What do "Friends" and Earth, Wind & Fire have in common?

She'll be there for you... 10/6/18 At the beginning of 1978, Allee Willis was living off of food stamps. But by the end of the year, she'd sold 10 million records … and that's just part of the story. The musical genius, is responsible for over 1,000 songs, incluidng hits like Earth, Wind & Fire's "September," the entirety of Broadway's "The Color Purple," and the iconic, unforgettable "Friends" theme song. Oh, and she did this all without being able to write music or play a single instrument. Hip-Hop's Gold Mother In 1988, Eva Sam immigrated to the United States with her family from Macao. Coming from a long lineage of jewelry sellers and makers, Eva naturally took the same route and opened Popular Jewelry in the heart of New York's Chinatown. One day, the rap gods shined down upon the store. After Wu-Tang Clan's Cappadonna visited, hip-hop stars like Beyoncé, Travis Scott, Macklemore and A$AP Rocky began to follow.  Racing to End Elephantiasis in India Sheela and Pratima Devi get up early. Traveling by foot, the healthcare workers go door-to-door, village-by-village through Northern India to spread awareness about elephantiasis. This treatable and preventable disease, spread by mosquitoes, affects 120 million people worldwide. Sheela and Pratima's visits are part of a wider government effort to combat preconceived ideas that Elephantiasis comes from a curse, not a causative agent—and it's working. The Floating Schools of Bangladesh Each year, over one-fifth of Bangladesh suffers from flooding. And when water overtakes already struggling roads, much of life is put on hold—including kids' education. But if children can't travel to the classroom, architect and entrepreneur Mohammed Rezwan thought, why not have it travel to them? The Valley of 2,000 Temples Once an epicenter for the kingdom of Pagan, this valley is now a majestic, ancient city in the heart of Myanmar. The Bagan archaeological zone was once home to over 10,000 temples built by past leaders of the ancient kingdom. Today only 2,000 remain.  Copyright © 2018 Great Big Story, LLC, All rights reserved.You are receiving this message because you subscribed to the Great Big Story newsletter. View this email in your browser.  Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list