Die Hard began as a novel sequel and turned into a film about a man who should have apologized

pop & funWikipedia1987–1988 · Los Angeles

Die Hard began as a novel sequel and turned into a film about a man who should have apologized

the gist

Screenwriter Jeb Stuart was short of money in 1987 and was asked to adapt Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, a sequel to The Detective. The studio had to offer Frank Sinatra the lead, and he declined; many stars turned it down before Bruce Willis got the role. Stuart based the story on an idea he had after driving over an empty box on the freeway, a theme of a man who should have apologized to his wife before a catastrophe. He wrote a first draft in about six weeks, and the director John McTiernan insisted the film have some joy. The character was made into an ordinary man who is not larger than life.

so what

Die Hard reshaped the action genre by making its hero vulnerable and ordinary, and it became a model for a whole generation of action films. Its casting shows how studios often struggled to find a lead for a film that later became iconic.

fun fact

Alan Rickman was already in his early 40s when he made his screen debut as the villain Hans Gruber.

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 ↗