Plus: Alphabetical order, a box full of secrets and the history of soap
| | Have you ever wondered where alphabetical order comes from? | |
The alphabet is such a weirdly improbable idea that it is believed to have only been invented once in the entire history of humanity.
And for centuries we used other classification methods — geographical, chronological, hierarchical and categorical — instead of organising things from A to Z.
But now alphabetical order dictates everything from the organisation of school registers and street maps to the way we navigate through dictionaries, library shelves and even the spice selection at the local supermarket.
This fascinating and sometimes surprising story from Late Night Live is one of my favourites from the week.
This week we also bid farewell to Gigi Foster and Peter Martin from The Economists, and welcome back The Money with Richard Aedy.
It’s an important time to get our heads around what’s going on with the economy – like how local manufacturing might play a part in the recovery.
And if you’re a fan of Christos Tsiolkas, don’t miss the competition to join him for an online writing masterclass during the Big Weekend of Books. It closes on Sunday night.
We’ve also added a huge Zoom chat with Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan to the Big Weekend program. Read on to find out how to join in.
Until next time,
Rosie Ryan, Digital Editor
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| A childhood discovery of a box with a puzzling ID card set Ariana Neumann on a decades-long investigation, uncovering her father's tragic past and an incredible tale of survival. | |
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| It organises everything from street maps to dictionaries, libraries and the spices at the supermarket. Have you ever stopped to wonder where alphabetical order came from? | |
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| Growing up, L-FRESH The LION's grandma used to laugh at his attempts to speak his native language Punjabi. Then in his teens, hip hop music inspired the Sydney rapper to embrace his Sikh identity and mother tongue. | |
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| Kevin Kwan's hit series of novels Crazy Rich Asians have been bestsellers around the world and were the basis of the successful film of the same name – the first Hollywood film with an all-Asian cast in 25 years.
His wicked sense of humour and brilliant way of poking fun at wealthy people make his writing a joy to read, and in person he's every bit as entertaining. So if you’ve ever wanted to ask him a question, here’s your chance.
As part of the Big Weekend of Books, he’s joining us for a live Zoom session on Sunday, June 21, at 11:00am AEST, hosted by Stop Everything!’s Beverley Wang, and taking questions from the audience.
We’ve got space for 100 people, so email us if you’d like to come: contactrn@abc.net.au (The first 100 people to email will get a registration link by the end of the week.) | |
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News, Events and Opportunities |
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| | | | | | | | | Christos Tsiolkas is hosting a Zoom masterclass for eight special competition winners. What do you want to ask about the craft of writing? | | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | | Do you love reading? And do you love talking about books? Our new Book Club now has its own Facebook group. | | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | | For the first time, ABC RN is devoting an entire weekend to a celebration of books, readers and writing. | | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | | Hear hours of beautifully recorded wilderness sounds – in rich stereo straight to your ears. | | | | | | |
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