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Masaru Ibuka created the very first product for the company that would eventually become Sony in 1946, and it was nothing more than a wooden bucket lined with rudimentary aluminum electrodes designed to cook rice.
Masaru Ibuka created the very first product for the company that would eventually become Sony in 1946, and it was nothing more than a wooden bucket lined with…
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The S&P 500 is a changing guest list, not 500 permanent members.
The S&P 500 is a changing guest list, not 500 permanent members. Companies leave the index through acquisitions, shrinking market value, or other changes, and…
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Yahoo began as two students' guide to the internet.
Yahoo began as two students' guide to the internet. In 1994, Stanford students Jerry Yang and David Filo assembled a list of websites called Jerry and David's…
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Sea cucumbers have bypassed the standard evolutionary route for respiration by developing a highly specialized respiratory tree that forces them to physically breathe through their own anuses.
Sea cucumbers have bypassed the standard evolutionary route for respiration by developing a highly specialized respiratory tree that forces them to physically…
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This garden forbids visitors from even smelling its plants.
This garden forbids visitors from even smelling its plants. Alnwick's Poison Garden gathers around a hundred toxic, intoxicating and narcotic plants behind…
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British currency is historically called the pound sterling because a little over a thousand years ago under the reign of King Athelstan it was literally defined as the exact…
British currency is historically called the pound sterling because a little over a thousand years ago under the reign of King Athelstan it was literally…
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Your sleeping brain can look surprisingly awake while your muscles go quiet.
Your sleeping brain can look surprisingly awake while your muscles go quiet. During REM sleep, brain-wave activity becomes closer to waking patterns,…
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Skyrim players spent years spreading an elaborate internet rumor that the game's famous arrow in the knee quote was actually ancient Norse slang for getting married and settling down.
Skyrim players spent years spreading an elaborate internet rumor that the game's famous arrow in the knee quote was actually ancient Norse slang for getting…
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Midtown traffic averaged just 4.8 mph in 2024.
Midtown traffic averaged just 4.8 mph in 2024. A report using New York City figures put Midtown's fiscal-year average at 4.8 miles per hour, down from 5.7 a…
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King Charles II employed a famous astrologer named William Lilly who actually managed to successfully predict the Great Fire of London in 1666, almost fourteen years before the city burned to the ground.
King Charles II employed a famous astrologer named William Lilly who actually managed to successfully predict the Great Fire of London in 1666, almost…
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The Kettle War was a confrontation too small for its name.
The Kettle War was a confrontation too small for its name. In 1784, Joseph II challenged Dutch control of navigation on the Scheldt. The brief confrontation…
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Puerto Rican farmers originally described the legendary mystical beast known as the Chupacabra in nineteen-ninety-five, and their description perfectly matched the alien creature…
Puerto Rican farmers originally described the legendary mystical beast known as the Chupacabra in nineteen-ninety-five, and their description perfectly…
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Howard Phillips Lovecraft literally invented the Necronomicon as a completely fictional plot device for his cosmic horror stories, yet millions of modern occultists genuinely believe it is a real, ancient mystical text.
Howard Phillips Lovecraft literally invented the Necronomicon as a completely fictional plot device for his cosmic horror stories, yet millions of modern…
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A driverless metro does more than remove the person at the controls.
A driverless metro does more than remove the person at the controls. Automated systems coordinate speed, braking, train separation, and station stops, while…
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Your big toe helps turn a step into a push.
Your big toe helps turn a step into a push. As the heel rises, the big-toe joint lets the foot bend while the forefoot transmits force into the ground. It is…
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An opossum’s dead-looking defense is an involuntary response.
An opossum’s dead-looking defense is an involuntary response. Under severe threat, it can become limp or rigid, slow its breathing, and release a…
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Reiki was aggressively marketed to the West as an ancient, sacred Tibetan mystical healing art, despite the fact that it was completely invented by a Japanese guy named Mikao Usui in the nineteen-twenties.
Reiki was aggressively marketed to the West as an ancient, sacred Tibetan mystical healing art, despite the fact that it was completely invented by a Japanese…
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Oregon tried to dispose of a whale with half a ton of dynamite.
Oregon tried to dispose of a whale with half a ton of dynamite. In 1970, officials near Florence expected the blast to break a stranded sperm whale into…
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Swiss military historically disguised hundreds of fully operational artillery bunkers as adorable, traditional wooden chalets scattered across the picturesque Alps.
Swiss military historically disguised hundreds of fully operational artillery bunkers as adorable, traditional wooden chalets scattered across the picturesque…
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Giethoorn's old village makes canals feel like streets.
Giethoorn's old village makes canals feel like streets. In its historic center, waterways and small footbridges connect homes and routes that visitors explore…
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TSA agents once genuinely confiscated a spectacularly sharp, fully functional batarang from a profoundly confused passenger's carry-on luggage at a major American airport checkpoint.
TSA agents once genuinely confiscated a spectacularly sharp, fully functional batarang from a profoundly confused passenger's carry-on luggage at a major…
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Clinical psychologists classify the comfort people derive from daily horoscopes as a powerful psychological placebo effect, where simply believing that the universe has a…
Clinical psychologists classify the comfort people derive from daily horoscopes as a powerful psychological placebo effect, where simply believing that the…
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Nostalgia began as a diagnosis for homesickness.
Nostalgia began as a diagnosis for homesickness. Seventeenth-century physician Johannes Hofer used the term for severe distress associated with being away…
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Qwerty keyboard layouts on early mobile phones required traumatized users to press physical number keys multiple consecutive times just to type a single specific letter in a…
Qwerty keyboard layouts on early mobile phones required traumatized users to press physical number keys multiple consecutive times just to type a single…
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