and creation. One rather enigmatic but popular product was Mettoy’s Space Hopper. These bright orange vinyl bouncing balls, two feet in diameter, with kangaroolike faces and handles that resembled horns, are said to have been inspired by children bouncing on fishing buoys in Norway.
Learn more at MoMA.org/centuryofthechild
Solar System Sampler
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, girls in the UK and the US used needle and thread to embroider images and text onto pieces of fabric that were called “samplers.” Samplers, which could be quite intricate, were meant to promote basic literacy and to teach patience and carefulness.
Unlike many samplers, which featured botanical, Biblical, or domestic themes, this unusual pre-printed fabric from 1811 depicts a surprisingly scientific subject: the arrangement of the solar system. (via Slate)
P.S.
The Great Comet of 1811, formally designated C/1811 F1, is a comet that was visible to the naked eye for around 260 days, a record it held until the appearance of Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. In October 1811, at its brightest, it displayed an apparent magnitude of 0, with an easily visible coma. (via Wikipedia,)
More fuel for our science embroidery obsession.
ryanpanos: Amazing photos of vintage logging industry in the Redwood Forests of California via U of C
What we’ve destroyed is lost for hundreds of generations. Hopefully not for forever.
Horrible/incredible images.
