Theme park rides like Thunder Mountain Railroad and others are a blast to ride and experience, but how do these rides come to be? Who designs them? Who builds them and creates all of the environments and machines that are required to make them work? Today we’re going to talk about none other than the world famous Disney Imagineers!

The magical world of Disney theme parks has captivated the hearts of millions around the globe for decades. Behind the scenes of this enchanting experience lies a rich history marked by creativity, ingenuity, and a team of visionary individuals known as Imagineers. The roots of Disney’s theme park legacy can be traced back to WED Enterprises and the birth of Imagineering. 

When Walt Disney first decided to build a theme park, after his wild success as an animation studio, Disney created a group called WED Enterprises. This was in 1952 and Disney formed the group because he knew he would need a crew of very talented people to help design and engineer his theme park, which was still just a thing of his dreams and imagination. 

WED Enterprises included artists, engineers, architects, and designers who would bring Walt Disney’s dreams to life. They were known for having more than just one skill, such as being an architect or an engineer. They had to have BIG imaginations and be ready to think outside the box. At heart, they were storytellers, responsible for creating immersive narratives that would become park rides and other experiences. Their mission was to blend creativity with cutting-edge technology to create an enchanting world for park visitors.

In 1986, WED Enterprises changed its name to Walt Disney Imagineering. Imagineer is the combination of the words engineer and imagine! Imagineers are expected to not only have the skills to do their job but to think creatively and come up with new, bold ideas as they tell their stories in the form of attractions. In fact, one of the Imagineers first principles is “It all begins with a story.” 

Next, let’s dive into the life of some of the most famous Imagineers! Marc Davis was born in Bakersfield, California and from a very young age loved drawing and art! He practiced during his free time and eventually went to college in Kansas, where he further developed his skills. In 1934, Marc joined Disney as an animator and helped illustrate for animated classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Bambi. He worked closely with Walt Disney to create these films and when it came time to start designing Disneyland, Walt Disney knew Marc would be the perfect fit to help bring his dreams to life. 

One of his first projects was designing characters for The Haunted Mansion. Marc had a great sense of humor and was able to bring it to life through art as he designed characters such as The Hitching Ghost and the ghostly bride Constance Hatchaway. He also worked on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and many of the humor pirates you can see and experience throughout the ride. Marc also helped design the Enchanted Tiki Room, the Jungle Cruise, and EPCOT’s Journey into Imagination.

Another early imagineer was Harriet Burns. Harriet was born in San Antonio, Texas and early on had a passion for art and design. She started at Disney in 1955 as a set painter for many of the rides. She became one of the first female Imagineers and helped design and paint characters on the Disneyland Railroad, Its a Small World, and the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Harriet was also known for her strong will and personality. When she had a vision for how someone should be done, she worked hard at it and made her opinion known until she got results!

The history of Disneyland Imagineers wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Tony Baxter, whose first job at Disneyland was actually an ice cream scooper at age 17. He loved being at the park and was determined to help make it an even more fun and enchanting place. He went to school and studied landscape architecture and later theater design. At this time, he also started helping with construction projects at Disneyland.

In 1970, Tony officially became an Imagineer. His dream job! He helped redesign Fantasyland, then later came up with the idea that became Splash Mountain. Splash Mountain showcased Baxter’s ability to combine storytelling with groundbreaking ride technology. The attraction became an instant classic, enchanting generations with its whimsical charm.

Baxter’s gift for adventure and storytelling reached new heights with the creation of the Indiana Jones ride. Opened in 1995, this dark ride blended film and theme park elements, plunging riders into the heart of an ancient temple filled with scary sights! The attraction’s success showed Baxter’s ability to translate movie magic into an immersive and exhilarating theme park experience.

Other famous Imagineers worth mentioning are the artist Mary Blair, X Atencio, Wing T. Chao, Alice Estes Davis, Yale Gracey, Bob Gurr, Joe Rohde, and Marty Sklar. Because Disney parks are worldwide, Imagineers of many different nationalities, races, and backgrounds are now part of the Imagineering team!

Something else exciting about Imagineers is that as they are working on new rides, they often invent entirely new technologies that are used not only at Disney but in other theme parks and attractions around the world.

One of their most famous innovations are audio-animatronics. These are the life-like robots that become characters on the different Disney rides. They often look very realistic and move in real ways that make the parkgoers feel like they are experiencing the characters and the environments for real! The animatronics on some of the rides were ahead of their time. To date, one of the most advanced and realistic animatronics is the Shaman on the Na’vi River Journey at Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. Animatronics like this require many designers and engineers to figure out how to make them move in life-like ways. You’ll have to check out a video for this one, because you won’t believe your eyes!

Many of the vehicles for Disney’s rides also feature very advanced designs in order to move guests around through the attraction. This includes trackless rides that use magnets to orient them along the path. Another example is the jeep in Indiana Jones that makes passengers feel like they are bumping up and down on a wild ride, which has the flexibility to move many different directions.

Using RFID wristbands, guests are able to open their hotel rooms, enter parks and even make purchases using radio frequencies. Many of these technologies feel like magic when they are being used, but under all of the electronics a smart engineer had to design every piece of the advanced equipment to make it work. 

Other technologies include projection mapping, augmented reality, and virtual reality simulators… all with the goal of making guests feel like they have been transported to a different place and time and are living the actual experience. Pretty amazing, right?

Does becoming an Imagineer sound interesting to you? If so, be sure to look up their principles of design and think of ways you can apply them to your own interests. Do you like to be creative? If so, think of the kind of ride you would create if you were a Disney Imagineer. Draw up a plan and maybe even make a miniature version of it using cardboard and other materials. You might even simulate how it works using a space in your backyard or living room. Be sure to run it by your parents first, of course, but remember that all of these Imagineers were once kids like you who were passionate about art and design and had BIG imaginations! 

The post History of Disney Imagineering for Kids appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

Now, what do you think of when you hear the word “voyager”? A voyage is like a journey or long trip. When I think of “voyager,” I think of someone going into new and unknown places, exploring and learning. What “voyagers” do you know? The world is pretty big with lots of places to explore, but the biggest place to explore the unknown is Outer Space. It’s only been a little over 50 years since the first human, Neil Armstrong, walked on the Moon. There’s still so much we don’t know! In the late 1970s two space probes (kind of like a spaceship without people on it) were launched with the idea that they could explore more and go further than ever before. They are called Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. They have been on an incredible journey for decades and still have so much more to do!

As you may know, our solar system’s planets revolve around the sun. Every 175 years a very special event happens when the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune line up. The Voyager Program started in 1964 when a scientist named Gary Flandro discovered that this would be happening several years in the future and just one spacecraft would be able to fly by all of them! If they could send a spacecraft to see them all in one voyage this would save a lot of time and money. The project idea was called “The Grand Tour”. Sadly, it ended up being canceled in 1971 because it was going to cost $1 billion dollars.

Fortunately, the idea of a grand tour was reborn a few years later. The opportunity of the planets lining up for NASA was just too good to resist. The new project was estimated to cost $250 million dollars, much less than The Grand Tour project. This time, NASA was going to make two probes, and they were going to visit Jupiter, Saturn and one of Saturn’s moons, Titan. They made two probes so in case something happened to one, the other would be able to finish the mission and visit the two planets. But what everyone at NASA was really hoping for was that Voyager 1 would be successful and they would have Voyager 2 go and do the Grand Tour.

One of the most important parts of the Voyagers were their cameras. The purpose of the spacecraft would be to take pictures of the planets as they passed by. They also had to be able to send pictures back to earth using radio transmission. So the Voyagers were designed with very powerful cameras and radio devices for sending the images to Earth, so scientists could study the images and other data and learn more about the other planets in our solar system. 

