People were hooked on bite-sized life hacks in the 1500s. In 1579 the English writer Thomas Lupton published A Thousand Notable Things, a book of roughly 1,000 short passages in random order. It offered household tips such as how to keep wine from spoiling or repair broken glass, remedies for acne, a weight-loss tip, a cake recipe, a story about a devoted dog and astrological predictions. The sensational facts, quick answers and endless variety read like a social media feed, and the book was a bestseller that was reprinted many times.

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.