Within weeks of Röntgen's announcement, Austrian researchers published X-ray photographs of cameos, limbs and meat

historyThe Public Domain Review1896 · Vienna, Austria

Within weeks of Röntgen's announcement, Austrian researchers published X-ray photographs of cameos, limbs and meat

the gist

In early 1896, weeks after Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen made public his discovery of X-rays, two Austrian experimenters, Josef Maria Eder and Eduard Valenta, produced a portfolio of images. Titled Experiments in Photography by means of X-Rays, it contained fifteen photogravures showing skeletal forms of animals and human limbs. It also showed carved cameos and objects made of metal, wood, glass and meat. The images were both scientific and striking, because they revealed hidden structures in ordinary materials. Their composition echoed nineteenth-century natural history illustration and anticipated the photography of the 1910s and 1920s. The portfolio shows how quickly the new invention spread from laboratories into art and public imagination.

so what

These early images show how the discovery of X-rays was instantly seen as both medical and aesthetic. Within a few years, radiography would become a basic tool of diagnosis.

fun fact

Röntgen was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for discovering X-rays.

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 ↗