A list of curious facts

One: It’s official: 2024 is the hottest year on record—and the first to pass the 1.5°C threshold set by the landmark Paris Agreement. It is also time to update each country’s ‘climate stripes’—the iconic symbol used to represent global warming. 

It all started when Climate Physics prof Ellie Highwood shared her crocheted "global warming blanket" back in 2017—with each row of colour representing the average global temperature across time. It was turned into a graphic design by her colleague Ed Hawkins—which in turn has graced the covers of Greta Thunberg’s ‘The Climate Book’, the White Cliffs of Dover in England and Times Square:

If you’re curious, this is what India’s ‘climate stripes’ look like: 

Redder the stripe, hotter the hell. In fact, Hawkins says even the darkest red can no longer capture the soaring temperatures—which “are off the scale.” BBC News has the backstory—and you can check stripes for any country over here. The image below has the updated version with data for 2024—and shows two possible scenarios:

Two: Since we’re talking whiskey today (see: Big Story), have you heard of the hottest Japanese whiskey in town—the kind made with a mold called koji? Nope, it’s nothing like the traditional malt:

In order for grain to ferment, a distiller first has to convert its starch into sugar. In the European tradition, that is typically done by letting the grains germinate just enough to create an enzyme that will start the conversion, a step called malting. Japanese producers achieve the same end by inoculating their grains — usually rice — with koji mold, which works faster and more efficiently than malting. 

Koji is also used to make sake—even soy sauce and miso. A Japanese chemist named Dr. Jokichi Takamine—who moved to the US in 1891—was the first to use it to manufacture whiskey on the cheap. While his enterprise never took off, his son is now riding a Takamine whiskey craze across the US. The secret of its success: “a high umami quotient.” Forbes has the tragic tale of Takamine. (New York Times)

Three: Did you know that John F Kennedy staged his own murder—just two months before his assassination? In the summer of 1963, the Kennedys staged and shot a homemade spy thriller—which included the “spoof murder” of JFK:

At one point, according to Landis, Jackie asked the [Secret Service] agents to hurriedly drive up to the main house and react as if they had just heard shots. Landis says the agents entered the house and found the president lying on the floor in the foyer with ketchup smeared on him. 

Eerie and also, umm, weird—which First Couple stages an assassination for laughs? Lifestyles of the rich and famous…. 🤷🏾 (Vanity Fair, paywalled)

Bonus fact: Say hello to the perfect board game for Indian foodies—and eco-warriors. Map the Wild teaches you about edible and medicinal plants—as you manoeuvre through the city, looking for natural remedies for your aches and pains. In fact, there’s a whole new genre of ‘green’ Indian games gaining popularity these days. Wild Five is a set of 52 cards featuring animals of the Western Ghats—designed by Kerala artists. Just as gorgeous: the eye-popping Biomes of the Nilgiris (see below), Birds of Kodaikanal and Birds in the City (as in Bangalore). The Hindu has a useful roundup with pics.