Where the Brand Name “Kodak” Came From

The name “Kodak” was devised by George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak, and his mother, while playing with an anagram set.  They were looking for a name that adhered to three principles: short; cannot be mispronounced; and should not resemble anything or be associated with anything else except for the business that would eventually be called by that name. Sources

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December 29th: U.S. Cavalry Massacre More than 150 Lakota Native Americans, Including Women and Children, Near Wounded Knee Creek

This Day In History: December 29, 1890 On this day in history, 1890, the Seventh Cavalry opened fire on a Lakota Native American encampment with four rapid fire Hotchkiss guns, killing 150-300 of the group, including women and children.  Along with the dead Lakota, around 25 of the cavalry troops themselves were killed with another 39 wounded, largely due to […]

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“Billy the Kid’s” Real Name was Not William H. Bonney

Myth: Billy the Kid’s real name was William H. Bonney William H. Bonny is actually another alias of Billy the Kid, used during the height of his notoriety, but it is not generally considered his real name. Throughout his life, several different names were associated with this 19th century outlaw and gunman, including: William Henry McCarty, Jr. – Billy the […]

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Super Glue Really is Super

Super Glue really is “super”.  A one square inch bonding of Super Glue can hold around one ton. Super Glue has even been used to bond a small surface area of metal attached to a crane, which was then glued to the top of a car.  The car was lifted successfully by the crane without the bond breaking. Sources and […]

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Hammerhead Sharks can Reproduce Asexually

The first documented case of a hammerhead shark reproducing asexually happened on December 14, 2001 at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska where a female hammerhead shark, which was kept in isolation from males, miraculously gave birth to a pup.  The pup was unfortunately killed by a stingray shortly thereafter, but testing showed that the pup was, in fact, a […]

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It’s a Wonderful Life was Based on a “Christmas Card” Short Story by Philip Van Doren Stern

Today I found out It’s a Wonderful Life was based on a “Christmas Card” short story by Philip Van Doren Stern, which was originally sent out to around 200 of Stern’s friends and family in December of 1943. The short story was called The Greatest Gift and was inspired by a dream Stern had one night in the 1930s.  Stern, […]

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December 21st: 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 […]

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