This Day in History: June 13th

This Day In History: June 13, 1777 Inspired by the struggles of the American colonists to free themselves from the tyranny of English rule, a 19-year-old French aristocrat set sail from his homeland to volunteer his aid. He paid for his own ship and travel expenses since the colonists could not afford to finance his voyage, and passed the time […]

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Glowing in the Dark, The “Radium Girls”

On December 21, 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered the radioactive element radium (in the form of radium chloride), extracting it from uraninite. They first removed the uranium from the uraninite sample and then found that the remaining matter was still radioactive, so investigated further. Along with the barium in the remaining substance, they also detected spectral lines that were […]

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This Day in History: June 12th

This Day In History: June 12, 1381 The Peasants’ Revolt in England started suddenly, but the seeds were sown many years beforehand. The Black Death during the earlier part of the 14th century caused a serious shortage of workers, which gave the peasant class the option to choose where they worked – a freedom that was unheard of in feudal […]

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The Origin of Competitive Eating Contests

America’s Independence Day is celebrated across the country with fireworks, hot weather, pool parties, and barbecues. For the thousands that gather on Coney Island in America’s largest metropolitan, New York City, July Fourth is commemorated with another annual tradition – the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Beginning in 1916, the Hot Dog Eating Contest has become the “de facto Olympics” […]

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This Day in History: June 11th

This Day In History: June 11, 1963 On June 11, 1963, a 67-year-old Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc walked into the middle of a busy intersection in South Vietnam and calmly sat in the lotus position. With the assistance of several accompanying monks, he doused himself in gasoline. He was very clear about the reasons for what he was […]

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The Basics of 3D Printing

Fatima asks: How do 3D printers work? Originally built on the same technology as an ink jet printer, the basic process behind 3D printing is so easy to understand, replicate and implement, today it is used to manufacture everything from toys to body parts. Multiple Layers Fundamentally, 3D printing involves building an object by putting down successive layers of materials, […]

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This Day in History: June 10th

This Day In History: June 10, 1540 Thomas Cromwell sprang from humble beginnings but managed to shrewdly navigate the Tudor court and became King Henry VIII’s most trusted adviser. By 1540, the King had created him the Earl of Essex and he was Lord Privy Seal. Cromwell was one of England’s most influential statesmen, radically changing the course of its […]

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The Making of Vinegar

Jeff asks: Is it true that wine vinegar is just wine with acetobacter added? Yep, but the process from start to finish is a little more complicated than just that. More than Just Wine Vinegar can be made from any of a variety of carbohydrates: “Fruits, such as apples, grapes, berries, melons and coconuts have been turned into vinegar. Natural […]

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This Day in History: June 9th

This Day In History: June 9, 68 On June 9, 68 C.E., the 95 year reign of the Julio-Claudian dynasty came to an end, ushering in an era of unrest and civil war. One of Rome’s most ruthless and notorious leaders, who was responsible not only for the deaths of countless innocent subjects and Christians but also his own mother […]

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