Author Archives: Noreen

Franklin Roosevelt Was the First U.S Presidents to Start Using an Armored Vehicle For Transportation, Al Capone’s Cadillac

Text Version: Franklin Roosevelt was the first President to have an armored car.  But why he would need one, and where he got it, might surprise you.  In 1941, the secret service found themselves in a bit of a jam.  The Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor and President Roosevelt needed a ride to address both houses of congress.  Normally, they would’ve […]

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1/6th of the Time Spent Filming Alfred Hitchcock’s Movie Psycho was Spent Shooting the Shower Scene

Text Version: In Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Psycho, the shower scene was made up from 90 different shots using 70 different camera angles. The entire movie only took six weeks to shoot, however, that one shower scene took just over 1 week to complete.  It was believed that Hitchcock used cold water in the shower to make Janet Leigh scream seem more […]

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This Day In History: November 6

On this day in history, November 6th… 1572 : Wolfgang Schüler observed a Supernova (i.e, a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, caused by a star exploding) in the constellation ‘Cassiopeia’. Although it’s hard to say if the astronomer Schüler was actually the first to observe this phenomenon, dubbed one of the most important events in astronomy, he published Stella Nova (Latin: […]

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The Russian Olympic Team Arrived 12 Days Late to The 1908 London Olympics Because They Hadn’t Updated to Using the Gregorian Calendar

Text Version: In the 1500’s most Roman Catholic countries & Scotland adopted the Gregorian Calendar (established by Pope Gregory XIII to compensate for the errors in time that had built up over centuries) over the Julian Calendar (introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC) . A lot of protestant countries however, ignored this new calendar for another 200 or so […]

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Where The Term ‘Skid Row’ Came From

Text Version: The term “Skid Road” or “Skid Row”, a slang term for a run-down or dilapidated urban area,  was an actual road in Seattle, Washington during the late 1800’s.  The real name of the road was Yesler Way (now better known as Pioneer Square),  and it was the main street along which logs were transported.  It soon became a […]

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Chewing on The Bark of White Willow Tree Alleviates Fever and Pain

Text Version: Before aspirin was introduced, people would chew on the bark of the white willow tree to reduce fever and inflammation. White willow contains salicin, a chemical similar to acetylsalicylic acid  found in today’s aspirin. In fact, in the early 1800s salicin was used to make Aspirin. The tree has anti-inflammatory effects and although it may be slower acting, the effects […]

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