Gustave Zander and the 19th-Century Gym

mind & bodyThe Public Domain Review1865-1894 · Stockholm, Sweden

Gustave Zander and the 19th-Century Gym

the gist

In 1865 the Swedish physician Gustaf Zander opened his first institute in Stockholm with 27 machines designed to exercise particular muscle groups. He presented them as a form of medical treatment, prescribed to patients much like medicine. By 1877 there were 53 Zander machines in five Swedish towns, and he was exporting equipment to Russia, England, Germany and Argentina. He marketed the machines against the physical effects of sedentary office work, promising greater capacity for work. Some of his devices were even powered by steam, gas or electricity, so the user only had to connect the body to the machine. Gyms from the late 1800s onward followed this model of isolated resistance exercise on specialised equipment.

so what

Zander's work is an early origin of the resistance machine that sits in almost every modern gym. It also shows that the gym began partly as a response to desk work and industrial life. The idea that exercise is a treatment you can prescribe has never fully gone away.

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 ↗