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A little more wonder
Andrew Jackson invited the public to eat a 1,400-pound cheese.
Andrew Jackson invited the public to eat a 1,400-pound cheese. A huge cheddar given to the president eventually became the centerpiece of a White House…
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Viggo Mortensen famously broke two of his toes while kicking a Uruk-hai helmet during the filming of The Two Towers, and his genuine scream of agony was kept in the final cut of the movie.
Viggo Mortensen famously broke two of his toes while kicking a Uruk-hai helmet during the filming of The Two Towers, and his genuine scream of agony was kept…
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Australia sent soldiers with machine guns after emus.
Australia sent soldiers with machine guns after emus. The 1932 operation was a military-assisted cull requested by farmers whose crops were suffering. The…
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Polish soldiers in World War II enlisted a Syrian brown bear named Wojtek, giving him an official rank, a paybook, and a steady supply of beer and cigarettes.
Polish soldiers in World War II enlisted a Syrian brown bear named Wojtek, giving him an official rank, a paybook, and a steady supply of beer and cigarettes.…
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Blockbuster executives laughed Netflix founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph out of the room in the year 2000 when they offered to sell their fledgling DVD-by-mail service for a measly fifty million dollars.
Blockbuster executives laughed Netflix founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph out of the room in the year 2000 when they offered to sell their fledgling…
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Your immune system learns from microbes it lives with.
Your immune system learns from microbes it lives with. Microorganisms from family members, the body, and the natural environment help shape immune…
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A runner's high survived a drug that blocked the usual explanation.
A runner's high survived a drug that blocked the usual explanation. In a controlled human study, runners still reported increased euphoria and reduced anxiety…
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Airline safety cards try to work without a shared language.
Airline safety cards try to work without a shared language. Their diagrams need to show actions passengers can recognize quickly, from fastening a belt to…
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A computer mouse has its own 'mickey'.
A computer mouse has its own 'mickey'. A mickey is a unit used for a mouse's reported movement. How far the mouse must travel to generate one depends on its…
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Swearing helped volunteers keep a hand in icy water longer.
Swearing helped volunteers keep a hand in icy water longer. In a pain experiment, repeating a swear word increased tolerance compared with repeating a neutral…
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Dowsing is an ancient mystical practice where people use wooden twigs or metal rods to locate groundwater, yet as recently as 2017, several major UK water companies admitted they…
Dowsing is an ancient mystical practice where people use wooden twigs or metal rods to locate groundwater, yet as recently as 2017, several major UK water…
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Brooklyn features a fake townhouse located at 58 Joralemon Street that actually hides a massive subterranean ventilation shaft for the New York City subway system.
Brooklyn features a fake townhouse located at 58 Joralemon Street that actually hides a massive subterranean ventilation shaft for the New York City subway…
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A medieval pope's warning included a demonic black cat.
A medieval pope's warning included a demonic black cat. In Vox in Rama, issued in 1233, Gregory IX repeated allegations about heretics and rituals involving a…
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The world's debts do not need matching piles of cash.
The world's debts do not need matching piles of cash. A loan is an obligation for the borrower and an asset for the lender. Payments fall due at different…
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The Eiffel Tower's survival depended on more than winning people over.
The Eiffel Tower's survival depended on more than winning people over. Built for the 1889 exposition, the tower initially faced fierce criticism and a limited…
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Pig-shaped savings banks existed in medieval Java.
Pig-shaped savings banks existed in medieval Java. A terracotta example from the Majapahit period survives in the Cleveland Museum of Art, dated to the…
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A cruise ship's flag is also a business decision.
A cruise ship's flag is also a business decision. Registering in countries such as Panama or the Bahamas places a vessel under that flag state's maritime…
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Cows and other livestock were one of the earliest and most widespread forms of currency used by ancient human civilizations, long before the invention of metal coins or paper bills.
Cows and other livestock were one of the earliest and most widespread forms of currency used by ancient human civilizations, long before the invention of…
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Spacewalk gear can bring back an odor astronauts compare to hot metal.
Spacewalk gear can bring back an odor astronauts compare to hot metal. They notice it after returning inside and removing their helmets, with descriptions…
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London's first Underground ran on steam.
London's first Underground ran on steam. The Metropolitan Railway opened in 1863, putting steam locomotives beneath the city. Ventilation openings and engines…
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The modern roundabout changed who had to wait.
The modern roundabout changed who had to wait. Britain's 1966 give-way rule required entering drivers to yield to traffic already circulating. That helped…
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Mortal Kombat's finishing moves helped bring video games before Congress.
Mortal Kombat's finishing moves helped bring video games before Congress. The 1993 hearings scrutinized violent games including Mortal Kombat, whose…
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Peter the Great made some men carry proof they had paid to keep a beard.
Peter the Great made some men carry proof they had paid to keep a beard. His beard tax linked grooming to a campaign for Western-style change. Copper tokens,…
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Stephenie Meyer came up with the entire concept for the massive bestselling 'Twilight' franchise after having a highly vivid, romantic dream about a sparkly vampire in a meadow.
Stephenie Meyer came up with the entire concept for the massive bestselling 'Twilight' franchise after having a highly vivid, romantic dream about a sparkly…
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