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Good morning! It's Sunday, Aug. 23, and welcome to our Sunday Edition. August is the last full month of summer, so this week we are exploring one of people's favorite summer treats: ice cream. After that, we look at art heists in Italy (News in Context), which states contribute the most and least money to the federal government (Civics), relocating beavers using leftover WWII parachutes (Etc.), and much more.
📖 Our Sunday edition digs deep into the context and rabbit holes behind the news. We'll be back with our regular Daily Digest tomorrow through Saturday.
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I Scream, You Scream
While ice cream's exact origins are hard to pinpoint, frozen dairy desserts have a history dating back to ancient China. Seventh-century documents refer to a frozen milk dish that eventually evolved into a soft blend, which many consider the earliest version of ice cream.
> Watch a visual history of the frozen treat. (More, w/video)
> See where your favorite ice cream ranked among Americans' favorite flavors. (More)
Around 800 CE, Arab conquerors of the Persian Empire began mixing dairy into the syrup-infused cold treat sharbat. In the 16th century, the Italians concocted their take on the dessert, leading to sorbetto. Around the same time, the royal court in India began freezing condensed milk, pistachios, and saffron in conical molds to create kulfi. In the late 1600s, Paris's Café Procope first began serving gelato, a frozen dessert similar to ice cream, to the public; the trend quickly spread, particularly in Italy, where some parlors have been open since the 1700s.
> Kulfi, an ice cream predecessor that's still popular in India, dates back to the 16th century. (More)
> In 1694, a Sicilian in Paris opened the first gelateria, a precursor to the ice cream parlor. (More)
> Ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and Italian ice are all popular cold desserts, though they have many important differences. (More)
During the 19th and 20th centuries, America was the center of ice cream innovation, inventing both the sundae and the cone. When home freezers became globally available post-World War II, people could easily store their favorite treat, cementing its worldwide popularity.
> In the 19th century, ice-cream-related illnesses were somewhat common in America due to vendors' poor hygiene. (More)
> America's ice cream obsession began under Prohibition, with the street treat acting as a legal vice that helped ease the pain of the Great Depression. (More)
Discover more:
> During World War II, fighter plane turbulence was used to make ice cream. (More)
> Vanilla was originally used as an additive in chocolate rather than as a stand-alone flavor. (More, w/video)
> George Washington loved to serve ice cream while hosting guests and spent thousands of dollars on it in a single summer. (More)
In partnership with Tangle
If You’ve Started Tuning Out Political News
… This newsletter is for you. Political news is exhausting. Most people don’t stop paying attention because they don’t care—they stop because they don’t know who to trust. That’s exactly why we like Tangle.
In a world full of partisan opinions, clickbait, and endless hot takes, Tangle takes a different approach. Every weekday, they break down one major political story, then present the strongest arguments from the left, right, and center in a clear, 10-minute read.
The result? A 360-degree view of the day’s biggest story that helps you understand the facts, the context, and the best arguments from every perspective—so you can form your own opinion. Best of all, it’s completely free. Join more than 500,000 readers across the political spectrum who rely on Tangle for independent, fact-driven journalism.
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News in Context
1440 brings you the knowledge and context behind the week's stories:
Ukraine launched more than 600 drones at Moscow early last week, while Russia threatened the United Kingdom for supplying Ukraine with drone technology. (More)
> See the current front lines of Europe's largest ground war since World War II.
> Language and regional differences are fault lines in Ukraine's conflict.
A multistate trial against social media giant Meta began this week, with the company facing up to $1.4T in penalties. (More)
> The first social media platforms date back to the late 1990s, and their algorithms were typically chronological.
> Meta Platforms Inc., which owns both Facebook and Instagram, is the largest social media company in the world.
Deadly and historic flooding hit the state of Indiana this week. (More)
> Track active wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters across the US in real time with this interactive map.
> Explore and visualize riverine and flash-flood forecasts across more than 150 countries.
Italian museums lost and recovered paintings following art heists this past week. (More)
> Why stolen art is often ransomed instead of resold.
> A 1911 art heist propelled the popularity of the Mona Lisa.
1440 Civics
We've been digging into the topics that help you participate in the world around you. Here are some of our favorites this week:
> See if your state is one of the 19 that contributed more money to the federal government than it received in 2024. (More)
> ... and the federal government's decision to pay off the states' Revolutionary War debts required a new tax, sparking an armed rebellion. (More)
> Explore how your neighborhood compares with the rest of the country in social mobility. (More, w/interactive)
> Use this calculator to find out the programs and services your federal income taxes fund. (More)
Want more? Explore hundreds of our favorite Civics-related resources.
How College Got So Expensive
Why is college so costly? On our flagship podcast, "1440 Explores," we trace the answer back to President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Higher Education Act of 1965, and a push to put college within reach for millions of Americans. See how those changes reshaped higher education and its price tag. Watch the episode here or click below:
PS—Click here to listen on Spotify or Apple.
In partnership with Tangle
Trust Issues With Political News?
This newsletter is for you. Political news is exhausting. Most people don’t stop paying attention because they don’t care—they stop because they don’t know who to trust. That’s why we like Tangle.
Five days a week, Tangle breaks down one major political story, presenting the strongest arguments from the left, right, and center alongside the facts and context you need to make up your own mind. No hot takes. No telling you what to think. Just a clear, independent look at the day’s biggest story. Join more than 500,000 readers across the political spectrum and subscribe to Tangle for free.
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Etcetera
See a chart of the US jobs projected to shrink the fastest over the next decade.
Uncommon phobias include turophobia, or the fear of cheese.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game once used leftover WWII parachutes to airdrop beavers.
... and watch when BBC crews broke their "no intervention" rule to save emperor penguins.
Experience 14 billion years of important moments in world history with a scrollable interactive timeline.
Meteotsunamis, unlike those caused by earthquakes, are caused by rapid changes in air pressure.
🫶 Humankind: Animal hospital staff designs specially built casts for a threatened bird species after the animal was hit by a car.
Scents, when they are truly unique and identifiable to a particular brand, can be trademarked.
Unpack evidence behind the claims that reading is in steep decline.
In 1962, the US detonated a nuclear weapon in space.
See a graphic describing what different noise levels mean for hearing loss.
George Lucas used Joseph Campbell's "hero's journey" narrative structure to revise "Star Wars."
Historybook: Actor River Phoenix born (1970); Salad Bowl strike begins; largest farmworker strike in US history (1970); Kobe Bryant born (1978); 12-time Olympic swimming medalist Natalie Coughlin born (1982); India becomes fourth country to successfully land on the moon (2023).
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— Natalie Coughlin
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