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Victorian era eccentric William Buckland served as the Dean of Westminster but spent the majority of his free time trying to systematically eat his way through the entire animal…
Victorian era eccentric William Buckland served as the Dean of Westminster but spent the majority of his free time trying to systematically eat his way…
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Sylvia Browne was a massively popular psychic who charged clients over $700 for a twenty-minute phone reading, claiming an astonishing accuracy rate for her predictions despite…
Sylvia Browne was a massively popular psychic who charged clients over $700 for a twenty-minute phone reading, claiming an astonishing accuracy rate for her…
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Keynes learned to invest differently after painful losses.
Keynes learned to invest differently after painful losses. Research on his portfolios traces a move away from trying to time broad economic swings toward…
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A jet cabin refreshes its air much more often than many people expect.
A jet cabin refreshes its air much more often than many people expect. Most modern passenger jets combine outside air with recirculated air passed through…
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Paramount Pictures initially hated the design of the Starship Enterprise when Gene Roddenberry pitched the original Star Trek television series.
Paramount Pictures initially hated the design of the Starship Enterprise when Gene Roddenberry pitched the original Star Trek television series. Executives…
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Fanta began as a wartime substitute for Coca-Cola.
Fanta began as a wartime substitute for Coca-Cola. When the German branch could no longer obtain cola syrup during World War II, it made a different soft…
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Sylvester Stallone was so desperately broke before making Rocky that he actually had to sell his beloved dog for fifty dollars just to buy food.
Sylvester Stallone was so desperately broke before making Rocky that he actually had to sell his beloved dog for fifty dollars just to buy food. After selling…
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Shivering is an involuntary, violent muscle contraction designed exclusively to generate kinetic heat when your core temperature begins to dangerously drop.
Shivering is an involuntary, violent muscle contraction designed exclusively to generate kinetic heat when your core temperature begins to dangerously drop.…
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The legend of a doctor who revealed her disguise in court.
The legend of a doctor who revealed her disguise in court. In Hyginus's story, Agnodice dresses as a man to learn medicine and treats Athenian women. Accused…
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Scrabble needed a new name and a new partner before it took off.
Scrabble needed a new name and a new partner before it took off. Alfred Butts developed his word game during the Depression, calling versions Lexiko and Criss…
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Standard and Poor's historically downgraded the credit rating of the United States federal government in 2011 from AAA to AA+ due to endless political bickering over the debt ceiling.
Standard and Poor's historically downgraded the credit rating of the United States federal government in 2011 from AAA to AA+ due to endless political…
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White sage is heavily burned by modern spiritualists to cleanse negative energy in their apartments, but this practice strips a sacred indigenous American ritual of all its…
White sage is heavily burned by modern spiritualists to cleanse negative energy in their apartments, but this practice strips a sacred indigenous American…
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A cultivated strawberry carries eight sets of chromosomes.
A cultivated strawberry carries eight sets of chromosomes. That makes the familiar fruit a convenient subject for simple DNA demonstrations. Breaking open…
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Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin secretly employed a team of photo retouchers to physically airbrush his political enemies out of historical photographs after he had them executed.
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin secretly employed a team of photo retouchers to physically airbrush his political enemies out of historical photographs after he…
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A crash statistic near home needs a mileage question.
A crash statistic near home needs a mileage question. Trips begin or end near home, so that area gets many chances to appear in a driver's travel record. To…
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Picasso turned plates and jugs into another kind of canvas.
Picasso turned plates and jugs into another kind of canvas. At the Madoura pottery workshop in southern France, Picasso worked with ceramic forms as well as…
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Barbie was already dating on a Commodore 64 in 1984.
Barbie was already dating on a Commodore 64 in 1984. The early game had players answer Ken's calls, choose outfits, and take Barbie out in her car. It…
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Some gas made in your gut leaves through your lungs.
Some gas made in your gut leaves through your lungs. Intestinal gases can cross into the bloodstream and later be exhaled. Breath tests use this route: gases…
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Pressure on a sensitive area of the neck can trigger a reflex that slows the heart and lowers blood pressure.
Pressure on a sensitive area of the neck can trigger a reflex that slows the heart and lowers blood pressure. The carotid sinus monitors pressure, and…
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Catherine the Great bought paintings on an imperial scale.
Catherine the Great bought paintings on an imperial scale. In 1764, she acquired 225 paintings from merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky, a purchase associated…
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Victor Hugo lived on a street already named after Victor Hugo.
Victor Hugo lived on a street already named after Victor Hugo. Paris renamed the part of avenue d'Eylau where he lived in his honor while he was still alive.…
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Google researchers successfully trained a neural network using sixteen thousand computer processors in 2012, feeding it ten million random thumbnail images from YouTube just to…
Google researchers successfully trained a neural network using sixteen thousand computer processors in 2012, feeding it ten million random thumbnail images…
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Siberian shamans used to consume the toxic, hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom, but to avoid the severe nausea it caused, they would feed it to reindeer and then drink the…
Siberian shamans used to consume the toxic, hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom, but to avoid the severe nausea it caused, they would feed it to reindeer and…
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Chess boards with a crease in the middle were originally invented by an eccentric 12th-century priest who needed a clever way to hide his illegal gaming habits from his strict religious superiors.
Chess boards with a crease in the middle were originally invented by an eccentric 12th-century priest who needed a clever way to hide his illegal gaming…
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