The world is more interesting than you think.
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Before DNS, a centrally maintained HOSTS.TXT file helped computers look up one another's network addresses.
Before DNS, a centrally maintained HOSTS.TXT file helped computers look up one another's network addresses. As the network grew, keeping everyone's copy…
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An ancient account describes Goujian using prisoners’ deaths to distract an opposing army.
An ancient account describes Goujian using prisoners’ deaths to distract an opposing army. Men killed themselves in front of the enemy line, drawing the…
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Black Moon Lilith is not an actual physical planet or asteroid, but rather an empty, mathematical point in space representing the furthest point of the moon's elliptical orbit around Earth.
Black Moon Lilith is not an actual physical planet or asteroid, but rather an empty, mathematical point in space representing the furthest point of the moon's…
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Urinary bladders are exceptionally highly flexible muscular sacs capable of comfortably holding up to half a liter of liquid, and their internal stretch receptors continuously…
Urinary bladders are exceptionally highly flexible muscular sacs capable of comfortably holding up to half a liter of liquid, and their internal stretch…
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Mail trucks waited decades for something cars take for granted.
Mail trucks waited decades for something cars take for granted. The familiar Grumman LLV was built without air conditioning, leaving carriers exposed to…
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Iron Man's repulsors need a sound for something you cannot see.
Iron Man's repulsors need a sound for something you cannot see. Designers of Marvel's Avengers described recreating the familiar rising camera-like whine as…
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A moving walkway adds speed, but passengers can give some of it back.
A moving walkway adds speed, but passengers can give some of it back. Your speed over the floor combines the belt's motion with your walking speed relative to…
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Some D&D boxes came with paper instead of dice.
Some D&D boxes came with paper instead of dice. During a dice shortage in 1979, certain Basic Sets included numbered cardboard chits and a coupon for ordering…
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A 2013 count found Wyoming’s escalators in just two bank buildings, both in Casper.
A 2013 count found Wyoming’s escalators in just two bank buildings, both in Casper. Each location had an up-and-down pair, which explains why the same story…
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An attack on a trade caravan helped unleash a Mongol invasion.
An attack on a trade caravan helped unleash a Mongol invasion. In 1218, a Khwarezmian governor seized a Mongol caravan at Otrar and had its merchants killed.…
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A medieval duel manual put one fighter in a hole.
A medieval duel manual put one fighter in a hole. Hans Talhoffer’s 15th-century illustrations show a man fighting from a waist-deep pit with a club while a…
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Passport stamps are slowly becoming obsolete because countries are rapidly transitioning to biometric facial recognition gates and electronic visas to speed up the notoriously sluggish border control processes.
Passport stamps are slowly becoming obsolete because countries are rapidly transitioning to biometric facial recognition gates and electronic visas to speed…
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An aviation pioneer studied a flying toy to explore rotor flight.
An aviation pioneer studied a flying toy to explore rotor flight. George Cayley experimented with aerial tops, small devices that lift when their blades spin.…
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Cancer the crab has arguably the most pathetic origin story of any zodiac constellation in Greek mythology.
Cancer the crab has arguably the most pathetic origin story of any zodiac constellation in Greek mythology. Hera sent it to distract Hercules while he fought…
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Germany's famous unrestricted autobahns still come with a recommended speed.
Germany's famous unrestricted autobahns still come with a recommended speed. For cars, the advisory speed is 130 km/h, about 81 mph, where no lower limit…
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Mattel's iconic Barbie actually has a full legal name, Barbara Millicent Roberts, and she officially hails from the completely fictional midwestern town of Willows, Wisconsin,…
Mattel's iconic Barbie actually has a full legal name, Barbara Millicent Roberts, and she officially hails from the completely fictional midwestern town of…
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Hawaii's green beach is made partly from a gemstone mineral.
Hawaii's green beach is made partly from a gemstone mineral. At Papakolea, eroding volcanic material releases olivine crystals into the sand. Waves carry away…
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A World of Warcraft bug carried an epidemic into its cities.
A World of Warcraft bug carried an epidemic into its cities. In 2005, Corrupted Blood escaped the encounter where it was meant to stay. Infected pets could be…
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Soviet intelligence agents attempted to blackmail Indonesian President Sukarno during the Cold War by secretly filming him participating in a massive, enthusiastic orgy with…
Soviet intelligence agents attempted to blackmail Indonesian President Sukarno during the Cold War by secretly filming him participating in a massive,…
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Your gut has its own network of millions of nerve cells that coordinates digestion locally.
Your gut has its own network of millions of nerve cells that coordinates digestion locally. This enteric nervous system can organize many functions without…
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PC hobbyists borrowed plumbing parts to cool processors.
PC hobbyists borrowed plumbing parts to cool processors. Early enthusiast water-cooling builds used components such as aquarium pumps and automotive heater…
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Your eyes can change the syllable you hear.
Your eyes can change the syllable you hear. In the McGurk effect, mismatched lip movements and speech sounds can produce the perception of a third syllable.…
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Board games featuring astrological mechanics were famously created in the nineteen seventies, specifically designed to help swingers at adult dinner parties figure out their…
Board games featuring astrological mechanics were famously created in the nineteen seventies, specifically designed to help swingers at adult dinner parties…
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Ocarina of Time nearly hid Link behind a first-person camera.
Ocarina of Time nearly hid Link behind a first-person camera. Nintendo experimented with a view through the hero's eyes, but designer Yoshiaki Koizumi wanted…
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