Imagine you met someone who didn’t know anything about life on Earth.  What things would you want to teach them? What are the most important things about life on Earth that you’d want them to know? Scientists at NASA knew that the Voyagers had the potential to go very, very far. Even beyond our solar system. What if the Voyagers were discovered by alien life way out in the galaxy? They decided to put a message on each Voyager just in case it was ever discovered by intelligent life. They named the device the Golden Record. A record was a way to store information and listen to music back when your grandparents were younger. If you know what a CD or compact disc is, it’s like a very big CD. 

Scientist Carl Sagan was asked to decide what would be sent on the Voyagers. He and other scientists at NASA put 115 different pictures on the record, of what people look like at different ages, pictures of nature and animals. There were pictures of architecture from around the world and different people from around the world. The team put math equations, chemistry formulas, and pictures of the planets to show our understanding of science. Sagan also put a lot of different sounds on the record! Sounds like the ocean and birds, music from different cultures and time periods. They also included the spoken greetings of 55 languages. Finally instructions, and the equipment needed, were included to play the record and get all of the information off of it.

Here’s a question for you: what do the Voyagers and leftovers in your fridge have in common? They both use kitchen foil to protect them! A lot of design ideas for Voyager were taken from an earlier project named Pioneer 10. Space has very intense radiation and it is especially strong around Jupiter. Voyager had to be able to handle the intense radiation. Right before Voyager was launched, kitchen grade aluminum foil was wrapped around certain cables to give them even more protection! Another cool thing about Voyager is it weighs 1,704 pounds and 231 pounds of it are scientific instruments for gathering different types of data. There are cameras on board that took pictures when it was closer to earth and it has very special antennas that it still uses to communicate with NASA and tell us where it is.

After all of the preparations, Voyager 2 was finally launched in August 1977. Voyager 1 was launched the next month. Even though Voyager 1 was launched later, it was faster and got to Jupiter two years later! That gives you an idea of how big our solar system is. Voyager 2 got there 4 months later. Voyager 2 then reached Uranus at the beginning of 1986. The mission was a huge success! Both Voyagers were able to take pictures of the planets as they passed by and sent images back to Earth. Scientists were able to study these images and other data and learn more about these planets.

Finally, in 1990 when Voyager 1 was 6 billion miles from Earth, (that is very, very far) – it was turned around to take a picture of our solar system. That picture is now known as “Family Portrait”. In it you can see Jupiter, Earth, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the Sun. In the picture the Earth is a small blue dot. Scientist Carl Sagan later wrote a book about how seeing the Earth so small in the solar system made him see life in a whole new way. The book was called “Pale Blue Dot.” It’s kind of crazy to think that in the solar system we are so very small! This picture of our solar system is the last one that the Voyagers took. 

Remember the first question I asked? What is the furthest you have ever been from home? Can you imagine what the Voyagers answer would be!? As of now, they are very, very far from earth. So we have a sun, which is the center of our solar system, with planets orbiting around it. But what’s past that? While studying about the Voyagers I learned about the heliopause. The heliopause is the outer layer of the heliosphere, which is almost like a giant bubble that surrounds our sun and solar system and everything that orbits it. Once you pass through the heliosphere, you are in Deep Space! Outside of the solar system! Believe it or not, that is where both Voyagers are today! Deep space, out of the Solar System! It blows my mind to think about it. They’ve gone further than any man-made device before them. Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause in 2012 and Voyager 2 crossed in 2018. 

How far will the Voyagers continue to go? We aren’t completely sure. Being able to track them depends on how long their power is able to last. The electrical power of Voyager is from plutonium, the same material used to make nuclear weapons. Over time the plutonium decays and doesn’t put out as much energy. In October 2011, their power had dropped to almost half. As the power drops, Voyager won’t be able to take as many pictures or communicate back to earth. Scientists think that by 2032 there won’t be enough power for them to communicate. But for now, both are in contact with NASA through the Deep Space Network and we still get to enjoy seeing where they are! Voyager 1 is currently over 14 billion miles from Earth, and Voyager 2 isn’t far behind. Amazing, right?

As you think about how far Voyager has gone and all that it has done and seen, think about your own voyage (or journey) in life. What places do you want to see? Where do you want to go? It doesn’t have to be the solar system and deep space to be rewarding. But it’s great to make plans and work toward them just as the scientists at NASA did with the Voyagers.

The post History of the Voyager Program for Kids appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

But did you know that kings and queens and dungeons and castles don’t just exist in fairy tales? They really exist! For hundreds of years, they’ve lived in a city called London.

Every year, 30 million people travel from around the world to London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. Why do so many people come to visit this city that is home to kings, queens, dungeons, and castles? Let’s check it out!

What better way to see all of the old castles and new buildings of London than from the sky. So let’s start our tour of this magical place with a trip up an elevator. In London, though, they would call this elevator a “lift.” This particular lift is going to take us to the very top of a building called the Shard. The Shard is the tallest building in London so our elevator has to travel more than 1,000 feet to reach the top!

But what a view! From the 68th floor of the Shard, we can see just how enormous London really is! Museums, buses, people, and buildings spread out as far as the eye can see. Many people think that London is one of the biggest cities in the world. Actually, though, it’s the smallest city in the United Kingdom. This is because the actual City of London is only about one square mile of skyscrapers. All of the palaces, attractions, and museums we see below us are actually in a region called Greater London, not the city of London.

London was founded about 2,000 years ago. At this time, a powerful empire known as the Roman Empire was invading many places on the continent of Europe. Eventually, the mighty Roman army sailed so far north that they reached a large island with a large river called the Thames. The Romans sailed along the Thames until they decided that it was narrow enough to build bridges across it. There, they built a city and called it Londinium, but at some point, it was shortened to London. From the top of the Shard, it’s easy to see the same river running through London today!  

Where the Romans first settled is the small section that is the true City of London. Today, people from all over the world come to work here. It’s pretty easy to spot from the Shard because it’s a cluster of tall skyscrapers. One of them is even shaped like a pickle. In fact, many people who live in London like to call it the Pickle!

Remember those bridges that the Romans built? Well, there are still around 35 of them crossing the river in London alone! Probably the most famous is called Tower Bridge. Tower Bridge is built to look like, well, a tower. It’s named after a landmark that sits just at the end of the bridge called the Tower of London.   

The Tower of London has actually served many purposes throughout its history. It was first built as a military fortress for a French king named William the Conqueror. But since then, it’s been a prison, a castle, a place to store weapons, and even a zoo. 

Today, visitors stop by the Tower of London to see the crown jewels, owned by the King and Queen themselves. The collection of jewels is guarded by seven ravens, and countless British guards called beefeaters who wear bright red coats, big black boots, and tall fluffy hats. They get their pictures taken by tourists a lot! 

While the beefeaters guard their jewels in the Tower of London, the King and Queen live on the other side of London in Buckingham Palace. But even though a British queen or king has ruled the United Kingdom for around 1200 years, they haven’t always lived in Buckingham Palace. When the palace was built in London in the 1700s, it wasn’t for the royal family. A man named John Sheffield just wanted a place to stay while he was in London. About 50 years later, in 1762, King George III saw how grand and beautiful it was. He knew that nobody except for the royal family was fit to live there. So, he bought it for his wife.

To make it even grander, he added large gardens, archways, statues, and monuments. Buckingham Palace now has over 775 rooms. Seventy-eight of them are bathrooms! 

Since the 1700s, the people who lived and worked in Buckingham Palace have followed many royal traditions. Some are still used today. For example, if you visit the palace, you’ll know that King Charles is home if the British flag is flying on top of the building. You might also be lucky enough to see the changing-of-the-guard, which happens every morning during the summer, and every other morning during the winter. 

