Hidden just below the landscape of modern Vietnam, localised mostly in the Cu Chi District of Ho Chi Minh, exists an expansive series of tunnels that at their peak spider-webbed from what was then known as Saigon to the country’s border near Cambodia. During the Vietnam War, these multi-leveled tunnels were utilised so effectively by Viet Cong forces that American […]

The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader You watched your bag get loaded onto the plane, and then it was gone. What happened to it? LOST IN SPACE After a long flight, airline passengers shuffle to the baggage claim area and wait for their luggage to slide down the chute and onto the carousel. Most passengers see […]

Conceived in early 1990, the MagiCan campaign was supposed to be the spearhead of a massive summer promotion the cola giant dubbed “Magic Summer ’90”. In a nutshell, the promotion involved hiding cash prizes ranging from $5-$500, as well as some other goodies such as coupons for free Coke, inside of 750,000 of the several hundred million cans of Coke […]

The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader How did people in ancient times remember things when they had no computers, books, or even paper? The only way they could: in their heads, where they created a special place for information to reside. BACKGROUND Mnemonics is any system of mental touchstones that helps you to retain larger amounts […]

Therese R. asks: Is it true that there is a substance seeping up from the ground on a road in Venezuela that no one can identify? First appearing in 1986 on a highway between the city of Caracas and its airport, La Mancha Negra, meaning literally a black stain, began as an approximately 50-yard (46 meter) long smudge, seen by […]

Initially designed and produced during WW2 for British soldiers, the Sten was developed as a direct response to both dwindling supplies of American made Thompson machine guns and the evacuation of Dunkirk, during which the British abandoned many thousands of guns. In an effort to re-arm its troops as quickly as possible for the defense of the homeland, the British […]

The speaking clock is an idea that goes all the way back to 1933, when citizens of Paris were the recipients of the first such service. Since then, dozens of countries have implemented a similar system that the public can call to find out the exact time. In the UK, the service has a long and storied history and even […]