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WAS IT SURRENDER?

Monday, June 19, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we learn about the dish towel that ended the Civil War, honor the life and legacy of Sally Ride, cross into Mexico for this village’s Juneteenth celebration ... and examine the ups and downs of an electric vehicle.

a dishtowel that served as the surrender flag

PHOTOGRAPH BY THE SMITHSONIAN

This simple dishtowel silenced America’s bloodiest war.

The South’s “surrender flag” (above) ought to represent the moment when the nation became one again, when rights were extended to all. Instead, the dishrag represents unfulfilled commitments—and a rejection of the notion of surrender.

You see, half of it is gone.

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Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant

PAINTING BY JEAN LEON GEROME FERRIS, VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY / BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

You win: Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrenders to Union general Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865 in this painting, titled “Let Us Have Peace” by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris. On this as in every other Juneteenth, a holiday marking the end of the war, peace is elusive. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

a Barbie doll made to look like Sally Ride

PHOTOGRAPH BY MACKENZIE CALLE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Sally Ride, space pioneer, resonates after her death as a role model and LGBTQ+ star (Pictured, a Barbie doll made to look like her.)

How the Gold Rush transformed California

Are you a mosquito magnet? Here’s what you can do about it

Jurassic Park was right—crocodiles can have ‘virgin births’

A major risk factor for ‘Viking Disease’? Neanderthal genes.

Is the powerful secret group the Illuminati still around?

Looking for extraterrestrial life in the solar system? This might be the place.

Tomb explorer encounters multiple mummy mystery in Egypt

How heat can make you sick—and kill you

‘Lost world’ of early organisms represents key time in evolution of life

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A young girl dons on the traditional attire—polka-dot dress, apron, and handkerchief—worn by Mascogos women during Juneteenth celebrations in Nacimiento

PHOTOGRAPH BY LUJÁN AGUSTI

150 years and counting: Known as the “Southern Underground Railroad,” one village in Mexico has observed Juneteenth for 150 years. Villagers here helped formerly enslaved people across the border reach freedom. (Above, a young girl dons on the traditional attire worn by Mascogos women, photographed by Nat Geo Explorer Luján Agusti.)

Related: New data lets African American people discover trail of ancestors beyond ‘1870s wall’

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

a dolphin at SeaWorld performs

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN GREIM, LIGHTROCKET/GETTY IMAGES

What happened to Rascal? Trembling and unable to lift his tail, the dolphin at SeaWorld in Orlando was struggling to swim. Nearly a third of his body was covered in both superficial scrapes and deeper cuts—injuries he’d sustained from other Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in his pool. He was not separated from his group until an inspection occurred, according to USDA records. (Above, a dolphin—not Rascal—performs at SeaWorld.)

LAST GLIMPSE

an electric vehicle

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID GUTTENFELDER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

On the road again: Electric vehicle popularity and sales are on the up and up, and they’re positioned as a solution to mitigate climate change. But between “range anxiety” and environmental angst over battery manufacturing, there are some questions left unanswered. Here’s what you need to know before you buy an EV. (Above, an Electric Bolt.)

Related: Are electric bikes the future of green transportation?

Today’s soundtrack: Electric Feel, MGMT

Thanks for reading today’s newsletter! It was curated and edited by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. Want to let us know your thoughts? Send away: [email protected]. Happy trails!

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