We have been going a litÂtle vinÂtage lateÂly, and we’ll have to do it one more day. For today marks the 50th anniverÂsary of John F. Kennedy’s inauÂguÂraÂtion, the beginÂing of a presÂiÂdenÂcy that inspired many, even though it lastÂed scarceÂly more than 1000 days. Kennedy’s inauÂgurÂal speech ran 1364 words and took 14 minÂutes to delivÂer. That makes it sigÂnifÂiÂcantÂly shortÂer than the longest inauÂgurÂal address (William HenÂry HarÂriÂson took 8,445 words in 1841) but longer than the tersÂest one – George WashÂingÂton spoke mereÂly 135 words durÂing his secÂond address. With 50 years of hindÂsight, we still conÂsidÂer Kennedy’s speech one of the finest inauÂgurÂal addressÂes because, as E.J. Dionne writes this week, it chalÂlenged the nation (and still does today) “to harÂness realÂism to ideÂalÂism, patriÂoÂtism to serÂvice, nationÂal interÂest to uniÂverÂsal aspiÂraÂtion,” espeÂcialÂly with the eterÂnal line: “And so, my felÂlow AmerÂiÂcans: ask not what your counÂtry can do for you — ask what you can do for your counÂtry.” You can revisÂit the speech in full above, and also find othÂer great archival footage withÂin the new YouTube ChanÂnel sponÂsored by the JFK PresÂiÂdenÂtial Library.
Norman Mailer & Marshall McLuhan Debate the Electronic Age
There’s nothÂing new about it. Major periÂods of techÂnoÂlogÂiÂcal change have always engenÂdered disÂloÂcaÂtion and debate. Some resist the changes wrought by new techÂnolÂoÂgy, and othÂers embrace them. 1968 brings us back to one such moment, when the AmerÂiÂcan novÂelÂist NorÂman MailÂer and comÂmuÂniÂcaÂtion theÂoÂrist MarÂshall McLuhan appeared on the CBC proÂgram, The SumÂmer Way, to debate the relÂaÂtive merÂits of our Electronic/Information Age. Are we alienÂatÂing ourÂselves as we push the elecÂtronÂic enveÂlope? Or have we entered a valÂue neuÂtral state (if not someÂthing betÂter)? The two big thinkers hash out the quesÂtion for 28 minÂutes. You can watch the conÂverÂsaÂtion in its entireÂty (28 minÂutes) on YouTube.
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
NorÂman MailÂer & MarÂshall McLuhan Debate the ElecÂtronÂic Age
The VisionÂary Thought of MarÂshall McLuhan, IntroÂduced and DemysÂtiÂfied by Tom Wolfe
MarÂshall McLuhan’s 1969 Deck of Cards, Designed For Out-of-the-Box ThinkÂing
MLK’s Last Days and Final Speech
MarÂtin Luther King Jr. delivÂered his last speech, known colÂloÂquiÂalÂly as his “I’ve Been to the MounÂtainÂtop” speech, in MemÂphis, TenÂnessee on April 3, 1968. The next day, he would be assasÂsiÂnatÂed. The full address (Part 1 & Part 2) ranges wideÂly. It sweeps through EuroÂpean and AmerÂiÂcan hisÂtoÂry, evenÂtuÂalÂly bringÂing us into 1960s AmerÂiÂca, a moment fraught with tenÂsion, when African-AmerÂiÂcans were fightÂing for equal rights at home, and a diviÂsive VietÂnam War dragged on abroad. TracÂing the imporÂtant moments of the civÂil rights moveÂment, the speech ends (highÂlightÂed above) with Mr. King prophetÂiÂcalÂly foreÂseeÂing his own death (see the Life gallery of his last day), but knowÂing that his perÂsonÂal sacÂriÂfice had creÂatÂed someÂthing bulÂlets could nevÂer stop. A great AmerÂiÂcan and world citÂiÂzen.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
What Would MLK Say About the USA Today?
Physics from Hell: How Dante’s Inferno Inspired Galileo’s Physics
This comÂing fall, Mark PeterÂson, a physics proÂfesÂsor at Mount Holyoke ColÂlege, will pubÂlish a new book where he makes a rather curiÂous arguÂment: Back in 1588, a young Galileo preÂsentÂed two lecÂtures before the FloÂrenÂtine AcadÂeÂmy. And there he laid the groundÂwork for his theÂoÂretÂiÂcal physics when he called into quesÂtion the acceptÂed meaÂsureÂments of DanÂte’s hell (as depictÂed in the InferÂno, the great epic poem from 1314). Did debates over a poem figÂure into the unfoldÂing of The SciÂenÂtifÂic RevÂoÂluÂtion? The Boston Globe digs deepÂer into the quesÂtion with the video above and a longer artiÂcle here.
