10 Bizarre Facts (Part-3)
Embed This Infographic [Source: Today I Found Out] For Part 1 of this series go here: 10 Bizarre Facts For Part 2 of this series go here: 10 Bizarre Facts (Part-2)
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The Johnny Cash Song “A Boy Named Sue” was Written by Shel Silverstein
Today I found out the Johnny Cash song “A Boy Named Sue” was written by Shel Silverstein. The song was originally inspired by a friend of Silverstein’s, Jean Shepherd (noted writer, actor, radio personality, and humorist, who, among other things, co-wrote and narrated the holiday classic The Christmas Story film, partially based on his childhood). Jean had often been teased […]
Read moreGreatest Rock Song- The Stairway to Heaven Story
It was voted in 2000 by VH1 as the #3 song on its list of “Greatest Rock Songs” and landed the #31 spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s “Greatest Songs of All-Time” list. Written by Robert Plant (lyrics) and guitarist Jimmy Page (melody) Stairway to Heaven is not only Led Zeppelin’s signature song, it may well be the most beloved rock […]
Read moreThe Mammoth Megalodon, A Shark About 30 Times the Size of a Great White
The (Carcharodon) Megalodon is thought to have looked something like a Great White Shark, only a bit more stocky and overall bigger… much bigger, with an average adult Megalodon estimated to have weighed around 70-100 tons (about 30 times that of a Great White Shark which full grown tend to be about 2.5-3 tons). The Megalodon is estimated to have […]
Read moreWhy Some People are Right Handed And Some Left Handed
Tristan asks: Why are some people right handed and some left handed? Tristan it appears that there is no single mechanism that will definitively determine which hand you will prefer. Technology and further studies will continue to help shed light on the subject. What is known is that it essentially comes down to genes and biological asymmetry in the human […]
Read moreMerry Christmas! We Got You Some Knowledge to Share
Merry Christmas from everyone here at Today I Found Out! While you’re sipping eggnog and trying your best to continue smiling and nodding while your cousin and cousin-in-law once again tell you how their little Stacey has a photographic memory and already sings and plays the piano as well as Norah Jones, despite being just 4 years old and publicly […]
Read moreWhy Does Chemotherapy Make Your Hair Fall Out?
Maya asks: Why does Chemotherapy cause hair loss? Maya I love the question. It seems like once or twice a year I’m shaving my head to help raise money for cancer research and at every fundraiser, the question seems to come up- Why does the common treatment for cancer make body hair fall out? The answer is really pretty simple. […]
Read moreDecember 24, 1914: The Christmas Truce
On the whole, people don’t generally like to kill one another. Most wars throughout history are often more about the agendas of the state’s leaders than the soldiers on the field actually inherently feeling any real malice towards those they are asked to try to kill or otherwise defeat. Few events in history illustrate this as well as a remarkable […]
Read more10 Interesting Christmas Facts (Part-2)
Embed This Infographic [Source: Today I Found Out] For Part 1 of this series go here: 10 Interesting Christmas Facts You might also like: 12 Fascinating Christmas Traditions from Around the World
Read moreThis Day in History, Dec. 21: Pierre and Marie Curie Discover Radium
This Day In History: December 21, 1898 On this day in history, 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 […]
Read moreThe Olympic Swimmer Who Had Never Been in a Pool Until a Few Months Before Competing in the Olympics
The man was Eric Moussambani Malonga, later nicknamed “Eric the Eel”. Moussambani is from Equatorial Guinea in Africa and only managed to get into the Olympics at all because of a wildcard drawing system put in place by the International Olympic Committee, designed to try to encourage developing countries to participate in various Olympic events. Thanks to this drawing, Equatorial Guinea […]
Read moreThe Dirty Harry Story
In a 2009 MTV poll, Dirty Harry was voted the “Greatest Movie Badass of all-time”… Not exactly an Academy Award, but nonetheless, Clint Eastwood’s maverick police detective “Dirty Harry” Callahan was to become one of the most beloved, immortal (and controversial) movie characters in cinema history. The film about a “bad-guy-killing, rules-breaking vigilante cop” was originally titled “Dead Right”. Released […]
Read moreThis Day in History, December 19th: Johnny Carson Accidentally Starts a Month Long, Nation-Wide Toilet Paper Shortage Crisis
This Day In History: December 19, 1973 Much like Orson Welles before him, Johnny Carson once accidentally used his public platform to incite a public panic. On this day in history, 1973, Carson started a near month long toilet paper shortage in the United States. In his show, he stated, “You know what’s disappearing from the supermarket shelves? Toilet paper… […]
Read moreDoes Sex Before An Athletic Event Really Hinder Performance?
Frank asks: Does having sex before an athletic event really hurt performance in the event? Good question! There are two schools of thought on this particular issue, but the short answer is that it could psychologically (although no study has definitively proven it), and “no” physically (unless you need a reduction in testosterone to help with excessive anxiety and lack […]
Read moreThe Guy Who Did the Voice for Tony the Tiger also Sang “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”
Today I found out the guy who did the voice for Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger also sang the iconic “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” song in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The man was Thurl Ravenscroft. Ravenscroft originally went unintentionally uncredited in the film. Because of this, a common misconception rose up that it was Boris Karloff, […]
Read moreWhy Do People Seem To Get More Colds In The Winter?
Jennifer asks: Why do people seem to get more colds in the winter? Well Jennifer, this does seem to be the societal perception, no doubt promoted by every overprotective mom telling their kids to put a coat on when going outside, because they might catch a cold. There are two aspects to this question. The first is temperature. Numerous studies […]
Read moreWhat Do the Numbers in a Blood Pressure Test Mean and What Does This Test Tell the Doctor?
Carmen asks: What do the numbers in a blood pressure test mean? Also, what types of things do these numbers tell doctors? Well Carmen, blood pressure is really just that- the pressure at which blood moves around the body in your arteries. The easiest and least invasive way to test what that pressure is at any given moment is to […]
Read moreDecember 16th: Famed Mystic Grigori Rasputin is Murdered by Members of the Russian Aristocracy
This Day In History: December 16, 1916 On this day in history, 1916, the “Mad Monk”, Grigori Rasputin, was murdered by members of the Russian aristocracy. The exact events surrounding his death have given rise to a variety of stories, much of which are probably false. So what actually happened? First, a brief background on Rasputin: Grigori Rasputin was born […]
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