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Consuming refined sugar triggers the exact same reward pathways in your brain as illicit narcotics, flooding your entire nervous system with dopamine.
Consuming refined sugar triggers the exact same reward pathways in your brain as illicit narcotics, flooding your entire nervous system with dopamine. The…
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German knight Götz von Berlichingen lost his right arm to cannon fire in 1504, so he had a local blacksmith forge him an intricate mechanical iron prosthetic capable of holding both a sword and a delicate quill pen.
German knight Götz von Berlichingen lost his right arm to cannon fire in 1504, so he had a local blacksmith forge him an intricate mechanical iron prosthetic…
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Honda's early motor business put surplus engines on bicycles.
Honda's early motor business put surplus engines on bicycles. In postwar Japan, Soichiro Honda used small engines originally intended for radio generators to…
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A royal meeting in Erfurt ended with nobles falling into a cesspit in 1184.
A royal meeting in Erfurt ended with nobles falling into a cesspit in 1184. A floor collapsed beneath the assembled crowd, plunging people through the…
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A swimmer paid 36 cents to pass through the Panama Canal.
A swimmer paid 36 cents to pass through the Panama Canal. Travel writer Richard Halliburton completed the canal swim in 1928 and paid a toll for the passage.…
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Earth keeps putting old water into new places.
Earth keeps putting old water into new places. Evaporation, rain, rivers, groundwater, and living organisms move water between reservoirs over and over. A…
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An apple and a coffee provide two different kinds of wake-up.
An apple and a coffee provide two different kinds of wake-up. An apple supplies carbohydrate that your body can use as fuel. Caffeine stimulates the nervous…
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The 747's hump keeps the cockpit out of the cargo's way.
The 747's hump keeps the cockpit out of the cargo's way. Raising the flight deck allowed freighter versions to open their nose and load long cargo straight…
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A committee can debate a bike shed longer than a nuclear reactor.
A committee can debate a bike shed longer than a nuclear reactor. C. Northcote Parkinson illustrated his law of triviality with a fictional meeting. The…
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Estelle Getty played the octogenarian mother of Bea Arthur's character on The Golden Girls, despite actually being a year younger than Arthur in real life.
Estelle Getty played the octogenarian mother of Bea Arthur's character on The Golden Girls, despite actually being a year younger than Arthur in real life.…
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The Eiffel Tower's night lights have their own image rights.
The Eiffel Tower's night lights have their own image rights. The old tower and its illuminated display are treated differently. The operator handles…
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One jellyfish can rewind its life cycle.
One jellyfish can rewind its life cycle. Under certain stresses, Turritopsis dohrnii can return from its adult jellyfish stage to a polyp stage that produces…
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Xbox's red lights became a billion-dollar repair problem.
Xbox's red lights became a billion-dollar repair problem. Microsoft extended warranties after widespread Xbox 360 failures and put the cost at about $1.15…
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An early cash machine swallowed paper vouchers.
An early cash machine swallowed paper vouchers. Barclays installed its 1967 Enfield cash dispenser before the familiar bank-card routine existed. Customers…
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Apple's first logo put Newton under a tree.
Apple's first logo put Newton under a tree. Ronald Wayne drew the elaborate 1976 illustration before the company adopted its much simpler apple symbol. Wayne…
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Bruce Willis turned a short Friends visit into an Emmy.
Bruce Willis turned a short Friends visit into an Emmy. His three-episode appearance as Paul Stevens won the 2000 award for guest actor in a comedy series.…
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A nuclear submarine can outlast its food supply on one reactor core.
A nuclear submarine can outlast its food supply on one reactor core. The reactor generates heat without drawing oxygen from outside, and the vessel can make…
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Leonardo DiCaprio genuinely crushed a glass in his hand and bled all over the table during a climactic dinner scene in Django Unchained.
Leonardo DiCaprio genuinely crushed a glass in his hand and bled all over the table during a climactic dinner scene in Django Unchained. He stayed in…
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Breaking Bad's prop drug came from a candy maker.
Breaking Bad's prop drug came from a candy maker. Albuquerque's Candy Lady supplied edible crystal candy for the show's early seasons. What represented a…
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Expiration dates on modern credit cards were originally implemented simply to match the physical deterioration of the plastic material and the magnetic strip, ensuring the card…
Expiration dates on modern credit cards were originally implemented simply to match the physical deterioration of the plastic material and the magnetic strip,…
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Suetonius described Caligula ordering soldiers to collect seashells as spoils.
Suetonius described Caligula ordering soldiers to collect seashells as spoils. In the ancient biographer's account, the emperor assembled troops on the coast…
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LEGO made 381 million tires in a single year.
LEGO made 381 million tires in a single year. Guinness records that total for 2010. Each solid-rubber tire was tiny, but tire counts measure individual units…
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South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone produce almost every single episode of their animated series in exactly six days, going from a blank whiteboard to a fully broadcasted television show in less than a week.
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone produce almost every single episode of their animated series in exactly six days, going from a blank whiteboard…
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Frau Troffea stepped into a street in Strasbourg in 1518 and began to dance uncontrollably, kicking off a mystical mass psychogenic illness that eventually compelled hundreds of…
Frau Troffea stepped into a street in Strasbourg in 1518 and began to dance uncontrollably, kicking off a mystical mass psychogenic illness that eventually…
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