Word: minor
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Bathroom technology really took off in the 20th century. Flushable valves, water tanks that rest on top of the bowl rather than above, toilet-paper rolls (invented in 1890 but not heavily marketed until 1902) - these minor improvements seem like necessities now. And if you think the toilet hasn't changed recently, think again: in 1994 Congress passed the Energy Policy Act, requiring common flush toilets to use only 1.6 gallons of water, less than half of what they consumed before. The "low flow" law left a lot of consumers dissatisfied (and a lot of toilets clogged) until companies developed...
...earliest courts-martial in U.S. history occurred in 1779, when Major General Benedict Arnold was tried for using troops for personal gain (he was acquitted of most charges, though convicted of two minor violations). A delay in starting the trial so irritated Arnold that it may have contributed to his betrayal of the nation shortly afterward. A famed 1925 military trial involved Billy Mitchell, an officer in the Army Air Corps who was tried for openly criticizing his superiors for failing to develop airpower fast enough. He was convicted and suspended from active duty with no pay for five years...
...culturally distinct. European nations have high tax rates and socialized medicine; in the U.S., people flock to fast-food restaurants and pile into SUVs. But according to Peter Baldwin, a professor of history at UCLA, the reigning stereotypes about both groups are mostly untrue. In The Narcissism of Minor Differences, a new book published this month, Baldwin collected data from dozens of organizations and found that the U.S. and Europe are actually more alike than they are different. Baldwin talked to TIME about transatlantic differences in religion, crime and health care - and why the distinctions matter. (See pictures of Obama...
...your book, you refer to the U.S. and Europe as "twins keen to differentiate themselves." Why are we so intent on being different? It has to do with domestic politics. Anti-Europeanism exists in America, but it's a relatively minor aspect of the political discourse. Generally speaking, America doesn't pay much attention to Europe one way or the other. In Europe, on the other hand, anti-Americanism is a much more mainstream opinion. They think America is quite different, usually as something to be criticized. Anti-Americanism helps bridge political gaps within Europe. It's useful for Europe...
Twenty one-year-old prodigy Lise de la Salle picked up the slack with her delivery of Camille Saint-Saen’s popular “Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor.” The solo piano passage that opens the piece—whose lack of a conventional orchestral prologue or a customarily slow second movement deviates significantly from the standard concerto structure—calls a Bach organ fantasy to mind. Sweeping broken arpeggios paired with a vibrant treatment of melody distinguished de la Salle’s delivery, though an enthusiastic orchestral accompaniment sometimes...