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☆ Opinion: Ancient superstitions about eclipses paved the way for this scientific truth
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Opinion Jason Colavito | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —In ancient Mesopotamia, a solar eclipse was a cause for deep concern. Today, eclipses retain a little bit of their historic role as harbingers of doom. Many cultures imagined a solar eclipse occurred when a mythological being ate the sun. A group of people safely watching a solar eclipse in New York City in 1865. During the solar eclipse of 1842, 20,000 people of all social classes gathered in Perpignan, France, and applauded the sun’s performance.

Persons: Jason Colavito, Jimmy, James Dean, Herodotus, Thales, Miletus, Corbis, “, Pierre Gassendi, Christopher Columbus, Mark Twain, François Arago Organizations: New, Slate, CNN, puma, Thales, Connecticut Yankee, King Locations: New York, New Republic, Mesopotamia, United States, American, Vietnam, North America, China, New York City, France, Paris, Columbus, King Arthur’s, Perpignan

☆ The Hotel Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a June afternoon in 2018, a man named Mickey Barreto checked into the New Yorker Hotel. He was assigned Room 2565, a double-bed accommodation with a view of Midtown Manhattan almost entirely obscured by an exterior wall. Instead, he made the once-grand hotel his full-time residence for the next five years, without ever paying another cent. In a city where every inch of real estate is picked over and priced out, and where affordable apartments are among the rarest of commodities, Mr. Barreto had perhaps the best housing deal in New York City history. Now, that deal could land him in prison.

Persons: Mickey Barreto, Barreto, Christopher Columbus’s Organizations: New Locations: Midtown Manhattan, New York City, California

☆ Why a recession is 4 times more likely than an economic expansion this year, according to economist David Rosenberg
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Yuheng Zhan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewEconomist David Rosenberg has been sounding the recession alarm in recent months, and he now thinks that the likelihood is much greater that the US sees a contraction this year. The head of Rosenberg Research said he believes that a recession is four times more likely than an economic expansion, and it's just a matter of time as more signals kick in until the recession narrative comes back into focus. [H]istorically, when that's happening, unless it's an aberration, you have a four times greater chance of being in a recession than in an expansion. I think the recession narrative is going to come back, you know, in a, in a fuller view," Rosenberg said. And what that's telling you is that it's getting tougher and tougher for the backlog of unemployed to find a new job," he said.

Persons: —, David Rosenberg, Rosenberg wasn't, Christopher Columbus, Isabella Ferdinand, it's, Rosenberg, They've Organizations: Service, Rosenberg Research, Business, CNBC Locations: United States

☆ Ancient human DNA suggests Columbus may not have brought syphilis to Europe after all
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewThe idea that Christopher Colombus brought back syphilis from the New World might be completely wrong. Interim Archives/Getty ImagesThe timing of the arrival of syphilis in Europe is suspiciousLooking at historical literature, you would think syphilis definitely arrived with the conquistadors. There was a big outbreak of syphilis in Europe in the late 1400s, mostly in harbor towns, seemingly out of the blue. AdvertisementThis suggests that the bones lesions alone don't guarantee that syphilis was present in South America before Columbus, poking holes in the evidence used to support the hypothesis. AdvertisementWith this ancient genome, Schünemann and colleagues were able to discover that the whole Treponema family is much older than had ever been expected.

Persons: —, Christopher Colombus, didn't, Verena Schünemann, Christopher Columbus, Columbus, Brenda Baker, Schünemann Organizations: Service, Business, University of Basel, Arizona State University, Getty Locations: Europe, South America, Barcelona, Spain, Brazil, Asia, Japan, Columbus, India, Americas

☆ Did syphilis originate in the Americas? Ancient DNA offers some insight
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In France, it was named the “Neapolitan disease” after the French army got infected during its invasion of Naples, Italy, in the first documented syphilis epidemic. A complex disease caused by a complex bacteriumWithout treatment, syphilis can cause physical disfigurement, blindness and mental impairment. Others believe T. pallidum bacteria always had a global distribution but perhaps grew in virulence after initially manifesting as a mild disease. Some bones had marks characteristic of infection with T. pallidum — the bacteria effectively eat away at bones, leaving concave lesions. “The modern tools available for extracting DNA from ancient samples, for enriching the treponemal DNA, and obtaining deep sequencing from samples has rapidly increased our understanding of the Treponema.”

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Treponema pallidum, ”, Brenda J, Baker, Jose Filippini It’s, Molly Zuckerman, wasn’t, ” Zuckerman, “, it’s, Columbus, Europe ’, Sheila A, pallidum, Verena Schünemann, Schünemann, Mathew Beale, Beale, ” Lukehart Organizations: CNN, Research, Arizona State University, Bioarchaeology Laboratories, Mississippi State University, University of Washington, University of Zurich’s Institute of Evolutionary, Wellcome Sanger, Columbus Locations: France, Naples, Italy, Europe, Americas, Brazil, New, Laguna, Santa Catarina, Africa, Columbus, Finland, Estonia, Netherlands, Asia, Cambridge, England

☆ How Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A bill proposing a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. was first introduced in 1968. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the second federal holiday of every calendar year (after New Year's Day). The first time Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed was in 1986, according to Time. AdvertisementSouth Carolina became the last state, in 2000, to officially designate Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday. As part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, public schools and universities are closed, and it's a bank holiday.

