James Webb Space Telescope Reaches Final Destination The telescope will be able to unravel some of the mysteries of the universe.
From Nation, For Nation - Pulse of the Nation
Sculpting Between Heartbeats: The Microscopic World of Dr. Willard Wigan
Cowboys In The Wild West Didn’t Wear Cowboy Hats
Cowboys are a symbol of the American Wild West, but there are some tales about them that aren’t true. They rarely fought Native Americans, they were more likely to die from falling off a horse than in a gunfight, and they didn’t wear those tall, wide-brimmed cowboy hats you see in Westerns.
The Derby Hat
The iconic Stetson came onto the market in 1865, and it wasn’t popular until the end of the 19th century.
A cowboy’s preferred choice of hat? The derby—also known as the bowler. Photos of the Wild Bunch from 1892 and 1900 clearly show the gang—Harry A. Longabaugh (the Sundance Kid), Ben Kilpatrick (the Tall Texan), Robert Leroy Parker (Butch Cassidy), Harvey Logan (Kid Curry), and Will Carver—donning derby hats.
Famous gunslinger and gambler Bat Masterson also favored the derby. The classic photo of American West gunfighter Billy the Kid depicts the outlaw wearing what resembles a top hat. Wild Bill Hickok was photographed in a flat, pancake hat. An 1882 photo of Jesse James shows the outlaw in a low-crowned cap with an upturned brim.
Men commonly wore hats on the American frontier, and derby hats were functional for various occasions. Most photographs from that time feature men wearing them and one of the reasons they were popular is because they stayed on in windy conditions.
More Hat History
Frontiersman typically wore hats related to their employment, and they were commonly made of beaver fur-felt and were natural in color. In addition to the derby, men wore flat wool caps, Mexican sombreros, or old Civil War hats (such as the kepi).
As for the ten-gallon hat, it would have been impractical, even if it was impressive to 20th-century moviegoers. Famous lawmen such as Wild Bill Hickok and Wyatt Earp wore low-crowned hats because giant cowboy hats would have made them easy targets for adversaries.
The ten-gallon hat got its name from the Spanish word “Galón,” not because it could hold 10 gallons of water. Galón means braid, and many Spanish hats in that era had braids on them. One with 10 braids was called a Ten-Galón hat.
The original Stetson was dubbed “The Boss of the Plains,” and it didn’t resemble what we think of as a cowboy hat today. It featured a high crown and wide brim and looked a bit like an Amish hat. It was waterproof and shielded the wearer from elements such as the sun and rain. The hat’s design, which didn’t have a crease on the open crown, stayed the same for several years.
The Wonderful Wild West
John Stetson’s classic cowboy hat was possibly inspired by the Spanish-derived hats he encountered after he moved to the West. He created the iconic headwear, which features a crease in the middle of a high crown with a dent on each side, allowing the wearer to remove it by the crown instead of the brim.
Legend is that he met a cowboy on the road, who was so impressed by the hat that he gave Stetson $5 for it (a rather large amount at that time). The rest is history. By the 1870s, cowboys took to customizing their hats, and in 1872, Montgomery Ward Catalog sold hats that allowed men to shape the crowns and brim to suit their preferences.
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From Globe, For Globe - Pulse of the Planet
These athletes overcame unbelievable odds to achieve the seemingly impossible at the Olympics.
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be one of the largest athletic events ever organized in France, taking place from July 24 to August 11. During the event, the world’s best athletes will unite to crown new champions while billions of television viewers tune in worldwide. The City of Lights will also draw millions of live spectators over 19 days of competition.
However, not all Olympic athletes have an easy road to competition. Some have surmounted insane odds for a chance at the podium. Check out these amazing stories of athletes who can inspire us all.
The Road from Illness to Victory
Sebastian Coe of Great Britain was riding high after the 1980 Olympics and his win in the 1500m. He also set numerous world records in distances from the 800m to the mile. But two years later, his world fell apart. Glandular fever destroyed his health and led to an agonizing battle with toxoplasmosis. Health issues forced him to bow out of the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
Because of these ongoing struggles, many questioned his ability to compete in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. Some in the media viciously criticized him for wanting to mount an attempt. Yet, he proved his critics wrong by performing exceptionally in the 800m and 1500m.
