Rubik’s Cube
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What has six colors, six faces, and can frustrate most people? A Rubik’s Cube! Sunday, January 29th, is National Puzzle Day! Puzzles are fun activities that are good for your brain. It exercises your brain to think in different ways. There are many different types of puzzles: crossword puzzles, sudoku, riddles, and more. Rubik’s Cube is a physical and mental puzzle that requires a lot of practice!

Rubik’s Cube is a puzzle game invented by the Hungarian professor and puzzle enthusiast Ernö Rubik in 1974. The puzzle takes the form of a cube. Each face of the cube features a three-by-three grid of colored blocks. The blocks are connected to a central core in such a way that rows of blocks can be moved by twisting. Play begins by twisting the cube at random to scramble the colors. The player solves the puzzle by returning each side of the cube to a single color. Rubik’s Cube has become a pop culture icon. It has earned a place in the Strong National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, and the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Rubik’s Cube puzzle
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Rubik was born July 13, 1944, in Budapest, Hungary. He trained as an architect and later taught at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts in Budapest. In 1974, Rubik used an early version of his puzzle game to teach his students about three-dimensional movement. His students loved the game. Rubik began selling his invention under the name Magic Cube in Hungarian toy shops in 1977. By 1980, his invention caught the attention of the Ideal Toy and Novelty Company, which licensed it. The company renamed the puzzle Rubik’s Cube. In just under two years, they sold over 100 million cubes.

The simple cube has been modified a few times over the years. Some later versions include larger grids of colors and different shapes. The construction of the Rubik’s Cube has also been improved—making the puzzle easier to twist and more durable—to aid in speedcubing competitions. In speedcubing, Rubik’s Cube fans compete to see who can solve the puzzle the fastest. Occasionally, additional challenges are added. These challenges may include solving the puzzle one-handed or even while juggling three cubes at the same time. In 1982, the puzzle was solved in 22.9 seconds at the first-ever Rubik’s Cube World Championships in Hungary. In later competitions, the puzzle has been solved in under 4 seconds.

J. R. R. Tolkien was an English author and scholar. He wrote a popular series of novels about imaginary creatures distantly related to humans called hobbits . Tolkien introduced the characters in The Hobbit (1937).
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Prepare yourself for Gandalf’s fireworks, second breakfast with the hobbits, and an adventure, it is J.R.R. Tolkien’s birthday! Tolkien’s character Bilbo Baggins celebrated his “eleventy-first” (111th) birthday in the books, but we are celebrating what would have been Tolkien’s 131st birthday today. J.R.R. Tolkien was an English author and scholar. He is the famous author of The Hobbit (1937) and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. The three novels in the trilogy are The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), The Two Towers (1954), and The Return of the King (1955).

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on Jan. 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa, of English parents. From 1925 to 1959, he taught at Oxford University in England. He specialized in medieval languages and literature and wrote several scholarly works in this field. Tolkien’s hobbit stories show the influence of medieval English, German, and Scandinavian languages and literature.

His novels feature wrote an imaginary people called hobbits. Tolkien introduced the short, hairy-footed hobbits in The Hobbit (1937). He continued their story in three related novels called “The Lord of the Rings.” Hobbits are industrious and good-natured. They live in a world called Middle-earth, along with elves, goblins, wizards, and human beings. In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, discovers a ring that conveys the power of invisibility but also corrupts the user. The hero of “The Lord of the Rings” is Frodo Baggins, Bilbo’s cousin. After many adventures, Frodo destroys the ring so that Sauron, the evil Dark Lord, cannot use it against the people of Middle-earth. Many critics have interpreted “The Lord of the Rings” as a symbolic moral or religious story about the battle between good and evil. But Tolkien insisted that he wrote the novels only as fantasies to entertain readers.

“The Lord of the Rings” consists of three epic motion pictures adapted from fantasy novels by the British author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. The filmed trilogy consists of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001); The Two Towers (2002); and The Return of the King (2003), shown here.
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The three novels of “The Lord of the Rings” were adapted into three immensely popular motion pictures released in 2001, 2002, and 2003. The Hobbit was also adapted into a trilogy of motion pictures that were “prequels” to “The Lord of the Rings.” These films were released in 2012, 2013, and 2014. A television series called “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” premiered in 2022. Set thousands of years before the events in The Hobbit, the series was based on some of the background history that Tolkien described in the books.

