2020's Almost Over
Good morning, and welcome!
Whew, this year has been a crazy one, hasn’t it? So many new and different things have happened, and together we’ve made it through good times and bad times and everything in between. 2020 may have seen us all in quarantine, but it also inspired me to get ahead in my learning. All that extra time at home made 6 in the Morning possible.
However, as life picks up its pace once more, I’m going to leave 6 in the Morning behind with this year. I thank you for sticking with me through all my weird and wacky ramblings, but all good things must come to an end, and I’m looking forward to exploring other forms of learning and writing.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t go out with a bang.
Below are six bonus additions to some of my favorite previous articles, applying to each individual article theme. There’s an additional accidental invention to go with the 6 from the History’s Happiest Accidents article, a new ghost town for the That’s the Spirit: Ghost Towns of the World article, and so much more! Happy reading, and here’s to an incredible year together.
******
"History’s Happiest Accidents": Potato Chips
Before this delicious snack food was in bags in their own designated grocery store aisle, they were the hot, buttery dish of fried potatoes. In the mid-1800s, a New York hotel chef by the name of George Crum was serving this classic side to patron after patron. However, one of his guests wasn’t satisfied, claiming that Crum’s fried potatoes were too bland and thickly sliced. This guest demanded a fresh serving. Furious, but still bound to the patron’s request, Crum cut a potato into paper-thin slices, salted each slice heavily, and then fried them as normal. While the dish was originally made simply to irritate the guest who had criticized his cooking so harshly, it was actually a hit, and Crum’s “Saratoga Chips” were soon in high demand. He was able to open a successful restaurant featuring his new invention, potato chips, and, after that, all turned out pretty well for both chef and creation. In fact, Lay’s potato chip company alone sells over 230 million pounds of chips per year!
To read more about accidental inventions, check out the original 6 in the Morning article from back in March: https://6-in-the-morning.blogspot.com/2020/04/historys-happiest-accidents_14.html
"28 Wonders": Petra
Located in southwest Jordan, the ancient Nabatean capital of Petra is known for its unique architecture and innovations. As a city characterized by trade and travel, its people were influenced by frequent exposure to cultures across the world. Famous temples, tombs, and other landmarks in the city were carved directly into the local cliffs and combined Assyrian, Egyptian, Hellenistic, and Roman architecture styles while depicting deities originating in Greek mythology. Additionally, while the city was a stunning place to live, it was also highly functional in spite of its desert locations. Channels carved into the surrounding rock collected what little rainwater the landscape had to offer. The rainwater would then flow into a complex system of clay pipes and reservoirs to be distributed to the rest of the city. This pipe system proved so successful that Petra at one time possessed and supported lush gardens filled with beautiful plants and flowers. Sadly, the city’s population declined after a shift in trade routes and two devastating earthquakes that significantly damaged its structures. Its vacant remains were rediscovered by the Western world in 1812.
For more on the Wonders of the World, read this article from last May: https://6-in-the-morning.blogspot.com/2020/05/28-wonders.html
"Ghost Towns of the World": Kennicott, Alaska
Kennicott’s story is very similar to that of many American ghost towns from the last few centuries. It began life as a copper mine in the icy state of Alaska, attracting workers from nearby areas who hoped to earn money from the venture. Success in the area encouraged prosperity in the town. At its peak, it featured a train station, several local businesses, and, of course, an expansive mine worth 100 million dollars. The smaller community of McCarthy was constructed nearby as the original town’s population grew. Kennicott thrived for 27 years before the mine’s resources began to dwindle. In 1938, the mine closed officially, and the majority of people living there cleared out. They left most everything behind, even their personal belongings. Today, Kennicott is known as a ghost town, though a few people continue to live there, and many choose to visit in honor of the town’s interesting history and well-preserved structures.