Persons: Martin Luther King Jr, Ronald Reagan, —, that's, Holiday Bill, King, . King, Bill, John Conyers of, Congressional Black Caucus —, Republican Sen, Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, didn't, Stevie Wonder, Robert E, Lee, George Washington, Christopher Columbus, Conyers Organizations: Service, MLK, National Museum of, Democratic Rep, Congressional Black Caucus, Republican, Confederate, USPS Locations: Memphis , Tennessee, Memphis, John Conyers of Michigan, Washington, Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi

☆ A Columbus Letter Beloved by Thieves and Forgers Hits the Market
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Julia Jacobs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The last time Christie’s sold a copy of a famed 15th-century pamphlet announcing Christopher Columbus’s first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean was in 1992, and it did not end well. It later emerged that the document had been stolen, and it was eventually repatriated to Italy. The pamphlet Christie’s is auctioning off on Thursday comes from an anonymous private collection in Switzerland. This one, it says, has been investigated relentlessly to ensure it was neither stolen nor forged. He said that Christie’s had “covered all the bases” to authenticate this copy of the oft-stolen pamphlet.

Persons: Christie’s, Christopher Columbus’s, ”, Jay Dillon Locations: Italy, Spain, Switzerland, New Jersey

A statue of Christopher Columbus is vandalized with the word ‘murderer.’ (Nik Wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images)When did Indigenous Peoples Day come about? Indigenous Peoples Day is an opportunity to reconcile tensions between these two perspectives. Yes, the shift from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day has met resistance from communities across the country. In 2021, parents in Parsippany, New Jersey, protested the local school board’s decision to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day. Now the holidays are just referred to as “days off.”What resources do you recommend for Indigenous Peoples Day?

Persons: “, Columbus, Susan C, Christopher Columbus, Nik Wheeler, Corbis, –, Christopher Columbus ”, James Loewen, Roxanne Dunbar, Ortiz, Faircloth Organizations: Columbus, Indigenous Peoples, Colorado State University, Getty, Indigenous, South Dakota –, District of Columbia, Day, Columbus Day, Young, School of Education Locations: Columbus, United States, Americas, Coharie, North Carolina, South Dakota, U.S, Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii , Idaho , Iowa, Louisiana, Maine , Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina , Oklahoma , Oregon, South Dakota , Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Parsippany , New Jersey, ”

☆ What’s open and closed on Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Americans celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day on the second Monday of October each year. Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes the contributions and legacy of those who lived here long before Christopher Columbus erroneously claimed to have discovered America. President Joe Biden formally recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2021 by signing a proclamation stating that federal policies “systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures.”Some states officially celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day and others commemorate it through proclamations. More than 100 cities have replaced Columbus Day altogether with the holiday. Chase Bank and TD Bank will be open for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Joe Biden, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Indigenous, Columbus, ’, Indigenous Peoples, Federal Reserve, Nasdaq, New York Stock Exchange, Banks, Bank of America, Citibank, Chase Bank, TD Bank, Mail, United States Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, FedEx Express, Target, Walmart, Kroger Locations: New York, America, Wells Fargo

☆ How ancient footprints rewrote a chapter of early human history
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And for scientists, preserved footprints can lead to unexpected journeys into the past that rewrite history. National Park ServiceWhen the discovery of 61 fossilized human footprints found in New Mexico’s White Sands National Park was first announced in 2021, the ancient find changed the timeline of early humans living in the Americas. That’s why the footprints represent such a crucial missing chapter in human history. Across the universePlanetlike objects were spotted in a new image of the Orion Nebula taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA/ESA/CSAAstronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to peer inside the glowing Orion Nebula and found something completely unexpected: pairs of planetlike objects.

Persons: we’ve, Trailblazers, Katalin Karikó, Drew Weissman’s, James Webb, ”, Samuel G, Pearson, Webb, Edward Marshall, Christopher Columbus, —, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Park Service, Sands, James Webb Space Telescope, NASA, ESA, CSA, Telescope, European Space Agency, Comedy, CNN Space, Science Locations: New, Americas, North America, China, Redonda, Flora Redonda, Caribbean, Indonesia

☆ Redonda: A Caribbean island once ruled by rats is now a wildlife haven
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But with the humans came invasive species, such as black rats and feral goats. In 2016, they launched an effort to restore the island and eliminate the invasive species. We just removed the rats and the goats, and the island transformed right in front of our eyes,” she says. Jenny Daltry/Fauna & Flora/Re:wild Jenny Daltry/Fauna & Flora/Re:wild Redonda island, before and after the eradication of invasive species. Redonda, which is about a mile long, was estimated to have around 6,000 rats and 60 goats pre-eradication, explains Bradshaw.

