Colour wheels were drawn for four centuries, from simple circles to 3D pyramids and charts of emotion

arts, ideas & societyThe Public Domain Review1686–1914 · Europe

Colour wheels were drawn for four centuries, from simple circles to 3D pyramids and charts of emotion

the gist

For about four centuries, thinkers have tried to map colours in neat diagrams, and the results reveal how their ideas about light and vision changed. Early charts, such as Richard Waller's 1686 table, arranged colours by how they were made and by their properties. In 1766 the entomologist Moses Harris drew a shaded colour wheel, and in 1772 Lambert built a three-dimensional pyramid from Tobias Mayer's triangle. Goethe's 1809 colour wheel went further, tying colours to moods and symbolism, while Philipp Otto Runge's 1810 colour sphere put all hues on a single ball. Later charts, such as those in 1912 by Robert Ridgway, aimed to standardise names for colours.

so what

These diagrams show that the question of how to organise colour was never settled by one theory. Newton's work on light and later physics gradually produced the three-colour systems that still underlie printing and screens.

fun fact

Goethe wrote a full colour theory, Farbenlehre, and was proud of it even though physicists did not accept his work on light.

Image: The Public Domain Review

source: The Public Domain Review ↗

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 ↗