In 1917, Tolkien began to write The Silmarillion, a history of Middle-earth before the hobbits appeared. He worked on the book occasionally for the rest of his life but died before completing it. His son Christopher finished the novel, and it was published in 1977. A collection of previously unpublished material about Middle-earth and the legendary island of Numenor appeared in 1980 as Unfinished Tales. During the 1920′s and 1930′s, Tolkien wrote The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún, the story of a Norse hero and his wife. The book was published in 2009. Christopher Tolkien edited a 12-volume series of his father’s writings called The History of Middle-earth (1983-1996). Christopher also edited three stories of Middle-earth assembled from drafts his father left at his death. They are The Children of Húrin (2007), Beren and Lúthien (2017), and The Fall of Gondolin (2018). In addition, Christopher edited The Fall of Arthur (2013), a narrative poem about the legendary King Arthur that his father had left unfinished. Tolkien died on Sept. 2, 1973.

Colombian artist Fernando Botero with his painting ‘After Velazquez’ at the Pera Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 3, 2010.
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Copy the Mona Lisa, but make her twelve years old and comically disproportionate! Political, original, and always interesting, Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s pieces capture attention around the world. Botero is known for his paintings and sculptures. Round figures with comparatively small faces define his work. Botero features satirical portrayals of powerful subjects. Satire is the use of wit to attack human conduct or institutions. Satire is used in literature and art to expose and even reform such human failings as folly, greed, or vanity. His style, known as Boterismo, shows figures of exaggerated volume with bright colors. Botero paints and sculpts animals, people, and still-life scenes of food. Still-life paintings are close-ups of objects.

‘Horse Man’ sculpture by Colombian artist Fernando Botero in Botero Square in Medellín, Colombia.
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Botero was born in Medellín, Colombia, on April 19, 1932. His father died when he was four years old. Botero began drawing and painting in watercolors at a young age. An uncle enrolled him in a training school for bullfighting when he was 12 years old. A man who sold tickets to bullfighting began selling Botero’s drawings and paintings. At the age of 16, Botero’s first illustrations were published in El Colombiano, a newspaper in Medellín. When Botero was 20 years old, he won second prize at Bogotá’s Salón Nacional de Artistas exhibition. He then traveled to Europe to study art.

Botero studied the paintings of the Old Masters of European art in Madrid, Spain; Paris, France; and Florence, Italy. After he returned to Colombia, he entered the Biblioteca Nacional exhibition in 1955, where his art was not well received. Botero moved to Mexico City in 1956. In 1960, he won the Colombian section of the Guggenheim international exhibition. That same year, he moved to New York City. In 1961, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City bought his painting Mona Lisa, Age 12, a tribute to the Old Masters.

In 1973, Botero moved to Paris, France. While in Paris, he began sculpting figures from his paintings. Museums and galleries around the world featured Botero’s work as his popularity grew. Botero’s bronze sculptures are displayed in public spaces in Colombia, France, Israel, Spain, and the United States. Botero addressed the subject of the Colombian drug cartel in Masacre de Mejor Esquina (1997) and Death of Pablo Escobar (1999). He addressed the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American personnel in Abu Ghraib prison in a collection called Abu Ghraib (2005).

Mr. Doodle doodles his entire mansion in Kent, England.
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Do you ever doodle in your notebook? Do you pen in stars, flowers, or funny faces between your math problems and notes? Mr. Doodle took doodling to the extreme doodling the entire exterior and interior of his house! While most people doodle for a couple minutes to regain focus in class or while journaling, Mr. Doodle’s latest feat took two years to complete. Don’t go doodling on your walls without asking around if it is okay, though!

Mr. Doodle, whose real name is Sam Cox, covered his entire $1.5 million house in Kent in southeastern England with doodles. Cox grew up in Kent. The ceiling, walls, floors, and appliances are all cartooned! He started with his bedroom then moved down the halls throughout the six bedroom house. He doodled the bathtubs, sinks, and even the toaster! Cox didn’t stop there, he also got the car, sofa, and television.

