{"id":32115,"date":"2014-04-26T00:00:39","date_gmt":"2014-04-26T07:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=32115"},"modified":"2014-04-25T23:47:06","modified_gmt":"2014-04-26T06:47:06","slug":"weekly-wrap-volume-36","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2014\/04\/weekly-wrap-volume-36\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Wrap Volume 36"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here<\/a>.<\/div>\n

\"colonel<\/a>Was Colonel Sanders Actually a Colonel?<\/a><\/p>\n

Kentucky Colonel is the highest honor that can be bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. (Incidentally, if you\u2019re curious: Why Colonel is Pronounced \u201cKernel\u201d<\/a>) To be named a \u201cColonel\u201d is to be recognized for \u201coutstanding service to community, state, and nation.\u201d The sitting governor of Kentucky, or the Secretary of State of Kentucky, are the only ones who can bestow such an honor onto an individual. These colonels are \u201cKentucky\u2019s ambassadors of goodwill and fellowship around the world\u201d and are \u201cpeople from all walks of life.\u201d Luminaries such as Muhammad Ali<\/a>, Jim Beam, Fred Astaire, Betty White, and Winston Churchill are among the eclectic mix of people who have been named a Kentucky Colonel. But there was one person who took the honor of \u201cColonel,\u201d something he was actually awarded twice, and made it… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"letters\"<\/a>What Makes a Vowel a Vowel and a Consonant a Consonant<\/a><\/p>\n

You already know that vowels in the English alphabet are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y, while the rest of the letters are called consonants. But did you ever ask yourself why the letters were divided into two separate groups? Basically, a vowel is a sound that is made with the mouth and throat not closing at any point. In contrast, a consonant is a sound that is made with the air stopping once or more during the vocalization. That means that at some point, the sound is stopped by your teeth, tongue, lips, or constriction of the vocal cords. The difference explains why… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"onions\"<\/a>Vincent Kosuga and His Onions<\/a><\/p>\n

Remember that scene in the movie Trading Places<\/em><\/a> where Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd bankrupted those two old rich guys by cornering the frozen orange juice market? It turns out that a guy actually once did make many millions of dollars by doing pretty much exactly as they did in the movie, only instead of orange juice, he bought onions\u2026 millions upon millions of onions. Besides getting filthy rich in his clever little scheme, he inspired the Onion Futures Act<\/em>, which banned selling onion futures in the United States.\u00a0 Prior to his stint on the commodities market as the king of onions, Vincent Kosuga was an unimposing, 5 ft 4 inch tall onion farmer who had turned an unwanted 5000 acre patch… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"wbBandaid-Finger\"<\/a>Why Paper Cuts Hurt So Much<\/a><\/p>\n

The generally accepted reason paper cuts are so painful primarily lies in the fact that you usually get them on your fingers, particularly your fingertips.\u00a0 Fingertips and hands have significantly more nociceptors (nerve fibers) per square millimeter than most of the rest of your body, such as your legs, arms, stomach area, etc.\u00a0 This ends up making cuts on your fingertips feel significantly more painful than cuts elsewhere, even when they are produced by paper or similar objects. So that\u2019s fine for the reason why paper cuts hurt so much more than other cuts on the rest of the body, but why do paper cuts seem to hurt more than other types of cuts on the hand?\u00a0 This is thought to be… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"frozen-bee\"<\/a>Where Do Insects Go in Winter?<\/a><\/p>\n

As cold-blooded creatures, insects are particularly susceptible to winter\u2019s freezing temperatures. To survive, this class of animals has developed a wide variety of adaptations, including long migrations, creating their own anti-freeze and even purposely freezing portions of their bodies. Migration: Perhaps the best-known migratory insect is the Monarch Butterfly. Each fall, between August and October, this insect packs up (not really) and heads south. Those who summer east of the Rocky Mountains spend the winter in Mexico, while those who summer west of the Rockies winter in California. Unlike most… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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