Myth #5: Betsy Ross stitched the Star-Spangled Banner.
Fact: Mary Pickersgill stitched the flag that inspired the National Anthem.
Backstory: The making of the first standard of the United States is popularly attributed to Betsy Ross, a professional flagmaker who has become a national folk hero. The legend stems from Ross’ grandson, William J. Canby, who, in 1870, wrote down a story a relative had told him in 1857—well after Ross’ death. The account goes that in spring 1776, George Washington approached Ross with a rough sketch of a flag and asked her to make a national standard. With the United States preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary, the story about the birth of the national flag captured imaginations. There is, however, no documentation that links Ross with making the first flag, and the events described in Canby’s account take place a year before the passage of the Flag Act—the legislation that dictates the style and substance of the national flag. Visitors to the National Museum of American History sometimes ask if the Star Spangled Banner—currently on display after extensive conservation efforts—is an example of Ross’s work. That flag was stitched by Mary Pickersgill and flew over Fort McHenry during the 1814 Battle of Baltimore, inspiring Francis Scott Key to pen the poem that became our National Anthem.
A three hour documentary about the roots of neo-conservatives, islamic extremists, and media fear propaganda.
Detroit Film Theatre
NOSFERATU
with the ALLOY ORCHESTRA
Saturday, September 12, 2009 8:00 PM
On Saturday, September 12th at 8:00, the Alloy will accompany Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, F.W. Murnau’s remarkable 1922 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, starring one of the most mysterious and riveting actors of all time, Max Schreck. The disturbing imagery and nightmarish themes of this most legendary of all vampire films are matched by the Alloy Orchestra’s inspired and supremely creepy musical accompaniment.THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
with the ALLOY ORCHESTRA
Sunday, September 13, 2009 4:00 PM
On Sunday, September 13th at 4:00, the Alloy will present a restored version of the great, original 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera, featuring a magnificent – and still terrifying – performance by the immortal Lon Chaney. One of the most popular films of its day, The Phantom has inspired numerous film remakes including a screen adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical version, yet the original version – especially when seen with the Alloy Orchestra’s magnificent score performed live – remains an incomparable cinematic experience.
Bird experiment shows Aesop's fable may be true
NEW YORK – From the goose that laid the golden egg to the race between the tortoise and the hare, Aesop's fables are known for teaching moral lessons rather than literally being true. But a new study says at least one such tale might really have happened.
It's the fable about a thirsty crow. The bird comes across a pitcher with the water level too low for him to reach. The crow raises the water level by dropping stones into the pitcher. (Moral: Little by little does the trick, or in other retellings, necessity is the mother of invention.)
Now, scientists report that some relatives of crows called rooks used the same stone-dropping strategy to get at a floating worm. Results of experiments with three birds were published online Thursday by the journal Current Biology.
Rooks, like crows, had already been shown to use tools in previous experiments.
Christopher Bird of Cambridge University and a colleague exposed the rooks to a 6-inch-tall clear plastic tube containing water, with a worm on its surface. The birds used the stone-dropping trick spontaneously and appeared to estimate how many stones they would need. They learned quickly that larger stones work better.
In an accompanying commentary, Alex Taylor and Russell Gray of the University of Auckland in New Zealand noted that in an earlier experiment, the same birds had dropped a single stone into a tube to get food released at the bottom. So maybe they were just following that strategy again when they saw the tube in the new experiment, the scientists suggested.
But Bird's paper argued there's more to it: The rooks dropped multiple stones rather than just one before reaching for the worm, and they reached for it at the top of the tube rather than checking the bottom.
The researchers also said Aesop's crow might have actually been a rook, since both kinds of birds were called crows in the past.
- Music:wheatpaste
Also, I've never seen Giraffes fight. This is pretty incredible:
- Music:Mastodon - Crack the Skye
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