8 Animal Myths Dispelled
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January 5th: Alexandre Dumas Fights in His First Duel, During Which His Pants Fall Down
This Day In History: January 5, 1825 On this day in history, 1825, on a bitter cold day, a young Alexandre Dumas, soon to be famed playwright and novelist and current son of Thomas-Alaxandre who was once one of Napoleon’s generals, fights in his first duel. During the duel, Dumas successfully defeated his opponent almost immediately, but, according to his […]
Read moreTwo Men Murdered 15 People Over the Course of a Year in Order to Sell the Bodies as Cadavers for College Students to Dissect
Today I found out about William Burke and William Hare: two men who murdered 15 people (though sold 16 bodies overall) over the course of a year to make extra money, selling the bodies as cadavers for university students to dissect. These murders took place starting in November of 1827 to October of 1828. At the time, it was very […]
Read moreJanuary 4th: Fender Guitar Company, Which Was Started By an Out of Work Accountant Who Never Learned to Play the Guitar, was Sold to CBS for $13 Million
This Day In History: January 4, 1965 On this day in history, 1965, CBS purchased the Fender Guitar Company for $13 million from Leo Fender. For reference, this would be around $90 million today. This was also close to $2 million more than CBS paid for the New York Yankees just two years before. After CBS continually reduced the quality […]
Read moreTop Today I Found Out Posts of 2011
Today I found out was started two years ago on January 1st, 2010. The first year the site was viewed by over four million people worldwide with the best month of the year coming in December, receiving over 1.3 million page views from over 800,000 visitors. At that point, there were about 270 articles on Today I Found Out. This […]
Read moreLast Chance to Vote in the “Best Site of 2011” Contest
Voting for the AllMyFaves “Best Site of 2011” contest ends at midnight tonight (12/31). Today I Found Out is currently in second place under Education just 45 votes behind the leader. It’s also currently in fourth place overall among all the categories (out of 100 sites nominated by AllMyFaves). If you haven’t voted yet, you can vote for any of […]
Read more10 More Common Misconceptions Dispelled
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Read moreWhere the Brand Name “Kodak” Came From
The name “Kodak” was devised by George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak, and his mother, while playing with an anagram set. They were looking for a name that adhered to three principles: short; cannot be mispronounced; and should not resemble anything or be associated with anything else except for the business that would eventually be called by that name. Sources
Read moreDecember 29th: U.S. Cavalry Massacre More than 150 Lakota Native Americans, Including Women and Children, Near Wounded Knee Creek
This Day In History: December 29, 1890 On this day in history, 1890, the Seventh Cavalry opened fire on a Lakota Native American encampment with four rapid fire Hotchkiss guns, killing 150-300 of the group, including women and children. Along with the dead Lakota, around 25 of the cavalry troops themselves were killed with another 39 wounded, largely due to […]
Read moreEric Clapton’s Son Died Running Out of a 53rd Story Full-Wall Window a Janitor Had Removed to Let in Fresh Air
Clapton’s son, Conor, who he had with model and actress Lori del Santo while still married to Patti Boyd, died at the age of four years old after falling from a window in del Santo’s 53rd floor, New York City apartment. The window was a full wall window that had been removed by a janitor to let fresh air in […]
Read moreThe Truth Behind 5 Old Wives’ Tales
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Read moreSuper Glue Really is Super
Super Glue really is “super”. A one square inch bonding of Super Glue can hold around one ton. Super Glue has even been used to bond a small surface area of metal attached to a crane, which was then glued to the top of a car. The car was lifted successfully by the crane without the bond breaking. Sources and […]
Read moreKoalas Are Not a Type of Bear
Koala “bears” aren’t a type of bear at all, as it turns out, and their non-scientific name doesn’t include “bear” on the end, as is commonly spoken outside of Australia by the English speaking world. They are simply “Koalas”. So if they aren’t a member of the family Ursidae (bears), what are they? In fact, they are marsupials, along with […]
Read moreHammerhead Sharks can Reproduce Asexually
The first documented case of a hammerhead shark reproducing asexually happened on December 14, 2001 at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska where a female hammerhead shark, which was kept in isolation from males, miraculously gave birth to a pup. The pup was unfortunately killed by a stingray shortly thereafter, but testing showed that the pup was, in fact, a […]
Read moreIt’s a Wonderful Life was Based on a “Christmas Card” Short Story by Philip Van Doren Stern
Today I found out It’s a Wonderful Life was based on a “Christmas Card” short story by Philip Van Doren Stern, which was originally sent out to around 200 of Stern’s friends and family in December of 1943. The short story was called The Greatest Gift and was inspired by a dream Stern had one night in the 1930s. Stern, […]
Read moreDecember 23rd: The Poem “The Night Before Christmas” was Published Anonymously
This Day In History: December 23, 1823 On this day in history, 1823, the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, better known today as The Night Before Christmas or ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas was first published. The poem first appeared in the New York Sentinel with no author listed, having been delivered for publication by a friend of Clement […]
Read moreEeyore’s Name is Based on the British Cockney Dialect Version of the Phrase “Hee-Haw”
Eeyore’s name is based off the British Cockney dialect version of the phrase “hee-haw”. Interestingly, the guy who did the voice for Optimus Prime also did the voice for Eeyore and was the first person to voice Nintendo’s Mario character. *the more you know* Sources and Further Reading
Read moreHow Theodore Geisel Came Up with the Pen Name “Dr. Seuss”
The “Dr.” in “Dr. Seuss” was in homage to Theodore Geisel’s father’s hope that his son would get his PhD. Geisel instead dropped out of the PhD program at Oxford where he was pursuing a PhD in English. “Seuss” was his mother’s maiden name as well as his own middle name. Interestingly, he did eventually receive several honorary doctorates, more […]
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