This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Who Invented the Emoticon? “Emoticons,” short for “emotive Icons,” (emotive meaning “appealing to or expression emotion” hence “icons that express emotions”) have been around in vertical form for some time. However, sideways emoticons seem to be a surprisingly recent invention, going […]
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In this week’s “best of” our YouTube channel, we discuss what causes the smell after rain, whether Nero really fiddled while Rome burned (and whether it really burned at all), when and why people started smiling in photographs, the fascinating origin of Scrabble, and how 911 became the emergency number in the United States. Click here to subscribe to our […]
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Jack Kirby was one of the principle minds and artists behind some of the best known comic characters in history, including, among many others, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, X-Men, and Captain America. Few people realise, though, that like his most patriotic creation, Kirby spent a good portion of WW2 fighting the Nazis as well, though never managing to duplicate […]
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This Day In History: August 28, 1968 “If you’re coming to Chicago, be sure to wear some armor in your hair.” – The Chicago Seed – alternative newspaper On August 28, 1968, growing opposition to the war in Vietnam came to a head inside and outside the International Amphitheatre in Chicago. The Democratic National Convention in 1968 was one of […]
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The Casino de Monte-Carlo is one of the most famous gambling establishments on Earth and as a result is often referenced in various forms of media. Perhaps the most well-known mention of the casino is the song, The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo. But who was this mysterious gambler and how exactly did he break the bank? […]
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This Day In History: August 27, 1990 Dallas, Texas, native Stevie Ray Vaughan grew up inspired to play guitar by his older brother Jimmie Vaughan (of the Fabulous Thunderbirds) and went the usual garage band route of most aspiring young musicians. He formed the band Double Trouble from the ashes of an earlier band in 1978, taking on both lead […]
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In this video from our new YouTube channel (click here to subscribe), we take a look at Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak’s first business together- making and selling “blue boxes” that allowed people to make completely free, illegal phone calls to anyone in the world. If you liked this video, you can find hundreds more like it on our YouTube […]
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Janet W. asks: Is it really possible to tip over a cow? For the uninitiated, cow tipping is a prank where a person sneaks up on a sleeping cow and pushes the animal over onto its side. Ask around and you can probably hear about a friend of a friend who successfully tipped a cow while out in the country late […]
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As you may know, Christianity is not the only religion to perform exorcisms. Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam all have their rituals related to exorcism. However Christian exorcisms, both Catholic and Protestant, tend to get the most press. Movies such as The Exorcist, The Rite, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose bring the process of a member of the clergy exorcising […]
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Mitchell asks: Why is home plate shaped different than other bases? Oftentimes the most exciting part of a baseball game is the competition between the pitcher and the batter. The pitcher stares down the batter as he adjusts his grip on the ball and prepares for the most perfect pitch his arm can throw; the batter returns the pitcher’s glare […]
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This Day In History: August 25, 1212 In certain regions of the world, the Middles Ages was a time of religious fervor, portents, visions and the unbridled zeal to abolish the Infidel by any means possible. All of these factors came together to inspire the Crusades – pilgrimages made by good Christian men to the Holy Land to free it […]
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Here’s your bar-trivia question of the day- What Beatles’ record did Kelly Clarkson break? Well, the whole strange little story begins with one of the Beatles’ greatest songs: “Can’t Buy Me Love”. In January of 1964, the Beatles were in Paris, staying at the five-star hotel, the famous “George V”. They were staying there during 18 days of concerts they […]
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The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Alas, life just isn’t fair. Consider the case of Edward Bulwer-Lytton, a successful 19th –century author who was forgotten by history, then rediscovered…but only so that readers could ridicule him for one really bad opening line. BAD TO THE BONE It’s a rare author who can generate a single sentence […]
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This Day In History: August 24, 1981 On August 24, 1981, Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20-years-to-life in prison for the murder of John Lennon. Chapman shot the legendary musician four times outside his New York City home, the Dakota, on December 8, 1980. After procuring an autograph from the ex-Beatle earlier in the day, pictured right, (“a very […]
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In 1968, a group of 31 highly trained North Korean special forces commandos culled from the country’s most elite and secretive unit, Unit 124, crossed the Korean DMZ with a singular mission- kill the South Korean leader, Park Chung Hee. The unit supposedly trained for 2 years prior to the mission, with their initial selection being conducted soon after what is […]
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This Day In History: August 21, 1831 Nat Turner was born a slave on October 2, 1800 in Southampton County Virginia. He was deeply devotedly to his Christian faith and believed God spoke to him through visions and signs. One sign compelled him to return to his master after an escape attempt, another inspired the insurrection that would leave hundreds […]
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While David Belle is unquestionably known as the original innovator and spiritual figurehead of parkour, the discipline’s origins can be traced directly back to his father, Raymond, and his time as a child in Vietnam. Though details surrounding Raymond’s early life are rather hazy, it’s generally accepted that he was separated from his parents during the First Indochina War and taken in […]
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In this video from the crew at SciShow, they discuss a variety of chemicals found in just about every food you eat and explain the way these chemicals are typically mass produced and why they are added to our foods. If you like this video, be sure and subscribe to their channel here. You can also join us in supporting […]
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