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Redonda, Ed Marshall, ”, Johnella Bradshaw, Jenny Daltry, they’re, Bradshaw, “, ” Bradshaw, Lawson Lewis, Nneka Nicholas, Helena Jeffery Brown, Nature Organizations: CNN, Environmental, Barbuda Defence Force, Department of, Department for Environment, “ Locations: Redonda, Antigua, Barbuda, Caribbean, Fauna

☆ Theme Park’s Selective History Appeals to a New Spanish Nationalism
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Constant Méheut | More About Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Moving through the darkened holds of a replica of Christopher Columbus’s ship, visitors on a recent afternoon marveled at the tangle of compasses, cordage and barrels. At last, a voice shouted “Land!” and the white sands of America appeared. May it be for the greater glory of God,” Columbus was then heard telling Queen Isabella I of Castile. The popularity of the park has come as a surprise in a country that has long been shy about celebrating its history. Nationalist sentiments were largely taboo after the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco, who died in the 1970s.

Persons: Christopher Columbus’s, “, ” Columbus, Queen Isabella I of Castile, Fou, Gen, Francisco Franco Locations: America, Spain

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

☆ Philadelphia mayor 'disappointed' court ordered removal of box covering Christopher Columbus statue
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Tj Swigart | Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Philadelphia's mayor said he is "disappointed" that a court ordered the city to remove a plywood box covering a statue of Christopher Columbus. A spokesperson for Jim Kenney said the office believes the statue should be removed from Marconi Plaza, noting that it "has been a source of controversy" in the city. A pedestrian walks by an encased statue of Christopher Columbus at Marconi Plaza in Philadelphia on Oct. 11, 2021. Matt Rourke / AP file"More to the point, the City accepted the donation of the Columbus statue in 1876. "The Columbus statue is not City property as is, for example, a City snowblower.

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso insisted he's not white, but really Italian — and thus "Latin" — during an awkward debate moment Tuesday in the nation's second-largest city. Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso speaks at Emerson College Los Angeles on Oct. 7, 2022. The mayoral hopeful said he's, for decades, led efforts to bring more education opportunities and healthcare to Black and Latino communities in Los Angeles. "I connect with the Latino community but quite frankly my job as mayor is to connect with every community — the Latino community, the Black community, the Asian community, right? Caruso' "Latin" identity comment drew a harsh reaction, ranging from scorn to mockery.

☆ Christopher Columbus is the target in bestselling Native American author's new comic, and Hollywood wants in on it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Mike Calia | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK – Even in fourth grade, Stephen Graham Jones thought the heroic story of Christopher Columbus was a crock. said Jones, author of The New York Times-bestselling supernatural thriller "The Only Good Indians" and a member of the Blackfeet Native American tribe. (A 2002 episode of "The Sopranos" depicted members of the Italian crime family fighting Native Americans who are protesting Columbus Day.) "I've only gotten support and people agreeing that if we could, we should go back and take Columbus out," Jones said in an interview Friday at New York Comic Con. By the end of the first issue, Tad fears he is becoming a monster.

☆ Made Men: A photo tour of the most notorious sites of New York Mafia history – and what they look like now
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-23 | by ( Andrew Lichtenstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Andrew Lichtenstein for InsiderManhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, on the western edge of Midtown, got its name from its crowded tenements. On March, 13, 2019, Gambino family crime boss Frankie Cali was shot dead in the driveway outside his Todt Hill home. Andrew Lichtenstein for InsiderThe service road to the Belt Parkway runs through the northern edge of the Brighton Beach neighborhood. John Gotti's Family Home, Howard Beach, QueensThe home where John Gotti, the leader of the Gambino crime family. It's here that John Gotti, the leader of the Gambino crime family and thus the 'Godfather' of the American mafia, lived and raised his family.

☆ Christopher Columbus brought a host of terrible new diseases to the New World
▼ + stars: | 2015-10-12 | by ( Julia Calderone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wikimedia CommonsWhen Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean and touched down in North America in 1492, he changed the world forever. He bridged the "old" world in Europe, Africa, and Asia with the "new" world in the Americas. Along with their own set of diseases at the time, Columbus' arrival created a devastating concoction of maladies. "But it also launched a clash of infectious diseases." AdvertisementOf the estimated 250,000 natives in Hispaniola, Columbus' first stop in the Americas in 1492, new infectious diseases wiped out a staggering 236,000 Indigenous people by 1517 — nearly 95% of their population.

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Stephen Prescott, — Organizations: Wikimedia, Stephen Prescott , Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Malaria Locations: West Indies, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Americas, Columbus, Stephen Prescott , Oklahoma, Hispaniola, Lyme

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