The Reality Reports

A Tradition Rooted In Italian Culture: In Italy, wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve is a long-standing tradition believed to bring good luck and prosperity in the year ahead. This custom is especially popular on December 31 and is practiced by people of many ages. The underwear is usually worn during the final hours of the old year and into the first moments of the new one. For many Italians, it is a quiet personal ritual rather than a public display.

A Disturbing Chapter In European History: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, human exhibitions were held across Europe and North America. These displays involved people from colonized regions being presented to the public as curiosities. In Belgium, Black people were exhibited in connection with colonial showcases, including displays linked to Brussels, lasting into the mid-20th century. These exhibitions were framed as educational but were rooted in racism and power imbalance. They treated human beings as objects rather than individuals with dignity.

A New Way To Carry Wealth: Long before credit cards and digital payments, people relied on coins made from precious metals. In 17th century Sweden, this system became a problem. Swedish coins were often made of copper, and they were heavy, bulky, and hard to transport.  Carrying large sums meant moving massive copper plates that could weigh several pounds. This challenge pushed Sweden to try something completely new for Europe: paper money.

April 11th might seem like just another day on the calendar, but throughout history, this date has witnessed events that changed nations, launched technological breakthroughs, and marked turning points for humanity.  From political transformations to space exploration, April 11th holds stories worth remembering.