Month: August 2026
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The Problem That Gave Us the Piano
The piano didn’t begin because musicians needed more keys, a bigger instrument, or a louder sound. It began with a different problem: pressing a key harder did not make a harpsichord note significantly louder. Before the piano, one of Europe’s most important keyboard instruments was the harpsichord. Its strings were plucked when a key was…
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Volleyball
Welcome to Saturday Sparks! This week, we’re exploring volleyball, a fast-moving team sport built around a simple goal: keep the ball off the ground on your side and find a way to put it down on the other. A good rally can go from a hard serve to a controlled pass, a quick set, a…
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Volleyball Had Innings?
If you stepped onto a volleyball court in 1895, you might recognize the net. Beyond that, the game could be surprisingly unfamiliar. There were no six-player teams. There was no three-hit limit. The court was smaller, the net was lower, and a team could hit the ball as many times as it wanted before sending…
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Mahjong
Welcome to Saturday Sparks! This week, we’re exploring the rich and fascinating world of Mahjong. Played with a distinctive set of tiles and enjoyed in many different forms around the world, Mahjong brings together strategy, pattern recognition, tradition, and social connection in a game that has been bringing people to the table for generations. Ask…