##EMBED## TNT was originally created in 1863, not to be used as an explosive, but rather, was used as a yellow dye. Because it was so difficult to detonate and not very powerful compared to many other popular explosives of the day, it wasn’t commonly used as an explosive until much later by German forces in 1902. The Germans devised […]
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##EMBED## Previous to the Roman Empire, evidence suggests that the withdrawal method was the primary form of contraception used in the world. Incidentally, the withdrawal method is statistically only slightly less effective at preventing pregnancy than condoms (withdrawal: 82% effective vs. condoms: 83% effective, both with real world use). The withdrawal method fell out of popularity with the Romans who […]
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Today I found out why the toilet is also often called “The Crapper”. It all started with U.S. soldiers stationed in England during WWI. The toilets in England at the time were predominately made by the company “Thomas Crapper & Co Ltd”, with the company’s name appearing on the toilets. The soldiers took to calling toilets “The Crapper” and brought […]
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##EMBED## October got its name from the Latin “octo”, meaning “eight”. If this seems odd to you, considering it’s the tenth month in the modern day calendar (Gregorian), that actually used to not be the case. It was once the eighth month (in the Roman Calendar) and the name simply carried over. Click Here for Sources and to Learn More […]
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##EMBED## Dr. Nick on the Simpsons is named after the doctor that prescribed narcotics to Elvis Presley, George Constantine Nichopoulos. Dr. Nichopoulos initially began treating Elvis in 1967 for “saddle pain” and later was hired as his personal physician until Elvis’ death in 1977. In 1980, Dr. Nichopoulos was was indicted for over prescribing drugs to Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis […]
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##EMBED## Mary was the most popular female baby name in the US from 1879-1946. It was finally beat by “Linda” in 1947. Linda held that position until 1953 when it was beat out by none other than Mary, which then held that spot until 1962 when it was supplanted by “Lisa”. Since then, Mary has never regained the top spot. […]
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##EMBED## The testicles Will Ferrell used on step brothers cost approximately $25K to make. Will Ferrell later asked if he could keep them and was allowed to do so. Source: DVD Commentary on Step Brothers
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##EMBED## Both the Klingon language and the Vulcan language were initially very crudely developed by James Doohan, who played “Scotty” on the original Star Trek. Later, these languages were expanded and refined by professional linguists, primarily by Marc Okrand. Click Here for Sources and More Interesting James Doohan Facts
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##EMBED## Mike Myers really did have an ex give him a gun rack. A week after his ex broke up with him, she tried to win him back by getting him a gun-rack, which she thought he would find hilarious. It didn’t work. He did, however, put it in Wayne’s World with the character of Stacy, also called “pyscho hose-beast”, […]
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##EMBED## Duct tape is composed of three layers. The top layer is a plastic, polyethelyne; the middle layer is a fabric mesh; the bottom layer is a rubber-based, pressure sensitive adhesive. It was originally manufactured simply by pressing these three layers together and was named “Duck Tape”, not “Duct Tape”. It was invented by Johnson & Johnson’s Permacel division during […]
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Today I found out the words “blond” and “blonde” are not wholly synonymous. So what’s the difference between the words “blond” and “blonde”? (besides the obvious extra ‘e’) 😉 The difference is simply in what gender the word is referring. When referring to a woman with yellow hair, you should use the feminine spelling “blonde”. When referring to a male […]
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##EMBED## The three brothers John Wilkes, Junius Brutus (Jr.), and Edwin Booth, all critically acclaimed actors of their day, only once all three appeared in the same play together. That was in a portrayal of Julius Caesar in 1864, with John Wilkes playing Marc Antony; Junius taking the roll of Cassius; and Edwin playing Brutus. The funds from the above […]
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##EMBED## The word “ewok” was never spoken in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. It did, however, appear in the credits. The name “Ewok” itself was inspired by Miwok Native American tribe. The Miwok tribe is native to the Redwood forest where most of the Endor scenes were filmed. Source
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Today I found out that there is a protozoa that has seven sexes. This organism is known as Tetrahymena thermophila. They are species of ciliate protozoa, common in fresh-water. They are also known for being widely used in genetic and cytological research as model organisms. The seven sexes of Tetrahymena thermophila are somewhat uninventively named I, II, III, IV, V, […]
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Embed This Infographic Source: Today I Found Out
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Today I found out that 165 University Avenue, Palo Alto, California is generally considered the “luckiest” building in Silicon Valley to rent as a startup company. Located near Stanford University, 165 University Avenue has seen a surprising number of highly successful startups come through its doors in very recent history. The first famous tenant was Logitech, a now world famous […]
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Today I found out that babies are able to remember melodies they hear while inside the womb for up to a year. Recent research at the University of Leicester demonstrated that babies showed a significant preference for melodies played for them frequently during the last few months they were in the womb. Preferences for a familiar melody were shown by […]
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Today I found out that the largest item on a menu in the world is whole camel which is often stuffed with a lamb which has been stuffed with chickens which has been stuffed with fish or eggs; the whole lot also tends to have rice and other fixings mixed in at each stuffing stage. As you might expect, cooking […]
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