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Ea-Nasir was a copper merchant in ancient Mesopotamia whose business practices were so notoriously terrible that his angry customers carved their complaints into clay tablets that survived for nearly four thousand years.
Ea-Nasir was a copper merchant in ancient Mesopotamia whose business practices were so notoriously terrible that his angry customers carved their complaints…
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Super Mario actually breaks blocks with his fist and not his head, a detail hidden in plain sight since the original 1985 instruction manual. A tiny pixelated hand shoots upward to smash the bricks.
Super Mario actually breaks blocks with his fist and not his head, a detail hidden in plain sight since the original 1985 instruction manual. A tiny pixelated…
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The shiny tape on a jet can be a legitimate maintenance repair.
The shiny tape on a jet can be a legitimate maintenance repair. Speed tape is aluminum adhesive tape used for specified temporary, minor repairs. It can cover…
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Testicular pain can make your whole abdomen feel involved.
Testicular pain can make your whole abdomen feel involved. The testicles have many sensitive nerves, and pain there can be accompanied by abdominal pain,…
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Mad Max: Fury Road began as 3,500 pictures on a wall.
Mad Max: Fury Road began as 3,500 pictures on a wall. George Miller's team first mapped the story in storyboard panels around a room, then developed an…
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Double-jointed people have extra movement, not extra joints.
Double-jointed people have extra movement, not extra joints. Hypermobility describes joints that move beyond the usual range, influenced by the structures…
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Numerology is deeply intertwined with astrology, assigning mystical significance to numbers based on the ancient Pythagorean belief that the universe is mathematically precise.
Numerology is deeply intertwined with astrology, assigning mystical significance to numbers based on the ancient Pythagorean belief that the universe is…
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Princeton researchers Ernest Wever and Charles Bray successfully turned a living, unconscious cat into a fully functional telephone in 1930 to study how the auditory nerve processes sound.
Princeton researchers Ernest Wever and Charles Bray successfully turned a living, unconscious cat into a fully functional telephone in 1930 to study how the…
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Higher deductibles can cut useful care along with spending.
Higher deductibles can cut useful care along with spending. Research reviewing high-deductible health plans found reduced costs and use of services, including…
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Human economies before the Industrial Revolution were locked in a miserable, stagnant cycle known as the Malthusian trap, where any technological advancement that increased food…
Human economies before the Industrial Revolution were locked in a miserable, stagnant cycle known as the Malthusian trap, where any technological advancement…
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TSA PreCheck moves part of screening to before the airport.
TSA PreCheck moves part of screening to before the airport. Applicants provide information for a security assessment, allowing eligible travelers to use…
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Joan of Arc was a teenage peasant who convinced the future King of France to let her lead his army because she kept hearing mystical voices from saints telling her to expel the English.
Joan of Arc was a teenage peasant who convinced the future King of France to let her lead his army because she kept hearing mystical voices from saints…
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Tom's Restaurant, the iconic exterior used for the fictional Monk's Diner in the legendary sitcom Seinfeld, is a real operating eatery in New York City, but absolutely none of the show was ever filmed inside it.
Tom's Restaurant, the iconic exterior used for the fictional Monk's Diner in the legendary sitcom Seinfeld, is a real operating eatery in New York City, but…
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Hassan-i Sabbah established an elite order of mystical assassins in the eleventh century from a heavily fortified mountain fortress called Alamut.
Hassan-i Sabbah established an elite order of mystical assassins in the eleventh century from a heavily fortified mountain fortress called Alamut. He…
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Bad coordinates can send a map pin to an imaginary island.
Bad coordinates can send a map pin to an imaginary island. Null Island is the nickname for zero degrees latitude and zero degrees longitude, a real point in…
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Battleship did not need a plastic board to work.
Battleship did not need a plastic board to work. Players could draw grids on paper, hide their fleets and call coordinates to discover an opponent's ships.…
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Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. levels traveled from graph paper to programmers. The designers drew layouts by hand, then handed them over to be turned into playable…
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Your passport photo is designed to be boring.
Your passport photo is designed to be boring. A plain background, visible eyes, and a straightforward pose give identity checks a consistent view of your…
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Robin Williams wanted Hagrid, but the casting rule shut him out.
Robin Williams wanted Hagrid, but the casting rule shut him out. Casting director Janet Hirshenson said Williams contacted the production because he wanted…
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Leo is ruled by the literal center of our solar system, the sun, which perfectly explains why individuals born under this fire sign genuinely believe the entire universe revolves around their personal drama.
Leo is ruled by the literal center of our solar system, the sun, which perfectly explains why individuals born under this fire sign genuinely believe the…
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Your nearest airplane exit may be behind you.
Your nearest airplane exit may be behind you. The FAA advises passengers to locate exits both ahead of and behind their seats and count the intervening rows.…
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The Kettenkrad steered like a motorcycle—until the tracks took over.
The Kettenkrad steered like a motorcycle—until the tracks took over. Handlebars turned its front wheel, while sharper turns also applied brakes to the tracks.…
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Agreeing to a massive, unreasonable request becomes highly likely if you have already agreed to a tiny, seemingly innocent favor beforehand.
Agreeing to a massive, unreasonable request becomes highly likely if you have already agreed to a tiny, seemingly innocent favor beforehand. A tiny favor can…
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Political commentator Thomas Friedman famously proposed the Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention, aggressively arguing that no two countries that both possess a…
Political commentator Thomas Friedman famously proposed the Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention, aggressively arguing that no two countries that both…
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