This Day In History September 30, 1888 On September 30, 1888, Jack the Ripper emerged once again from the shadows of London’s East End to prey on his favorite target – female prostitutes. He out-did himself this time – two women, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes were brutally attacked and murdered within an hour in what became known as the […]
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This is yet another great article from our friends over at The Medicine Journal For those not familiar, Oil-Pulling is the act of filling your mouth with a tablespoon of food based oil and then you swish it around for 10-20 minutes before spitting it into the trash. While a quick online search will yield countless claims of a number […]
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This Day In History: September 29, 1758 On September 29, 1758, a sickly baby boy was born in Norfolk, England. Short of stature (he was 5’4″) with a slight build, he was frail and frequently ill his entire life. Although he spent a great deal of time at sea, he also suffered from seasickness. This hot mess was legendary English […]
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The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader The Abraham Lincoln bloodline shed its last drop in 1985. Or did it? ROOTS A year after Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith’s death in 1985, a 17-year-old boy appeared in court to accept a million-dollar settlement from the Lincoln estate. Beckwith was the last of the 16th president’s three great-grandchildren to […]
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If you happen to think killing two birds with one stone is a bit inefficient, or you have found your way into a zombie apocalypse, you might be interested in a special type of gun known as a “punt gun,” that used to be somewhat common among commercial waterfowl hunters. What’s so special about this gun? It is capable of […]
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This Day In History: September 28, 48 BCE On September 28, 48 BCE, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey the Great, was assassinated on the order of King Ptolemy XIII of Egypt, who in turn was trying to earn Brownie points with Caesar. Pompey was born in northern Italy in 106 BCE. He began his career in the Roman […]
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Darren S. asks: Why does standing in one place for a long time make my legs and feet sorer than walking the same amount of time? Working retail, waiting tables, standing in line at the amusement park or just shopping with mom, anyone who’s ever been stuck on their feet for a long time more or less standing still knows […]
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Few items of fictional clothing are more iconic and easily recognisable as the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. Thanks to a combination of human error, poor record keeping and a sticky fingered ne’er-do-well, these simple pieces of footwear are now considered one of the most valuable film props in history. Figuring […]
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This Day In History: September 24, 1971 September 24, 1971 was Neil LaFave’s 32nd birthday. When he didn’t return home from work at the Sensiba Wildlife Area in Brown County, Wisconsin, his wife was understandably worried. She called the police, and they initiated a search for the missing game warden. It was soon revealed that Neil was last seen posting […]
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Alli G. asks: Why do people today always start sentences with so? The word so has been in English pretty much as long as there has been English (derived from the Old English swæ). It is alternately an adverb (it’s so hot), a conjunction (eat your dinner so you can have dessert), an adjective (Jim is dead, isn’t that so?) […]
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In this video from our new YouTube channel (click here to subscribe), we take a look at who invented the now ubiquitous clothing item known as jeans, what the impetus for them was, and how they ended up becoming so popular throughout a good percentage of the world. To make sure you don’t miss out on many more videos like […]
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This Day In History: September 23, 1938 TIME CAPSULE OF CUPALOY, DEPOSITED ON THE SITE OF THE NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR ON SEPTEMBER 23,1938, BY THE WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY. IF ANYONE SHOULD COME UPON THIS CAPSULE BEFORE THE YEAR A. D. 6939 LET HIM NOT WANTONLY DISTURB IT, FOR TO DO SO WOULD BE TO DEPRIVE THE PEOPLE […]
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Mark R. asks: Why do we call people who scam other people out of something a con man? “Have you confidence in me to trust me with your watch until tomorrow?” With these 13 words politely expressed, as often as not William Thompson would acquire another watch. Of course, Thompson wasn’t even close to the first to run such a […]
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In this video from MinutePhysics, Henry Reich looks at how exactly bikes stay upright. The answer probably isn’t what you think. If you like TodayIFoundOut, odds are you’ll also greatly enjoy MinutePhysics. So go check it out and subscribe to MinutePhysics here. You can also join us in supporting Henry’s efforts to make more videos like this by donating via MinutePhysics’ […]
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This Day In History: September 22, 1761 “Born and educated in this country, I glory in the name of Britain” – George III George III, one of England’s most illustrious monarchs, was crowned King at the age of 22 on September 22, 1761. He ascended the throne almost a year earlier when his grandfather, George II, died (on the toilet […]
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How many of you science fiction buffs have fantasized about zipping around town in your very own flying car? Sure, a trip in a helicopter or airplane has now become the standard or even mundane mode of long distance travel, but imagine taking your very own flying machine on a trip across town, presumably with The Jetsons’ theme song blasting […]
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The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Start with a New Jersey businessman who has questionable ethics, add soybean oil, and let it stew in a broth of fraud and greed. Pretty soon you’ve got yourself a nice little scandal. YELLOW GOLD In the late 1940s, a combination of several factors led to an enormous increase in […]
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This Day In History: September 21, 1897 Arguably one of the most famous editorials ever written (still the record holder for the most reprinted English newspaper editorial of all time) was published on September 21, 1897 in the New York Sun. It didn’t address matters of importance in the city, in the country, or even in the world at large. […]
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