The Novel, British Empire, and the Power of Mushrooms

Everything we learned about the novel

The novel is a literary form that features an extended, fictional prose narrative that typically runs at least 40,000 words. Fans of the novel argue that it is the epitome of literary expression because its unique form allows for empathy in a way that other genres and media do not.

Many consider the world's first novel to be "The Tale of Genji," an 11th-century text written by Murasaki Shikibu in Japanese vernacular. As time went on, writers followed in Shikibu's footsteps, offering explorations of human interiority. Thanks to the rise of the printing press, these novels—along with other early examples—were easily reproduced and widely distributed to an increasingly literate public.

Throughout its centuries-long history, the novel has responded to social issues, imagined faraway worlds, and even questioned its own usefulness. The form is still evolving in the 21st century by responding to the unique concerns of the present.

... Read what else we learned about The Novel here.

Also, check out ... 

> Novelist Kurt Vonnegut breaks down the "shapes of stories." (Watch)

> Circulating libraries made books more accessible. (Read)

> What makes a "great American novel"? (Read)

> America's reading habits by the numbers. (Explore)

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When was the empire at its height?

The British Empire, once the largest on Earth, was the world’s first modern superpower (watch how it dominated). At its height in the early 1900s, it governed nearly one-quarter of the world’s population—about 500 million people—stretching across every inhabited continent.

Britain’s empire began forming in the late 16th century alongside Dutch, French, and Spanish rivals. Driven by competition for land, resources, and trade, it expanded through conquest, colonization, and commerce; its first colony was founded in 1585 off the coast of present-day North Carolina.

By the early 20th century, nationalist movements were rising across the empire. World War II further weakened Britain’s capacity to maintain its holdings, and public support for colonial rule faded. India—long considered the empire’s “crown jewel”—won independence in 1947, and by the 1960s, Britain signaled it would not resist African independence movements. The empire effectively ended in 1997 with the handover of Hong Kong to China.

... Read our full explainer on the British Empire here.

Also, check out ... 

> How the British Empire transformed into today’s voluntary Commonwealth of Nations. (Watch)

> Imagining if the British Empire had endured into the 21st century. (View)

> A 1908 toy visualizes how the sun never set on the British Empire. (Read)

> Propaganda posters meant to encourage Canadians to buy imperial goods. (View)

Earth, explained

The 4.5 billion-year-old Earth is the only known astronomical object to harbor life, giving rise to billions of species of stunning diversity, including ours, Homo sapiens. At 5.97 septillion kilograms and 40,000 kilometers in circumference, the third planet from the sun lies in the "Goldilocks zone," providing the conditions needed to sustain liquid surface water.

Earth is the densest planet in the solar system. It is theorized to contain a solid inner core surrounded by an outer core of liquid iron and nickel, above which sits a slow-moving rocky mantle that moves the crust's tectonic plates. This structure formed over tens of millions of years from remnants of the gas, dust, and rocks left over from the sun's formation.

The Earth’s five-layer atmosphere traps solar energy and maintains an average global surface temperature of 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). Roughly 21% is oxygen, which is crucial for respiration but highly flammable. Nitrogen (78%) dilutes the oxygen and prevents rapid combustion.

... Read our full write-up on Earth here.

Also, check out ... 

> Remnants of another planet that helped form the moon may be beneath Earth's surface. (Explore)

> The word "Earth" comes from the German root word for "ground." (Read)

> A livestream of Earth from the International Space Station. (Watch)
> An Earthset photograph taken by the crew of Artemis II. (View)

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Start Building Your Lasting Legacy

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Best of the Week

We added 311 resources this week to our knowledge collective—share your favorite link or outlet with us to see it featured here next week!

A vice president at JPMorgan became an outspoken evangelist for psychedelic mushrooms in 1957. (Read)

Creatures keep evolving into crabs. (Listen)

Photography and video are prohibited in the Supreme Court—but artists are not. (Read)

The Secret Service was originally formed to combat counterfeiting. (Read)

The drink that became Coca-Cola was originally called "Pemberton's French Wine Coca." (Listen)

Our solar system is currently traveling through a "dark matter hurricane." (Read)

Atari buried hundreds of thousands of video games in the New Mexico desert. (Read)

Dalí partnered with Hallmark to design surreal Christmas cards. (Read)

The reason some people love exercise may be because of their microbiome. (Read)

Smart pricing algorithms can unintentionally work together to raise prices. (Read)

Most adults don't need a daily vitamin, and it won't extend their life. (Watch)

In 2001, Pizza Hut became the first company to deliver pizza to space. (Read)

How China is capitalizing on the peptide trend. (Listen)

Watch a medley of Pets.com commercials with the famous sock puppet mascot. (Watch)

The "Mission: Impossible" theme song's opening notes were inspired by Morse code. (Read)

💰1440 Explores ... How Your Taxes Actually Work

Historybook: Battles of Lexington and Concord begin the American Revolutionary War (1775); Charles Darwin dies (1882); Boston Marathon held for first time (1897); Indian business mogul and billionaire Mukesh Ambani born (1957); Actress Ashley Judd born (1968); Oklahoma City bombing kills 168 (1995).