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Parkinson's law turns a deadline into a container for work.
Parkinson's law turns a deadline into a container for work. C. Northcote Parkinson's famous observation says work expands to fill the time available. Treat it…
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An aircraft carrier lends a fighter jet the speed it cannot build on deck.
An aircraft carrier lends a fighter jet the speed it cannot build on deck. Steam or electromagnetic catapults accelerate the aircraft along a short launch…
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A nuclear laboratory let visitors play electronic tennis in 1958.
A nuclear laboratory let visitors play electronic tennis in 1958. William Higinbotham created Tennis for Two for Brookhaven's visitors' day, using an analog…
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Lotteries helped pay for the Sydney Opera House's $102 million bill.
Lotteries helped pay for the Sydney Opera House's $102 million bill. The ambitious roof design required years of engineering work, and costs far exceeded the…
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Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay was a maximum-security federal penitentiary famous for housing notorious criminals like Al Capone, yet its most effective security measure…
Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay was a maximum-security federal penitentiary famous for housing notorious criminals like Al Capone, yet its most effective…
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Giza's builders left a neighborhood behind the pyramids.
Giza's builders left a neighborhood behind the pyramids. Archaeologists have uncovered workers' housing, storage areas and bakeries near the monuments. Bread…
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The TARDIS is a spaceship with a broken disguise.
The TARDIS is a spaceship with a broken disguise. Doctor Who's time machine has a chameleon circuit meant to make its exterior blend into its surroundings.…
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Plague doctors during the medieval Black Death are famous for wearing those terrifying bird-like masks filled with sweet-smelling herbs, but their actual medical treatments…
Plague doctors during the medieval Black Death are famous for wearing those terrifying bird-like masks filled with sweet-smelling herbs, but their actual…
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“Helicopter” splits into “helico” and “pter,” not “heli” and “copter.” Its Greek roots mean spiral and wing.
“Helicopter” splits into “helico” and “pter,” not “heli” and “copter.” Its Greek roots mean spiral and wing. English speakers later treated “copter” as a…
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Commercial airplane tires are inflated with nitrogen gas to incredibly high pressures, usually around two hundred pounds per square inch, which is roughly six times the pressure of a standard car tire.
Commercial airplane tires are inflated with nitrogen gas to incredibly high pressures, usually around two hundred pounds per square inch, which is roughly six…
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Your sleeping brain is not taking the night off.
Your sleeping brain is not taking the night off. Sleep supports learning and memory while activity moves through distinct stages. Scientists are still working…
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Some prison contracts made empty beds expensive for taxpayers.
Some prison contracts made empty beds expensive for taxpayers. A 2013 review found occupancy guarantees in 65% of the private-prison contracts it examined,…
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Active days and drinking days overlapped in a diary study.
Active days and drinking days overlapped in a diary study. Researchers following adults' daily reports found that people tended to drink more on days when…
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Taco Bell put a taco target under a falling space station.
Taco Bell put a taco target under a falling space station. In 2001, the company placed a floating target in the Pacific during Mir's planned reentry and…
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In the 1920s, Soviet biologist Ilya Ivanov attempted to create a human–ape hybrid.
In the 1920s, Soviet biologist Ilya Ivanov attempted to create a human–ape hybrid. He inseminated female chimpanzees with human sperm in experiments that…
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Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper in 1903 after noticing during a snowy trip to New York City that streetcar drivers had to constantly stick their heads out of the window to see where they were going.
Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper in 1903 after noticing during a snowy trip to New York City that streetcar drivers had to constantly stick their…
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Pope Leo X was gifted a rare, majestic white elephant named Hanno by the King of Portugal in 1514, and the pontiff immediately became obsessed with his massive new pet.
Pope Leo X was gifted a rare, majestic white elephant named Hanno by the King of Portugal in 1514, and the pontiff immediately became obsessed with his…
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A hospital bill put a $39.35 price beside skin-to-skin contact.
A hospital bill put a $39.35 price beside skin-to-skin contact. In 2016, a Utah father's itemized bill went viral because the charge appeared to price holding…
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Every swallow briefly interrupts your breathing.
Every swallow briefly interrupts your breathing. Your throat is a shared junction for food and air, so swallowing coordinates a short breathing pause with…
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Bugs Bunny's carrot crunch came with a spit bucket.
Bugs Bunny's carrot crunch came with a spit bucket. Mel Blanc chewed real carrots for the sound, then spat them out before delivering his lines. According to…
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Modern automobiles are assembled from approximately thirty thousand individual parts, ranging from the massive engine block and transmission down to the tiniest dashboard screws and microchips.
Modern automobiles are assembled from approximately thirty thousand individual parts, ranging from the massive engine block and transmission down to the…
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Miss Piggy and Yoda were both voiced and puppeted by the exact same man, legendary entertainer Frank Oz, meaning the galaxy's wisest Jedi and television's most narcissistic swine share a soul.
Miss Piggy and Yoda were both voiced and puppeted by the exact same man, legendary entertainer Frank Oz, meaning the galaxy's wisest Jedi and television's…
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Oktoberfest in Munich is actually held mostly in September because the weather is slightly warmer, proving that even the most deeply held Bavarian traditions will happily bend to the practicalities of outdoor drinking.
Oktoberfest in Munich is actually held mostly in September because the weather is slightly warmer, proving that even the most deeply held Bavarian traditions…
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Dermatologists have definitively proven that shaving body hair does not alter its thickness, color, or rate of growth, it merely blunts the tip of the hair shaft, making the stubble feel coarser as it grows back out.
Dermatologists have definitively proven that shaving body hair does not alter its thickness, color, or rate of growth, it merely blunts the tip of the hair…
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