Category History

What is a tapestry?

A form of textile art, tapestries have been in existence for centuries as decorative pieces depicting various themes

Tapestry is a textile art which has been in existence from the third century B.C It is an image depicting a mythological, religious or a historical scene woven into a fabric and used as a wall hanging. Aesthetic use of threads of various colours and intricate patterns make the image come alive as in a classic painting.

In the early days, tapestries not only served as decorative pieces but were also used for insulation during winter in castles. In royal courts, tapestries adorned the walls as a backdrop to the throne or the seat of authority. In the early 14th century, tapestries were The Bayeux Tapestry produced in Europe and became popular in many countries.

Tapestries also adorned cathedrals and churches. Artists were commissioned to make them for special occasions. Since they could be removed and folded, they were easy to transport and so were preferred to murals. Many famous tapestries are treasured as historical documents.

The Bayeux tapestry, the Sampul tapestry, the Quaker tapestry and The Lady and the Unicorn are some of the famous tapestries.

Picture Credit : Google 

WHAT AND WHEN WAS THE FIRST HUMAN ORGAN TO BE TRANSPLANTED SUCCESSFULLY?

In 1954, the kidney was the first human organ to be transplanted successfully. Until the early 1980s, the potential of organ rejection limited the number of transplants performed.

The first ever successful transplant of any organ was done at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, Ma. The surgery was done by Dr. Joseph Murray, who received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work. The reason for his success was due to Richard and Ronald Herrick of Maine. Richard Herrick was a in the Navy and became severely ill with acute renal failure. His brother Ronald donated his kidney to Richard, and Richard lived another 8 years before his death. Before this, transplant recipients didn’t survive more than 30 days. The key to the successful transplant was the fact that Richard and Ronald were identical twin brothers and there was no need for anti-rejection medications, which was not known about at this point. This was the most pivotal moment in transplant surgery because now transplant teams knew that it could be successful and the role of rejection/anti-rejection medicine.

Credit : Wikipedia 

Picture Credit : Google 

What made the U.S.S.R special?

The birth of a new order in Russia was not just something that happened within the borders of that country: it affected the whole world and redrew the world map.

In 1922, Russia signed a treaty along with its neighbouring countries Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia and formed the Soviet Socialist Republics, chaired by Lenin. The organisation then grew to include 15 Soviet Republics, forming a mammoth nation with a long name, the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R). It was nothing like the world had ever seen. The world’s first and biggest communist state, it stood up against the capitalist West as the face of Communism.

The U.S.S.R was totally controlled by the Communist Party. The largest country while it existed, it was spread across more than 22.4 million square kilometres and covered a distance of 10,900 kilometres from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. More than a hundred distinct nationalities were included in the USSR, the majority of the population made up of East Slavs. Its capital was Moscow and the official language, Russian. It also had other languages like Ukrainian, Georgian, Kasakh, Armenian and Azerbaijani. The USSR was an atheistic nation and owed no allegiance to any religion.

Picture Credit : Google

Who designed the US flag?

Robert G Heft of Michigan designed the current 50-star American flag in 1958 as part of a school project. Did you know he initially got a B grade for it from his teacher? It was subsequently changed to an A when it got selected by President Dwight D. Eisenhower from over 1.500 designs presented.

Heft spent more than 12 hours cutting 50 white stars from iron-on material, adhering the stars to a piece of blue cloth and sewing the new field of stars to his parents’ 48-star American flag. He cleverly arranged the 50 stars into a field that included five rows of six stars and four rows of five stars. Heft was given a chance to improve his grade if he convinced the U.S. government to use his flag. The odds were heavily stacked against him, but Heft was on a mission. He began writing letters and making calls to the White House, asking the president to look at his flag. Two years later, after Alaska and Hawaii became states, Heft received a surprise call from President Dwight D. Eisenhower with the news he was waiting for. His flag was chosen as the model for the new 50-star flag. On July 4, 1960, President Eisenhower invited Heft to Washington, D.C., for a flag raising ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. Since then, Heft’s banner has set a new record as the longest-tenured U.S. flag.

Heft went to work as a professor at Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio and served as mayor of Napoleon, Ohio. He also became a highly regarded motivational speaker and he visited the White House 14 times. Always one to think ahead, Heft also designed a 51-star American flag, just in case Washington, D.C. or Puerto Rico becomes a state. Heft’s 51-star flag reportedly has six rows of stars alternating between rows of nine and eight. Heft, who died in 2009 at the age of 67, will be forever known as the student who designed the 50-star American flag.

Credit : National Flag Foundation

Picture Credit : Google