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07

Dec

Aha Moment Maker: Where’d You Get Those Jeans?

by Your friends at OIC on December 7, 2013

Jeans2

EUROPE, 1650—It’s hard to think of something more “American” than a good old pair of blue jeans. As it happens, historians have long argued the origin of the iconic trousers, and America might not even have a leg to stand on in the debate!

The French make their case with a sturdy fabric that originated in the 17th century in Nimes, France. Pants made from the fabric “serge de Nimes” were favored by plantation workers for their durability. Since fabrics at that time were commonly named for their place of origin, it became known as “de Nimes,” which is widely considered the source of the word “denim.”

Around the same time in Genoa, Italy, they developed a thick, durable twill cloth popular with sailors for its toughness. Named for Genoa, or “Genes” in French, we know it today as “jeans” in English.

The Italians’ claim was boosted early this century by art historians, who believe they discovered the first depiction of blue jeans in 17th Century Italian paintings. The unknown artist’s blue tint of the fabric was even painted with the exact same indigo used to dye today’s denim.

Of course, none of this stops Levi Strauss & Co. from claiming that it is the true creator of the world’s first blue jeans. The company patented blue jeans in 1873 and contends that the lack of clear written historical records render the other claims a matter of opinion.

What’s the aha moment you see?

 

 Image © iStockphoto

 

 

Your Own Aha Moments

30

Nov

Aha Moment Maker: Who’s in Charge?

by Your friends at OIC on November 30, 2013

Politician

WASHINGTON D.C., 1849—America was preparing to inaugurate its 12th President, Zachary Taylor, who had been elected to take over for James K. Polk. At that time, Presidential terms began and expired at noon on March 4. However, this particular March 4 happened to be a Sunday, and the religious Taylor insisted that he instead be sworn in on Monday.

The resulting 24-hour gap has led many to wonder, who was the President of the United States from noon on March 4, 1849, until noon on March 5, 1849?

If you happen by his statue outside of the Clinton County Courthouse in Plattsburg, Missouri, or by his gravestone just a mile away, you might be inclined to think the answer is David Rice Atchison. Both monuments identify Atchison, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1843 to 1855, as “President of the United States for one day.”

Atchison was president pro tempore of the Senate, the position next in the line of succession after the President and Vice President. It stood to reason that with the terms of Polk and his VP having expired, and Taylor and his VP not having yet taken the oath, that Atchison indeed had his day!

The official view is that Taylor’s decision to delay the public inauguration didn’t actually delay his presidency. Atchison, however, enjoyed making his claim and recounting the story for the remainder of his life. He was known to admit that he slept through the majority of his “presidency,” and state that his was “the honestest administration this country ever had.”

What’s the aha moment you see?

 

Image © iStockphoto

 

 

Your Own Aha Moments

24

Nov

Culture Smart: The Musical Scale Across Cultures

by Your friends at OIC on November 24, 2013

Children learning to play the violin, symbolizing the different musical scales across cultures

Learning to play different styles of music

Tonal Patterns and Changing Intervals

When you first learn to play an instrument, the first series of notes taught is called a scale. A scale is a series of ascending pitches, usually ending on the octave, the same note, at a higher pitch. Music from different cultures uses different intervals between the notes of an octave.

If you’ve seen The Sound of Music, you know the Western music major scale: do, re, mi, fa, so la, ti, do. It consists of 7 unique notes, with the 8th note being the octave. Listen to a C Major Scale:

 

In the Middle East, the scale is also 7 unique pitches plus the octave, but it differs by several notes from the Western scale. A common song using the Middle Eastern scale is Hava Nagila. Listen to a C Middle Eastern scale:

 

Unlike the other two, the Chinese scale has only 5 pitches. Most Chinese folk tunes can be played using just the black keys on the keyboard. Listen to a C Chinese Scale:

 

Starting on C, the middle key of the piano, typically called Middle C, this chart shows the actual notes played on each scale:

Music-Chart-2

There are several theories on why different musical scales were devised in different cultures. One is that scales are derived from the sounds made by the language spoken and the tonality of pronunciation. Another has to do with religion and superstition determining the number of notes (5 being lucky in Asian culture and 7 in Greek) and the intervals.

Hear music from all over the world at the World Music Network.

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 Image © iStockphoto
 

China/Cultural Diversity/Middle East/The World's Music

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