{"id":30136,"date":"2014-02-15T00:00:55","date_gmt":"2014-02-15T08:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=30136"},"modified":"2014-02-15T00:13:36","modified_gmt":"2014-02-15T08:13:36","slug":"weekly-wrap-volume-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2014\/02\/weekly-wrap-volume-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Wrap Volume 26"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here<\/a>.<\/div>\n

\"Tulips-340x230\"<\/a>When a Tulip Cost More than a House<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite how it sounds, \u201cTulipmania\u201d does not refer to just a general love of tulips; it was actually one the world\u2019s first recorded major financial bubbles. Long before the dot com frenzy or the real estate bubbles of recent decades, there was Tulipmania in the Netherlands beginning around 1624 and reaching its peak from 1636 to 1637. While the extent of the mania, in terms of how widespread it was, is still largely debated, as is what all the elements involved were that caused it- nevertheless, for a brief time, Tulip prices in the Netherlands rose to ridiculous levels, with one flower costing more than the annual income… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"blueprints2\"<\/a>Why Blueprints are Blue<\/a><\/p>\n

Making copies of architectural drawings hasn\u2019t always been the easiest thing in the world to do. For the majority of human history, the most economical solution was simply to have someone make a tracing of the original plans. In the mid-nineteenth century, the process abruptly became much quicker and easier thanks to famed polymath Sir John Herschel. In 1842, Herschel invented a method to easily copy drawings using potassium ferrocyanide and ammonium iron citrate. The exact method, called cyanotype, is performed as follows. First, you take a drawing of the plans done on relatively translucent tracing paper or cloth and place it on top of and attach it to paper… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"monuments-ment3\"<\/a>The Real Monuments Men<\/a><\/p>\n

War is ugly. Especially in contrast to the beauty of centuries-old European art. That was the very the reason that the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program was established in 1943, to protect fine works of art in every form from the horribleness of World War II. The men and women who were part of this program and assigned to the task of preserving, restoring, finding, and returning these priceless works of art became known as \u201cThe Monument Men.\u201d By 1943, Europe was in the throes of perhaps the most destructive war of all time… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"Henry-VIII\"<\/a>The Wives of King Henry VIII, Part One<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDivorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived,\u201d as the old rhyme goes. King Henry VIII is known for having a huge number of wives and getting rid of nearly all of them in some way or another. As most people know, he was desperate for a son and like most people during that time period believed that the woman in question was the determining factor for the particular gender of any babies. Wife #1: Catherine of Aragon: Henry\u2019s first and longest marriage was to Catherine of Aragon. Catherine… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"heart2\"<\/a>The Surprising Truth About Cousins and Marriage<\/a><\/p>\n

In modern western society, marrying your cousin is not well accepted, particularly in the United States. Through a combination of old prejudices and present-day conventional wisdom about inherited birth defects, first cousin marriage is seen by many as a little too close for comfort, as well as a bad idea if you want children. However, first cousin marriage is far more common, and far less dangerous, than many of us have been led to believe, as… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Bonus<\/span> President’s Day Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n