Culture

I recently learned that the Etch A Sketch toy had been created by a Frenchman. If you want to know, in France, we call it “l’Écran magique” (the magic screen). As I wanted to know a bit more about that, I started researching:

Who Created the Etch A Sketch?

A French electrician employed by Lincrusta Co. named André Cassagnes was the mind behind the Etch A Sketch. He was then working at a factory in a northern Paris neighborhood where is was not creating toys.

When I was writing about the invention of dynamite, I discovered that the same person behind the explosive substance was also behind the famous prize. At that time, I left a note to myself to write about the Nobel prize! So now, finally, I’m doing it.

The Idea Behind the Nobel Prize

Born in 1833, Alfred Nobel became known as a gifted chemist, refining his skills through education in Russia, Paris, and the US. His breakthrough came with his idea to control the volatile substance called nitroglycerin, paving the way for the invention of dynamite. A tragic explosion at his nitroglycerin factory, resulting in deaths, compelled Nobel to seek even safer alternatives, eventually leading to the creation of blasting gelatin and smokeless powder.

As I may have mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I wrote a book about the history of scripted TV shows in the US. It should be published this year in France. What I learned during the research part of the process is how many shows were created by TV execs who had an idea of what they wanted and asked producers to give them exactly that.

Nowadays, the writers get all the credits, but even a show like Lost wasn’t the genius creation of its credited showrunner. I find those stories quite interesting, especially as they show how the creative process really works in what is basically an industrial enterprise. So, I’ll use my work who’s sleeping on a shelf for years now (publishing a book is not a fast process), and explore a bit more about that, starting with the most famous dog detective in the world!

For a long time, I never really thought about the Illuminati as something other than a conspiracy theorist’s obsession. Then, the Marvel Universe got its Illuminati, and It felt weird. I was looking into some of those comics the other day and I thought that I maybe should look into it. Maybe I could learn something? (spoiler: I did)

Who’s Behind the Invention of the Illuminati?

Through history, we can find multiple references to movements built around the idea of enlightenment like with the Alumbrados in Spain during the 15th century or les Illuminés in France during the 17th century. But the Order of the Illuminati we are talking about was created in Bavaria.

Every morning, I don’t solve a complete NY Times Crossword Puzzle, just what they call “The Mini.” It’s only 5 lines by 5 rows, enough for a two-minute distraction after finding the Wordle of the day. Solving crossword puzzles is quite a popular activity, but not a very old one. For once, it seems that the Greek and the Romans had nothing to do with it! So…

Who Created the Crossword Puzzle?

The story of the creation of the crossword puzzle begins as the world was on the brink of World War I, on December 21, 1913. Born in Liverpool, Arthur Wynne was a journalist who emigrated to the United States in 1891 and eventually worked at the New York World newspaper. One day, an editor found himself in need of a new form of entertainment for the paper’s FUN section and asked Wynne to come up with something. This led him to create what would become the prototype for the modern crossword puzzle.

I recently learned that the national animal of Scotland is the unicorn. Apparently, it’s because the unicorn was believed to be the natural enemy of the lion, which explains the choice. For a second, I thought, “I didn’t know that the unicorn originated from Scotland.” I don’t know why I immediately went there, but a few seconds on the web prove me wrong. So…

Who Created the Unicorn?

I don’t know how there would be confusion, but to avoid any, let’s be clear from the start, we are talking about a legendary creature. The unicorn is a kind of a horse (or a goat, depending on the era) with a spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. You never saw one. I never saw one. But we can imagine what one may look like as drawings and video representations of the mythical beast are present in our popular culture.