When younger generations hear the word ‘dominoes,’ they usually associate it with the famous board game, while others–especially food lovers–might connect it with a delicious pizza. For those who are more politically aware, the word probably brings thoughts of the Cold War and the threat of the spread of communism. In addition, most economists today love to use the word […]
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When John Lennon and Yoko Ono stepped into New York’s “The Hit Factory” on August 7, 1980, it was quite the occasion. John was returning to the music-making game after a five year absence. After being “under contract” since he was 21, John had walked away from making music in 1975 to become a “househusband”- instead of being a musician, […]
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A former teammate of Babe Ruth’s once recalled the Bambino by saying, “You’ve got to remember, this guy wasn’t born. He fell out of a tree.” Ruth grabbed life by the throat (or maybe it was another part of life’s anatomy) and shook it up… frequently. Ruth spent a good portion of his youth cooped up in St. Mary’s industrial […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Man Who was Stuck in the 1950s Henry Gustav Molaison, who came to be known by his initials, H.M., was studied from 1957 until his death in 2008. From an early age, H.M. suffered from severe epilepsy that was blamed on […]
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Since the dawn of the Internet age and the oft-lamented readily available pictures of naked ladies, today’s youth will never know the heart-stopping risk of hiding under the covers with a flashlight and your older brother’s well-worn copy of Playboy. The world was a much different place when Playboy magazine began – funded in part with a $1,000 loan from […]
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Whether it’s busting or breaking, balls or stones, this expression has long been used by young men (and not a few women) to express a wide range of emotions brought about by the words or actions of another. Although the phrase usually accompanies laughter, it arose out of a truly painful, yet common practice among beef cattle operators where they […]
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Dev asks: What causes spontaneous combustion? Most of us experience combustion, a chemical process where a fuel combines with oxygen to produce heat and light, in the form of a fire where both the fuel and ignition source are well known. In some circumstances, however, the trigger that ignited the fire is not a definite source, like a match, but […]
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Although best known for his planning of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Osama bin Laden has a long history of terrorist activity against the United States dating back to 1992. In addition to bombings and other mass killings, he may have been developing another specialty as well – presidential assassinations, though as you’d expect with things of this nature, […]
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Odds are you probably have a stick or a tub of it sitting in your fridge right now, but do you have any idea how margarine became a staple in most kitchens? It turns out, margarine has a long and controversial international history, and can even boast the involvement of Emperor Napoleon III in its invention. Margarine derives its name […]
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On the morning of Friday, October 11, 1957, workers at the nuclear reactor Windscale Pile 1 near Seascale, Cumberland, England, faced a terrible choice: allow a raging fire to burn itself out while it released dangerously high levels of ionizing radiation into the surrounding countryside; or, attempt to extinguish the conflagration with water, an option that could cause a hydrogen […]
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The modern, multi-coloured plastic water guns are a familiar sight, and you probably wouldn’t be surprised to find out they’ve been around for a while. That said, it might surprise you to learn that records show they likely pre-date the American Civil War, at least in some form or another. Back in 1861, Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to […]
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The last couple days, you may have noticed our new podcast posts, starting with Episode 1: Columbus and the Round World Episode 2: Growing Up with Caffeine We’ve teamed up with SpokenMatter.com to start producing this “Daily Knowledge” podcast series featuring interesting facts discussed in detail with a new episode every weekday. Give the episodes a listen at the above […]
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Today I found out about the amazing acoustics of the ancient Epidaurus Theatre. Epidaurus, Greece was a small, unassuming city in ancient times, best known for being the supposed birth place of Apollo’s son, Asklepios the healer. As Asklepios’ following grew, so too did the town. Their medical centre became one of the most well-known in the classical world, attracting […]
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Today I found out about the Orangeburg Massacre of 1968. As with many massacres around this turbulent time in history, the Orangeburg Massacre had its beginnings in race relations. In February, 1968, black students at South Carolina State College were prohibited from using the lanes at a nearby bowling alley. There were no other bowling alleys in town and the […]
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As you can probably tell from its name, the Christmas Island red crab is a species of crab native to Christmas Island. Every year, millions of them will leave their forest burrows and swarm across the island to breed, leaving Christmas Island’s residents to deal with the consequences of their homes being overrun by crabs that outnumber the human populace […]
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Henry Gustav Molaison, who came to be known by his initials, H.M., was studied from 1957 until his death in 2008. From an early age, H.M. suffered from severe epilepsy that was blamed on a bicycle accident when he was seven years old. He had seizures for many years that got progressively worse as he aged. The seizures finally got so […]
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Lisa asks: Why are filibuster’s allowed? In its modern incarnation, the filibuster demands no personal and political sacrifice by an idealistic legislator who is willing to stand up for what he believes in (e.g., Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). Requiring neither speech, ideology or commitment, in today’s Senate if fewer than 60 senators are willing to first vote to stop […]
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Everyone has had a moment in their life where they’ve muttered to themselves, “Wow, where did the time go?” It may have been after a wild night of partying, or a great conversation with a friend, or while intensely concentrating on a project. Sometimes hours can feel like minutes, weeks feel like days, years feel like months. Time comes and […]
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