A Brief History of the Apple Tree

An integral part of the American experience, “As American as Apple Pie” (which in truth is not American), the apple is nevertheless ubiquitous in U.S. culture. We put it in desserts, give it to our favorite teachers, wash our hair with its essence and put it in our lunches. So common, it’s easy to take the simple apple for granted, […]

Read more

Why Blueprints are Blue

Making copies of architectural drawings hasn’t always been the easiest thing in the world to do. For the majority of human history, the most economical solution was simply to have someone make a tracing of the original plans. In the mid-nineteenth century, the process abruptly became much quicker and easier thanks to famed polymath Sir John Herschel. In 1842, Herschel […]

Read more

The Creepy Scolopendra Gigantea Centipede

Skittering along at about an inch off the ground, one of the most vicious predators on the planet is often smaller than its prey, blind as a bat and utterly freaking creepy. Giant Centipede Basics Typically reaching 10 inches in length (although some overachievers grow to a full foot long), Scolopendra gigantea is the largest species of centipede on the […]

Read more

How the Body Generates Electricity

Our resident medical expert, Scott, and a buddy of his recently started The Medicine Journal, where you can learn all sorts of interesting facts about all things medical related. Below is their second video. If you like it, please subscribe to their YouTube channel here If you liked this video, you might also enjoy: How Blood Works Humans Have a […]

Read more

10 Random Quick Facts

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com Featureflash / Shutterstock.com Text Version: Fact #671: You should think twice before saying, “When Hell freezes over.” In fact, it freezes over quite frequent in the small village of Hell, Norway where sub-zero temperatures are not that uncommon in the winter. The name for the town derives from the Old Norse “hellir,” which meant “cliff cave” or […]

Read more

One of the Greatest Scientists of the 20th Century You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

There’s a perception that religion and science go together about as well as mayonnaise and marshmallows. In some instances, this is, perhaps, true. But on a typically warm Southern California January in 1933 at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California (the same place and same time that Jack Parsons of rocket science fame was doing his experiments — […]

Read more

Weekly Wrap: Volume 25

This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Why There Is No E in the A-F Grading Scale Some schools do hand out E letter grades instead of an F, but they are in the minority. A majority of schools in the United States, particularly beyond primary age, give grades […]

Read more

Podcast Episode #40: Just Breathe

In this episode, you’re going to learn one of the most interesting facts I’ve ever come across about the way most humans breathe; something you’ve probably never realized, despite doing it your whole life and that this fact is quite obvious once pointed out. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also […]

Read more

The Ludlow Massacre

On April 20, 1914, up to two-dozen people were killed in a tent village adjacent to the Ludlow Coal Mine in Ludlow, Colorado. This massacre of striking workers and their families is widely seen as one of the lowest points in labor relations in U.S. history. Southern Colorado Coal Strike From September 1913 to December 1914, the United Mine Workers […]

Read more

How Blood Works

Our resident medical expert, Scott, and a buddy of his have just started The Medicine Journal, where you can learn all sorts of interesting facts about all things medical related. Below is their first video. If you like it, please subscribe to their YouTube channel here: If you liked this video, you might also enjoy: Does Cauterizing a Wound Really […]

Read more

This Day in History: February 7th

Today in History: February 7, 1914 One hundred years ago today, comedic genius and cinematic pioneer Charlie Chaplin made a few wardrobe choices that resulted in one of the most recognizable and iconic film characters of all time. Chaplin described his ensemble in his autobiography: “pants baggy, coat tight … hat small, shoes large.” He went on to say, “I […]

Read more
1 180 181 182 183 184 305