Articles

Category Archives: Articles

When Did People Start Using Punctuation?

May 2, 2016 Melissa

Grey L. asks: When did people start using punctuation and who invented the common marks we use? INTHEBEGINNINGTHEREWASNOPUNCTUATIONLOWERCASELETTERSOREVENSPACESBETWEENWORDSTHEREALSOWASNOGRAMMATICALWAYOFDISTINGUISHINGWHENANIDEAHADFINISHEDANDANEWONEBEGUNITDIDNTHELPTHATTHEIDEAOFSTANDARDIZEDSPELLINGWASALSONOTATHINGATLEASTNOTASWEWOULDTHINKOFITREADERSWERELEFTTOMUDDLETHEIRWAYTHROUGHANYTEXTASBESTTHEYCOULDUNSURPRISINGLYUNDERSTANDINGWHATAPARTICULARWORKWASACTUALLYSAYINGONTHEFIRSTREADTHROUGHWASPRETTYWELLUNHEARDOFATTHISTIME The earliest writings, which were syllabic and/or logographic (think Mayan and Chinese), had no need for either spacing or punctuation, as each word was typically self-contained in the symbol. However, as previously demonstrated, the lack of punctuation and spacing in alphabetic writing […]

Weekly Wrap Volume 97

April 29, 2016 Dusti

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Difference Between “Regular”, Virgin and Extra Virgin Olive Oils Generally speaking, olive oils fall into one of two broad categories: refined and unrefined, with virgin and extra virgin fitting in the latter category, and pure and light olive oils in […]

Why Can’t You Put Pineapple in Jello?

April 29, 2016 Karl Smallwood

Kateri S. asks: I have always been told you can’t put pineapple in jello because it won’t set. Why? Unless you’ve managed to make it this far in life without setting foot in a store, you’re probably aware that jello, popularly known as jelly by my British compatriots, is a genericization of the brand Jell-O which itself was derived from […]

When Did People First Start Clapping to Show Appreciation?

April 27, 2016 Karl Smallwood

Mark D. asks: When did we start clapping to show that we like something? Clapping is the near-ubiquitous way we show our appreciation of something, particularly when we’re in large groups. But have you ever wondered why slapping our hands together has come to be so closely associated with approval and where the practise originated from? To begin with, the […]

The Original Dungeon Masters

April 27, 2016 Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader ROLLING THE DICE Gary Gygax (pronounced GHEE-Gax) was an insurance underwriter living in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in the late 1960s. He made his living calculating the probabilities that an individual seeking to buy insurance would become sick or disabled or die, and he used these estimates to set the premiums […]

Why are Mosquitoes More Attracted to Some People than Others?

April 26, 2016 Sarah Stone

Nathan K. asks: Is it true that mosquitoes are more attracted to some people than others or does it just seem that way? Female mosquitoes can put a damper on any outdoor event when they start to snack on those present. (Note: only the females drink your blood; they don’t need it for their own nourishment, but for certain nutrients […]

The Difference Between “Regular”, Virgin and Extra Virgin Olive Oils

April 25, 2016 Melissa

Karl W. asks: What’s the difference between regular olive oil and virgin? Generally speaking, olive oils fall into one of two broad categories: refined and unrefined, with virgin and extra virgin fitting in the latter category, and pure and light olive oils in the former. Olives used to make the two virgin, unrefined oils aren’t treated with heat or chemicals, […]

Weekly Wrap Volume 96

April 22, 2016 Dusti

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Traditions of Going to Space Although you’d expect people tasked with going to space to be a fairly rational lot, astronauts and cosmonauts are noted as being an exceptionally superstitious group, many of whom conform to a number of seemingly […]

Dustbin of History: The Fascinating Saga of the Comstock Lode

April 21, 2016 Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Practically everybody has daydreamed about prospecting for gold and striking it rich. But what happens after the big strike? Here’s the amazing tale of one of the biggest bonanzas in U.S. history. KILLING TIME In January 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, California, sparking the Gold Rush that brought […]

Peanuts, Peeing on the Side of a Bus, and Planting Trees- The Traditions of Going to Space

April 21, 2016 Karl Smallwood

Although you’d expect people tasked with going to space to be a fairly rational lot, astronauts and cosmonauts are noted as being an exceptionally superstitious group, many of whom conform to a number of seemingly arbitrary and often unusual rituals before each flight. While there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for most, if not all, of these traditions and customs, […]

Why are Boxing Rings Called Rings When They Are Square?

April 20, 2016 Samantha

Matt H. asks: Why are boxing rings called that when they are actually square? The earliest known instances of fist fighting as a type of sport date back to around 4000 – 3000 BC, but these historical fights don’t resemble the boxing we know today. They seem to have leaned more toward the “anything goes” method of unarmed fighting. The […]

Why are Crazy People Called “Mad as a Hatter”?

April 19, 2016 Karl Smallwood

Baki J asks: Why are people who are doing something crazy called mad as a hatter? Although the phrase “mad as a hatter” is, and will likely long be, associated with Charles Dodgson’s (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll’s) 1865 novel, Alice in Wonderland, contrary to popular belief, Carroll neither coined the phrase nor did he use it in his works. (The Hatter […]

That Time the Nazis Nearly Completed a Super-Cannon Capable of Hitting London from France

April 18, 2016 Karl Smallwood

WW2 saw the nations of the world investing massive amounts of manpower and money into the development of better ways to extinguish life in hopes of turning the tide of the war in their respective favors, sometimes including coming up with outlandish contraptions like (surprisingly effective) bat bombs and pigeon guided missiles, anti-tank dogs, flying jeeps and tanks, suicide torpedoes, […]

Why are Bibles Printed With the Text in Two Columns Instead of One?

April 18, 2016 Samantha

Louis R. asks: Why do they always print bibles with two columns on the pages instead of like a normal book? The practice of using two columns with compact texts dates back to at least the fifteenth century, which in turn was just a continuation of an older tradition of narrow columns in horizontally opened scrolls. Both the Gutenberg Bible […]

Weekly Wrap Volume 95

April 16, 2016 Daven Hiskey

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. What is the Hottest Temperature Possible? The idea of absolute hot springs from its better-known cousin, absolute zero, which, as you may recall, is 0 K, -273.15° C or -459.67° F. And although abridged definitions of the lowest temperature will frequently state […]

John Lennon and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Lawsuit

April 16, 2016 Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader In the Beatles song “Come Together,” John Lennon included a lyric that referenced a Chuck Berry song, an act intended as a tribute to one of the founding fathers of rock ’n’ roll. Instead, it got Lennon embroiled in a years-long legal battle with one of the most colorful—and nefarious—characters […]

Two-Headed Dogs and Human Head Transplants

April 13, 2016 Karl Smallwood

Medical science has advanced an astounding amount in the last 50 years or so and we can do things today that a half a century ago even in that era’s science fiction would have been considered science fiction. By the same token though, there were things done in the 1950s and 1960s that people today are still skeptical actually happened, […]

The Origins of Mother’s Day and Its Inventor’s Campaign to Put a Stop to It

April 12, 2016 Matt Blitz

Today, Mother’s Day is a holiday of joy, brunches, gifts, flowers and phone calls. In fact, phone traffic spikes more on Mother’s Day than any other holiday. This annual celebration of moms everywhere was first officially established in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation, which read that this is the day we “[publicly express] our love and […]

« 1 … 62 63 64 65 66 … 186 »