Ben & Jerry's began as a failed bagel shop plan and a correspondence course

pop & funWikipedia1978 · Burlington, Vermont, USA

Ben & Jerry's began as a failed bagel shop plan and a correspondence course

the gist

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, childhood friends from Merrick, New York, planned a bagel shop in 1977 but found the equipment too expensive. They took a correspondence course in ice cream making from Penn State instead, and in 1978 opened a parlour in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, with a $12,000 investment. Cohen has a severe lack of smell, so he relied on texture, which led to the chunks that became a trademark. The brand grew with bold social campaigns and a 1979 free cone day that still runs today. In 2000 the company was sold to Unilever for $326 million, though its founders kept a voice in it for some years.

so what

Ben & Jerry's became a rare example of a food company that tied its brand to social causes, and its later disputes with its parent company show how a mission can clash with corporate ownership. It is a useful case of how one personal quirk can shape a product.

fun fact

Ben Cohen's lack of a sense of smell is the reason the company's chunky mix-ins became part of its product.

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

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

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 ↗