Did you know that African-American inventor George Washington Carver managed to invent over 300 uses for peanuts, including peanut oil?
Previously, peanuts had been a niche crop. However, Carver discovered that peanuts could be used for paints, oils, dyes, plastics and even a type of gasoline. Carver rose to prominence, and in 1921 was invited to testify before Congress. Carver was appointed an agricultural adviser to President Theodore Roosevelt and also gave advice to Mahatma Gandhi on nutrition — all exceptional achievements for an African American who was born into slavery.
By the late 1920s, Carver had given up teaching and field work, and had begun to advise peanut producers. Carver never accepted compensation for his services, believing in the nobility of his cause. His epitaph reads “He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.” — by Owen Voutsinas-Klose
Here’s the week at a glance
at the Nyack Library.
Monday
- FREE AARP Tax Aid, bring 2 forms of i.d. – one must be a photo i.d., 10a
- Shakespeare Discussion Group, 4p
- Build with Legos, Registration required, 4p
- FREE Assistance with NYS Health Insurance Programs, 5p
- Poets Circle, Registration required, 6:30p
Tuesday
- Fiction Writer’s Workshop, Registration required, 11a
- Cuentos, Canciones y Artesania, 1p
- Tuesday at Two Film Series: Basquiat, 2p
- Black History Sketching/Tracing Night, 5:30p
- Nyack Toastmasters, 6:45p
Wednesday
- Trivia Wednesdays, 5p
- Genealogy Program – Building Historical Context: Crafting the Family Narrative, Registration required, 7p
Thursday
- Little Shanti Yoga, Registration required, 1:30p
- The SAT or the ACT with Josh Marber, Registration required, 7p
Friday
Teen Choice Movie, 3:30p
Saturday
- Introduction to Babysitting for Grades 6-12, Registration required, 10:30a
- Carnegie Concert Series – Bach Complete Keyboard Works, 7:30p
Sunday
VCS Co-sponsored Social Justice Film Series: Intersexion, 2:30p
Carnegie Concert Series: Bach Complete Keyboard Works, Sat at 7:30p
As heard in the Well-Tempered Clavier, Bach loved to teach while he entertained. This is equally true for his 15 Inventions, which are among the most beloved pieces in classical music. Bach described the Inventions as an “Honest method, by which the amateurs of the keyboard – especially, however, those desirous of learning – are shown a clear way not only (1) to learn to play cleanly in two parts, but also, after further progress, (2) to handle three obligate parts correctly and well; and along with this not only to obtain good inventions (ideas) but to develop the same well; above all, however, to achieve a cantabile style in playing and at the same time acquire a strong foretaste of composition.”
Program: INVENTIONS
15 Inventions, BWV 787-801; French Suite No.1 in D minor, BWV 812; Italian Concerto, BWV 971; Partita No.6 in E minor, BWV 830
Mei-ting Sun, piano
Tickets In Advance: $20 Adult, $18 Seniors & Students, $15 member. At the Door: $25 Adult, $22 Seniors & Students, $18 member. Tickets and more info at CarnegieConcerts.org.
VCS Co-Sponsored Social Justice Film Series
Intersexion, Sun at 2:30p
Every new parent asks: “Is it a boy or a girl?” But what happens when doctors cannot answer that question? One baby in 2,000 is born with genitalia so ambiguous that it is impossible to tell if the child is male or female. That startling but little known statistic means the number of intersex babies equals two rugby teams every year. Their birth certificates – instead of showing “male” or “female” — are sometimes marked “I” for indeterminate.
But as the film shows, human sexual development is never that straight forward. This is a heart-warming story told with a mix of laughter and tears in the most frank and revealing way.
Have a question or a fun fact you want to know? We’re looking for suggestions for our weekly Did You Know fact. Write to info@NyackNewsAndViews with your suggestions.
Did You Know comes to you each Monday on NyackNewAndViews, sponsored by the Nyack Library.