From the Shard, we can see that just below Buckingham Palace is a big clock tower. And when I say big, I mean huge. It’s so big they named the clock in it Big Ben, and it is 315 feet tall to be exact. This famous symbol helps Londoners keep track of time as they go about their busy days in the bustling city. The bells inside weigh about 14 tons each. That’s about the same as five adult elephants. When Big Ben was built, it took sixteen horses to pull it to where it stands now.

Big Ben is attached to the Houses of Parliament. This large building is home to the government of the United Kingdom. It’s kind of like the British version of the capitol building in Washington D.C. The Houses of Parliament look a lot like a palace themselves. In fact, this building is sometimes called the Palace of Westminster because it looks so royal and extravagant. 

London has long been a place for kings and queens to live. It’s also where a lot of business people and politicians come to work. But if you look down from the top of The Shard, you’ll see a crowded city full of people walking its streets, taking taxis and buses, and even riding boats along the Thames. What do all of these people do in London? 

Some could be actors hurrying to theaters in the West End. There are more than 240 theaters across London, and most of them are in the West End. London became famous for its live theater performances thanks to a famous playwright named Shakespeare. Shakespeare has a number of famous plays including Romeo and Juliet. In the 1500s, his theater, the Globe, was built in London. Even though it’s not in the West End, Shakespeare’s Globe and its many performances set the stage, quite literally, for the popularity of theater in London. Visitors can still see a play at the Globe or any one of the other 200 performances every day in theaters across London. 

Visitors might also check out one of London’s 192 museums. London was once the center of an empire that included Africa, Asia, and even the original American colonies. Because of this history, the museums in London are filled with art, artifacts, and information from all over the world. London is even home to the world’s oldest public museum – the British Museum. 

Like the artifacts in its museums, London is home to people from all over the world. Over 300 different languages are spoken here. Its restaurants include food from all over the world. And if you go to one of many soccer stadiums in London to see a match, you’ll likely see the best players in the world. 

The view from the Shard is not just beautiful. It helps show a city that is rich in history but also a modern city that is thriving.

Wait. I think I hear the chimes of Big Ben. It must be time for tea. Afternoon tea is another long tradition in London. But we’ll save that story for another time.

Sources:

https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/London/345951

https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/a-brief-history-of-london

https://kids.kiddle.co/History_of_London

https://kids.kiddle.co/Buckingham_Palace

https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Big-Ben/476223

https://kids.kiddle.co/Palace_of_Westminster

https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/about-us/globe-theatre/#:~:text=The%20Globe%20Theatre%20you%20see,Julius%20Caesar%20in%20spring%201599.

https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/arts-and-culture/vision-and-strategy/20-facts-about-london%E2%80%99s-culture#:~:text=London%20has%20over%20192%20museums,Rosetta%20Stone%20(196%20BC).

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What you don’t realize is AI is part of your life and you may not even realize it. Many of the decisions made by computers are handled by Artificial Intelligence. Your Alexia is an AI and much of the new art you see or text you read now may be generated by AI. Humans are still an important part of this work, though, since they are giving the AI instructions, guiding it where it needs to go, and using their creativity to send it along different paths. 

Imagine you have a magic wand that can tell you stories, build you a recipe, and answer any question you ask. That’s a bit like what people dreamed of when they first thought about AI. The idea of creating machines that could think and learn like humans has been around for a long time. It’s like trying to build a robot that can chat like your best friend, solve puzzles like a detective, and even learn new things all by itself.

But AI wasn’t born overnight. It’s been a bit like a recipe that needed time to cook. Scientists have been working on AI for many years. They wanted to create computers that could do more than just follow instructions. They wanted to build machines that could understand and talk with us in our own language. And they’ve made amazing progress!

In the history of AI, there were brave pioneers in the world of machines. They were like the first adventurers in a new, uncharted land. One of these pioneers was Alan Turing, a genius mathematician. He created a special code-breaking machine during World War II, which was a bit like the ancestor of AI, helping to decode secret messages. Turing’s ideas and inventions are still inspiring AI wizards today.

Another remarkable pioneer was John McCarthy, who invented the term “artificial intelligence” in 1956. McCarthy was one of the first to teach computers to use logic and solve problems, like teaching them to be detectives in a mystery story. His work set the stage for many AI discoveries to come.

Marvin Minsky co-founded the first AI laboratory at MIT. He believed that machines could learn and think just like humans. Minsky’s work was like teaching machines to be curious explorers, always eager to learn and solve new puzzles. These pioneers paved the way for the explosive world of AI we have today, where computers can chat, understand, and even create stories.

Now, let’s talk about a special part of AI called Natural Language Processing (NLP). Imagine your brain is like a super-secret code-breaking club. When you read a book or listen to your teacher, your brain is decoding all the words and sentences and turning them into ideas. Have you ever wondered why the word “book” means a thing you read and “tree” is a thing that grows and has green leaves. Why is “green” even called green? It’s just a label we put on these objects and have to agree on – and every language has a different label in their language. The Spanish word for green is “verde.” 

Natural Langauge Processing is like teaching computers to understand the way our brain decodes these symbols, and is different for each language. It helps them understand words, sentences, and even the feelings behind what people say. It’s like giving them a special dictionary to learn our language. NLP is like training your dog to understand commands, but instead of woofs and barks, it’s words and sentences. 

With NLP, computers can chat, translate languages, and help us find information on the internet. They can even write stories, just like the ones you love to read! It’s as if computers have become amazing storytellers and detectives all in one.

In the world of AI, there chunks of computer code called “Large Language Models.” They are like the mega-brains of the AI world. Imagine you have a library with millions of books, and these models have read them all! Over time they’ve learned from all the stories, information, and conversations in those books. They use maps to connect different symbols to different ideas. For example, the words “nature” and “tree” and “leaf” are all connected. It understands the meanings of these words and how they are related. 

One of the most popular Large Language Models is Chat GPT. GPT stands for “Generative Pre-trained Transformer.” It’s like a robot who is always ready to chat with you. Chat GPT can talk like a real person because it’s learned so much from all those books in the library. It can even tell you jokes, stories, or help with homework!

But ChatGPT is only one of many AI chatbots. Other popular ones includes Bing, Google Bard, and Jasper AI. 

Chat GPT and the other chat bots weren’t always as amazing as they are now. It’s a bit like how a baby learns to walk and talk. They needed lots of practice and training. Scientists and engineers had to feed them tons of information, teach them how to understand language, and make them better over time. It’s estimated over 300 BILLION words from Wikipedia, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and books from all over the Internet were used to build ChatGPTs knowledge. Imagine if you knew a toddler who could read that much and that fast! 

Each new version of these models, like Chat GPT-3, is like a new and improved robot friend. It can chat, answer questions, and even create stories that sound just like they were written by humans. And they are always improving.

Beyond writing, AI is also being used to create artwork, videos, and voices. I spent a few months tinkering around with an AI art generator called Midjourney and used it to create a few album covers for my latest series that you can find on Apple Music and elsewhere. I’ve also shared some of my voice data with it to see how well it can mimic my voice. No, this isn’t an AI talking to you today, this is the actual Breck and for now I’m much happier with how my human-generated voice sounds!

These AI models have become helpful in many ways. They can assist doctors in diagnosing illnesses, help writers come up with new ideas, and even help you find the perfect recipe for chocolate chip cookies. They are like assistants that can make our lives easier and more fun.

The journey of AI is like a thrilling adventure where we keep discovering new lands. Scientists and engineers are always working to make AI even smarter and more helpful. They want to teach AI to have better conversations, understand emotions, and assist us in ways we can’t even imagine yet.

