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E.T.'s lovable squish came from raw liver.
E.T.'s lovable squish came from raw liver. Foley artists Joan Rowe and John Roesch used liver and Jell-O to give the alien's movements their wet, pliable…
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Zip lines were not invented for exhilarating eco-tourism through rainforest canopies, but were originally utilized as a highly practical method for transporting cargo across treacherous mountainous terrain.
Zip lines were not invented for exhilarating eco-tourism through rainforest canopies, but were originally utilized as a highly practical method for…
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Water starts expanding before it freezes.
Water starts expanding before it freezes. Fresh water is densest at about 4°C. Cool it further and it expands, then forms still less dense ice that floats.…
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Elderly chain-smoker Pat Welsh was the raspy, distinct voice behind the iconic alien in Steven Spielberg's 1982 family blockbuster E.T.
Elderly chain-smoker Pat Welsh was the raspy, distinct voice behind the iconic alien in Steven Spielberg's 1982 family blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.…
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Ptolemy wrote the Tetrabiblos in the second century, effectively creating the foundational textbook that almost all modern western astrology is still based upon today. He also believed the Sun revolved around Earth.
Ptolemy wrote the Tetrabiblos in the second century, effectively creating the foundational textbook that almost all modern western astrology is still based…
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Your passport can be valid—and still get you grounded.
Your passport can be valid—and still get you grounded. Some destinations require months of validity beyond your trip, not just a passport that has not expired…
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Sophie Turner adopted the dog that played Lady.
Sophie Turner adopted the dog that played Lady. Zunni, one of the dogs used for the first season of Game of Thrones, became Turner's real-life pet after…
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A hostel's dorm rules matter more than the word 'youth'.
A hostel's dorm rules matter more than the word 'youth'. Hostels often welcome a broad age range, while individual properties can set restrictions on shared…
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Contralateral organization is the bizarre anatomical setup where the left hemisphere of your brain controls the physical movements and receives sensory input from the entire right side of your body, and vice versa.
Contralateral organization is the bizarre anatomical setup where the left hemisphere of your brain controls the physical movements and receives sensory input…
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Airlines stopped serving peanuts primarily due to the rapid rise in severe airborne allergies, shifting to pretzels and weirdly highly seasoned generic snack mixes instead.
Airlines stopped serving peanuts primarily due to the rapid rise in severe airborne allergies, shifting to pretzels and weirdly highly seasoned generic snack…
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A cheap hotel rate can hide a mandatory second price.
A cheap hotel rate can hide a mandatory second price. Separating a resort fee from the room rate makes the first number look more attractive even when every…
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Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor, the voice actors who played Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse for over three decades, were actually married in real life. They married in 1991 and stayed together until Allwine died in 2009.
Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor, the voice actors who played Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse for over three decades, were actually married in real life. They…
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The Boston Tea Party destroyed the tea but replaced a broken lock.
The Boston Tea Party destroyed the tea but replaced a broken lock. Accounts of the 1773 protest describe a deliberate effort to spare the ships and other…
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Sex workers and adult entertainers have noted that their industry frequently acts as an uncanny early warning system for economic recessions, a phenomenon informally dubbed the stripper index.
Sex workers and adult entertainers have noted that their industry frequently acts as an uncanny early warning system for economic recessions, a phenomenon…
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The first licensed woman pilot learned from an aircraft builder.
The first licensed woman pilot learned from an aircraft builder. Charles Voisin encouraged Raymonde de Laroche to fly and taught her before she received her…
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Artificial intelligence got its name in a summer-project proposal.
Artificial intelligence got its name in a summer-project proposal. A 1955 proposal by John McCarthy and colleagues called for ten researchers to spend two…
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Horoscopes printed in magazines and newspapers are legally classified as entertainment rather than factual advice to prevent writers from being sued by readers who ruin their own…
Horoscopes printed in magazines and newspapers are legally classified as entertainment rather than factual advice to prevent writers from being sued by…
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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates famously had his sprawling, high-tech sixty-three-million-dollar Washington estate known as Xanadu 2.0 designed and modeled entirely using an Apple Macintosh computer.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates famously had his sprawling, high-tech sixty-three-million-dollar Washington estate known as Xanadu 2.0 designed and modeled…
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Illinois made wartime license plates out of fiberboard.
Illinois made wartime license plates out of fiberboard. Steel rationing pushed the state to issue fiberboard plates from 1943 through 1948. Early versions…
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The word robot came from a playwright's brother.
The word robot came from a playwright's brother. Karel Čapek needed a name for artificial workers in R.U.R.; his brother Josef suggested a word connected with…
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Zeppelin gas cells used a membrane taken from cattle intestines.
Zeppelin gas cells used a membrane taken from cattle intestines. Known as goldbeater's skin, the thin material combined low weight with resistance to hydrogen…
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Amsterdam's red bike lanes are not extra sidewalk.
Amsterdam's red bike lanes are not extra sidewalk. The city's cycling network gives bikes their own routes through streets that visitors also cross on foot. A…
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Marie Anne Lenormand was the most famous mystical fortune-teller in post-revolutionary France, charging exorbitant fees to read cards for the absolute elite, including Emperor…
Marie Anne Lenormand was the most famous mystical fortune-teller in post-revolutionary France, charging exorbitant fees to read cards for the absolute elite,…
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Goosebumps are tiny muscles pulling on hairs.
Goosebumps are tiny muscles pulling on hairs. Each bump appears when a small muscle attached to a hair follicle contracts. In a furry mammal, raised hair can…
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