Interesting Things to Know
Black History Month: The daring life of Robert Smalls
He was a man seemingly doomed to live an obscure life, but Robert Smalls’ daring life defied expectations.
Born into slavery in the salty coastal marshes of Beaufort, SC, Smalls was contracted out to work in Charleston by age 12 and eventually learning seafaring jobs along Charleston’s wharfs. He was just 17 when he met and married his wife, Hannah Jones, an enslaved hotel maid.
By 1861, with the nation divided in the Civil War, Smalls, then in his 20s, had become accomplished enough to pilot the Confederate transport ship Planter, which ran missions along rivers and coastal areas. But in Charleston harbor, Smalls saw the Union ships just seven miles away and decided plan his escape.
In May 1862, Smalls and other enslaved people working on the ship brought their families on board — a common enough occurrence while the white crew was on shore — and sailed out to the Union Navy.
By stealth and skill, he sailed past Confederate forts to deliver his ship, and more importantly, his knowledge into the hands of the Union. His daring escape brought Smalls into national prominence. He was granted a sum of money for the surrendered ship and was appointed a pilot in the U.S. Navy. Later, he was promoted to captain for his heroism in battle.
During Reconstruction, Smalls returned to South Carolina and was elected to several terms in state government offices, then to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served five terms.
Fittingly, Smalls returned to Beaufort after the war and purchased his former owner’s home. His mother, Lydia Polite, lived with him there while he spent nine months teaching himself to read and write.
Smalls died of malaria in 1915 at the age of 75.
Interesting Things to Know
Harnessing Your Sixth Sense: How to Use Intuition Effectively
Intuition, often called a “sixth sense” or a hunch, is a powerful mental tool that can guide us through decisions when logic alone isn’t enough. Psychologists from York University in Toronto have explored the origins of these intuitive insights and suggest practical ways to harness them effectively.
Understanding Intuition
Intuition operates as an ability to understand something immediately without needing conscious reasoning. It allows us to make decisions quickly, especially when we have limited information but a wealth of relevant experience. This sixth sense can often seem like it comes from nowhere, yet it’s deeply rooted in our past experiences and knowledge.
Enhancing Your Intuitive Abilities
- Expand Your Knowledge Base: Intuition is stronger in fields where you have more expertise. Invest time learning and expanding your knowledge to improve your intuitive abilities, especially outside your current areas of expertise. This broader understanding sets the stage for more frequent and accurate insights.
- Take a Step Back: To cultivate intuition, engage deeply with your questions and potential answers, then take a deliberate break. Activities that fully relax and occupy your mind can refresh your cognitive processes and lead to breakthroughs when you revisit the problem.
- Trust Your Gut: Experience fuels intuition. Trust your gut feelings, especially in areas where you have deep knowledge. While intuition sometimes contradicts logical reasoning, it often points toward innovative solutions that logic might miss.
- Verify Your Insights: While intuition can lead to rapid conclusions, validating these insights with facts and data is crucial. Before acting on a gut feeling, cross-check it with reality to ensure it stands up to scrutiny. This process confirms the validity of your intuitive leaps and can prevent potential mistakes.
Intuition as a Problem-Solving Tool
Intuition isn’t about making random guesses. It’s an advanced form of cognitive processing that blends past experiences with present awareness. By fostering your intuition through learning, relaxation, trust, and verification, you can enhance your decision-making skills in both personal and professional realms.
Remember, while facts and data are crucial, there comes a point in decision-making where you must rely on intuition’s less tangible yet profoundly insightful power. Embrace it as a complementary tool that, when used wisely, can lead to more holistic and effective problem-solving.
Interesting Things to Know
Alert: Rising Social Security Scams—How to Protect Yourself
Interesting Things to Know
Older Americans Month: Celebrating Connections that Enrich Lives
Interesting Things to Know
The Mystery of Fingerprints: Why Do We Have Them?
Fingerprints have become integral to our daily lives, from unlocking smartphones to helping detectives solve crimes. But why do humans even have fingerprints in the first place? This question has intrigued researchers, and recent studies illuminate this fascinating feature.
A 2020 study published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” suggests that the unique ridges on our fingertips enhance our ability to grip and hold objects. Another study featured in the “Journal of Neuroscience,” indicates that these ridges play a role in the sensitivity of human touch, making our sense of touch more refined.
Fascinating Facts about Fingerprints:
- Shared Traits: Fingerprints aren’t exclusive to humans. Only primates and koalas share this characteristic.
- Ageless Patterns: Fingerprints remain unchanged throughout a person’s life, even as other features evolve with age.
- Natural Patterns: The unique patterns of a zebra’s stripes and a leopard’s spots form like human fingerprints.
- Early Formation: Human fingerprints begin developing around the 10th week of gestation and are fully formed by 17 weeks.
Fingerprints are not just functional; they are unique identifiers that reveal much about us. The ongoing research into why they exist continues to unveil their remarkable properties and role in human evolution.