{"id":28915,"date":"2014-01-04T00:00:38","date_gmt":"2014-01-04T08:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=28915"},"modified":"2014-01-03T20:52:10","modified_gmt":"2014-01-04T04:52:10","slug":"weekly-wrap-volume-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2014\/01\/weekly-wrap-volume-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Wrap Volume 20"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here<\/a>.<\/div>\n

\"guy-lombardo2\"<\/a>Why We Sing \u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d on New Year\u2019s Eve<\/a><\/p>\n

This tradition is mostly thanks to Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadian Band. While their work is largely unknown to those born in the last few decades, the band has sold over 300 million records to date. Guy Lombardo himself has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and he was once the \u201cDick Clark\u201d of New Years before Clark and his \u201cNew Year\u2019s Rockin\u2019 Eve,\u201d attempting to appeal to younger audiences, started supplanting \u201cMr. New Year\u2019s Eve,\u201d Guy Lombardo.\u00a0 It was in 1929 that Guy Lombardo and his band took the stage at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City on New Year\u2019s Eve. Thei… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"eye2\"<\/a>How the 20\/20 Vision Scale Works<\/a><\/p>\n

With more than 150 million people in the United States (nearly half of the population) requiring some form of corrective eyewear to compensate for visual impairment, chances are you have had your eyesight graded on the 20\/20 scale before. If you haven\u2019t, you have probably heard other people saying they have \u201c20\/20 vision\u201d or even the phrase \u201chindsight is 20\/20.\u201d The vision scale is so prevalent in American culture that there\u2019s even a TV news show named after it.\u00a0 So imagine my surprise when I was told during my first Australian eye exam… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"pillars\"<\/a>The Man Who Accurately Estimated the Circumference of the Earth Over 2,000 Years Ago<\/a><\/p>\n

Born around 276 B.C. in Cyrene, Libya, Eratosthenes soon became one of the most famous mathematicians of his time. He is best known for making the first recorded measurement of the Earth\u2019s circumference, which was also remarkably accurate.\u00a0 (And, yes, people at that point had known for some time that the world wasn\u2019t flat, contrary to popular belief<\/a>.)\u00a0 Eratosthenes was able to accomplish this in part because of his education in Athens. There, he became known for his achievements in many different fields, including poetry, astronomy, and scientific writing. His activities became so talked about, in fact, that Ptolemy III of Egypt decided to invite him to Alexandria to tutor his son. Later, he would become the head librarian of the Library of Alexandria. The mathematician… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"hot-dog\"<\/a>The Business That Would Evolve Into Taco Bell Started Out Selling Hot Dogs<\/a><\/p>\n

In 1946, Glen Bell left the Marine Corps at the age of 23. Like many of his comrades, he was looking forward to post-war activities and settling into a career when he returned home. Luckily for him, the fast food business was booming, and Bell had an idea: a hot dog stand.\u00a0 It was called Bell\u2019s Drive-In, and it was set up in San Bernadino, an agricultural town in California. Bell didn\u2019t know the first thing about running a hot dog stand, but that didn\u2019t matter; he learned as he went along. The first stand did well and when… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"oil-spill\"<\/a>How Does Organic Matter Become Fossil Fuels?<\/a><\/p>\n

Three hundred million years ago (or so), about the time amphibians first emerged from primordial seas, enormous, lush swamps filled with large trees, ferns and other leafy plants thrived along the coasts of the ancient ocean, which itself was filled with algae and billions of microorganisms. Plants and algae breathe in carbon dioxide (CO2), and use sunlight and water to convert it into the carbon that makes up their tissues and food. As primeval plants, algae and creatures died… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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