But remember, AI is like a tool, a bit like a magic wand. It can do incredible things, but it’s humans who guide it and use it for good. There is also a lot of talk in the news and by scientists and politicians about the importance of making AI safe. It’s a tool and can be used for good or ill, so how do we create fences for it to make sure its helpful not harmful. 

Some are also concerned that it takes away from human creativity. If AI is writing all of the new stories and creating all of the new artwork, does this lessen humans? I definitely see this as a concern and believe humans will always bring something unique to the world of art and creativity. For now, AI is like a useful assistant where artists and writers can ask it for help, but ultimately are there for creative inspiration and direction. 

So there you have it, the magical world of Artificial Intelligence! AI, NLP, and Large Language Models like ChatGPT are like friendly robots that can chat, help us learn, and even tell us amazing stories. They’ve been on an exciting journey from their creation to the incredible things they can do today.

Just like you, AI is learning and growing every day. It’s an adventure that’s still unfolding, and who knows what other incredible discoveries await us in this fast-paced land of technology! So keep your eyes open and your imagination running wild, because the world of AI is full of wonders waiting to be explored.

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Imagine you’re walking down a stone walkway through one of the most beautiful gardens you’ve ever seen. Beautiful trees stretch upward and flowers line the pathway. Ahead you see a sparkling pool of water with lilies and a bubbling fountain. Past the fountain is a grand building with arched doorways and windows. It’s one of the tallest ancient buildings you’ve ever seen with multiple floors and is bustling with people who are talking and hurrying to and fro. This is a House of Wisdom in the ancient city of Baghdad, Iraq. As you walk past the pools of water and enter the House of Wisdom, you are greeted by friendly faces and warm smiles. The first room you enter has walls lined with shelves upon shelves of books and scrolls, all filled with stories and secrets of ancient philosophers waiting to be discovered. Some in the room are busy translating older stores into their own language. The air is alive with excitement and curiosity.

In the next room, you come across mathematicians who love to solve puzzles and play with numbers. They show you how to add, subtract, and do amazing calculations with their knowledge of math. 

In the courtyard of the House of Wisdom, artists are painting beautiful pictures and crafting intricate designs. They use vibrant colors and delicate brushes to create stunning works of art. Others are weaving beautiful rugs that tell stories of their faith and Arabic history.

As you explore further, you stumble upon a room where poets and storytellers gather. They recite beautiful verses and weave enchanting tales that transport you to far-off lands and imaginary worlds. You listen with wide eyes and imagination dancing in your mind.

Finally, you climb stairs up two floors to the top of the House of Wisdom where you meet a group of astronomers who study the stars. They have built special telescopes that help them see far into the night sky. They tell you fascinating tales about the constellations and planets, sharing their knowledge about the wonders of the universe.

The House of Wisdom is a place where people from different cultures and backgrounds come together. They share their ideas and learn from each other. It’s a place of friendship, understanding, and respect for everyone’s unique perspectives.

As you leave the House of Wisdom, you feel like you have become a little wiser and more curious about the world. You realize that learning is an exciting adventure that never ends. With a heart full of knowledge and a mind ready to explore, you step back into the world, ready to make your own mark and share your own wisdom.

Houses of Wisdom

Between 700 and 1200 C.E., Houses of Wisdom like the one we visited together were an important place of study and progress for the people of the Islamic Empire or Caliphate that ruled much of what today is the Middle East and parts of Africa. After the prophet Muhammed founded the religion of Islam around 600 C.E., the leaders who ruled the Islamic religion and empire were called caliphs. The caliphate wanted their empire to be a place of learning and wisdom, since The Qu’ran, their holy book and scripture, taught the importance of gaining knowledge, The leader at the time was named Harun al-Rashid. The wealth of the empire was used to build many of these houses in cities like Iraq to bring together teachers and scholars and people of science, to help advance the arts and sciences of the empire. In what is now Baghdad, Iraq, one of the most important Houses of Wisdom was built. 

Translations & Diverse Influences

One of the most important goals of this House of Wisdom was to translate ancient books to their own language. The Greek civilization existed hundreds of years earlier and was known for their brilliant teachers, poets, scholars, and scientists, and advances in many areas of knowledge. Their writings had been recorded on scrolls in the Greek language. The scholars of the Arab world wanted to understand and preserve the ancient wisdom, so they set about the work of translation of thousands of these scrolls. Paper was a new technology at the time, so the leaders hired many people to make copies of all of the books they had translated. The House of Wisdom became a huge factory of translating and copying all of the Greek scrolls into Arabic books. They believed it was deeply important to have this ancient wisdom a part of their own empire, so they could learn from it and build on with their own insights. 

Interestingly, it wasn’t just Arabs who contributed to the translations and new knowledge of the Houses of Wisdom. Persians, Jews, Christians, Iranians and people of other ethnicities and religions were also involved and translations were sometimes made into multiple langauges.

With all of the knowledge coming together in the same place through translations and the Houses of Wisdom, as you can imagine, the smart people of this time were able to take everything they were learning and put it to good use! For this reason, many amazing things happened during this time such as scientific discoveries, new inventions, and works of art.

One example, is an early version of the Scientific Method used by Ibn al-Haytham. The Scientific Method is a series of steps used by scientists today to make scientific discoveries. It starts with asking a question, doing some basic research, and then making a hypothesis, which is like a guess. Finally, you test the hypothesis, analyze the data, and draw conclusions based on the data. Ibn al-Haytham is called the “world’s first true scientist” by some historians.  

There were also great advances in mathematics during the Islamic Golden Age. Algebra actually comes from a Arabic word which means the “reunion of broken parts.” Geometry, trigonometry, and calculus were also advanced during this time by scholars such as Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī, Omar Khayyam, and Sharaf al-Din al-Tusi.

The study of physics was also advanced by scientists like Alhazen and Al-Biruni who made discoveries about light and optics. Alchemy was the study of base metals and helped to form the foundation of what would later become chemistry. Al-Biruni also estimated the radius of the earth, which was the best estimate at that time in history.

The study of astronomy was also popular during the Islamic Golden Age. Using translations of the Greeks, Islamic scientists were able to build on their discoveries and improve upon the astrolabe. The astrolabe (astro-labe) was a device used to make calculate the position of stars, moons, and planets. It was used to calculate the time of religious festivals and for mariners during the Middle Ages and later during the Age of Discovery.

Gifted engineers during this time invented new and useful devices. The Banu Musa Brothers wrote The Book of Ingenious Devices which described an automatic flue player which may have been the first programmable machine. The flute sounds were produced through hot steam and the user could adjust the device to play different sounds. They also described an automatic crank, valves, and a siphon, and other useful tools. They worked out of one of Houses of Wisdom, their work paid for by the powerful ruling Abbasid Caliphate.

Taqi ad-Din Muhammad was one of the earliest engineers to propose the use of steam energy and its application in the use of a steam turbine.

Along with all of these discovering and inventions there were advances in farming, healthcare in the form of hospitals, medicine, and surgery, the law, theology, philosophy, and map-making. 

And we can’t forget the arts with beautiful works such as the folk tales of One Thousand and One Nights, which tales that you might be familiar with such as Aladdin, which was made Disney animated and live-action films, and Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves, and Sinbad the Sailer. If you get the chance, be sure to look up and read some of the stories from One Thousand and One Nights, which are full of colorful characters and adventure. Beautiful poetry was also written durign this time in the Arabic language by Rumi, Hafez, Saadi, and Omar Khayyam. Many of these poets lived and were supported at the Houses of Wisdom by the ruling class during the Islamic Golden Age. Gorgeous caligraphy, ceramics, paintings, architecture and music were also created and shared widely during this time.  

