#historicaltuesdays

Ebony

On this day in 1973, the United States, South Vietnam & North Vietnam signed the Paris Peace Accords.

"Van Gogh gave you an ear? Well I’ll give you my entire skin!"

The skin is the largest organ in the human - and yes, its secretory and absorptive properties mean that it’s an organ!

In the adult human, the surface area of our epidermis (the only exposed layer of the skin) is approximately 1.5-2.0 square meters (16.5-21.5 sq. ft.).

There are six primary functions of the skin (some argue seven, including aesthetics and signalling to other members of our tribe), and two secondary functions:

Physical barrier protecting from pathogens and environmental damage.

Sensory receptor: Nerve endings perceive touch, temperature, pressure, and vibration.

Heat regulation: There are far more blood vessels in the skin than are needed to supply its living cells - when the body is overheated it pumps blood out to the skin to radiate heat away from the body.

Evaporation control: A separate aspect of heat regulation is controlling the sweat output of the skin, allowing evaporative cooling. Because of the way the epidermis is structured, sweat can escape, but can’t be reabsorbed, and removes heat from the skin as it evaporates.

Water resistance: Along with letting water out of the body, it also doesn’t let water into the body! The connective tissue between the epidermal layers creates a membrane with a low enough permeability to allow us to survive away from water.

Storage and Synthesis: Skin is a significant storage site for both water and fats, and synthesizes vitamin D from cholesterol stored near the top layer of the dermis.

(Secondary) Excretion: While water is the primary component of sweat, the skin also secretes urea. However, urine excretes more than 100x more urea, and the urea excretion is secondary to evaporative cooling.

(Secondary) Absorption: The skin is quite good at absorbing fat-soluble molecules, but it did not evolve in order to do this. Rather, it evolved to repel water, which in turn made it very lipophilic. This trait is used in medicine, with patches and creams that are absorbed through the surface of the skin.

Skin is nothing short of a hard-working organ that deserves at least as much credit as your lungs. Blemishes and spots and “discolorations” are no detriment to its functionality - love the skin you’re in! It’s one of the most important reasons why you’re not constantly sick!

LETHAL & BEAUTIFUL - ANATARCTIC SNAPSHOTS

Frank Hurley (Australian,1885-1962)

1914-1962

Australian photographer, Frank Hurley embarked on a dangerous and obscure adventure on Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition from 1914 to 1916. This journey is one of the most remarkble stories of survival in history. On an open boat, navigating over 800 miles in mountainous seas by Shackleston and his crew, Hurley had the honor of documenting this beautiful but lethal experience. Surprisingly, no lives were lost. Only 120 of the 520 negatives from the expedition survived. The remaining 400 negatives were smashed so Hurley would no attempt to reboard Endurance, the sinking ship. 

In January 1968, Eartha Kitt bravely interrupted a white house luncheon to speak up against the Vietnam war and vocalize the distrust between the American public and its government.

A new online exhibit highlights some of the photographs and artwork held by the Library’s Special Collections that document and illustrate the occurrence, consequences, and aftermath of natural forces.  This online exhibit coincides with Nature’s Fury: The Science of Natural Disasters, now on view, which will help visitors discover the processes behind natural phenomena and discover the science of studying them.

Elizabeth Woodville (c. 1437-1492)

Queen of England, Wife of Edward IV, Mother of Elizabeth of York, Maternal grandmother of Henry VIII, Great-grandmother of Edward VI, and Mary I, and Elizabeth I

Art by Katie (tumblr)

Elizabeth Woodville was a widowed mother of two boys when she caught the eye of Edward IV.  The 22-year-old Edward had only been on the throne for three years and he was expected form an international alliance by marrying a European princess.  Instead, Edward secretly married the daughter of a minor English noble and his Luxembourgian wife.  This was only the second time since the Norman Conquest that an English king had married one of his subjects. 

Elizabeth’s family was greatly enriched by her position as queen, but the reign of Edward IV was far from secure and he lost the throne for six months in 1470-1471.  During this period, Elizabeth was forced to seek sanctuary in Westminster Abbey where she eventually gave birth to her son Edward.

When Edward IV died suddenly at age 40 in 1483, Elizabeth became the Dowager Queen and her twelve-year-old son Edward V ascended to the throne.  But this was not to last.  Three months later the tween king was declared illegitimate and deposed by his uncle Richard III.  Edward V and his younger brother Richard were sent to the Tower of London and disappeared after 1483.  Richard III executed Elizabeth’s second son by her first marriage and her brother in June 1483.  Elizabeth and her surviving five daughters sought sanctuary in Westminster Abbey until March 1484.

With her two sons by Edward IV presumed dead, Elizabeth allied herself with the Lancastrians.  Elizabeth and Margaret Beaufort arranged a marriage for their children Elizabeth of York and Henry Tudor.  This marriage would unite the House of York and the House of Lancaster under a single royal couple and put an end to the Wars of the Roses.  In 1485, Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and became last king of England to win his throne on the battlefield.  He cemented his claim five months later by marrying Elizabeth of York.  This was the beginning of the Tudor dynasty that would last until the death of Elizabeth I in 1603.