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In-flight Wi-Fi providers charge exorbitant rates for service by utilizing a network of satellites or ground-based towers to beam a terribly weak internet connection to your seat.
In-flight Wi-Fi providers charge exorbitant rates for service by utilizing a network of satellites or ground-based towers to beam a terribly weak internet…
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The Walkman reached America under a different name.
The Walkman reached America under a different name. Sony initially sold it as Soundabout in the U.S., Stowaway in Britain, and Freestyle in Australia.…
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A search for black holes helped lead to technology used in fast Wi-Fi.
A search for black holes helped lead to technology used in fast Wi-Fi. CSIRO researchers drew on radio-astronomy signal-processing experience to tackle radio…
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John Law tied a bank and a colonial dream into one bubble.
John Law tied a bank and a colonial dream into one bubble. With support from France's regent, Law established a bank in 1716 and later linked his financial…
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Comic Sans began with a designer thinking about comic-style software.
Comic Sans began with a designer thinking about comic-style software. Vincent Connare wanted lettering that suited the playful characters appearing in…
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The Vatican fits a country inside a city.
The Vatican fits a country inside a city. Vatican City is the smallest internationally recognized independent state, enclosed by Rome. Its tiny area contains…
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You can distrust one article and trust the next without noticing.
You can distrust one article and trust the next without noticing. Michael Crichton called this the Gell-Mann amnesia effect: spot errors in a subject you…
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Star Trek made television history in 1968 by airing the first scripted interracial kiss between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura, but network executives were so terrified of…
Star Trek made television history in 1968 by airing the first scripted interracial kiss between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura, but network executives were…
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Human DNA is comprised of roughly eight percent ancient viral fragments, left over from infections that plagued our evolutionary ancestors millions of years ago.
Human DNA is comprised of roughly eight percent ancient viral fragments, left over from infections that plagued our evolutionary ancestors millions of years…
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Verona’s incredibly popular Casa di Giulietta features a famous balcony where tourists flock to recite Shakespearean lines, despite the fact that Juliet is a fictional character…
Verona’s incredibly popular Casa di Giulietta features a famous balcony where tourists flock to recite Shakespearean lines, despite the fact that Juliet is a…
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Besieged Paris put zoo animals on the menu.
Besieged Paris put zoo animals on the menu. During the 1870 siege, food shortages led to animals from Paris's collections being slaughtered, including the…
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Mr.
Mr. Bean's actor received a £910,000 repair bill for one car. After Rowan Atkinson crashed his McLaren F1 in 2011, rebuilding it reportedly took around a year…
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Evil Dead's fake blood made Bruce Campbell stick to his clothes.
Evil Dead's fake blood made Bruce Campbell stick to his clothes. Campbell recalled filming covered in a corn-syrup mixture that became sticky and miserable to…
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Whales fertilize the ocean where sunlight reaches.
Whales fertilize the ocean where sunlight reaches. By feeding at depth and releasing nutrient-rich waste near the surface, whales move ingredients for…
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Chess has a rule that ends a game neither player quits.
Chess has a rule that ends a game neither player quits. Under FIDE rules, 75 moves by each player without a pawn move or capture automatically end the game as…
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A nerd appeared in Dr.
A nerd appeared in Dr. Seuss before the word's modern career took off. If I Ran the Zoo, published in 1950, names a creature called a Nerd. It is one of the…
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Disney's hyper-successful teen franchise High School Musical originally started development in the late nineties as a script for Grease 3, heavily focusing on the children of…
Disney's hyper-successful teen franchise High School Musical originally started development in the late nineties as a script for Grease 3, heavily focusing on…
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Buckingham Palace has 78 bathrooms.
Buckingham Palace has 78 bathrooms. The palace's 775 rooms include 19 State Rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, and 188 staff bedrooms. That scale makes it a…
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The excitement at a children’s party is easy to blame on the cake.
The excitement at a children’s party is easy to blame on the cake. Controlled studies reviewed in a major meta-analysis did not find the expected average…
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Niagara's nighttime flow is partly a human decision.
Niagara's nighttime flow is partly a human decision. An international treaty sets minimum flows over the falls, with more water required during daytime…
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Barbie creator Ruth Handler was originally inspired to design the iconic American children's doll after discovering a risqué, adult-oriented gag gift in Europe called the Bild Lilli doll.
Barbie creator Ruth Handler was originally inspired to design the iconic American children's doll after discovering a risqué, adult-oriented gag gift in…
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Japan holds the world record for the fastest manned train, with their L0 Series Maglev clocking in at an absolutely blistering 374 miles per hour during a test run.
Japan holds the world record for the fastest manned train, with their L0 Series Maglev clocking in at an absolutely blistering 374 miles per hour during a…
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Henry Cavendish helped discover hydrogen and famously measured the Earth's density, yet was intensely uncomfortable with social encounters.
Henry Cavendish helped discover hydrogen and famously measured the Earth's density, yet was intensely uncomfortable with social encounters. Accounts describe…
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Marilyn Monroe required forty-seven separate takes just to deliver the simple three-word line 'It's me, Sugar' while filming the comedy classic Some Like It Hot.
Marilyn Monroe required forty-seven separate takes just to deliver the simple three-word line 'It's me, Sugar' while filming the comedy classic Some Like It…
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