Today I found out that there is a type of duck that sometimes lassos potential mates with its penis to prevent them from getting away. Most male birds do not have penises. They typically copulate by briefly touching genital openings with a female, called a “cloacal kiss”. However, most ducks do have penises. The theory behind why this is the […]
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Myth: Aerosol sprays damage the Earth’s ozone layer. This misconception stems primarily from the fact that, originally, aerosol cans used chlorofluorocarbons as a propellant. Chlorofluorocarbons were also used commonly in refrigerators, air conditioners, and for many industrial applications. Chlorofluorocarbons were particularly popular because they are non-flammable, non-toxic, and non-reactive to most compounds. However, after scientists began to observe that the […]
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Today I found out that all 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 positions of a standard Rubik’s Cube can be solved in 20 moves or less. Anyone who is serious about solving a Rubik’s Cube uses some sort of algorithm, or sequence of steps to help them solve the puzzle. There are many different algorithms, varying in complexity and number of moves required, but those that […]
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Today I found out Jimmy Stewart was a two star general in the United States military. In 1940, Jimmy Stewart was drafted into the United States Army, but ended up being rejected due to being five pounds under the required weight, given his height (at the time he weighed 143 pounds). Not to be dissuaded, Stewart then sought out the help […]
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Today I found out how a Jake Brake works (also known as “Jacobs Engine Brake” or “compression release brake”). For those who don’t know, a “Jake Brake” is what makes that machine-gun like noise that you might hear from semi-trucks when they head down long steep hills. A normal gas motor uses the air flow from the intake manifold to […]
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Today I found out Randy and Sharon Marsh and Gerald and Shelia Broflovsky were named after Trey Parker’s and Matt Stone’s parents respectively. Trey Parker’s dad’s name is Randy Parker and, like Randy Marsh, he’s a geologist. Sharon Parker is an insurance broker, unlike Sharon Marsh, who is a receptionist at Tom’s Rhinoplasty. In addition to that, Shelley Marsh on […]
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Myth: Helen Keller was born blind and deaf. In fact, Helen Keller was born able to see and hear just fine and continued to be able to do so until she was about one and a half years old. At that time, she became sick with some type of illness. What that particular illness was isn’t entirely known. However, it […]
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Today I found out the first woman to cast a vote in Chicago did so with her feet. The woman was Kittie Smith. Smith lost her arms as a child, after having both her arms and hands burned badly on a kitchen stove. It is unclear exactly how her arms came to be burned so badly so that they needed […]
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##EMBED## Before her teacher first came to her, Helen Keller, in her autobiography, stated “My dreams have strangely changed during the past twelve years. Before and after my teacher first came to me, they were devoid of sound, of thought or emotion of any kind, except fear, and only came in the form of sensations. I would often dream that […]
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##EMBED## Honey Bees do usually die when stinging humans, but not when stinging many other things. The reason being that the barbs in the stinger get caught in our flesh and rip off the stinger and some of the bee’s insides attached to it, spelling certain doom for the bee. However, while stinging insects and many other things, this is […]
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Today I found out how to read an EKG. While some people might say that kind of skill should require 13 years of preparatory school, four years of college, four years of medical school and a specialty in cardiac electrophysiology, I say…Pshaw! It’s not rocket science! If it were, there would be more combustion and potential for speedy projectiles gone […]
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##EMBED## Pumpkin carving being associated with Halloween comes from a method used by the Celts to ward off evil spirits during Samuin (a festival where many of the traditions of Halloween come from). The Celts would hollow out turnips, then carve faces in them and place candles inside. The turnips were then either placed in the windows, to keep evil […]
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##EMBED## Keanu Reeves donated about 75 million dollars from his Matrix earnings to the costume and special effects teams who worked on the films. Sources and More Interesting Keanu Reeves Facts
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##EMBED## In Harry Potter, Ron’s patronus is a jack russel terrier, known for chasing otters; Hermione’s patronous is an otter. The otter was chosen for Hermione because it is part of the weasel family. Harry Potter
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##EMBED## The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair not only made Dr Pepper a national hit, but also was responsible for hamburgers, hot dog buns, and ice cream cones becoming national favorites. Sources and other Interesting Dr. Pepper Facts
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##EMBED## The name “dolphin” comes from the ancient Greek “delphis”, which means more or less “fish with a womb”. Sources and More Interesting Dolphin Facts
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Embed This Infographic Source: Today I found out 1) Pre-Sliced Bread was Once Banned in the United States In 1943, Claude R. Wickard, the head of the War Foods Administration as well as the Secretary of Agriculture, got the bright idea to ban pre-sliced bread in America, which he did on January 18, 1943. The specific reasons behind this aren’t […]
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Today I found out there once was a man was hit on the head by a falling baby… twice! According to Time Magazine (Miscellany, Oct. 17, 1938), the year of the first event was 1937. Joseph Figlock, a local street sweeper in Detroit, Michigan, was walking down the road when a baby fell from a 4th story window. The baby […]
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