Electrified bodies were the stars of 18th-century shows, and some were sold as medicine

historyWellcome Collection1700s · England

Electrified bodies were the stars of 18th-century shows, and some were sold as medicine

the gist

In the 1700s, electricity was a public spectacle as well as a science. Stephen Gray's flying boy experiment in the 1730s suspended a boy from silk cords and charged him, so he could attract scraps of paper. Jean-Antoine Nollet had chains of people shocked together through Leyden jars, and William Watson ran a circuit across Westminster Bridge that shocked everyone in the chain. Performers blended education with drama, and some turned it into quackery. James Graham's Celestial Bed in London in 1781 claimed that static electricity could help couples conceive, and it was rented for £50 a night.

so what

The shows helped spread scientific instruments and gadgets, while also showing how easily a novel force could be marketed as a cure. The era reveals how the public first met electricity.

fun fact

The Celestial Bed was insulated with glass rod supports so that it could become electrically charged.

Wellcome Collection · CC BY 4.0

source: Wellcome Collection ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