Browsing: Lifestyle

A Brief History On January 26, 1965, the Constitution of India was amended to make Hindi the official language of Government in India, with English relegated to a “subsidiary official language.” Although the Indian constitution recognizes 22 “scheduled” languages, there are actually many more dialects spoken throughout the country, about 780, perhaps the second most linguistically diverse nation on Earth (after new Guinea with over 800 languages). Digging Deeper According to the official census of India, there are 122 “major” languages and an additional 1599 languages spoken there (presumably dialects). At least 30 of the languages are spoken by a…

A Brief History Swimsuits (or bikini, if you will) have always been popular.   While the two-piece swimsuit as a design existed in classical antiquity, the modern design first attracted public notice in Paris on July 5, 1946.  French mechanical engineer Louis Réard introduced a design he named the “bikini”, taking the name from the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.  Four days earlier, the United States had initiated its first peace-time nuclear weapons test at Bikini Atoll as part of Operation Crossroads. Réard hoped his swimsuit’s revealing style would create an “explosive commercial and cultural reaction” similar to the explosion at…

A Brief History On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 flew into the annals of History when it became “The Miracle on the Hudson.”  An Airbus A32-214 jet liner had just taken off from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, when the twin jet powered airliner ran straight into a flock of Canada Geese, causing both engines to fail.  With no chance to return to the airport, the pilot had no choice other than to attempt a water landing (“ditching”) in the Hudson River. Digging Deeper Piloted by Chesley Sullenberger, age 57, a former US…

A Brief History The concept of lingerie as a visually appealing undergarment was developed during the late nineteenth century.  Lucy Christiana, Lady Duff-Gordon (1863 – 1935), who worked under the professional name of “Lucile”, was a pioneer in developing lingerie that freed women from more restrictive corsets. During the late 19th century, corsets became smaller, less bulky and more constricting and were gradually supplanted by the brassiere, first patented in the 20th century by Caresse Crosby (born Mary Phelps Jacob; 1891 – 1970) . Today, nearly a century after these pioneering efforts, bottom wear can help you get all the attention…

A Brief History On January 9, 2018, we once again celebrate National Play God Day, celebrated each January 9th as a day in which those that recognize the “holiday” make it a point to perform one or more good deeds for a person or the general welfare of mankind.  Unfortunately, we were unable to determine the origins of this day, so instead of boring you with mere facts, we will discuss some of the things we might do if we were God!  Please do us the favor of telling us what things you would do. First of all, you do…