{"id":33276,"date":"2014-05-31T00:00:52","date_gmt":"2014-05-31T07:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=33276"},"modified":"2014-05-31T01:19:15","modified_gmt":"2014-05-31T08:19:15","slug":"weekly-wrap-volume-41","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2014\/05\/weekly-wrap-volume-41\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Wrap Volume 41"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here<\/a>.<\/div>\n

\"little-girl-in-rain-jacket\"<\/a>What Causes the Smell After Rain<\/a><\/p>\n

There are three primary sources of smells that commonly occur after rain. The first, the \u201cclean\u201d smell, in particular after a heavy thunderstorm, is caused by ozone.\u00a0 Ozone (scientifically known as trioxygen due to the fact that it is comprised of three oxygen atoms) is notably pungent and has a very sharp smell that is often described as similar to that of chlorine. Some people can smell ozone before the storm has even arrived. Before a thunderstorm rolls in, lightning can sometimes rip nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the environment to pieces. This can ultimate result in a… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"boing-767\"<\/a>That Time a Commercial Aircraft Ran Out of Fuel Mid-Flight- The Gimli Glider<\/a><\/p>\n

On July 23, 1983, in the small town of Gimli, Manitoba, Captain Robert Pearson and Co-Pilot Maurice Quintal expertly glided a 100-ton Boeing 767 carrying 69 people to a safe landing without engines, air brakes or flaps, and minimal control of the aircraft. Bad Math: The flight plan for Canada 143 that day began with a short jaunt from Montreal, Quebec to Ottawa, Ontario. Right from the beginning, the crew realized the plane had a faulty fuel control: \u201cA computer known as the Fuel Quantity Information System Process manages the entire fuel loading process. . . . But the FQIS was not working properly on Flight 143.\u201d With FQIS out-of-order, the ground maintenance crew had to calculate the amount of fuel needed, in a process called \u201cdipping the tanks”… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"phosphorous\"<\/a>How One Man\u2019s Attempt to Create the Philosopher\u2019s Stone Out of Human Urine Led to the First Element Discovered Since Ancient Times<\/a><\/p>\n

Phosphorus is an essential element for life. Forms of it are found in DNA, RNA, and all living cell membranes. It is the sixth most abundant element in any living organism. Phosphorus can also be highly poisonous and combustible (white phosphorus is used in many destructive weapons, such as napalm). It was also the first element discovered since ancient times. The person who made this discovery was Hennig Brand in 1669, who did so while he was playing around with large amounts of human urine. Brand was born in 1630 into relative modest means in Hamburg, Germany. Not much is known of his early life, but it is believed he was a junior army officer during the Thirty Years\u2019 War, likely right at the end of the war. After he left the army,\u00a0 he became an apprentice glass-maker. He married well, to a woman whose dowry was rather substantial. In fact, he married… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"statue-of-freedom-340x226\"<\/a>The Slave Who Helped Assemble the Famous \u201cFreedom Statue\u201d in Washington D.C.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Statue of Freedom sitting atop the dome of the U.S. Capitol building in Washing D.C. has more alternate names than the obscure half of the Wu Tang Clan. Over the years, the names attributed to it have ranged from things like \u201cFreedom Triumphant in War and Peace<\/em>\u201d to the far simpler, \u201cArmed Freedom<\/em>\u201c. However, the one, common thread is that the statue is supposed to represent the very spirit of freedom itself. Ironically enough, it was a slave who was integral in assembling it. Lady Freedom stands at just shy of 20 feet and weighs in excess of a scale shattering 15,000 pounds. She carries a sword, a shield and a… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"werewolf\"<\/a>A Brief Look at the Werewolf Through History<\/a><\/p>\n

Since ancient times, the fusion of man and wolf has been the stuff of legend and folklore (\u201cwer\u201d was the word for \u201cman\u201d in old English, with \u201cman\u201d being completely gender neutral<\/a>). Virtually every culture across the globe has its own werewolf mythology, with this beastly shape-shifter being one of the oldest monsters to terrorize humans. Werewolf legends span so far back that their existence almost certainly predates recorded history. It\u2019s a safe bet that werewolves have been freaking people out since our ancestors were huddled around puny campfires, in hopes of staving off the evil creatures that went bump in the night. In reality, wolves rarely attack humans, though this is partially a function of their greatly diminished population, and also… (more<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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