Lipstick has been worn for about 5,000 years, but the first stick came from a Paris perfumer in 1870

historyWikipediac. 3000 BC · Mesopotamia and Indus Valley

Lipstick has been worn for about 5,000 years, but the first stick came from a Paris perfumer in 1870

the gist

Sumerians and the Indus Valley civilisation may have been the first to wear lipstick about 5,000 years ago, using crushed gemstones and rectangular ochre pieces. Ancient Egyptians used it to show social status. In 19th-century Europe, lipstick was seen as unrespectable, and it was linked with actors and prostitutes. Maison Guerlain created the first lipstick in 1870, inspired by candlemaking techniques, and the first commercial lipstick followed in Paris in 1884. Carmine dye, made from cochineal insects, gave the colour, but it was applied with a brush. Metal tubes arrived by 1915, and in the late 1940s Hazel Bishop created the first long-lasting No-Smear lipstick.

how it works

Cochineal insects produce carminic acid, which makes up 17 to 24 percent of their dried weight. Mixed with aluminium or calcium salts, it forms a deep red pigment called carmine. Later lipsticks blended carmine with oil and wax, which gave a softer look and made application easier.

so what

Lipstick shows how a cosmetic moved from a status symbol to a mass product, shaped by chemistry, manufacturing and changing social norms. The shift to tubes and long-lasting formulas made it an everyday item.

the bigger pattern

Photography and film made cosmetics acceptable. As women started wearing lipstick for photographs, Elizabeth Arden and Estee Lauder began selling it in their salons, and the look moved from theatre to everyday life.

fun fact

The carmine dye in 19th-century lipsticks came from cochineal, scale insects that live on cactus plants in Mexico and Central America.

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 ↗