Ian K. asks: Why are students called freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors? Rather than referring to a student’s year of study, in U.S. high schools and colleges, first year students are freshmen, second years are sophomores, third year students are juniors, and the most experienced are seniors. Yet although this practice seems uniquely American, its origins date back several centuries […]
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Skyrunner asks: Where do insects disappear to in the winter time? As ectothermic or so-called “cold-blooded” creatures, insects are particularly susceptible to winter’s freezing temperatures. To survive, this class of life form has developed a wide variety of adaptations in order to keep on keeping on. To begin with, perhaps the best-known tactic is simple migration, with the best known […]
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Today in History: April 25, 1792 At 3:30 p.m. on April 25, 1792, a robber and killer named Nicolas Pelletier was led to the scaffolding in the Place de Grave, where public executions were performed during the reign of Louis XV. Plentiful national guardsmen were on the scene to preserve order. The authorities were concerned that the crowd for this […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn how scars form and why the skin doesn’t simply heal without blemish, as well as why paper cuts hurt so much. This episode is brought to you by NatureBox, a subscription service for nutritious snacks, with new snacks introduced every month made from wholesome ingredients. NatureBox is currently extending a special discount for […]
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Today I found out the origin of the phrase “jump on the bandwagon.” For those not familiar, when you jump on the bandwagon, it means you begin supporting a hobby, idea, person, etc. after it has become popular or successful. The word “bandwagon” is the rather unimaginative name for a wagon that carried a circus band. It first appeared in […]
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For centuries, before refrigeration, an old Russian practice was to drop a frog into a bucket of milk to keep the milk from spoiling. In modern times, many believed that this was nothing more than an old wives’ tale. But researchers at Moscow State University, led by organic chemist Dr. Albert Lebedev, have shown that there could be some benefit […]
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Mindy N. asks: After a long run my leg muscles are tired, but my heart is not. Why doesn’t the heart need any rest? An average of around 60 to 100 times every minute of every day of every year of your ultimately meaningless life, your heart beats… until it doesn’t. Not long after it stops, all knowledge of your […]
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Today in History: April 24, 1479 BCE Tradition holds that by our modern calendar, on April 24, 1479 B.C.E the Trojans learned they should beware of Greeks bearing gifts, especially when they come in the form of large wooden horses. The story goes that after ten long years of warfare, the Greeks, unable to break through the city of Troy’s […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn whether or not handling baby birds will really cause the parent birds to reject it. You’re also going to learn just why one rotten apple can spoil an entire bunch rapidly. This episode is brought to you by NatureBox, a subscription service for nutritious snacks, with new snacks introduced every month made from […]
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Jan Zizka (aka Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha) is regarded as one of the single finest military minds in world history. He also had his skin turned into a drum. Before we get to his death, though, we want to discuss Zizka’s life, because well, frankly it was remarkable. For starters, Zizka, born in 1360, is generally considered to […]
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Remember that scene in the movie Trading Places where Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd bankrupted those two old rich guys by cornering the frozen orange juice market? It turns out that a guy actually once did make many millions of dollars by doing pretty much exactly as they did in the movie, only instead of orange juice, he bought onions… […]
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Today in History: April 23, 1014 The Battle of Clontanf was not a heat-of-the-moment type event. Instead, is was the result of two centuries of broken treaties, misalliances, dirty dealings and general loathing between the native Irish Celtic chieftains and the Norsemen who had invaded and settled in Ireland two hundred years earlier. The Vikings arrived on the shores of […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about one of history’s more bizarre events involving the son of Abraham Lincoln and the brother of John Wilkes Booth. You’re also going to learn why pistachios used to be died red and an interesting fact about a certain statue in New York’s Central Park. This episode is brought to you by NatureBox, […]
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Sue T asks: Why do we measure oil in barrels instead of gallons or liters? How much oil is in a barrel? More than just gasoline for our cars, crude oil is transformed into an infinite variety of products we use every day – from personal products like shampoo and lotion, to food preservatives and fertilizers, to the plastic bags […]
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Today I found out why some plants are considered weeds and others are not. Weeds can be defined in a variety of ways: a plant growing where it isn’t wanted, a plant that interferes with farming or grazing, a plant that was not intentionally sown, a plant that is persistent and detrimental to the plants around it, among others. Basically, […]
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Mark asks: Why is “y” only sometimes a vowel? When is it a vowel and when is it a consonant? You already know that vowels in the English alphabet are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y, while the rest of the letters are called consonants. But did you ever ask yourself why the letters were divided into two […]
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Today in History: April 22, 1970 On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans demonstrated in massive rallies from coast-to-coast against the destruction of the environment and for the need to raise awareness of environmental issues. Founded by activist and U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day led to the establishment of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Endangered Species Act […]
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In this episode, you’re going to find out about the day Abraham Lincoln established the Secret Service, as well as just where his incredibly inept body guard was when Lincoln was being shot. You’re also going to find out just why there is an area in New York called the “Bronx,” plus a lot of other interesting Bonus Facts surrounding […]
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