The Fisher Space Pen was privately funded, and the Soviets bought it too

historyWikipedia1960s · United States

The Fisher Space Pen was privately funded, and the Soviets bought it too

the gist

The Fisher Space Pen was not a costly government commission. Paul C. Fisher, founder of the Fisher Pen Company, developed it independently using about $1 million of his own money. Pencils were the real problem in spaceflight, because shavings and pencil lead could float around a cabin as a hazard. NASA tested the pen, approved it for use in space, and bought 400 of them at $6 each. The Soviet Union later also bought the Space Pen for its Soyuz missions. The story is a neat example of a private invention solving a problem that stumped engineers using the obvious tool.

so what

It corrects a popular myth that treats the pen-versus-pencil story as a tale of wasteful spending. It also shows how a simple everyday object can be shaped by a practical safety concern in a high-stakes environment.

fun fact

The Fisher Space Pen can write upside down and across a wide range of temperatures, which is why it suits zero gravity.

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 ↗