London's first traffic lights were gas-lit semaphore arms, operated by a police constable with a lever in 1868

pop & funWikipedia1868–1869 · London, England

London's first traffic lights were gas-lit semaphore arms, operated by a police constable with a lever in 1868

the gist

The first traffic signals appeared in December 1868 outside the Houses of Parliament in London. They were semaphore arms, raised or lowered by a police constable, with a gas lamp that showed red or green at night, which he switched with a lever. The system exploded on 2 January 1869 and was taken down, but it set the template for signals elsewhere. The electric traffic light came in 1912, when Lester Wire, a Salt Lake City policeman, built one. In 1920 William Potts of Detroit added the amber caution light, creating the familiar red-amber-green sequence.

so what

Traffic lights replaced officers standing at junctions, and automatic timers later saved cities large sums; New York reassigned most of its traffic-squad officers after timers arrived. The design problem they solved, sharing a crowded intersection without collisions, is still managed by the same red-amber-green logic.

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 ↗