The advances and creativity that flowed from the Houses of Wisdom during this time spread to other parts of the world, but sadly this magnificent time was eventually cut short when Ghengis Khan and the Mongol Empire invaded the Islamic Empire during the 13th century. While Islamic Empire was powerful, they weren’t prepared to face off against the Mongols who conquered Baghdad along with the Houses of Wisdom. 

We’re fortunate today to benefit from many of the advances during the Islamic Golden Age. From algebra to the scientific method, timeless tales from One Thousand and One Nights, to the beautiful architecture and poetry that spread out from the empire – we have the kings, scholars, scientists, and artists to thank for a period of true enlightenment where advances in knowledge were held in the highest esteem.

Take a moment to imagine if you lived during the time of these Houses of Wisdom. What would you have studied or created if you were one of the scholars or artists supported by the kings? If you come up with an idea be sure to click on the Share Your Thoughts link in the show notes. We’d love to hear from you! 

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When I was a little kid, I took art class in school and one of my projects was to draw a picture of my family.  I was not a great artist so I did the basics: a square house and little stick figures for people. Perhaps you’ve done the same.  Well, imagine if your teacher put a rock on your desk and said, “Carve a picture of your mother out of this rock.”  That would seem impossible!

First of all, to carve a face out of stone, you need special tools, like chisels and hammers.  And you need to know how to carve the stone in the right places to make a nose, eyes, and lips.  It takes a lot of time and practice to get it right – and some really big rocks!  

Well, today, we’re going to talk about some gigantic rock portraits.  You might know some already, like Mt. Rushmore in the United States, The David statue in Italy, or the Terracotta Army in China.  Today we’re going to discover some other rock portraits – faces that look like a surprised Santa, a majestic lion, or a wailing devil!

The Great Sphinx of Giza

One of my favorite stone portraits is the Great Sphinx of Giza, near Cairo, Egypt.  It is a statue of a large, reclining lion with a human head.  It measures 240 feet (73 metres) long and 66 feet (20 metres) high and was carved around 2465 B.C.E.!  And to make it even more amazing, it was carved out of one mammoth piece of limestone!  Scientists estimate it took three years and 100 workers to carve this statue – and then they painted it! Eventually the paint chipped off from sun and heat exposure but it must have looked amazing when it was finished.

And whose face is on the Sphinx?  Well, they’re not sure.  It could be the ancient Pharaoh Khafre.  Others state that Khafre’s older brother had it built to honor their father, Pharoah Khufu.  Whoever it was built for, he must have been amazing.  Unfortunately, it has decayed over time and is now missing its nose.  One legend states that Napoleon ordered the nose blown off with a canon while battling there, but that’s not true – the nose came off long before then.  Others state that the nose was cut off in the 1300’s in protest to idolatry – meaning the worship of false Gods or famous people.  Whatever the truth may be, it is an amazing piece of artwork – and history – and I hope it will remain with us for centuries to come.

Olmec Heads in Mexico

Speaking of kingly faces, I think the Olmec Heads in Mexico are fascinating.  These heads are short and round and depict ancient Olmec rulers.  The smooth faces feature almond-shaped eyes, round noses, and full lips.  On their heads are small caps with simple designs.  These faces were carved out of volcanic rock around 1200-800 B.C., and range in height from 5 to 11 feet.  They weigh a whopping 20 tons.  Unfortunately, the Olmec people vanished from the Earth around 300 B.C. for unknown reasons – maybe war or disease – but these stone statues are a reminder that they were here and were memorialized – or honored – by their talented artists. 

 Nemrut Dag, Turkey

From 700-38 B.C., a king named Antiochus the First ruled in Turkey.  He ordered a sculptor to carve his statue high in the barren Taurus Mountains.  The sculptor carved the king sitting on a throne wearing a stern, majestic face and a tall headdress.  He then carved lions, falcons, and gods seated on either side of the king, protecting him from all enemies – mortal and spiritual.  These magnificent stone gods were depicted as three men and one woman on large thrones wearing pointed hats. A large burial site was built around these statues and contains other stone ancestors and treasures.  This site has decayed over time – possibly due to earthquakes, mudslides, and other weather – but was rediscovered in 1881 and turned into a protected historic site.  

Bayon Temple, Cambodia    

In Cambodia is an amazing Hindu and Buddhist temple called the Bayon Temple that displays over 200 carved faces!  This jaw-dropping temple – more like a vast, stone city – was built around the time of King Jayavarman VII’s reign from 1181 to 1218 and shows buildings with spiked towers, tall pillars and massive stone staircases leading into cavernous rooms.  Outside the temple, a large, smiling face is carved into a stone tower, supposedly of the king.  This king looks incredibly friendly, with full lips curved into a big smile and eyes looking downward, as if he is daydreaming.  His nose has fallen off, but he still wears a tall, royal headdress with a creature or bird on top.  To his left is another rock tower with four smiling king faces looking North, South, East, and West.  

Also in this temple are 200 additional faces, as well as scenes showing Cambodian life.  Statues of large Hindu gods sit on thrones lining the paths to the temple, looking mean and menacing, unlike the smiling king.  This site is truly fascinating – like something out of an Indiana Jones movie – and I would love to explore it one day.  What about you?

The Moai Heads of Easter Island

You may have seen the Moai Heads of Easter Island in the movie, “Night at the Museum.”  They were the large rock heads munching on gum and chanting “Yum, yum.”  The actual heads were discovered on Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean near Chile around 1722.  Carved out of volcanic rock around 1250-1500 A.D., they measure anywhere from 13 feet to 40 feet and weigh 14 tons each.  These massive heads have big brows, long noses, and deep eye sockets that may have had coral for eyes.  Their mouths are carved in a straight line.  Through the years, many of these statues have toppled over – although we don’t know why.  Some say it happened due to earthquakes, others say they were pushed over during tribal battles, and some say that a woman on the island with magical powers struck them down in anger.  

And you may be wondering how 800 massive stone heads were moved across the island.  Archeologists believe this was done by loading the rocks on wooden sleds and rolling the sleds over large logs.  It is thought that the island was once covered with forest, but the trees were cut down to move the stones, which led to the destruction of the island.  The people were no longer able to build houses or make fires and many moved away. 

So, what do these heads mean?  Well, some think they are carvings of ancestors or gods, and have spiritual powers.  Some think they are protectors of the island because they face inland.  Seven are pointed out to sea, maybe to watch for invaders.

You and I may never get to Easter Island to see these amazing statues, but we can view them in museums around the world, including London; Washington, DC; France; New Zealand; Chile; and Belgium.  I would love to see them, but I think I would have a heart attack if they started chanting and chewing bubblegum!

The Devil Heads, Czech Republic 

In the lush green forests of the Czech Republic two ghoulish heads are carved into the side of a mountain, sometimes called the “Czech Mount Rushmore.”  But while Mount Rushmore shows four stately presidents, the Devil Heads show two freaky faces.  One looks like a surprised Santa with bushy eyebrows, a long flowing beard, and an open mouth.  Beside it is another head with a wailing face, furrowed brows, and crooked teeth in a gaping mouth.  It looks like a creature or devil howling in pain.  These faces were carved between 1841 and 1846 by a man who was working as a cook in a nearby castle.  Later, he carved other faces and creatures into nearby rocks, depicting characters from Czech fairytales. Well, even if these heads are a little scary, I think they are fascinating and very creative.  