He earned silver in the 800m behind Joaquim Cruz of Brazil and gold in the 1500m. As a result, he became the first man in Olympic history to win successive 1500m Olympic titles.
Leading From the Rear
Billy Mills did the unprecedented at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. He charged from the rear of the competition to win the gold medal in the 10,000m, becoming the only man in the Western Hemisphere to win a gold medal in that event.
Billy Mills grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota, one of the poorest regions in the United States. He competed in cross-country races at the University of Kansas and continued to train after joining the Marines. Remarkably, he refused to follow standard training advice in the leadup to the Tokyo Olympics.
Instead of resting in the days before the competition, Mills continued with his vigorous running schedule. Despite foregoing mainstream advice, he raced to a stunning victory on race day, impressing the world with his unlikely rise to victory.
Golden Girl Returns from Retirement
While Billy Mills overcame the odds to earn Olympic glory, he wasn’t the only one making history in 1964 in Tokyo. Another athlete who achieved surprising success was Betty Cuthbert, Australia’s so-called “Golden Girl.”
Despite winning three Olympic gold medals at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, she had to retire before the 1960 Rome Games due to a torn hamstring. At the time, she considered this the end of her public career as she didn’t enjoy living in the spotlight.
But by 1962, she was back on the track, competing in the Commonwealth Games. Then, two years later, in Tokyo, she made an impressive comeback, clenching her fourth medal in the 400m. She remains the only Olympian to have ever won a gold medal in all sprint running events: 100m, 200m, and 400m.
From Hospital to Head of the Pack
During the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, Wilma Rudolph captured the public’s attention with her incredible athletic achievements. She garnered three gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay, becoming the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympic Games.
Seeing her compete in Italy, you would have never guessed the problematic nature of her childhood. Born prematurely, she battled with severe illnesses in her youth—polio, scarlet fever, and double pneumonia. Polio temporarily paralyzed her and even led medical professionals of the day to presume she would never walk again.
But by the age of 12, she bid her bulky leg brace goodbye, quickly progressing to athletic pursuits. Eight years later, she competed in her first Olympics in Melbourne in 1956, earning a bronze medal in the 4x100m relay. Fast-forward to 1960, and she achieved what many thought was impossible, representing America in dramatic fashion.
The Double Amputee Who Achieved His Olympic Dreams
When South African Oscar Pistorius was eleven months old, he underwent double amputation of his legs. The reason? A health condition he was born with impacted his lower leg bones or fibulae. Despite this setback, he proved highly athletic, trying his hand at tennis, water polo, and rugby. He relied on prosthetics along the way.
A knee injury led him to running. He competed in the 2004 Summer Paralympics and ran his first able-bodied race in 2005. In 2008, he hoped to compete in the Beijing Olympics. However, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) overruled his participation, citing an “unfair advantage.” Although this ruling was later overturned, Pistorius failed to qualify for the games, putting his Olympic hopes on the back burner.
By 2011, he qualified for the Summer Olympics at the London 2011 World Championships and competed in 2012 as the first double-leg amputee. He took second place in the 400m race, finishing with his best time of the season: 45.44 seconds. He also ran in the 4x400m relay race, finishing the last leg to clinch the team’s best season time: 3 minutes 3.46 seconds. Pistorius carried the South African flag during the closing ceremonies.
The Greatest American Diver Overcomes Injury
Greg Louganis won two gold medals during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. This paved the way for his reputation as “the greatest American diver.” Four years later, most people considered him a shoo-in at the Seoul Olympics.
But during a preliminary diving round, he hit the back of his head on the springboard. The injury left him with a concussion and a laceration on the back of his head, requiring four stitches. Despite these traumatic injuries, he went on to win gold in the 3m and 10m platform events. In the process, he became the first man to win back-to-back gold medals in both events.
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