Leotards, the skin-tight garments that cover the torso and (sometimes) arms, leaving the legs free are a common sight in everything from little girls’ dance recitals, gymnastics, and figure skating to the Olympics. Favoured by those who participate in active pursuits for the flexibility that they offer, leotards were made popular by Frenchman Jules Leotard. Born in 1842, Leotard is […]
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In March 1937, several days before Palm Sunday, Puerto Rican Nationalists in the city of Ponce obtained permits for a parade and demonstration. The former was to commemorate the end of slavery in 1873 while the latter was to protest the detention of one of their leaders, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos. Ponce’s mayor, José Tormos Diego, granted the permits. Campos […]
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Despite its unassuming looks and gentle temperament, the humble red breasted robin (Erithacus rubecula) boasts a superhero-like ability. They can see magnetic fields, giving them an almost perfect sense of direction. Just to be clear, we don’t mean that a robin can sense the Earth’s magnetic field or something like that as many other birds can, it can literally see […]
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On the evening of Good Friday- April 14, 1865, as President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd enjoyed Our American Cousin at the Ford’s Theatre, famous stage actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth approached the President from behind and shot him in the back of the head. With the President slumped in his chair and chaos ensuing, Booth […]
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Mark asks: How exactly do astronauts poop and pee in space? Very carefully. Ever since Yuri Gagarin was first launched into space on April 12, 1961, engineers and space travelers have had to face the problem of how to go and where to put the waste. Birth of Space Travel In the early years of the National Aeronautics and Space […]
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The buzzer sounds. The teammates’ hands link and raise up in victory. The heads of the other team dip in defeat. The orange basketball is flung up in celebration. Young student-athletes dance around, releasing a year’s worth of pent up stress due to basketball and (in theory) school-work. Another men’s basketball NCAA championship has been won. The winning team gathers, […]
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With its roots in 19th century warfare, the phrase “meet a deadline” has an interesting, somewhat literal, etymology. American Civil War Most etymologists agree that the word “deadline” first appeared during the American Civil War (1861-1865). According to author Christine Ammer, deadline was coined at the hellish Andersonville, GA prison camp, and first appeared in writing in the report of […]
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Several artists have died on stage while conducting live performances; however, one case is highly unique and probably the most ironic at the same time. The incident involved actress Edith Webster. Webster was a relatively unknown actress who never managed to make a name for herself during her lifetime, but left her mark in history with her bizarre death. During […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Why We Sing “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s Eve 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 […]
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Kateri asks: How did organic matter become fossil fuels? 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 […]
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John Nance Garner may have been a well-respected Speaker of the House in 1931, but always ambitious, he wanted more. So, in 1932, he ran to be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. When it became clear that New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt was going to get the presidential nomination, Garner cut a deal with […]
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Mark asks: Does the president have to report food, transportation and other such gifts from taxpayers on his taxes? No. And although it’s difficult to find an official explanation (or even a detailed one), I think the answer lies in the United States’ ridiculously complicated tax code. Gifts The transportation, security, housing and other benefits received by the President and […]
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Brian asks: How do bats tell whether it’s their own squeaks they’re hearing or another bat’s? Does this ever confuse them? Seeing with sound, bats can find their way around by bouncing sound waves off of objects. Called echolocation, it allows a bat to navigate the world with impressive accuracy and speed. However, each bat, even within a swarm, needs […]
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Evan asks: When did the practice of burning books start? To a writer, a bookworm, or a believer in the freedom of press and knowledge, there is nothing quite as horrifying as hearing about piles of books getting eaten by flames, never to be read again, particularly in instances in history where some of the books being burned were extremely […]
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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. It was called Bell’s Drive-In, and it was […]
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Today I Found Out was started four years ago on January 1, 2010. In that span, just over 34 million people have visited the site, with about 14 million of those people visiting at least once in 2013. There are now over 2100 posts on Today I Found Out for you to feed your brain with, about 700 of which […]
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Human beings have suffered from many of the same chronic illnesses and conditions since the dawn of recorded history. In fact, many of the words we use to describe medical maladies today date back to the birth of classical civilization, when Greek and Roman physicians first began studying medicine. Asthma The original Greek word, aazein, meant to pant or exhale […]
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Today I found out about a man who fairly accurately estimated the circumference of the Earth well over 2,000 years ago: Eratosthenes of Cyrene. 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’s circumference, which was also […]
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