Decebalus Rex, Romania

And finally, we head to Romania for a stone portrait started in 1993.  Created in honor of King Decebalus who lived around 105 A.D., this carving shows the elderly king’s face jutting out of a grey stone cliff on a wooded mountain.  He wears a bushy beard and mustache, and his mouth is set in a firm, straight line.   On top of his head are the jagged peaks of the mountain, looking like a tall Santa’s hat.  And while the faces on Mount Rushmore in the United States are an impressive 60 feet high, this king’s face is three times that large, or 180 feet, with a 23-foot nose and 14-foot eyes!  King Decebalus was said to have battled a great Roman emperor on this site many centuries ago and was ultimately defeated.  To honor the king’s courage, an Italian sculptor was hired to carve this special memorial.

So, what do you think of all these rocky portraits?  Have you seen any of them?  Some are so old it’s hard to imagine how they were created or how the artists knew how to carve faces on such a large scale.  It just shows that every civilization had its amazing architects, engineers, and artists!  If you could carve anyone to be remembered hundreds of years from now, who would it be?

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Big Ben, the tower, is one of the most iconic – or recognizable – landmarks in the world, just like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Great Sphynx of Giza in Egypt, or the Statue of Liberty in New York.  It was completed in 1859 and stands 316 feet – or 96 meters – tall.  It has four sides measuring 40 feet each, and to get to the top of the tower you need to go inside and climb 393 steps.  

At the top of the tower are four clock faces measuring 22.5 feet in diameter.  How tall or wide is that?  Well, take four or five of your friends and have them stand on each other’s shoulders!  That’s a tall stack – and a tall clock!  The clocks are lit by electric lightbulbs but in the 1800’s they were lit by gas lamps.  It is said that Queen Victoria used to look out of Buckingham Palace at night and see the clocks lit up, meaning that her ministers were still working late into the night.  There was no sneaking out early when Queen Victoria was watching those clocks!  

So, we now know that the tower and the four clocks are big – and so are the clock hands!  The hour hands are almost 9 feet (or 2.7 meters) long and the minute hands are 14 feet (or 4.3 meters) long!  Can you imagine if you had to set those clocks by leaning out of a window 300 feet in the air?  Luckily, the clocks are run by mechanisms, like pendulums, wheels, gears, and rods.  They even use pennies as weights!  The clocks are wound inside the tower by hand every three days, taking 1.5 hours each time, kind of like winding large metal hamster wheels.

Inside the tower, there are four bells that chime every 15 minutes.  The fifth and largest bell, called Big Ben, weighs over 13 tons and bongs every hour.  When it was installed in the 1800’s, it took a cart and 16 horses to bring it to the site.  Then a team of workmen spent 18 hours pulling on ropes to raise the humongous bell 300 feet in the air and place it inside the tower.  The first bell made for the tower cracked before it was even installed, so a new one had to be made.  After that bell was installed, it cracked, too!  The engineers weren’t about to remove a 13-ton bell and lower it 300 feet to the ground for repairs, so they did something else.  They turned the cracked bell slightly to one side so the hammer would strike in a different place on the bell – and, thus, it was never repaired.  Big Ben continues to ring to this day, although with a slightly different sound since cracking.  Big Ben was the largest bell in England for over 20 years until “Great Paul,” an even more ginormous bell, was put into Saint Paul’s Cathedral in 1881.

And while the bell was never repaired after its big crack, the four clocks have been repaired, including at least 6 paint jobs over the last 160 years.  Originally, the clocks and their hands used to be blue, but they were painted black at one point to cover damage from air pollution.  Many years ago, London used to burn a lot of coal to heat houses and factories, and the smoke turned all the buildings black with soot.  In 2017, the clock faces and hands were cleaned and repainted.  They are now back to their original blue and look amazing.

All of these bell and clock facts then got me thinking:  Have they ever stopped?  And the answer is yes.  Both the clocks and the bell have stopped on occasion throughout the centuries.  Several times the clock hands have stopped due to the weight of so much snow sitting on them, stopping their movement.  Sometimes all the snow would cause the hands to hit each other and grind to a stop. During both World Wars, the clock lights were turned off so enemy planes could not bomb the tower or use its lights to find their way across London.  And the bell was silenced on January 30, 1965, during the funeral of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who led England to victory during WWII.  There have also been repairs here and there through the years, causing them to be stopped for short periods of time.  

Also, in 2012, Big Ben’s regular chimes were reprogrammed to ring 30 times on the morning of July 17 to welcome the 30^th Olympic Games to London.   

By now you may be wondering how Big Ben actually got its name – both the tower and the bell.  Nobody knows for sure about the bell.  It might have been named after the man who supervised its installation, Sir Benjamin Hall, or after a British heavyweight boxer at that time named Benjamin Caunt, who was also nicknamed “Big Ben.”   But somewhere along the line, someone gave the bell the nickname “Big Ben” and it stuck.  It’s similar to when you get a nickname as a baby and it stays with you as you grow up.  As for the tower, it was originally called “The Clock Tower.” Then it was called “St. Stephen’s Tower” because the government used to meet in St. Stephen’s Hall below it.  Then people started calling the tower “Big Ben” like the bell inside it.  Finally, in 2012, the tower’s name was changed to “Elizabeth Tower” in honor of Queen Elizabeth II and her Diamond Jubilee.  

But there’s even more interesting history on the outside of the tower.  If you look at it from the street, you will see six shields above the clocks with a red cross on them.  This is St. George’s Cross.  During the Middle Ages, there was a crusading warrior who was killed for his Catholic faith and was later named Saint George.  His emblem was a red cross on a white background.  He was so respected and admired for his bravery and faith that his emblem was incorporated into the flag of England and you can still see this red cross on the British flag today. 

Also on the tower are 52 shields showing other emblems of the United Kingdom: a thistle for Scotland, a leek for Wales, a shamrock for Ireland, and a rose for the Tudor kings of England.  There are pomegranates, a symbol of King Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon; a metal gate symbolizing the Houses of Parliament; and the French fleurs-de-lis.  And why a French emblem on a British building?  Well, at one time the English kings claimed they also ruled France!  Under the clocks is an inscription in Latin that reads, “O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First.”  Truly amazing!  Everywhere you look in England, you will see hidden – and not-so-hidden – emblems, images, and insignias.  They are like a secret, long-forgotten code revealing bits of history in pictures and words.  You just have to know how to read the code!

Standing outside the Elizabeth Tower, you will see it is attached to a large rectangular building called the House of Parliament.  This is where government officials conduct business every day.  It is a very ornate, gothic building.  And you may wonder why a government building is so fancy.  Well, many centuries ago it used to be a royal palace called the Palace of Westminster!  It was built over a thousand years ago and was one of the first royal palaces in England.  Kings, queens, princes, and princesses lived there for over five hundred years, long before Big Ben and the Clock Tower were built.  Unfortunately, the palace was destroyed twice by fire, most recently in 1834.  When the palace was rebuilt after the second fire, the iconic Clock Tower and bell were added.

So, if this building used to be a royal palace, what else did it have besides towers, bells, and clocks?  Why, a prison, of course!  Yes, it’s true!  There is a prison at the bottom of the Elizabeth Tower! It was last used in 1880 when a government official was locked inside after he refused to swear an oath of allegiance to Queen Victoria!  

And if a tower prison isn’t sketchy enough, you should also know that the tower LEANS!  Yes, it’s leaning to one side!  Maybe not as much as the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, but it leans!  The tower was built on soft clay ground covered by gravel.  Over time, the tower shifted – or started to lean – by about 9 inches. Then, about 20 years ago, London started digging a new underground subway line nearby.  The engineers knew that this drilling might make Big Ben lean even further, so they poured thousands of tons of concrete under the tower to support it.  It now leans about 20 inches at the top but no one seems too worried about it.  They say it should stand for another 4,000 to 10,000 years.  Hmmm, I wonder who will be around at that time to check on it or fix any problems?  Martians maybe?

