{"id":26034,"date":"2013-09-21T00:00:42","date_gmt":"2013-09-21T07:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=26034"},"modified":"2013-09-20T17:26:04","modified_gmt":"2013-09-21T00:26:04","slug":"weekly-wrap-volume-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2013\/09\/weekly-wrap-volume-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Wrap Volume 5"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here<\/a>.<\/div>\n

\"cigar\"<\/a>Where the Phrase “Close But No Cigar” Came From<\/a><\/p>\n

This popular idiom, which means \u201cto fall short of a successful outcome\u201d or \u201cclose call,\u201d was first coined in the United States in the late 19th or early 20th century. While it can\u2019t be proven definitively, it\u2019s likely that the phrase originated at fairgrounds around this time. Much like fairs today, booths would be set up and fair workers would host overpriced, nearly-impossible-to-win games for… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"last-will-and-testament\"<\/a>What Happened to Howard Hughes’ Money When He Died<\/a><\/p>\n

Over his lifetime, Howard Hughes\u2019 wallet became one of the fattest of his time. It isn\u2019t known exactly how much he was worth at the time of his death, but ten years before he died, he was forced to sell his shares in the airline company TWA. The payout? $546 million (about $3.8 billion today), estimated by some to have been about 1\/3 of his net worth.\u00a0 When he died, there was one major problem: Hughes had no direct descendants or immediate family, and he didn\u2019t leave behind a will. (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"hedy-lamarr\"<\/a>How One of the Most Beautiful Women in 1940s’ Hollywood Helped Make Certain Wireless Technologies Possible<\/a><\/p>\n

Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, better known as \u201cHedy Lamarr\u201d, once really did patent a \u201cSecret Communication System\u201d for radio communication, meant to foil the Axis during WWII. It was specifically designed to be used as a remote control system to securely guide torpedoes while getting around the problem of jamming.\u00a0 Her idea at its core was really part of the larger concept of \u201cfrequency-hopping\u201d, with her device developed with composer George Antheil… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"ship2\"<\/a>Ferdinand Megellan was Not the First Person to Circumnavigate the Globe<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that Magellan intended to have a successful journey when his expedition set off from Spain on September 20, 1519. He had planned for the departure meticulously, hoping to prove that people could sail all the way around the world, and to be the first to do it. His ambition was spurred on by the adventures of previous explorers, such as Christopher Columbus and Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the man who marched across the Panamanian isthmus to the Pacific Ocean. There was little doubt in Magellan\u2019s mind that it could be done. Five ships left Spain towards this goal, but only three made it to the Pacific Ocean… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"cop-donut\"<\/a>How the “Cops Eating Donuts” Stereotype Started<\/a><\/p>\n

Members of law enforcement stuffing their faces full of donuts is one of the most enduring stereotypes about the boys and girls in blue. In virtually every media representation of the police that isn\u2019t deadly serious, the stereotype is played out in some way- Police Academy<\/em>, The Simpsons<\/em>, Family Guy<\/em>, hell, in Wreck-it Ralph<\/em> the police officers are literally sentient donuts. So where and when did this stereotype start? As to the \u201cwhen\u201d, that isn\u2019t clear. However, I was able to find one person who said his grandfather,… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Bonus<\/span> Quick Facts:<\/p>\n