№ 642. The Day the Music Died

To deal with its length, McLean’s record company had a clever idea. The first half of the song appeared on the A-side of the single, while the second was consigned to side B. The result turned the A-side into a cliffhanger the listener had to see through to the end. The subsequent demand forced AM radio stations to play both sides. At the same time, FM radio – whose mandate was to go deeper and play longer – was reaching its commercial apex at the time. Issued at the end of 1971, American Pie hit No 1 by January of 72, where it stayed for a full month. For 49 years, it held the record for the longest song to hit No 1 – until Taylor Swift’s 10-minute cut, All Too Well, broke it.

Condenaststore

 

 

№ 641. The Roman Empire

Most ancient societies assumed that being a citizen of a particular place meant not just living in that place, but also speaking the language and sharing in the common culture. Romans, by contrast, could be people who might well not even speak Latin. As Beard notes, in the later periods of the Roman empire, Greek was the lingua franca (or rather, the koine glossa—“common tongue”) in its eastern half. In contrast to many slave-owning societies, both ancient and modern, the Romans allowed large numbers of their slaves to become free, and to acquire at least limited forms of citizenship.
 

Cartoonist Group

 

№ 640. Scientific Method

This section was lifted from one of my favorite textbooks in college. Paul G. Hewitt made Physics interesting, accessible, clear and entertaining. I still have a copy of my textbooks (two volumes!), which are now older than a teenager. Not all books are written equal. Quite a few are outstanding. This one lit fire in our heads.

 

Conceptual Physics by Paul G. Hewitt

№ 639. Cosmos: Webb v Hubble

 

A Technological Marvel

How does the Webb compare with the Hubble telescope? 

The Webb telescope’s primary mirror is 6.5 meters in diameter, compared with Hubble’s, which is 2.4 meters, giving Webb about seven times as much light-gathering capability and thus the ability to see further out in space and so deeper into the past. 

№ 638. Tips from Populists

Financial Times