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Legend states the Chinese zodiac order was determined by a great race across a river, where the rat won by secretly riding on the ox's back and jumping off at the last second.
Legend states the Chinese zodiac order was determined by a great race across a river, where the rat won by secretly riding on the ox's back and jumping off at…
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Breaking up Standard Oil left Rockefeller owning pieces of its successors.
Breaking up Standard Oil left Rockefeller owning pieces of its successors. The 1911 antitrust breakup created 34 companies, but his ownership did not simply…
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SpongeBob’s license gives him a surprisingly specific birthday.
SpongeBob’s license gives him a surprisingly specific birthday. A license shown in the series lists July 14, 1986. That date is a prop detail in a cartoon…
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Three-wheelers solved a delivery problem before becoming tourist icons.
Three-wheelers solved a delivery problem before becoming tourist icons. Daihatsu was producing small three-wheeled vehicles in Japan by the early 1930s. They…
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Wonder Woman's creator also studied lie detection.
Wonder Woman's creator also studied lie detection. Psychologist William Moulton Marston investigated whether blood-pressure changes could reveal deception,…
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Britain introduced a window tax in 1696 where homeowners were taxed based on the number of windows their houses had, which was intended to be a progressive tax on the wealthy.
Britain introduced a window tax in 1696 where homeowners were taxed based on the number of windows their houses had, which was intended to be a progressive…
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Amsterdam is actively trying to discourage young male tourists from visiting their city, even launching targeted digital advertising campaigns explicitly telling budget travelers and bachelor parties to stay away.
Amsterdam is actively trying to discourage young male tourists from visiting their city, even launching targeted digital advertising campaigns explicitly…
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The stretch that comes with a yawn has a name: pandiculation.
The stretch that comes with a yawn has a name: pandiculation. It combines a familiar stretching action with the transition from rest to activity, especially…
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Bicycles completely altered human genetics in rural England by allowing young men to easily travel to neighboring villages and court women outside their immediate gene pool.
Bicycles completely altered human genetics in rural England by allowing young men to easily travel to neighboring villages and court women outside their…
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Continuous, uninterrupted webs of connective tissue called fascia physically weave through your entire body, wrapping around every single muscle, bone, nerve, and major organ like biological cling wrap.
Continuous, uninterrupted webs of connective tissue called fascia physically weave through your entire body, wrapping around every single muscle, bone, nerve,…
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Kirlian photography became a massive mystical sensation in the 1970s when believers claimed the glowing, colorful halos captured around hands and leaves were visual proof of the…
Kirlian photography became a massive mystical sensation in the 1970s when believers claimed the glowing, colorful halos captured around hands and leaves were…
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Taylor Lautner added thirty pounds to keep up with Jacob's transformation.
Taylor Lautner added thirty pounds to keep up with Jacob's transformation. During the making of New Moon, Lautner described training and eating more after…
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50 Cent's Bitcoin story had two very different versions.
50 Cent's Bitcoin story had two very different versions. His 2014 album accepted Bitcoin payments, and later reports described a forgotten crypto fortune. In…
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Listening to loud music while drinking alcohol actually makes you consume your drinks significantly faster than you would in a quiet, relaxed environment.
Listening to loud music while drinking alcohol actually makes you consume your drinks significantly faster than you would in a quiet, relaxed environment.…
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Mint can make your mouth feel cold without lowering its temperature.
Mint can make your mouth feel cold without lowering its temperature. Menthol activates a receptor called TRPM8 that also responds to cooling. Your nervous…
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Some investors buy distressed government debt cheaply, then pursue repayment through courts.
Some investors buy distressed government debt cheaply, then pursue repayment through courts. In 2012, a creditor obtained the detention of Argentina's naval…
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Mario's cheerful voice began with an actor rejecting the obvious choice.
Mario's cheerful voice began with an actor rejecting the obvious choice. Charles Martinet was asked to improvise an Italian plumber. Rather than choosing a…
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Aldaraia, also known as the Book of Soyga, was a sixteenth-century magical grimoire filled with massive grids of random letters that obsessed the Elizabethan occultist John Dee,…
Aldaraia, also known as the Book of Soyga, was a sixteenth-century magical grimoire filled with massive grids of random letters that obsessed the Elizabethan…
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Human saliva contains opiorphin, a molecule that helps protect the body's own pain-relieving chemicals from breakdown.
Human saliva contains opiorphin, a molecule that helps protect the body's own pain-relieving chemicals from breakdown. In rat experiments, injected opiorphin…
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Theodore Roosevelt's temporary office became the West Wing.
Theodore Roosevelt's temporary office became the West Wing. The 1902 White House renovation moved the president's working offices out of the family residence…
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Blue-light filtering is not the same thing as relief from screen strain.
Blue-light filtering is not the same thing as relief from screen strain. A Cochrane review found little evidence that filtering lenses improve short-term…
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Glass witch balls were extremely popular in eighteenth-century England where they were hung in windows under the mystical belief that their shiny surfaces would mesmerize and…
Glass witch balls were extremely popular in eighteenth-century England where they were hung in windows under the mystical belief that their shiny surfaces…
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Deep Blue's chess strength came from searching a huge decision tree.
Deep Blue's chess strength came from searching a huge decision tree. IBM combined specialized hardware with software that evaluated enormous numbers of…
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A pet's airplane ticket requires a different kind of seat.
A pet's airplane ticket requires a different kind of seat. Animals traveling as cargo must use an appropriate compartment with environmental controls, inside…
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