He started with his childhood bedroom when he was just 15 years old. After covering the entire room with doodles, he decided someday he would live in a “completely doodled environment.” Cox went viral in 2017 when he posted a video of doodling with black paint. He surprised the art world when his pieces started selling for much more than expected at auctions.

Cox’s pieces are similar to American painter and sculptor Keith Haring’s works. Haring gained international recognition for his graffiti art. Graffiti art consists of paintings or inscriptions on public walls or other surfaces. Haring created cartoon-like images that often glorified the street culture of American inner cities. His playful images included barking dogs, crawling babies, dancing figures, spaceships, robots, crosses, and light bulbs.

Mr. Doodle mostly draws characters inspired by comic books and video games. He interlocks his design so they are all connected and touching. Cox calls this “graffiti spaghetti.” He didn’t use color in his house decor but he does use primary colors in some of his art pieces over or under the black doodles on a white background. He credits television shows like “Tom and Jerry” (1940-1968) and “SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999- ). Keep doodling and follow your dreams, they just might become a reality!

Members of the South Korean pop group BTS are, left to right, front row: Suga and V. Back row: J-Hope, RM, Jin, Jimin, and Jungkook.
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BTS members are trading in their matching outfits for… different matching outfits. The group, also known as Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean K-pop (Korean pop) music group that rose to international fame in the mid-2010’s. The South Korean government requires men to complete 18 to 21 months of military service, and international pop stars are not immune. The group’s management company, Big Hit, announced their conscription (military draft) on October 17, 2022.

BTS combines elements of rap, hip-hop, pop, and electronic dance music (EDM). The group’s vocals are mainly in Korean. But they also perform lyrics in English and Japanese. The group also is known for its lyrics about the challenges that young people face. BTS plans to come back together as a band in 2025. Maybe they will have new songs inspired by their time in the military.

BTS originally stood as an abbreviation for Bangtan Sonyeondan, Korean for Bulletproof Boy Scouts. The initials were later also said to stand for Beyond the Scene. The members of the group are J-Hope (born Jung Ho-seok), Jimin (Park Ji-min), Jin (Kim Seok-jin), Jungkook (Jeon Jeong-guk), RM (Kim Nam-joon), Suga (Min Yoon-gi), and V (Kim Tae-hyung). In June 2022, the band members announced they would take a break to pursue additional solo projects.

The government normally requires military service to be completed before men turn 28. However, the government granted Jin (Kim Seok-jin), the oldest member of BTH, a two year delay since he was “enhancing Korea’s image” while working with the band. Refusing to serve in the military is considered a crime in South Korea. Many fans called for an exemption for the members of BTS. some athletes and musicians have received exemptions in the past. However, the group decided to enlist despite their musical fame. Now the members are starting off on a different kind of tour. Before starting off on their new endeavors, the group held their last concert in Busan on October 15, 2022.

BTS was formed by the South Korean music producer and record executive Bang Si-hyuk. The group’s first single was “No More Dream” (2013). The song deals with the pressures many young Koreans feel from their culture and society. Since 2013, the group has released many successful recordings. The band’s first full-length studio album was Dark & Wild (2014).

In 2017, BTS released the popular EP (extended play recording) Love Yourself: Her. An EP contains several songs but is not considered a full-length album. The EP’s songs “DNA” and “Mic Drop” became the first tracks by a Korean group to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). RIAA presents a gold record to an artist who sells 500,000 copies of an album. The group’s single “Idol” (2018) also became a huge hit. That same year, BTS became the first K-pop group to reach number 1 on Billboard magazine’s “Billboard 200″ music chart, with its album Love Yourself: Tear (2018).

American country music star Loretta Lynn
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Loretta Lynn was one of the most popular singers in the history of American country music. Lynn grew up in poverty in the Appalachian Mountains region of Kentucky. She began her singing career in her early 20′s and was known as “the Country Queen” by the mid-1960′s. Her younger sister Crystal Gayle also became a popular country singer. The two often toured together. Lynn passed away on Oct. 4, 2022.