If ghost towns pique your interest, try the original ghost town article from last June: https://6-in-the-morning.blogspot.com/2020/06/thats-spirit-ghost-towns-of-world.html
"The Competitive Edge": World Pillow Fight Championship
Not only does pillow fighting have an official holiday (first Saturday in April!), but it also has an official, organized competition called the World Pillow Fight Championship. And get this—there isn’t just one of them, but TWO! The first pillow fighting competition originated in the small town of Sonoma, California. In it, two people pillow fight while balancing on a thin log, using their pillows to try and knock their opponent from the log and into the mud pit below. The second one, invented in Japan, is a bit more elaborate. Pillows are thrown instead of used to hit, and they’re even stuffed with latex for the best possible bounce. Teams of five face each other in what is essentially a game of dodgeball, but with pillows. If a player is hit with a pillow, they’re out of the game, and the last team with players still in the game is declared a winner. Now, the question is, could either of these be played while social distancing? I sure hope so!
But wait! There’s more! Check out these additional wacky competitions in the original article from last August: https://6-in-the-morning.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-competitive-edge.html
"Castle in the Clouds": Disney Castle
We can’t bring up the incredible castles of the world without talking about the iconic Disney castle! There are actually six main castles in Disney parks around the world, and each one is unique. The original Sleeping Beauty castle, in the Disneyland California Resort, is based on Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle and includes secret passageways depicting Sleeping Beauty’s story from the animated Disney film. On Disneyland’s opening day, knights on horseback appeared outside the castle to greet the park’s first-ever guests. Disneyland Paris’s Sleeping Beauty Castle is slightly updated in comparison, complete with a dragon underneath to match the story. In Walt Disney World in Florida, the castle at the center of the park is said to be Cinderella’s. It features several Cinderella-themed attractions inside, as well as the exclusive suite that was originally built for Walt Disney himself. Similarly, Tokyo Disney Resort’s Cinderella castle shares these features, but also adds Fairytale Hall, where Cinderella’s famous glass slipper is displayed. The Shanghai Disney Resort castle, called the Enchanted Storybook Castle, is the largest, at an impressive 197 feet tall. In front of the structure is the castle’s Gardens of Imagination, and inside is a restaurant and gift shop. Lastly, the Disney Hong Kong resort’s Sleeping Beauty castle was transformed into the Castle of Magical Dreams this summer! It highlights several different Disney princesses, referencing their stories through details in the castle’s architecture. At its topmost tower is a treasure chest that includes a plethora of small cards on which Disney guests and employees were asked to write down their own hopes and dreams.
For more fascinating and stunning castles, try this article from last September: https://6-in-the-morning.blogspot.com/2020/09/castle-in-clouds.html
"Really and Truly": A parrot did what?!
Finally, here’s a special 2020 fun fact you won’t believe: an African gray parrot outsmarted a group of 21 Harvard students this year! They played what is essentially the Shell Game, a memory challenge in which a single pompom was hidden underneath a cup and then shuffled with other cups. While the Harvard students struggled to recall which cup held the pompom after shuffling, Griffin the parrot beat them in 12 out of 14 trials (each trial including 120 games!) without breaking a sweat. Aside from playing tough memory games, the 22-year-old parrot has been trained to recognize 40 words, such as color names, using cashew nuts as a reward. And he may be around for long enough to learn even more, as his species can live to be half a century old. Only in 2020….
For more wild facts, try the original article from last October: https://6-in-the-morning.blogspot.com/2020/09/really-and-truly.html
******
And that’s a wrap on the final 6 in the Morning article! Thanks again for taking this journey with me. As a final farewell, I bring you two reading recommendations for more interesting learning experiences: firstly, definitely check out my passionate and talented friend Lois’s blog, Country Tidbits, which features a plethora of gardening and cooking tips, as well as her insightful perspective on life. Plus, her posting schedule is like a thousand times more reliable than mine! (Sorry about that, by the way.) Secondly, try the book What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe, which, as one of my favorite reads, inspired the nature of 6 in the Morning’s eclectic investigations.
Lastly, as always, I leave you with a dare: this morning, and every morning, don’t forget that there’s always something new to learn and admire about our incredible world. They say curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back, and I have found it so enriching to live in this way. Putting in a little effort to learn something new has widened my perspective and added interest to a hard year. So, please, into 2021, I implore you to keep learning. Keep learning and never stop.
Here’s to a great year gone, and a greater one beginning. I wish you all the best.
Comments
Post a Comment