1. A “Sky Ladder” made of Fireworks
Igniting as It Drifts into the Sky:
On June 15, at the break of dawn, artist Cai Guo-Qiang set off a giant white balloon filled with 6,200 cubic meters of helium. As the orb ascended above Huiyu Island Harbour in Quanzhou, China, it carried with it a 500-meter-long ladder coated in quick-burning fuses and gold fireworks. Guo-Qiang then ignited the structure, setting off his awe-inspiring creation called Sky Ladder.
More found on My Modern Met.
2. Harry Houdini, 1914
Colored by Dana Keller.
3. Vintage movie theater concession stands
Found on The Academy Tumblr.
4. Cartoon Coins
Brazilian designer Andre Levy first started collecting coins during his travels and with a steady hand and a great imagination, has been turning them into mini artworks for a few years.
Discover his work here.
5. Inside the Abandoned Mid-Century TWA Flight Center Before It Becomes a Hotel
The TWA FLIGHT CENTER at JFK is a marvel of mid-century design in the Jet Age, a sleek, futuristic place that evokes a bird in flight. It’s been largely off-limits to the public since 2001, but architecture photographer Max Touhey got a rare look inside. His remarkable photos provide a glimpse of the golden era of air travel, a time when flying was exciting and new.
The airline reportedly wants to get into the hotel business by partnering with New York-based hotel developer MCR Development to turn the landmarked terminal into a 500-room hotel.
Full story on Curbed via Wired.
6. The Last of the Sea Nomads
Marine nomads, the Bajau Laut, have lived in the waters of the Coral Triangle for centuries but their way of life and their uniquely intimate relationship with the ocean is being destroyed.
Discover the full story on Maptia.
7. A Telegram reporting on the successful delivery of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
“Visible effects greater than any test.” Found on Today’s Document
8. Sleepovers in the National Archives
National Archives hosts sleepovers in Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, where the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution are housed.
More information found here.
9. When they tried to sell Donuts as a Health Food
This poster advertised the awesome “Vitamin Donuts,” with their 25 units of vitamin B1, were meant to strengthen the population during wartime. Ultimately, the company was told it could call the product “enriched flour donuts,” but “vitamin donuts” was out.
Found on the US National Archives Tumblr.
10. Butler’s café , the butler themed cafe in Tokyo that only hires good-looking foreign men as staff
According to the owner, Japanese women “want a cafe where the waiters [are] male, good-looking, will treat them nice, but most importantly [are] Western.” Butler’s café “is the sole cafe hiring only foreign men as staff.”
Found on Wikipedia.
11. Tiffany Style Stained Glass Basketball Hoops
Just because. By Victor Solomon. Found on The World’s Best Ever.
12. The Killer Mobile Device for Victorian Women
Like a customized Swiss Army knife, the chatelaine, a device popularized in the 18th century that attached to the waist of a woman’s dress, bearing tiny useful accessories, from notebooks to knives.
In many ways chatelaines provided better access to such objects than we have today: How often have you searched for your keys or cell phone at the bottom of a cavernous bag?
Full story found on Collector’s Weekly.
13. The 100 year-old Technology of the New York City Subway