Lynn was born on April 14, 1932, in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. Her name at birth was Loretta Webb. She married Oliver Vanetta Lynn, Jr., at the age of 15 and had four children by the time she was 20. She began writing songs and teaching herself to play the guitar while raising her family. Her husband became her business manager and guided her singing career.

Lynn began her recording career with “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl” in 1960. She also made her first appearance on the “Grand Ole Opry” radio program that year. She composed and recorded several hits during the next 10 years, which included “Success” (1961), “Don’t Come Home A’Drinkin’” (1966), “Fist City” (1968), and “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (1969).

The Country Music Association voted Lynn Female Vocalist of the Year several times. She was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1962 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988. Her autobiographical book Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner’s Daughter (1976) became a best seller and was made into a popular motion picture in 1980. A second volume of her autobiography, Still Woman Enough, was published in 2002. Lynn also wrote the memoir Me & Patsy Kickin’ Up Dust (2020), about her friendship with the country music singer Patsy Cline. In 2013, Lynn received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the country’s highest civilian honors.

Musician Lizzo plays James Madison’s crystal flute
Credit: © Shawn Miller, Library of Congress

The Library of Congress let American rap artist, singer, and musician Lizzo play James Madison’s crystal flute at a concert in Washington, D.C., making history this September. The flute was given to America’s fourth president James Madison in 1813 on his second inauguration. The flute has not been played for a long time, if at all! Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden reached out to Lizzo inviting her to see the flute collection at the Library of Congress while in town for her concert. Lizzo accepted the invitation and was especially interested in trying out the precious crystal flute. Lizzo is known for playing the flute, a talent she mixes into her freestyle rapping with ease.

Melissa Jefferson was born on April 27, 1988, in Detroit, Michigan. Her family later moved to Houston, Texas. Her family was deeply religious and frequently listened to gospel music. Lizzo played flute in her high school marching band. She began rapping when she was 14. After high school, Lizzo studied classical flute at the University of Houston. She moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2010, following the death of her father.

Lizzo performed with a few music groups before releasing her first hip-hop album, Lizzobangers (2013). She worked with the American pop musician Prince on his album Plectrumelectrum (2014). Her self-released second album, Big GRRRL Small World (2015), incorporated gospel, hip-hop, and R&B influences. Lizzo signed a recording contract in 2016 and released the EP Coconut Oil that year. An EP, short for extended play, is a recording considered shorter than a full album. Coconut Oil included her hit singles “Good as Hell” and “Worship.”

Lizzo, American rap artist, singer, and musician
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Lizzo gained international fame for such hits as “Good as Hell” (2016), “Truth Hurts” (2017), and “Juice” (2019). Lizzo achieved widespread popularity with her album Cuz I Love You (2019). The album reached number four on the “Billboard 200″ chart, a list of the top 200 albums compiled by Billboard magazine. The album’s hit song “Juice” reached number five on the Billboard “Hot R&B Songs” list. The success of Cuz I Love You helped to bring new attention to Lizzo’s previous work. The catchy and fun “Truth Hurts” quickly regained attention and peaked at number one on the Billboard “Hot 100” chart, as did “Good as Hell.” Lizzo has collaborated with many artists, including the rapper Missy Elliot. Their song “Tempo” (2019) reached number 21 on the Billboard “U.S. Digital Song Sales” chart. She won Grammy Awards in 2020 for best pop solo performance for “Truth Hurts”; best traditional rhythm and blues (R&B) performance for her song “Jerome” (2019); and best urban contemporary album for Cuz I Love You (Deluxe) (2019).

Lizzo briefly co-hosted the television music program “Wonderland” in 2016. In 2019, she provided her voice for the animated musical film Ugly Dolls. She also acted in the movie Hustlers (2019). Lizzo has also become known for promoting body positivity and self-acceptance.

Puerto Rican rap artist Bad Bunny
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People in the United States observe National Hispanic Heritage Month each year from September 15 to October 15. During this period, Latin American countries celebrate their independence. These countries include Cuba, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, and music producer. He is a Latin trap and reggaetón singer. Trap music is a genre (category) of rap music known for its heavy beats. Reggaetón is a type of dance music that originated in Puerto Rico. It draws inspiration from American hip-hop and Latin American and Caribbean music. Bad Bunny is known for his solo work, as well as his collaborations with such artists as Cardi B, Drake, and the Colombian singer J Balvin. He is also known for his personal style and fashion choices.

