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A little more wonder
Chess has a rule for a pawn trying to slip past.
Chess has a rule for a pawn trying to slip past. A pawn's two-square first move could let it bypass an enemy pawn that would have attacked it after a…
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Victorian pseudo-scientists hypothesized that intense mystical rage or excessive alcoholism could cause a human body to undergo spontaneous combustion, literally bursting into…
Victorian pseudo-scientists hypothesized that intense mystical rage or excessive alcoholism could cause a human body to undergo spontaneous combustion,…
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A mother can carry cells from her child for decades after pregnancy.
A mother can carry cells from her child for decades after pregnancy. Some fetal cells cross the placenta and settle in maternal tissues, creating a tiny…
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Minions speak a language built for being understood without translation.
Minions speak a language built for being understood without translation. Their speech mixes invented sounds with recognizable words from several languages.…
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Some wartime Monopoly boards hid real escape supplies.
Some wartime Monopoly boards hid real escape supplies. British escape planners worked with the game's manufacturer to conceal maps and other aids in boards…
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A medieval moralist treated a golden fork as scandalous luxury.
A medieval moralist treated a golden fork as scandalous luxury. Peter Damian told a disapproving story about a Byzantine noblewoman who avoided touching food…
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A World War I debt tail lasted until 2010.
A World War I debt tail lasted until 2010. Germany's final payment concerned interest on bonds issued under the Dawes and Young plans, which had helped…
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Capcom released a special controller for Resident Evil 4 that was literally shaped like a blood-splattered chainsaw, complete with a pull-cord that you had to yank to turn the device on.
Capcom released a special controller for Resident Evil 4 that was literally shaped like a blood-splattered chainsaw, complete with a pull-cord that you had to…
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In 1976, U.S.
In 1976, U.S. and South Korean forces mounted Operation Paul Bunyan to cut down a tree in the Demilitarized Zone. North Korean guards had killed two American…
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The metallic smell left by coins comes from a reaction on your skin.
The metallic smell left by coins comes from a reaction on your skin. Contact with metal breaks down compounds in skin oils, releasing strongly scented…
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A whale's digestive oddity became a perfume ingredient.
A whale's digestive oddity became a perfume ingredient. Ambergris forms in sperm whales and often contains indigestible squid parts. Fresh material can smell…
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A male seahorse gives the embryos more than a place to hide.
A male seahorse gives the embryos more than a place to hide. The female transfers eggs into his brood pouch, where they develop before he releases the young.…
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Venezuelan citizens famously resorted to farming and selling World of Warcraft gold in 2017 because the digital fantasy currency was actually worth significantly more than their…
Venezuelan citizens famously resorted to farming and selling World of Warcraft gold in 2017 because the digital fantasy currency was actually worth…
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Black tire rubber is reinforced, not merely dyed.
Black tire rubber is reinforced, not merely dyed. Carbon black helps the rubber resist abrasion and endure repeated stress. Its particles change the…
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Medieval architects slapped terrifying demonic gargoyles on the sides of sacred cathedrals under the mystical guise that these horrifying stone monsters would frighten away evil spirits and protect the holy grounds.
Medieval architects slapped terrifying demonic gargoyles on the sides of sacred cathedrals under the mystical guise that these horrifying stone monsters would…
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Prohibition turned industrial alcohol into a deadly black-market risk.
Prohibition turned industrial alcohol into a deadly black-market risk. Industrial alcohol was deliberately made undrinkable with toxic additives. Bootleggers…
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President William Howard Taft allegedly got his massive three-hundred-and-forty-pound frame completely wedged into a White House bathtub and had to be unceremoniously pried out with butter by his humiliated staff.
President William Howard Taft allegedly got his massive three-hundred-and-forty-pound frame completely wedged into a White House bathtub and had to be…
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A hot drink can increase cooling—if the extra sweat evaporates.
A hot drink can increase cooling—if the extra sweat evaporates. In a small exercise study, warm water triggered enough additional sweating to offset the heat…
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A persistent craving for ice can be a clue to iron deficiency.
A persistent craving for ice can be a clue to iron deficiency. Pagophagia—the compulsion to chew ice—is associated with iron deficiency, even without anemia.…
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The Vatican has a railway with an international border almost immediately.
The Vatican has a railway with an international border almost immediately. Its short line connects a station inside the walls to Italy's network. Opened in…
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US train-window tests include a 24-pound cinder block.
US train-window tests include a 24-pound cinder block. Federal glazing standards specify a heavy block hitting end-facing glass at at least 44 feet per…
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Ancient accounts say Alexander the Great’s body remained unusually well preserved after his death.
Ancient accounts say Alexander the Great’s body remained unusually well preserved after his death. One modern hypothesis proposes that paralysis, rather than…
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New York's traffic code does not treat a horn as a complaint button.
New York's traffic code does not treat a horn as a complaint button. The city's noise rules restrict unnecessary horn use; a horn is meant to warn of danger.…
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Some tropical beach sand has passed through a fish.
Some tropical beach sand has passed through a fish. Parrotfish scrape food from reef surfaces and grind up calcium-carbonate material, excreting it as sand. A…
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