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PILATES: BORN BEHIND BARS

Friday, September 15, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we learn the surprising origins of pilates, meet a pup who can sniff out rare sea turtles, learn how the trapped American caver was rescued ... and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

the internment camp where pilates started

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Imprisoned mainly for being German in Britain during World War I, Joseph Pilates wondered: Why do the cats in this P.O.W. camp seem so healthy but the prisoners are getting weaker and weaker?

With plenty of time, he studied the cats—particularly their stretches. He said he began copying those movements, refining those exercises for humans, experimented on his fellow detainees—and watched them get fitter and fitter. (Pictured above, the internment camp.)

It took a move to America and adherents like dancer Martha Graham for his ideas to spread. Slowly.

HOW PILATES DID IT

Go deeper:
—No time to exercise? Just 5 minutes will help.
—Exercises to sharpen your mind

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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

a loggerhead sea turtle

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ESTHER HORVATH

Meet the dog who helps environmentalists by finding rare sea turtle nests at a shocking success rate (Above, a loggerhead in Florida)

Multiple COVID infections can lead to chronic health issues. Here’s what to know.

COVID cases are rising again. Here’s a refresher on everything you forgot.

See a visual timeline of every animal sent into space

These orcas control the waves to hunt. It’s spine-tingling to watch.

Murder. Greed. Conspiracy. What really happened in Osage County?

Why are there four heads of John the Baptist?

What’s up with electrolytes? Here’s what you need to know about hydrating.

7 herbs that may help fight cold and flu

Is it possible to cure hot flashes? We may be getting closer.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

two young girls practice cursive on a chalkboard in 1953

PHOTOGRAPH BY HAROLD M. LAMBERT, GETTY IMAGES

Pen to paper: We used to sit at our desks in school, tracing the swirly letters, perfecting their connection. Has cursive gone away for good? Or is it making a comeback? (Above, two young girls practice their cursive handwriting on a small blackboard in 1935.)

WHERE DID IT GO?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Members of the Palmer Society, a campus women’s organization, celebrate their graduation from Whittier College in California.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KARLA GACHET

Rising to power: To celebrate the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, we take a look at how Latinos are shaping America’s future. Above, women celebrate their graduation from Whittier College in California, which now ranks among the most diverse colleges in the U.S.

Related: 'Hispanic'? 'Latino'? Here’s where the terms come from
Everything you need to know about Hispanic Heritage Month

LAST GLIMPSE

Nine days after issuing a call for help, Dickey was finally rescued and airlifted to a nearby hospital. Dickey is himself an experienced rescuer, and for the team of international cavers, rescuing Dickey meant rescuing one of their own.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MERT GOKHAN KOC, DIA IMAGES/AP

Rescued! An American caver trapped 3,000 feet underground in a Turkish cave was pulled out Tuesday (pictured above) by 200 volunteers. That was more than a week after he became seriously ill. What’s the allure to caving? And why was saving him so dangerous?

Related: This Nat Geo photographer climbed for his life—out of the world’s deepest known cave

Today’s soundtrack: Friday I'm In Love, Yo La Tengo

Happy Friday! This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard.

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