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was born on March 10, 1994, in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. His stage name came from a childhood photograph in which he appeared dressed in a rabbit costume with an angry look on his face. He was interested in music from a young age. He started making music while at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo. He began releasing songs on the music-sharing website SoundCloud.

Bad Bunny signed a recording contract with the label Hear This Music in 2016. In 2017, he released “Soy Peor” (“I’m Worse”). The song reached number 22 on Billboard magazine’s “Hot Latin Songs” chart. In 2018, Bad Bunny released X 100pre (Forever), his first full-length album. The album reached the top spot on Billboard’s “Top Latin Albums” chart within one week of its release.

Bad Bunny’s second album, YHLQMDLG—Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana (I Do Whatever I Want), was released in 2020. It debuted at number two on the “Billboard 200″ chart. Later in 2020, his album El Último Tour del Mundo (The Last Tour of the World) became the first album recorded entirely in Spanish to reach the top of the “Billboard 200″ chart. In 2021, Bad Bunny won a Grammy Award for best Latin pop or urban album for YHLQMDLG. Later in 2021, he released the hit single “Yonaguni,” which he recorded partly in Japanese. Yonaguni is the name of a Japanese island. In 2022, Bad Bunny won a Grammy Award for best música urbana (urban music) album, for El Último Tour del Mundo.

His fourth studio album, Un Verano Sin Ti (A Summer Without You), released in 2022, became the second all-Spanish-language album to reach the top of the “Billboard 200″ chart.

The Brazilian samba, like a number of Latin American dances, combines African and European artistic influences. These dancers are performing the samba at a nightclub in Rio de Janeiro.
© Günter Gräfenhain, SIME/4Corners Images

It’s time to put on your dancing shoes because National Ballroom Dancing Week is here. From September 16th to the 25th, try out the following fun dance styles in your living room. There are 12 types of ballroom dance: 1) bolero, 2) cha-cha, 3) East Coast swing, 4) fox trot, 5) jive, 6) mambo, 7) paso double, 8) rumba, 9) samba, 10) tango, 11) Viennese waltz, and 12) waltz. Let’s look at a few of these.

Samba is a popular Afro-Brazilian style of music and dance. The term Afro-Brazilian is used to refer to Brazilians of largely African descent. Samba is best known for the central role it plays in the famous Carnival festival in Brazil. Samba music consists of layers of syncopated (irregularly accented) rhythms played in 2/4 or 4/4 time. Samba can be danced solo, in pairs, or in groups. It involves quick forward and backward steps. Dancers sway their hips while stepping and use various sweeping or energetic arm movements.

In Brazil, samba styles vary by region. For example, the samba de roda is a style performed in Brazil’s northern states. This style of samba usually involves women dancing in a circle. Samba-lenço is popular in Brazil’s central and southern states. Samba-lenço dancers hold a handkerchief while performing. Samba carnavalesca is the most internationally recognized style of samba. Dancers perform the samba carnavalesca each year during the Carnival festival.

Samba has its roots in the music and dance of the African nation of Angola. Scholars think the word samba comes from the Kimbundu word semba, which describes a belly-bumping dance move used in some styles of samba. Enslaved African people brought the music and dance style to Brazil. Around 1900, samba became associated with the Carnival celebration in Rio de Janeiro. Soon it became a symbol of national identity in Brazil.

Ballroom dancing is a form of dancing for couples. Various ballroom dances originated in Europe, the United States, and Latin America. These dances then spread throughout the rest of the world as both a popular social activity and a competitive sport.
© Jeffrey Dunn, The Viesti Collection

Rumba, also spelled rhumba, is a Latin ballroom dance that originated in Africa and achieved its modern form in Cuba. Couples perform the rumba in 4/4 time with a quick-quick-slow rhythm. The rumba emphasizes a swaying hip motion that is achieved by taking small steps with the knees relaxed. Steps are typically performed in a square pattern. The rumba is most often accompanied by music with a repeated beat played on percussion instruments.

