Today in History for 7th July 2016

Historical Events

1863 – Orders barring Jews from serving under US General Ulysses S. Grant are revoked
1878 – Social-Democratic United forms in Amsterdam
1943 – German Submarine U-951 sunk by depth charges, off Cape St. Vincent in the North Atlantic
1953 – Che Guevara sets out on a trip through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador.
1973 – Balt Orioles pull their 4th triple play (5-4-3 vs Oakland)
1980 – Institution of sharia in Iran.

 

Famous Birthdays

1906 – Harry Von Zell, sidekick (George Burns Show)
1931 – Stanley Brock, Bkln, actor (Ivan-He’s the Mayor)
1943 – Joel Siegel, American film critic (d. 2007)
1969 – Joe Sakic, Canadian NHL center (Colorado Avalanche, Canada 1998-2002), born in Burnaby, British Columbia
1970 – Erik Zabel, German cyclist
1980 – Michele Kwan, Torrance California, figure skater (Oly-94, Oly-silver-98)

Famous Deaths

1713 – Henry Compton, Bishop of Oxford and privy councillor (b. 1632)
1794 – Pascal Boyer, composer, dies at 51
1966 – Carmelita Geraghty, dies of heart attack at 65
1983 – Herman Kahn, US futurist/nuclear strategist, dies at 71
1996 – Albrecht Luitpold Michael Wittelsbach, duke of Bavaria, dies at 91
2002 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian business tycoon (b. 1933)

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Positive Thinking

The Power of Positive Words on the Mind

Often we hear about the merits of positive thinking, but does this really make any difference or is it just hype?

Whether you are defining a problem statement, having a brainstorm, or just tossing around some ideas, try to use positive words. Our minds can process positive statements faster than negative statements. Take the two questions below as examples. Which one is easier to understand?

1. Should we allow drunken people to drive?

2. Should we not allow drunken people to drive?

The second question takes a little longer to understand because you have to process the ‘not’ and flip your answer around. If you avoid using negatives, you will have a faster and more efficient thinking process.

 

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Cylinder or Square ? Optical Illusion

Cylinder or Square – you decide

Put some square blocks in front of a mirror and you will be amazed at what is reflected back.

In real life, they appear to be groups of square shaped tubes. However, when placed in front of a mirror, they appear to be cylinders! The one on the left in this picture even appears to be a series of interlocking cylinders!

If you think this ambiguous cylinder illusion is just a clever Photoshop job, you would be wrong. It’s definitely very real, and there’s video evidence to support it! It was even a finalist for the Best Illusion of the Year Contest in 2016!

Check it out, and prepare to have your mind blown…

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