I think it is a marvel that this tower is still standing, especially after the repeated bombings during the blitz of WWII.  Two of the clocks, the tower roof, and part of the parliament building were damaged during those fiery raids, but the tower stood and Big Ben chimed through it all – and still does to this day, keeping its amazing history alive!  

I don’t know about you, but I find these bits of British history truly fascinating.  England is full of amazing stories, legends, and wonders.  And what about your town or city?  Are there buildings where you live that have hidden history or are decorated with murals, emblems, or inscriptions?  Maybe you can plan an outing with your parents or friends to look at these buildings and discover their stories.  Generations of people before us have left their marks on buildings to memorialize their times and beliefs.  I’d love to hear from you and learn more about the historic buildings in your area.  Click this link to leave your comments and you just might be mentioned in a future episode.

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Think of some of the objects you saw: family, friends, trees, maybe a pet, or the big blue sky and white moon in the dark of night. Maybe you saw a smile and objects moving, a car speeding by, or someone kicking a ball. Most of these objects are things you are used to. But when you were a baby they were very interesting! You were curious about everything because it was all new and fresh! As we get older many of these things to become familiar and perhaps not as interesting. Tonight we’re going to learn about Leonardo da Vinci, also known as one of the most curious and creative geniuses in recorded history. As we learn about him, think about how he saw the world differently and how you might see the world differently, too. 

When was Leonardo da Vinci born?

Leonardo was born on April 15th, 1452 in the country of Italy in a town called Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci means Leonardo of Vinci, the town where he was born.  He was born during a time that later became known as The Renaissance, which means “Rebirth” because the way people saw the world was changing dramatically during this time. The Medieval Times was over and people were beginning to see themselves as beings who had control over their life and the world and could think differently than those who came before them. 

Childhood & Early Education

Leonardo grew up with his father and spent much of his time exploring the land around their home. He loved to observe the birds and animals and get lost in the beautiful countryside. Around the age of 15, his father noticed he had an interest in and a gift for art. For this reason, his father had him become an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence, Italy. An apprentice is a student to a master artist. And at this time Florence was known for its gifted artists and sculptors. In Verrocchio’s workshop, Leonardo learned from his master how to paint and sculpt. Sculptors used materials like clay or marble to make grand sculptures.   

Leonardo studied and helped with paintings and sculptures in Verrochio’s workshop until he was 20 years old. The next step in an artist’s life was to join a guide and Leonard did just that when he was accepted into the painters’ guild in Florence. A guild was a group of skilled artists who worked and met together. At this time he created many pen and pencil drawings and technical drawings of weapons and other mechanical devices. He was very interested in how things worked and in creating new devices. He loved inventing things! 

Milan and Duke Sforza

In 1482, when he was about 30 years old Leonardo moved to the city of Milan where he worked for the city’s duke, Ludovico Sforza. There he created paintings and worked on inventions for the Duke. The ability to create and improve technical devices is called engineering — and Leonardo was a very gifted engineer. He worked for Duke Sforza for many years. There he painted two of his best-known works The Virgin of the Rocks and The Last Supper depicting Jesus and his Twelve Apostles. He also helped design buildings and gave the Duke engineering advice for his army. 

One of Leonardo’s other biggest projects was a huge, 24-foot bronze horse for Duke Sforza. He spent 12 years designing it out of clay, which would be a mold to be turned into bronze. Unfortunately, before they could pour the metal into the mold to finish the horse sculpture, the project was stopped, because a war started and the metal had to be used for cannons instead of the horse! In our day, someone decided to get together the money to finally build the horse Leonardo always wanted. If you ever visit Milan, Italy you can see it today!

After the war Duke Sforza was no longer Duke, so Leonardo stopped working for him. Leonardo continued working in his workshop in Milan and soon had his own students and apprentices.

Florence

In the 1500s a French army invaded and took over Milan, so Leonardo left and went to Florence, where he had been an apprentice as a young man. In Florence, he painted his most famous painting, The Mona Lisa. Leonardo was a gifted artist, but he wasn’t afraid to learn new topics and never stopped learning. He was infinitely curious! Leonardo began to study math and science. He studied the human body, which is called anatomy. He also observed the flight of birds and studied the flow of air and water. He looked at everyday objects through different eyes. He wondered how bodies worked, how birds flew, and what gave living things their motion. He didn’t take anything for granted and saw the miracle in everyday life and studied deeply to try and understand it. 

Eventually, Leonardo moved back to Milan and continued his scientific studies, writing and creating many sketchbooks to help others understand the human body and how it worked. He came to believe that all bodies and living things worked according to certain laws of nature, which was very ahead of his time. 

Rome

In 1513, around the age of 60, Leonardo again moved to Rome where he lived in the Vatican and worked for Giuliano de Medici. At this time many of the popular Renaissance artists were living and creating amazing works of art in Rome. The famous St. Peter’s Cathedral was being built at the time and Raphael was painting walls in the Pope’s new apartments. One of the most famous artists of all time, Michaelangelo, was also in Rome working on the Pope’s tomb. 

By the age of 65, Leonardo was asked by the King of France to move there, where he became his main painter, architect, and engineer, which was a great honor. There he continued his sketches and consulted other artists in their works. He also helped plan a palace and garden for the king. He spent a lot of time arranging his writings and sketches about nature in his many notebooks, which fortunately we have today! Leonardo passed away at an old age while living in France.

Leonardo’s Influences

Today we’re lucky to have many of Leonardo’s paintings and notebooks. Many of the ideas he had were for machines that wouldn’t be invented for hundreds of years. For example, in his study of birds and flight, he had the idea for an airplane, a helicopter, and a parachute, which he sketched in his notebooks. He also had the idea for many military machines, such as an armored car, a giant crossbow, and a three-barreled cannon. When you get the chance you can find a book about Leonardo’s inventions at the library or look at them online. They are amazing!

What can you learn from Leonardo?

One of the most interesting things about Leonardo was his ability to take his artistic talents and engineering skills and combine them. He became known as a Renaissance Man because of his curiosity and ability to combine many different skills to invent amazing things. He believed artists were the best qualified to achieve true knowledge, because of the unique way they were able to view the world. Think about that as you observe the miraculous world around you. Never take for granted the little things. Even the smallest living things like a flower or a bee are extraordinary as you look at them closely and learn more about them. Think about what you might do to learn more about the world around you like Leonardo. You could take the time to study a rock or a leaf and sketch it into a notebook as Leonardo did. This is the way he came to better understand the world, one simple object at a time. 

Listen to the audio

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Augusta Ada Byron was born December 10, 1815, in London, England. Her father was Lord Byron, a world-famous poet — and her mother was Lady Anne Isabella Byron. Only a few weeks after Ada was born her parents separated and her father left England. When Ada was 8 he passed away, so Ada never met her famous father. 

Early Childhood

Many times during her childhood, Ada was sick. When she was eight she had lots of headaches, then when she was 14 she had measles and had to stay in bed for nearly a year! Eventually, she was able to walk with crutches, but during this time she continued to study and learn about her favorite subjects such as math.

Unlike most girls at her time, Ada was taught math and science by her tutors. A tutor is someone who teaches children individually, which means she didn’t go to a normal school like kids in our day. Ada’s mother insisted she learned math and science and made sure she worked very hard to be educated. Sometimes her mother made her lie still for long periods of time because she thought it would teach her to have self-control. Self-control is being able to control your emotions and behavior. But from a young age, Ada showed talent with numbers, meaning she was very good at math. 