A version of the rumba was first introduced into the United States from Cuba about 1914. However, the dance’s exaggerated hip movements were considered too sexually suggestive and the dance did not gain acceptance. A more refined version was introduced about 1930. The dance maintained its popularity in the 1930′s and 1940′s, especially in England, where ballroom dance teachers standardized the figures and step rhythms. Rumbas also appear in music not intended for ballroom dancing, as in Darius Milhaud‘s ballet La creation du monde (1923).

Tango is the national dance and music of Argentina. These couples are dancing at a milonga in Plaza Dorrego, in the San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Milongas are social events for dancing tango. They have their own special etiquette. For example, couples circulate around the dance floor in a counterclockwise direction.
© Jeff Greenberg, UIG/Getty Images

Tango was the first Latin American dance to gain great international popularity. The tango is a ballroom dance for a couple in slow 2/4 or 4/4 time. The dancers alternate long, slow steps with short, quick steps, sometimes making sudden turns and striking dramatic poses.

The tango was danced in the United States about 1912 by Vernon and Irene Castle, a famous ballroom dancing team. It also became popular in Paris and London. Today’s tango is related to an Argentine dance called the milonga, a Cuban dance called the habanera, and a tango from Spain‘s Andalusian region.

The waltz became the most fashionable social dance of the late 1800′s. It originated in Germany and Austria and soon spread to other countries. The waltz inspired some of the finest dance music of the period and also added beauty and elegence to many romantic ballets of the 1800′s.
Emperor Franz Joseph at a Ball in Vienna(about 1900), a gouache painting on canvas by Wilhelm Gause; Museum der Stadt, Vienna/ET Archive, London from Superstock

Waltz is a ballroom dance in 3/4 time characterized by its swift gliding turns. The dance was enormously popular throughout the 1800′s. The term waltz is also used for the music that accompanies this dance. The waltz has been danced in two distinct styles, the three-step and the two-step. In Europe, especially in Vienna, the dancers waltzed much faster than they waltzed in North America.

The waltz developed rapidly in the last years of the 1700′s. It emerged from a group of south German and Austrian dances involving the turning motion of the dancers in a close embrace position. The popularity of waltzes among young people led some authorities to outlaw the dance because it was thought to be immoral for couples to dance so closely.

The Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit in Seattle, Washington
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The United Nations named 2022 the international year of glass. Glass is one of the most useful materials in the world. Few manufactured substances add as much to modern living as does glass. Yet few products are made of such inexpensive raw materials. Glass is made chiefly from silica sand (silica, also called silicon dioxide), soda ash (sodium carbonate), and limestone (calcium carbonate).

Glass has countless uses. Food is preserved in glass jars. People drink from glass containers called glasses. Windows in homes, schools, and office buildings are glass. Motor vehicles have glass windshields and windows. People with vision problems wear eyeglasses. Glass optical fibers carry data all over the world at the speed of light over the Internet, the worldwide network of computers.

Besides being useful, glass is also ornamental. Ever since people learned how to make glass, they have used it as an art material. Glass can take many different forms. It can be spun finer than a spider web. Or it can be molded into a disk for a telescope lens or mirror weighing many tons. Glass can be stronger than steel, or more fragile than paper. Most glass is transparent, but glass can also be colored to any desired shade.

Glassmaking is a popular form of the decorative arts. Dale Chihuly is one of the leading glass artists in the United States. Some of Chihuly’s glass sculptures are shown in the background.
Credit: AP/Wide World

American artist Dale Chihuly is credited with bringing blown glass art back into fashion. Chihuly was born on Sept. 20, 1941, in Tacoma, Washington. He began glass blowing in 1965. Chihuly experimented with colors, layers, and organic forms. He quickly became the biggest name in glass blowing, teaching new artists how to challenge the norm of glass art. Much of Chihuly’s art is on display in public exhibitions. Glass baskets, bowls, chandeliers, orbs, and vases dominate Chihuly’s pieces.

One of Chihuly’s first public exhibitions was Chihuly over Venice, a project involving the installation of 15 chandeliers across Venice, Italy. His most notable works include DNA Tower (2003) in Indianapolis, Indiana, Citron Icicle Tower ( 2012) in Seattle, Washington, several displays at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, and a colorful sculpture on the ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.