Mark C. asks: Why does drinking coffee almost always make me have to poop? As any barista beginning their 5am shift will tell you, a morning cup of coffee is essential for a chipper attitude and a healthy psyche! The dilemma some have is that right after you indulge- it hits you. The #2 train is about to arrive and […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Why Engines are Often Measured in Horsepower We owe this unit of engine power measurement to Scottish engineer James Watt. In the early 1780s, after making a vastly superior steam engine to the then classic Newcomen steam engine, Watt was looking […]
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Derek H. asks: Why does extreme lowering of body temperature sometimes help people survive when they’re otherwise dead for extended periods? We’ve all probably heard of a person being pulled from cold water after a seemingly unrevivable timeframe. Miraculously, they survive and more or less make full recoveries. A 7-year-old girl named Stella Berndtsson from Sweden currently holds the record […]
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The KV-1 and KV-2 are recognised as being amongst the most heavily armoured tanks deployed during WW2. At least initially largely impervious to anything less than a direct, point-blank hit from a dedicated anti-tank weapon, the KV series was so formidable that the first time the Wehrmacht encountered them, Soviet soldiers destroyed dozens of anti-tank guns by simply driving towards […]
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The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Auto companies are a lot like automobiles. Some seem to run forever; others never ran very well in the first place. Here’s a look at a stylish carmaker that was beloved by its fans…but still ended up in a ditch. FLIGHT PLAN In the years leading up to World War […]
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In this week’s “best of” our YouTube channel, we look at the way hair grows, the origin of the Male and Female symbols, plus, why January 1st is the New Year in many parts of the world, whether NASA really spent millions developing a pen and much more. Click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for many more videos […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Polish Schindlers You’ve probably heard of Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. Here’s a story you probably haven’t heard—about two men who pulled off a similar miracle in Poland. Dr. Eugene […]
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Jess M. asks: Where did the zika virus originally come from? The Zika virus was first discovered in 1947 in a Sentinel Rhesus monkey in Uganda. It was later shown to reside in mosquitoes in 1948, with the first human infections documented in 1952. Zika belongs to a class of viruses known as Arboviruses, which are essentially any virus transmitted […]
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Jeremy A. asks: Why is stress bad for you? Shouldn’t we have evolved to not get stressed given it’s harmful? Stress, in general, comes in a few different forms- acute, episodic, and chronic. Acute stress can be very beneficial to you. Have you ever come face to face with a rabid puma? If so, the ability of your body to […]
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Simon H. asks: What civilization made the rock walls in Rockwall Texas? Manmade or a natural feature, the miles of seemingly neatly stacked, often-buried stone that sometimes reach 40 feet in height and transverse above and below the ground of Rockwall County, Texas are intriguing. Unfortunately for those who love to read up on ancient civilizations, on the whole the […]
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James M. asks: Why does putting a car battery on cement cause it to drain when the casing is made of plastic? Shouldn’t that insulate it? Contrary to very popular belief (even touted by many a mechanic), today’s car batteries with their hard plastic shells will not discharge or otherwise be damaged when placed on a concrete floor. (The other […]
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The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader You’ve probably heard of Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. Here’s a story you probably haven’t heard—about two men who pulled off a similar miracle in Poland. OCCUPATION Dr. Eugene Lazowski was a young Red Cross physician living in the village […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. How Many Words for Snow do Eskimos Really Have It’s impossible to say precisely how many words for snow certain native peoples of the far north have. Why? To begin with, we are talking about a group of related languages, not […]
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Jessi K. asks: Joking aside, is it possible to be literally allergic to exercise? Most couch-potatoes have probably at some point in their lives said, “I can’t run a mile without feeling like I’m going to die!” They might also sarcastically proclaim they must be allergic to exercise. And, amazingly enough, it turns out there is a rare disorder in […]
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The M247 Sergeant York was officially designated as a “self-propelled anti-aircraft gun” but was for all intents and purposes a tank chassis with anti-aircraft guns attached to the top. The vehicle was named for one Alvin York, a famous and highly decorated WW1 hero who captured over 100 German soldiers pretty much single handedly. Unfortunately for the U.S. tax payers […]
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Travis P. asks: Is it true that Eskimos have dozens of words for snow? It’s impossible to say precisely how many words for snow certain native peoples of the far north have. Why? To begin with, we are talking about a group of related languages, not just one, and even within these languages there are variations from specific region to […]
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In this week’s “best of” our YouTube channel, we answer a variety of questions including why does your stomach growl when you are hungry, why a drawn heart doesn’t look like a real one, why lead was added to gasoline and much more. Click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for many more videos like this. Why Does Your […]
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The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader SHOCK WAVE In September 1949, a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane flying over the North Pacific from Japan to Alaska detected levels of radioactivity in the atmosphere at least 20 times above normal. Other planes in the Pacific reported similar observations in the days that followed; elevated radiation levels were […]
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