Greetings, loyal reader,

We did it! This is the 250th edition of this newsletter. To all those who have been reading since the first Weekend Reads, we salute you! 🙏

Now, on to the good stuff. 

This week, we have plutonium-powered pacemakers, the worst time in history to be born, and Benedict Cumberbatch reading a hilarious letter of apology to a hotel, among other things. 

Time to pause for 10 mins, grab a hot drink and catch up with the weird and wonderful. 

As always, big love,

Chris & the 42courses team x 

Where are we now? The 10 Stages of AI Explained In 10 Minutes.

Property prices gone mad. How Tokyo property prices in the 1980s reached such absurd levels that the land beneath the Imperial Palace was briefly worth more than the entire state of California!

Is this what's keeping you from making better decisions? If you're keen to improve your decision-making skills, it’s time to get yourself a decision journal. 

Would you be happy with a nuclear-powered pacemaker powering your ticker? As recently as last year,  a U.S. resident with a plutonium pacemaker was known to be alive. They were phased out in 1988 when battery-powered versions became more reliable. 

• 1785 – Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals 👓
   
• 1845 – The New York City Police Department (NYPD) was formed, replacing an old night watch system 👮
   
• 1903 – 1st automobile trip across US leaves San Francisco for New York, (arrives July 26) 🚗
   
• 1980 –Horror film "The Shining" released, directed by Stanley Kubrick.
   
• 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with 75% voting yes ☘️
   
• 2001 – Marco Siffredi becomes the first person to snowboard down Mount Everest via the Norton Couloir 🏂
   
• 2022 – New York City removes its last public payphones in Midtown Manhattan; they later became part of a museum display ☎️