1930s

In the 1930s, US agencies planted bicolor lespedeza for erosion control and wildlife habitat; it later reached an estimated 115,550 forest acres

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A fix that grew bigger than planned: Bicolor lespedeza, once planted to hold soil in place, now grows across an estimated 115,550 forest acres. (AI-generated/ChatGPT)

Most generations have a magic fix they believe in. For us today, it might be planting millions of trees. For the agencies in the U.S. back in the 1930s, it was a tough little shrub called bicolor lespedeza. According to the USDA Forest Service’s Fire Effects Information System, it was promoted and widely planted for … Read more

15 guanacos were taken to a remote Falklands island in the 1930s; their descendants kept their genetic diversity through two severe population crashes

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15 guanacos were taken to a remote Falklands island in the 1930s; their descendants kept their genetic diversity through two severe population crashes

In the late 1930s, a small group of guanacos, native South American camelids, was shipped from southern Patagonia to Staats Island, a remote, treeless Falklands island. Only fifteen animals founded the entire herd. Roughly twenty-five years later, a cull reduced it from about 300 animals to between 10 and 20. Such a herd would be … Read more

Sydney Sweeney bought a $6.2 million 1930s Bel-Air estate on 1.25 acres; she wanted to restore its overgrown garden without erasing its old Hollywood character

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Sydney Sweeney bought a $6.2 million 1930s Bel-Air estate on 1.25 acres; she wanted to restore its overgrown garden without erasing its old Hollywood character

A vine-covered mansion in Bel-Air might seem like an obvious candidate for a complete renovation, particularly when its new owner is a Hollywood actor with the means to start afresh. Sydney Sweeney had a different approach when she bought a property dating back to the 1930s in 2023. Rather than stripping away its aged features … Read more

Miami Beach’s Savoy Hotel dates to the 1930s and survived decades on Ocean Drive; Florida laws could now allow most of it and the neighboring Arlington to be demolished for a 38-story, 480-foot tower

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Miami Beach’s Savoy Hotel dates to the 1930s and survived decades on Ocean Drive; Florida laws could now allow most of it and the neighboring Arlington to be demolished for a 38-story, 480-foot tower

Photo credit: State Archives of Florida/FloridaMemory.com The Savoy Hotel has stood on Miami Beach’s Ocean Drive since 1937, a low-rise Art Deco landmark in a neighbourhood defined by that style. Now, a plan filed by Allied Partners would demolish most of the Savoy and the neighbouring Arlington Hotel to make way for a 38-story, 480-foot … Read more

In the 1930s, Florida introduced rhesus macaques to boost tourism; today the invasive monkeys carry a potentially fatal virus and are considered a public-health concern

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In the 1930s, Florida introduced rhesus macaques to boost tourism; today the invasive monkeys carry a potentially fatal virus and are considered a public-health concern

Nonhuman primates (NHPs) can harbour multiple zoonotic pathogens owing to their close phylogenetic relationship and frequent interactions with humans. They can also be extremely successful ecological invaders. Within the United States, fewer than or equal to NHP species have been introduced and of them, the rhesus macaque has successfully established populations in Florida and Puerto … Read more