When Ada was 12, she decided she wanted to figure out how to fly. Very carefully, she planned out how she would do this and first designed her own wings. She tried different materials of different sizes, she studied birds to figure out how they flew. She even wrote a book called Flyology with drawings and descriptions about how someone would fly. Her final idea was to use steam power to fly. She never attempted to fly herself, but her investigations were a good example of how curious she was and the passion she had for a single project.  

Famous Acquaintances

When Ada was young she met many different famous scientists, inventors, and authors due to her social position. She often went to court and became popular even at a young age due to her smarts. At parties, some of the famous people she met were Michael Faraday, Charles Dickens, and Charles Babbage, a well-known inventor. Charles Babbage became Ada’s mentor, which means someone who taught her personally. She began to learn advanced math at this time and was very interested in Babbage’s ideas. Babbage was one of the first people to have the idea for a computer. He imagined a machine that could do the math on its own and he eventually created this machine, which he called The Difference Engine (Learn more about the history of computer science). Ada was fascinated by this new machine — which became one of the earliest versions of a computer. Babbage went on to create another machine called The Analytical Engine.

Ada Publishes Her Ideas

Ada also knew many languages, so she was asked to translate an article about Babbage’s Analytical Engine. But while making the translation she added many of her own ideas. The notes and ideas she added ended up being three times longer than the article! Her article was later published in an English Science Journal. In the article, Ada shared her ideas about how codes could be used to handle letters and numbers. She also had the idea of how these codes could be used to loop computer programs. Because of all of her original ideas, many consider Ada to be the first computer programmer! 

William King

In 1835, Adam married a wealthy Baron named William King, who later became the Earl of Lovelace, so Ada became the Countess of Lovelace. They had three homes and lived in luxury, both sharing a love of horses. Together they also had three children. In 1837 Ada became very sick and due to some of the medications she was given suffered from other problems. At the age of 36, Ada passed away from cancer.

Ada’s Contributions

While she was alive not many people read Ada’s article about computer programming. It wasn’t until the 1950s that her article was found and people realized how brilliant her ideas about computer programming were. Her ideas were shared in new books about computer programming. In 1980 the United States military named their new programming language after her, calling it “Ada.” Also, the Association for Women in Computing has an Ada Lovelace Award each year and since 1988 the British Computer Society awards a Lovelace Medal, named after Ada.  

Like Ada, you can be curious about the world around you and take the time to study subjects such as math and science. Ada not only learned about these subjects, but she took what she learned and started her own projects, like investigating how to fly and writing her own book. Ada showed that it was important to meet lots of different people and learn from their ideas. This is another great way you can learn, too, by meeting new people and asking lots of questions! Have you ever wanted to create your own app or website? You can do this by learning computer programming. If you’re interested in learning more about coding check out code.org or Scratch, which is a website kids can use to learn how to code.

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Tesla Car Company

Have you ever heard of a Tesla car? Teslas are very fast cars, but unlike most sports cars, Teslas are electric-powered not gas-powered. Teslas are becoming very popular because they are one way to prevent carbon emissions and help the environment. Although you may be familiar with the name Tesla because of the famous car, you may not be aware of where the name came from. Tesla cars are named after an inventor named Nikola Tesla. Tonight we’re going to learn more about Telsa and why he became so well known.

Nikola Tesla’s Birth and Early Life

In 1865, Nikola Tesla was born to Serbian parents in what is now known as Croatia. His father was an Orthodox Priest and his mother never went to school but was a very intelligent woman. She was known for inventing her own electrical gadgets to be used around the house. Nikola later said his great intelligence came from his gifted mother.

Growing up Nikola went to school like most kids and studied German, math, and religion. They moved to a new town where his father was a priest and there he attended elementary and middle school. During high school, Nikola had a physics teacher who showed his class the power of electricity. When Nikola saw it he was amazed and wanted to learn more about this wonderful force. It was here that Nikola did so well in his math classes that the teachers thought he was cheating because he could do difficult math in his head, without using paper.

Nikola Tesla’s Education

Not long after graduating from high school, Nikola became very sick and spent nine months in bed, but finally, he got better. His father wanted him to become a priest like he was, but Nikola was more interested in engineering. Engineering is the science of designing and building things. 

Nikola went to the university in Graz, Austria for a time and did very well there. It was there that he first learned about a dynamo, which is used to generate electricity. He started to have ideas about how he could make it work better. Nikola worked very hard while in school. It was said he worked from 3 am to 11 pm and didn’t take breaks on the weekend. His friends and family worried if he didn’t slow down he would become sick from over-working himself.

After university Nikola moved to the country of Hungary and started working for a telegraph company. The telegraph was used to communicate by sending signals along a wire before the telephone was invented. While there, Nikola helped them improve the telegraph equipment! 

Thomas Edison

Nikola Tesla’s next job was in Paris working for one of Thomas Edison’s power companies. Thomas Edison was a famous American inventor known for designing the lightbulb among other inventions. From there Tesla moved first moved to America and got a job working directly with Thomas Edison. He was very poor at the time and arrived in America with only a few cents in his pockets and a few poems he had written. 

Alternating Current

Unfortunately, his work with Thomas Edison didn’t last long. Instead, Tesla took his ideas to Edison’s competitor, George Westinghouse, who bought his idea for the alternating current dynamo. Direct current is what Thomas Edison used and worked by sending an electrical current one way, but Tesla’s idea was to switch the directions in the current was sent. To this day Tesla’s alternating current is used more than direct current. 

Tesla’s Other Inventions

Next, Tesla started his own lab and experimented with ideas that helped pave the way for the x-ray. He also created the Tesla coil, which was later used for sending radio waves through the air or radios and televisions. It was around this time that the World’s Columbian Exposition was to be held in Chicago in 1893. This was an enormous world fair where people from all over the world would visit Chicago to see exciting new inventions and experience new things. This also started a competition between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla over whether AC (alternating current) or DC (direct current) would be used to power the huge world’s fair. In the end, Telsa’s alternating current won the match and it was used to power the World’s Columbian Exposition. 

Telsa went on to create the first hydroelectric power generator at Niagara Falls, New York. Hydroelectric means water power is used to create electricity. 

Telsa’s next big project was a huge electrical tower in Long Island, New York, which he planned to use to send radio waves all around the world. It was called the Wardenclyffe Tower. At this time a different tower was being built by Guglielmo Marconi to do a similar thing. Tesla got started on his tower, but Marconi beat him by sending a signal across the Atlantic Ocean first. This caused the people paying for Tesla’s tower to change their minds causing the project to fail.

Nikola continued to come up with new ideas, but most of his designs stayed in his notebooks and he didn’t get a chance to actually build them. 

For anyone who listened to the last Bedtime History episode about Mark Twain, you’ll be interested to know that Mark Twain and Tesla were friends. While growing up, Tesla read many of Mark Twain’s novels and so he was excited to finally meet him after moving to America. Twain was interested in Tesla’s inventions and often visited his lab and participated in experiments. He also gave him money to help with his new inventions.

Later in Nikola Tesla’s life, he won awards for his past inventions, and in 1937 when he passed away many around the world mourned his death. Someone was quoted as saying that he was “one of the outstanding intellects of the world who paved the way for many of the technological developments of modern times.”

Conclusion

Nikola faced many difficulties in his life, but he continued to learn and apply his mind to designing new things and improving the things around him. Like Tesla, you can be curious about the world around you. In school, he saw the power of electricity and wanted to learn how it worked. He found new ways to use it to improve the lives of people all over the world. Learning how to invent and improve things is a combination of learning how the forces in the world work, like physics, and what things are made up of, called chemistry — and then using creativity to apply that knowledge about the world. This is why it’s a good idea to pay attention in school and take the time outside of school to dig deeper and really understand how the world works.

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