In Maputo, Mozambique, many unfortunate children call the streets their home. Having been abandoned by their families, they are forced to grow up, seek shelter, and hide in the dark, wet, and perilous parts of the city. You will find these poor children in the shadowy crevices of bridges and abandoned buildings. Perhaps most tragic…
Jewel Shuping grew up with sight, but she has almost always dreamed of being blind. Yes, you read that correctly; she wants to be blind. At 6 years old, the thought of being blind made her feel more comfortable. As a teenager she started wearing thick glasses. At 18 she bought her first cane. By…
On January 30, 1925, Floyd Collins climbed into a huge system of interconnected caves in Kentucky. He was trying to discover a new entrance into the cave system. Unfortunately, this excursion ended to Collins getting badly trapped. To make matters worse, in his attempt to get free he accidentally knocked over his lamp, smothering his…
The Norwegian town of Rjukan has been dealing with a problem for a very long time — darkness. The town is located in a deep valley and rarely receives direct sunlight. The solution to this problem is a system of huge mirrors. Three big mirrors have been built surrounding this mountain town. Using an electronic…
The people of Philadelphia needed some convincing. Benjamin Franklin was trying to get people to buy into the idea of street lighting. It wasn’t a new concept, but his design with four panes of glass surrounding the candle was new. He figured he would start with his own home. So he hung a beautiful lantern…
A lady was waiting in line at the grocery store check out. The lines were unexpectedly long on this day. Ahead of her, she could see something being passed along from the front of the line. It was an envelope. When it finally reached her, she curiously took a look inside. Inside was about $50…
“During WWII six Navy pilots left their aircraft carrier on a mission. After searching the seas for enemy submarines, they tried to return to their ship shortly after dark. But the captain had ordered a blackout of all lights on the ship. Over and over the frantic pilots radioed, asking for just one light so…
A young boy had his face pinned to the window and he watched with fascination as an old lamplighter came down the street. One by one he was lighting the old-fashioned gas street lamps. Excited, the young boy called out to his grandmother, “Nana! Nana! Come quickly. There is a man outside who is punching…
5-year old Johnny came into the kitchen as his mom was making supper. She politely asked him to go into the pantry and grab a can of tomato soup. The problem was, this request required him to walk in the darkest and scariest part of the house. “Mom, it’s dark in there and I’m scared.”…
For years Beijing has been dealing with massive amounts of smog. Last year, the air was so bad that 700 flights were cancelled. At times, the pollution levels have been so high people have reported respiratory problems and school children have not been allowed to play outside. Sometimes major companies like the Beijing Hyundai Motor…
BP's Fuel For Thought 