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Drive, Stillness and Wonder

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Page 35
Q0920
WonderHistory

In 1932, Australia sent soldiers against destructive emus; the campaign became famous because the birds largely evaded control.

Farmers were struggling with crop damage, and military help was tried in a strange episode now remembered as the Emu War. The popular version is comic, but the background was agricultural pressure and human-wildlife conflict. This matters globally because ecosystems often resist simple force. The lesson: a living landscape is not a target range.

Q0921
WonderHistory

Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century coffee houses became hubs of debate, news and ideas, sometimes nicknamed 'penny universities.'

For the price of a drink, people could hear news, argue politics, read papers and meet traders, writers or scientists. They were not open equally to everyone, but they helped create new public spaces for information. This matters globally because ideas need rooms as well as minds. The lesson: infrastructure for conversation can change society.

Q0933
WonderTechnology

Wikipedia went live in 2001 and grew into one of the world's most visited reference sites through volunteer editing.

Its strength and weakness come from the same idea: many people can add, correct and debate knowledge in public. That has made it fast, broad and imperfect, with quality depending on sources and community review. This matters globally because access to reference knowledge changed dramatically. The lesson: openness needs maintenance, not blind trust.