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A hotel-theft survey included a disappearing grand piano.
A hotel-theft survey included a disappearing grand piano. In a 2019 survey of 1,157 hoteliers, respondents reported losses ranging from ordinary room items to…
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Hadrosaurs had teeth that wore into a better grinding surface.
Hadrosaurs had teeth that wore into a better grinding surface. Their dental batteries packed many teeth together, with replacements developing underneath.…
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Air traffic controllers use a highly specific, standardized vocabulary called aviation English to prevent catastrophic miscommunications between pilots of different nationalities.
Air traffic controllers use a highly specific, standardized vocabulary called aviation English to prevent catastrophic miscommunications between pilots of…
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College textbook prices have violently outpaced the rate of standard inflation by over eight hundred percent since the late 1970s, making them one of the most aggressively…
College textbook prices have violently outpaced the rate of standard inflation by over eight hundred percent since the late 1970s, making them one of the most…
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KFC helped sell Japan a ready-made Christmas dinner.
KFC helped sell Japan a ready-made Christmas dinner. Its 1974 Christmas campaign promoted fried chicken as a festive meal, building an association that became…
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United States politicians implemented the Cash for Clunkers program in 2009, offering citizens up to forty-five hundred dollars to trade in their older, less fuel-efficient vehicles for destruction.
United States politicians implemented the Cash for Clunkers program in 2009, offering citizens up to forty-five hundred dollars to trade in their older, less…
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America standardized the school bus in yellow in 1939.
America standardized the school bus in yellow in 1939. A conference brought order to a patchwork of school transport, selecting a yellow body with contrasting…
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Back to the Future replaced its lead after weeks of filming.
Back to the Future replaced its lead after weeks of filming. Eric Stoltz had already filmed about five weeks as Marty McFly when the production changed…
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Rental car companies intentionally purchase massive fleets consisting almost entirely of white, silver, and black vehicles because those specific colors hold the highest resale value in the used car market.
Rental car companies intentionally purchase massive fleets consisting almost entirely of white, silver, and black vehicles because those specific colors hold…
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An airline can sell identical seats at different prices.
An airline can sell identical seats at different prices. Seats are sold through fare categories with different prices and conditions. When a cheap allocation…
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Peanut butter can supply carbon for a laboratory diamond.
Peanut butter can supply carbon for a laboratory diamond. Researcher Dan Frost described experimenting with peanut butter under extreme pressure and heat. Its…
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Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. began without Nintendo's famous fighters. Masahiro Sakurai and Satoru Iwata built a prototype called Dragon King: The Fighting Game. Sakurai…
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Nero received a victor's crown after failing to finish a race.
Nero received a victor's crown after failing to finish a race. Suetonius says the emperor drove a ten-horse chariot at Olympia, fell out, and could not…
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Porsche's Volkswagen announcement helped turn a bet against the stock into a scramble to buy it.
Porsche's Volkswagen announcement helped turn a bet against the stock into a scramble to buy it. In October 2008, Porsche disclosed 42.6% of VW's ordinary…
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The safer gas for German airships was stuck behind export rules.
The safer gas for German airships was stuck behind export rules. Helium does not burn like hydrogen, but the United States controlled the main supply and…
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50 Cent's bankruptcy court asked about his Instagram cash.
50 Cent's bankruptcy court asked about his Instagram cash. During his Chapter 11 proceedings, photographs of the rapper posing with stacks of money drew…
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Lawrence Sperry officially invented the airplane autopilot system in the early twentieth century and subsequently became the very first founding member of the infamous mile-high club just a few years later.
Lawrence Sperry officially invented the airplane autopilot system in the early twentieth century and subsequently became the very first founding member of the…
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Production on the set of James Cameron's massive blockbuster Titanic came to a screeching halt in 1996 when an unknown prankster spiked the crew's lobster chowder with a massive…
Production on the set of James Cameron's massive blockbuster Titanic came to a screeching halt in 1996 when an unknown prankster spiked the crew's lobster…
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Gene Wilder only agreed to play the iconic role of Willy Wonka in the 1971 cinematic adaptation if he was allowed to do a very specific forward somersault during his character's introductory scene.
Gene Wilder only agreed to play the iconic role of Willy Wonka in the 1971 cinematic adaptation if he was allowed to do a very specific forward somersault…
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Spielberg turned down the first Harry Potter film.
Spielberg turned down the first Harry Potter film. Looking back in 2023, he said he had chosen time with his young family over directing the project. Chris…
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Swedish match king Ivar Kreuger controlled over two-thirds of the entire global match production in the 1920s by lending massive sums of money to desperate European governments…
Swedish match king Ivar Kreuger controlled over two-thirds of the entire global match production in the 1920s by lending massive sums of money to desperate…
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A Transformers chase reused crashes from The Island.
A Transformers chase reused crashes from The Island. Michael Bay's Transformers: Dark of the Moon incorporated shots from his earlier film, with digital work…
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Feminist playwright Eve Ensler, famous for writing The Vagina Monologues, was surprisingly brought in as a core consultant for the 2015 high-octane desert action film Mad Max Fury Road.
Feminist playwright Eve Ensler, famous for writing The Vagina Monologues, was surprisingly brought in as a core consultant for the 2015 high-octane desert…
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Canal locks operate as massive, aquatic elevators that allow boats to essentially climb up and down hills by flooding enclosed chambers with thousands of gallons of water.
Canal locks operate as massive, aquatic elevators that allow boats to essentially climb up and down hills by flooding enclosed chambers with thousands of…
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