Why do I collect backstories? For me, they are like hidden gems of background information that so often isn’t reported for one reason or another.
Backstories have the potential to be a heartwarming feature, they can pique my interest to do further research, or they offer a beneficial lesson that someone else has learned. For example, Adam Grant, author of “Think Again,” shares quite a backstory that galvanized his belief in the importance of rethinking and relearning, a concept I found very educational.
Grant’s backstory is that he was one of the co-founders of Harvard’s original online social network e-group designed to connect students with fellow classmates prior to beginning their freshman year. When the team members had accomplished their goal, they didn’t explore other possibilities. Five years later, Mark Zuckerberg saw the potential, started Facebook at Harvard and won the lawsuit filed against him by the Winklevoss twins.
The smartphone has a backstory that may surprise you. While Steve Jobs is given the credit for being the brains behind the iPhone, the reality is that he strongly opposed adding a mobile phone category fearing it would compromise the iPod success. His engineers carefully urged him to reconsider his convictions and rethink their technology. Six months later, he agreed to the smartphone concept that saved Apple from bankruptcy.
Coin-operated phones also have a backstory. Paris introduced the first phone booth in 1884, and a year later, New York City had installed 10,000 of them. In the height of their 1970s heyday, there were an estimated 2 million pay phones.
When European countries started removing them by 2015, removal was slower for London’s popular “red boxes” and the same for the iconic fame of U.S. phone booths. Do you recall the practice of seeing how many people could be stuffed into one? Or checking the coin return for extra change?
In May, New York City removed its last phone booth. Oh dear, now where will Clark Kent change into Superman?
I have one more backstory that has a promising new future thanks to a recent and extensive research study on dyslexia, a condition that affects 1 in 5 people, some of whom are well-known, such as Einstein, Walt Disney, John Lennon and Keira Knightley.
Researchers have proven that regardless of whether someone has language arts difficulties, people with dyslexia should be nurtured and encouraged to use their exceptional abilities to solve problems and adapt well to challenges.
Some days I feel like I’ve hit the backstory jackpot. They’re such fun to share with others, and that’s the best part about collecting them.
Writer, editor and speaker Cheryl Russell is a Laguna Woods Village resident. Contact her at Cheryl@starheart.com.
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