Welcome a New Writer to Today I Found Out, Eddie Deezen

I’m very excited to announce that Eddie Deezen will now be contributing articles to Today I Fount Out.  Besides appearing in or doing voice acting for a myriad of major motion pictures and TV shows including Grease; WarGames (one of my personal favorites growing up); Kim Possible; Dexter’s Laboratory; What’s New, Scooby-Doo; and Polar Express, Deezen also occasionally writes interesting […]

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Why are the Emmy Awards Called Emmys?

Now You Know

Rebecca S. asks: The other day you answered why the Oscars are called the Oscars, now why are the Emmy Awards called “Emmy”? This one’s got a more succinct and well documented answer than the Oscar question. Pioneering TV engineer (and third American Academy of Television Arts President) Harry Lubcke suggested that the name “Immy” be used, named after the […]

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The Famous “HOLLYWOOD” Sign Originally Read “HOLLYWOODLAND” and Was Lit By About 4,000 Light Bulbs Embedded in the Letters

Today I found out the Hollywood sign originally read “HOLLYWOODLAND” and was lit with about 4,000, 20 watt light bulbs, which would flash “HOLLY” then “WOOD” then “LAND” then “HOLLYWOODLAND” repeatedly. The sign was originally put up in 1923 to promote a housing development.  The owner of Crescent Sign Company, Thomas Fisk Goff, designed the sign itself, making the letters […]

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Why Does Itching a Mosquito Bite Make It Worse?

Now You Know

Nathan asks: Why does itching a mosquito bite make it itch more? It all comes down to your body’s histamine response to the female mosquito’s saliva.  After the mosquito has drunk her fill of your blood, she leaves behind the cocktail that is her saliva.  Your body’s response to this foreign substance is to produce a variety of antibodies to […]

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Most Thermostat Controls in Large Office Buildings Don’t Do Anything

Today I found out thermostat controls in large buildings, such as many office buildings, don’t usually do anything. These placebo controls for large HVAC systems do nothing but make you think you are adjusting the temperature.  In some cases, the system even includes white noise generators to make you think that the temperature controls are working, when in fact the […]

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The Difference Between Farther and Further

Now You Know

You should know the difference between “farther” and “further”. Many people use “further” and “farther” interchangeable, but, in fact, they mean slightly different things.  “Farther” refers to a physical distance, while “further” refers to a figurative distance.  So, when wondering how many more miles or kilometers to a particular destination, you’d say, “How much farther to the gas station?”  On […]

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Why are Beets Red?

Now You Know

Sharon S asks: Why are beets red? Beets contain a pigment known as betalain, which incidentally is Latin for a certain type of common beet (Beta vulgaris).  It was this type of beet that the betalain pigment was first extracted from. (It is contained in many different types of plants) Depending on which type of betalain pigment and the concentration […]

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15 Quick United States Facts

Note: This is a guest post contributed by List25.com. 15: Alaska is the state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work. 14: 27% of Americans believe man has never walked on the moon. 13: The American flag’s official colors are “Old Glory Red”, “White”, and “Old Glory Blue”. 12: Even though the grizzly bear is California’s official […]

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