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United States intelligence officials seriously considered dropping enormous, extra-large condoms labeled medium onto the Soviet Union as a bizarre psychological warfare tactic.
United States intelligence officials seriously considered dropping enormous, extra-large condoms labeled medium onto the Soviet Union as a bizarre…
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Airplane cabin chimes help crew members coordinate calls and routine signals.
Airplane cabin chimes help crew members coordinate calls and routine signals. Their meanings depend on the aircraft and airline, so the same sound is not a…
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A koala’s brain is unusually smooth compared with many other mammals’ brains.
A koala’s brain is unusually smooth compared with many other mammals’ brains. Folds help fit more cortical surface inside a skull, but their number alone does…
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Before ride-sharing apps completely disrupted the transportation industry, the artificial scarcity of New York City taxi medallions drove their individual value up to over one million dollars apiece by the year 2014.
Before ride-sharing apps completely disrupted the transportation industry, the artificial scarcity of New York City taxi medallions drove their individual…
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Overwatch was salvaged from the smoking wreckage of a massive, canceled multiplayer project called Titan, which Blizzard Entertainment spent seven entire years and millions of dollars developing.
Overwatch was salvaged from the smoking wreckage of a massive, canceled multiplayer project called Titan, which Blizzard Entertainment spent seven entire…
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Herring communicate in the dark by emitting high-frequency bursts of gas from their anal ducts, a phenomenon scientists literally named Fast Repetitive Tick.
Herring communicate in the dark by emitting high-frequency bursts of gas from their anal ducts, a phenomenon scientists literally named Fast Repetitive Tick.…
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A tiger can send a visual signal with the backs of its ears.
A tiger can send a visual signal with the backs of its ears. Each dark ear carries a contrasting white spot, exposed or hidden as the ear turns. WWF describes…
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JCPenney removed the bargain ritual—and sales plunged.
JCPenney removed the bargain ritual—and sales plunged. Its 2012 overhaul replaced much of the familiar coupon-and-markdown cycle with a new pricing approach.…
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Alexander killed the commander who had saved him.
Alexander killed the commander who had saved him. Cleitus had saved Alexander's life at the Granicus. Years later, in 328 BC, their argument at a drinking…
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Sailors originally measured the speed of their ships by throwing a literal piece of wood tied to a rope off the back of the boat and counting how many knots in the rope slipped through their hands.
Sailors originally measured the speed of their ships by throwing a literal piece of wood tied to a rope off the back of the boat and counting how many knots…
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Rental car companies rarely subject their fleet vehicles to anything resembling a deep, sanitizing clean between reservations, usually settling for a painfully brief vacuuming…
Rental car companies rarely subject their fleet vehicles to anything resembling a deep, sanitizing clean between reservations, usually settling for a…
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America briefly put sliced bread on the wartime chopping block.
America briefly put sliced bread on the wartime chopping block. In 1943, federal conservation rules stopped commercial bread slicing as officials sought…
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Writers for The Simpsons jokingly predicted that the Walt Disney Corporation would eventually purchase 20th Century Fox in a brief visual gag during an episode that aired all the way back in nineteen ninety eight.
Writers for The Simpsons jokingly predicted that the Walt Disney Corporation would eventually purchase 20th Century Fox in a brief visual gag during an…
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Statistical studies consistently show that white cars are involved in significantly fewer accidents than vehicles painted in darker colors like black, blue, or grey.
Statistical studies consistently show that white cars are involved in significantly fewer accidents than vehicles painted in darker colors like black, blue,…
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An SS newspaper attacked Superman's Jewish creator.
An SS newspaper attacked Superman's Jewish creator. In 1940, Das Schwarze Korps responded to a comic in which Superman seized Hitler and Stalin. Its attack…
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A medieval chronicler gave William's funeral a gruesome ending.
A medieval chronicler gave William's funeral a gruesome ending. Orderic Vitalis wrote that William the Conqueror's swollen body would not fit its stone tomb.…
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An expensive hotel room can still give bedbugs a ride home.
An expensive hotel room can still give bedbugs a ride home. Bedbugs travel in luggage, clothing, bedding, and furniture, so a room's price is no barrier to…
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Pan-American Highway holds the Guinness World Record for the longest motorable road, stretching roughly nineteen thousand miles from Alaska down to the tip of Argentina.
Pan-American Highway holds the Guinness World Record for the longest motorable road, stretching roughly nineteen thousand miles from Alaska down to the tip of…
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Gilles de Rais was a heroic medieval knight who fought alongside Joan of Arc before suddenly retiring to his massive castle to try and summon demons using alchemy and terrifyingly dark magic.
Gilles de Rais was a heroic medieval knight who fought alongside Joan of Arc before suddenly retiring to his massive castle to try and summon demons using…
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Crystal gazing was actually a highly respected and lucrative profession in Elizabethan England, mostly utilized to locate stolen laundry, missing farm animals, or hidden buried treasure.
Crystal gazing was actually a highly respected and lucrative profession in Elizabethan England, mostly utilized to locate stolen laundry, missing farm…
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Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa was a famous Renaissance occultist rumored to be accompanied everywhere by a terrifying demonic familiar disguised as a massive black dog.
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa was a famous Renaissance occultist rumored to be accompanied everywhere by a terrifying demonic familiar disguised as a massive…
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Disney's monorail is a transit network disguised as an attraction.
Disney's monorail is a transit network disguised as an attraction. Its elevated trains connect theme parks, parking access, and resort hotels without entering…
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The little hole in an airplane window helps divide the pressure load.
The little hole in an airplane window helps divide the pressure load. In a typical multi-pane passenger window, the breather hole lets pressure equalize…
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Contrails left behind by high-altitude jet airplanes are not chemical mind-control sprays, but simply artificial clouds created by hot engine exhaust instantly freezing in the frigid upper atmosphere.
Contrails left behind by high-altitude jet airplanes are not chemical mind-control sprays, but simply artificial clouds created by hot engine exhaust…
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