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SpongeBob began with a marine biology teacher's comic.
SpongeBob began with a marine biology teacher's comic. Before creating Bikini Bottom, Stephen Hillenburg taught at California's Ocean Institute and drew a…
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The Beatles' early merchandise deal left them a tiny share.
The Beatles' early merchandise deal left them a tiny share. Brian Epstein's Seltaeb arrangement initially gave the Beatles' side only 10% of the relevant…
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Sugar can stiffen the proteins that keep skin flexible.
Sugar can stiffen the proteins that keep skin flexible. Through glycation, sugars react with proteins such as collagen, forming chemical modifications that…
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Dietary fiber provides the essential bulk and moisture needed to move waste efficiently through your colon, preventing the painful and medically concerning reality of severe chronic constipation.
Dietary fiber provides the essential bulk and moisture needed to move waste efficiently through your colon, preventing the painful and medically concerning…
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Harrison gave the longest inaugural address—and served the shortest term.
Harrison gave the longest inaugural address—and served the shortest term. His 1841 speech ran to more than 8,000 words, but his presidency lasted only 32…
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Nancy Ann Tappe invented the mystical concept of 'Indigo Children' in the 1970s, claiming she could see special indigo-colored auras around kids who were highly evolved,…
Nancy Ann Tappe invented the mystical concept of 'Indigo Children' in the 1970s, claiming she could see special indigo-colored auras around kids who were…
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Sony executive Norio Ohga explicitly demanded in 1980 that the new Compact Disc audio format be expanded from its original sixty-minute capacity to exactly seventy-four minutes for a highly specific reason.
Sony executive Norio Ohga explicitly demanded in 1980 that the new Compact Disc audio format be expanded from its original sixty-minute capacity to exactly…
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Laughing hard enough can make someone faint.
Laughing hard enough can make someone faint. Rare medical cases describe people briefly losing consciousness during intense laughter. One proposed mechanism…
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A scratched nostril can become an infection site.
A scratched nostril can become an infection site. Picking or repeated irritation can damage the lining near the entrance to the nose. Bacteria can then infect…
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Ploshchad Revolyutsii is a famous subway station in Moscow featuring seventy-six bronze statues of Soviet heroes, including a border guard with a very good boy sitting right next to him.
Ploshchad Revolyutsii is a famous subway station in Moscow featuring seventy-six bronze statues of Soviet heroes, including a border guard with a very good…
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Ringo Starr is the only member of the Beatles who actually legally changed his name, as his real birth name was the remarkably less rock-and-roll sounding Richard Starkey;…
Ringo Starr is the only member of the Beatles who actually legally changed his name, as his real birth name was the remarkably less rock-and-roll sounding…
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Magellan's voyage went around the world without Magellan.
Magellan's voyage went around the world without Magellan. He died in the Philippines in 1521, before the expedition completed its circuit. Juan Sebastián…
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Steve Jobs helped introduce Halo at Macworld in 1999, before the series became an Xbox flagship.
Steve Jobs helped introduce Halo at Macworld in 1999, before the series became an Xbox flagship. The project changed substantially during development before…
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Venezuela famously pegged its national currency to a newly created state-backed cryptocurrency called the Petro in 2018, supposedly backed by the country's vast oil, gas, gold,…
Venezuela famously pegged its national currency to a newly created state-backed cryptocurrency called the Petro in 2018, supposedly backed by the country's…
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DeLorean’s cocaine trial ended in acquittal.
DeLorean’s cocaine trial ended in acquittal. With his car company in financial trouble, John DeLorean became the target of a 1982 undercover drug operation. A…
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Parts of the Great Wall became a source of building material.
Parts of the Great Wall became a source of building material. Bricks and stones from neglected sections have been removed for local construction, adding to…
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Medieval writers completely invented the mystical concept of the Holy Grail during the late twelfth century, originally portraying it as a simple serving dish before later…
Medieval writers completely invented the mystical concept of the Holy Grail during the late twelfth century, originally portraying it as a simple serving dish…
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Pennsylvania law requires the deeply traditional Amish community to attach bright orange reflective triangles to the back of their horse-drawn wooden buggies to avoid being obliterated by modern cars.
Pennsylvania law requires the deeply traditional Amish community to attach bright orange reflective triangles to the back of their horse-drawn wooden buggies…
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Charles Webster Leadbeater basically invented the modern Western concept of vibrant, rainbow-colored chakras in a 1927 book, heavily adapting and altering complex Hindu tantric…
Charles Webster Leadbeater basically invented the modern Western concept of vibrant, rainbow-colored chakras in a 1927 book, heavily adapting and altering…
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Hulk Hogan's lawsuit had a secret backer: Peter Thiel.
Hulk Hogan's lawsuit had a secret backer: Peter Thiel. The billionaire helped finance Hogan's privacy case against Gawker, a publication he had a personal…
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Ford's black-only rule had a beginning and an end.
Ford's black-only rule had a beginning and an end. The Model T was offered only in black from 1914 to 1925, according to Ford's own history. Models before and…
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Cicadas spend up to seventeen entire years living completely underground as nymphs, quietly sucking fluids out of tree roots in total darkness, only to emerge simultaneously in a massive, apocalyptic swarm.
Cicadas spend up to seventeen entire years living completely underground as nymphs, quietly sucking fluids out of tree roots in total darkness, only to emerge…
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Imperial Russia's vodka sales helped fill the treasury.
Imperial Russia's vodka sales helped fill the treasury. The state spirits monopoly made drinking a major source of government revenue. Restricting vodka sales…
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Seinfeld was famously pitched as a show about absolutely nothing, yet it somehow managed to establish a complex, iron-clad internal logic over nine massively successful seasons.
Seinfeld was famously pitched as a show about absolutely nothing, yet it somehow managed to establish a complex, iron-clad internal logic over nine massively…
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