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Time Capsule Tales

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Apr 21

A day in the life of Pope Francis

a thread 🧵

1. His day started at 4:30 a.m.

The Pope was a very early riser. He was always up before 5 a.m., and then spent the next two hours praying, studying scripture, and getting the morning's homily prepared.

His digs were surprisingly modest, too. Traditionally, the Pope resides in the grand papal apartment at the top of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, but Pope Francis felt he would be more comfortable in a two-room home in the Domus Santa Marta, a hotel-style building located behind a gas station, of all places.

His neighbors included the cardinals who selected him during the conclave.

2. At 7 a.m., Pope Francis would head down to celebrate mass in Santa Martha's chapel, usually dressed down in a simple liturgical cloth. Rather than make a grand entrance with an entourage of alter boys, he chose to slip in from the side.

Sébastien Maillard, the Vatican correspondent for Rome's La Croix, described this semi-public event as "the most privileged way to watch and get close to him."

The Pope always framed his message with a "thought of the day," and when he was finished, he moved silently to the back of the chapel to pray among the select attendees.

As the Pope left, he made sure to personally greet every person gathered outside the chapel in the atrium.

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Apr 13

Historical origins of popular English phrases - a thread 🧵

1. "Close But No Cigar"

Meaning: Said to someone who falls slightly short of a successful outcome

Historical Context: The phrase originated from traveling fairs & carnivals during the 1800s, when cigars were given out as prizes to games. As many carnival games seem designed to feel winnable, but then are nearly impossible to actually win, people were often said to be, "close, but no cigar."

2. "Rule of Thumb"

Meaning: A general guide or principle, based on experience or estimation rather than exact science.

Historical Context: The phrase is thought to be derived from an old English law that said a husband could beat his wife, so long as the stick he used was no thicker than his thumb. Judge Sir Francis Buller supposedly made the ruling in 1782 and became known as "Judge Thumb."

Another theory is that the phrase came about from the many ways a thumb can be used to estimate or measure things. Whether a seamstress roughly estimating an inch of fabric or a brewmaster dipping their thumb into the beer to get the temperature, there are plenty of old-school ways that a "rule of thumb" was likely used.

The phrase is found in Sir William Hope's The Compleat Fencing Master (1692): "What he doth, he doth by rule of Thumb, and not by Art."

James Kelly's 'The Complete Collection of Scottish Proverbs' (1721) includes: "No Rule so good as Rule of Thumb, if it hit", meaning a practical approximation.

3. "Pushing the Envelope"

Meaning: To surpass normal limits; to try something daring or risky.

Historical Context: While it might sound like a saying that originated in an office, "pushing the envelope" originally referred to aeronautics. In space flight, the "envelope" refers to performance limits that can't be surpassed safely.

The phrase made its way into the everyday vernacular when it appeared in Tom Wolfe's 1979 nonfiction book The Right Stuff, which discussed the pilots of experimental rocket-propelled aircraft. The phrase used is "pushing the outside of the envelope."

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Time Capsule Tales

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Apr 3

Summertime in the 1970s - a thread

1. At the beach in the late '70s

2. Dancing at the Disco in the late 1970s

3. High school in Pennsylvania, 1976.

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Time Capsule Tales

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Mar 30

The true size of countries - a thread 🧵

The Mercator Projection distorts the true size of many landmasses - here's how big they really are

1. Greenland on the Equator shows its actual size

2. California moved onto the UK

3. The size of Brazil over the continental United States

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Time Capsule Tales

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Feb 25

10 things you didn't know about Fort Knox

(a thread 🧵)

1. Fort Knox Was Named For The First US Secretary Of War

The first fortifications at the future location of Fort Knox were established during the American Civil War. Located in Kentucky, the site served as a military outpost from the late 19th century until the first World War.

In 1918, the government set up an artillery training facility on 40,000 acres of land in Kentucky and named it Camp Henry Knox, after the first Secretary of War.

After World War I ended, the number of troops at the camp was reduced, with part of the land briefly becoming a national forest.

In 1931, Camp Knox became permanent home to the Mechanized Cavalry, and in 1932, the name changed to Fort Knox.

2. Very Few People Have Seen The Gold At Fort Knox

In August 2017, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin visited the gold vault at Fort Knox and, along with a few other politicians, surveyed the site. Kentucky congressman Brett Guthrie also made the trip, and issued the following statement:

"It was an honor to join Secretary Mnuchin, Governor Bevin, and Senator McConnell to visit the depository yesterday - the first time visitors have been allowed at the facility since members of Congress inspected the depository in 1974... I am glad to report that everything at the depository looked to be secure and in order."

The last Congressional visit prior to this occurred in 1974. To date, only one US president has been inside the vault - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who served as president when the US Bullion Depository within Fort Knox was established.

3. The Gold Vault Has A Door That Weighs 22 Tons

The gold vault at Fort Knox is "encased in 16,000 cubic feet of granite and 4,200 cubic yards of cement." The door weighs 22 tons and is 21 inches thick, and the roof is bomb proof.

The vault can withstand guns, blowtorches, and other incendiary devices.

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Time Capsule Tales

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Feb 14

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thread of U.S. presidents on their wedding day

1. John F. & Jackie Kennedy, 1953.

2. Rutherford B. & Lucy Hayes in Chillicothe, OH, on December 30, 1852.

3. Herbert & Lou Hoover, 1899.

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