Stoic Times

media

Ted Turner, media mogul who revolutionised TV news by launching CNN, dies at 87

Ted Turner, 87, Is Gone. He Invented 24-Hour News. You Are Currently Reading News.

What Happened

Ted Turner, the American media entrepreneur who founded CNN in 1980 — the world's first 24-hour television news network — has died at the age of 87. Turner also founded TBS, TNT, and the Cartoon Network, and was once the largest private landowner in the United States. He was a prominent philanthr...

What's In Your Control

Whether you take a moment to reflect on how one person's stubborn, ridiculed idea in 1980 now shapes how billions of people understand the world — for better and worse.

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media

Ted Turner, Creator of CNN and the 24-Hour News Cycle, Dies at 87

Ted Turner, Who Taught the World to Watch the News Forever, Is Gone at 87

What Happened

Ted Turner, the American media mogul who founded CNN in 1980, died at age 87. He is credited with creating the first 24-hour cable news network, fundamentally transforming how the world consumes information. Turner was also known for founding TBS, owning the Atlanta Braves, and his landmark $1 bi...

What's In Your Control

Whether you spend the next hour doom-scrolling the very news cycle he built as a tribute to his memory — or step outside instead.

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arts

Michael Tilson Thomas, Celebrated American Conductor, Dies at 81

Michael Tilson Thomas, 81, Laid Down His Baton. The Music He Made Remains.

What Happened

Michael Tilson Thomas, one of America's most celebrated orchestral conductors, has died at age 81. Known affectionately as "MTT," he served as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony for 25 years (1995–2020), transforming it into one of the world's premier orchestras. He had been diagnosed w...

What's In Your Control

Whether you seek out one of his recordings today — his Mahler symphonies with the SF Symphony or his work with Bernstein are a good place to start. Whether you support your local orchestra, whose m...

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science

Desmond Morris, whose book The Naked Ape inspired and scandalised, dies aged 98

Desmond Morris, Who Held a Mirror Up to Humanity, Dies at 98. We Saw Ourselves. We Were Uncomfortable. He Was Right.

What Happened

Desmond Morris, the British zoologist and author, has died at the age of 98. His 1967 book The Naked Ape applied zoological observation to human behaviour, selling tens of millions of copies worldwide. It was controversial on publication, challenged by both religious institutions and academic pee...

What's In Your Control

Whether you read The Naked Ape — or re-read it. Whether you remember that a life combining rigorous science and fine art, stretching nearly a century, is an instructive model for a life well constr...

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obituary

Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest, dies at 97

Jim Whittaker, 97, Climbed Everest First Among Americans. The Mountain Remains.

What Happened

Jim Whittaker, who became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1963, has died at age 97. He was part of the first successful American expedition to the world's highest peak and later became a prominent mountaineer and outdoor equipment company executive.

What's In Your Control

Whether you remember his achievement as inspiration for your own challenges, large or small. Whether you use this as a reminder that physical pursuits and time in nature matter. Whether you researc...

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