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
The StoÂry of Physics AniÂmatÂed in 4 MinÂutes: From Galileo and NewÂton, to EinÂstein
William F. Buckley Threatens to “Smash” Noam Chomsky in the Face (1969)
So much for the GoldÂen Age of CivilÂiÂty in AmerÂiÂca – but at least it was said with a litÂtle smile and the ensuÂing debate had some subÂstance…
Note: A readÂer sugÂgests in our comÂments that BuckÂley was jokÂingÂly alludÂing here to a preÂviÂous conÂfrontaÂtionÂal moment with Gore Vidal, and it sounds about right. (“I’ll sock you in the godÂdamn face and you’ll stay plasÂtered.”)
A Journey Back in Time: Vintage Travelogues
The TravÂel Film Archive lets you “see the world the way it was.” FeaÂturÂing dozens of videos shot between 1900 and 1970, these short travÂelÂogues take you across the globe, to farflung places that many AmerÂiÂcans conÂsidÂered “exotÂic” at the time. Above, we have a 1940s clip that revisÂits the gloÂries of Ancient Greece, takÂing you through the ruins of Athens. But you will also find countÂless othÂer desÂtiÂnaÂtions — Asia (aka The Far East), India, Hawaii and the South Seas, the MidÂdle East, South AmerÂiÂca, and Egypt and North Africa. Paris, Venice, and a samÂpling of EuroÂpean locaÂtions get covÂerÂage too, as do the earÂly days of comÂmerÂcial air travÂel. You can dig through the full list right here. Thanks @KirstinButler
Thomas Edison Recites “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in Early Voice Recording
In the late 1870s, Thomas EdiÂson, AmerÂiÂca’s proÂlifÂic invenÂtor, perÂfectÂed the phonoÂgraph and capÂtured a very earÂly recordÂing of the human voice – his own voice recitÂing the still popÂuÂlar nursÂery rhyme, Mary Had a LitÂtle Lamb. (Get mp3 here.) LatÂer, the EdiÂson cylinÂder also recordÂed for posÂterÂiÂty RussÂian comÂposÂer Pyotr Tchaikovsky (The NutÂcrackÂer, the 1812 OverÂture, etc.) talkÂing with othÂer musiÂcians in a light moment.
The EdiÂson cylinÂder was actuÂalÂly preÂcedÂed by anothÂer sound-recordÂing device, the phoÂnauÂtoÂgraph, inventÂed by Édouard-LĂ©on Scott de MarÂtÂinville in 1857. Not long ago, sciÂenÂtists from the Lawrence BerkeÂley NationÂal LabÂoÂraÂtoÂry extractÂed a recordÂing not heard in 150 years, a voice singing the French folk song “Au Clair de la Lune.”
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Mark Twain CapÂtured on Film by Thomas EdiÂson (1909)
Bike Tricks CourÂtesy of Thomas EdiÂson
Google Visualizes Words & Culture
Since 2004, Google has digÂiÂtized more than 15 milÂlion books, mostÂly to build its Google Books serÂvice. But yesÂterÂday Google Labs released a nice litÂtle spinÂoff prodÂuct, the Ngram ViewÂer, that proÂvides a winÂdow into how we have hisÂtorÂiÂcalÂly used words, and what these usages say about our culÂture.
This new visuÂalÂizaÂtion tool lets you map out the usage of a givÂen word, or series of words, over a 200 year periÂod (1800 — 2008). For examÂple, the Ngram ViewÂer shows us that we think less about “war” these days, as comÂpared to the 1940s and 1960s, and more about “terÂrorÂism.” (Click the links to “war” and “terÂrorÂism” and you will see what I mean.) SimÂiÂlarÂly, the EngÂlish speakÂing world has recentÂly renewed its love affair with the dog vis-a-vis cats. And if you investÂed in salÂsa and bailed on ketchup in 1980, you would be a pretÂty wealthy perÂson right now.
OverÂall, the Ngram dataÂbase conÂtains roughÂly 5.2 milÂlion books (a subÂset of the largÂer Google Books dataÂbase), with some 500 bilÂlion words, and it feaÂtures texts in ChiÂnese, EngÂlish, French, GerÂman, RussÂian, and SpanÂish. Get more details here.
via @webacion and @eugenephoto
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
IntroÂducÂing the New Google eBookÂstore (with Free ClasÂsics)
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