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Randy and Sharon Marsh and Gerald and Shelia Broflovsky Were Named After the Two South Park Creator’s Parents

October 6, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out Randy and Sharon Marsh and Gerald and Shelia Broflovsky were named after Trey Parker’s and Matt Stone’s parents respectively. Trey Parker’s dad’s name is Randy Parker and, like Randy Marsh, he’s a geologist. Sharon Parker is an insurance broker, unlike Sharon Marsh, who is a receptionist at Tom’s Rhinoplasty. In addition to that, Shelley Marsh on […]

Helen Keller was Not Born Blind or Deaf

October 5, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Myth: Helen Keller was born blind and deaf. In fact, Helen Keller was born able to see and hear just fine and continued to be able to do so until she was about one and a half years old. At that time, she became sick with some type of illness. What that particular illness was isn’t entirely known. However, it […]

The First Woman to Cast a Vote in Chicago Did So With Her Feet

October 4, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out the first woman to cast a vote in Chicago did so with her feet. The woman was Kittie Smith. Smith lost her arms as a child, after having both her arms and hands burned badly on a kitchen stove. It is unclear exactly how her arms came to be burned so badly so that they needed […]

How To Read An EKG (electrocardiograph)

October 2, 2011 Scott

Today I found out how to read an EKG. While some people might say that kind of skill should require 13 years of preparatory school, four years of college, four years of medical school and a specialty in cardiac electrophysiology, I say…Pshaw! It’s not rocket science! If it were, there would be more combustion and potential for speedy projectiles gone […]

There Once was a Man Hit on the Head By A Falling Baby, Twice!

September 27, 2011 Scott

Today I found out there once was a man was hit on the head by a falling baby… twice! According to Time Magazine (Miscellany, Oct. 17, 1938), the year of the first event was 1937. Joseph Figlock, a local street sweeper in Detroit, Michigan, was walking down the road when a baby fell from a 4th story window. The baby […]

Dick Cheney Likely Doesn’t Have a Pulse, No Really

September 26, 2011 Scott

Today I found out that Dick Cheney likely doesn’t have a pulse. No, really! Dick has had several heart attacks since 1978. These heart attacks have made his heart extremely weak and he is currently in need of a new one. Technology has advanced to the point that we, as humans, have invented several mechanical devices that can help our […]

Why Leaves Change Color in the Fall

September 22, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out why leaves change color in the fall. The primary thing that triggers the changing of colors in leaves is the length of day. However, moisture and temperature play a role as well. For instance, an extreme drought in the summer can delay somewhat the changing of the colors in fall. Why this is the case is […]

How a Heart Attack Works

September 21, 2011 Scott

Today I found out what exactly is going on with the heart during a heart attack. We’ve all seen the 70 year old man on TV who suddenly clutches his chest and yells “Oh, my chest!!” and then falls over dead. Seems like a relatively easy way to die, certainly better than massive burns over your body then dying three […]

The Origin of the Term “Going Postal”

September 19, 2011 Scott

Today I found out where the term “Going Postal” came from. It seems to be common knowledge that if you have a co-worker who appears they might take out a 9mm handgun and play target practice with all the panicking office help, you would say, “he’s about to go postal!” It also seems like common sense then, that this could […]

Why Salt Enhances Flavor

September 16, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out why salt enhances flavor. This is partially simply due to the fact that “saltiness” is one of the five primary basic tastes the human tongue can detect. Those five tastes being: salt, bitter, sweet, sour, and umami (if you’re not familiar with this one, it is from glutamic acid, which is found in many foods, particularly some meats, and is […]

What Causes Red Eyes In Photographs

September 15, 2011 Scott

Today I found out what makes your eyes red in flash photographs. Simply put, that crazy zombie look people tend to get, as if they are about to use you as a pre-lunch snack, has to do with how light from a camera flash reflects off the eye, and the specific wavelengths at which it tends to do this. It […]

Why Breathing Helium Changes the Sound Of Your Voice

September 14, 2011 Scott

Today I found out why inhaling helium can change the sound of your voice. The physics behind this little phenomenon, practiced in the back corners of parties everywhere, are actually fairly simple. What is going on in the voice tract however is not. The mechanics of a person’s voice is an awesome biological phenomenon born from the need of women […]

How Trick Candles Work

September 12, 2011 Scott

Today I found out how trick candles work. There is nothing more humorous then seeing a person become woozy and light-headed at a feeble attempt to blow out candles that fight back! Candles themselves work on a fairly simple and ingenious principle. The three elements to sustain fire are concealed in one convenient package. The fuel itself is the container […]

Velcro Was Modeled After Burrs of the Burdock Plant that Stuck to Velcro’s Inventor’s Pants After a Hunting Trip

September 9, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out Velcro was modeled after burrs of the burdock plant that stuck to Velcro’s creator’s pants after a hunting trip. The inventor of Velcro, more generically known as a “hook and loop fastener” or “touch fastener” as “Velcro” is technically just a brand of that product, was Swiss engineer, Georges de Mestral. After going out on a […]

How Fish Gills Work

September 7, 2011 Scott

Today I found out how fish gills work. These fantastic little organs allow the fish to absorb oxygen from the water and use it for energy. Functionally, gills are not that dissimilar to the lungs in humans and other mammals. The main difference is how they are able to absorb much smaller concentrations of available oxygen, while allowing the fish […]

The Paperclip was Not Invented by Johan Vaaler

September 7, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Myth: The paperclip was invented by Johan Vaaler One very popular false origin of the paperclip was that it was invented by Norwegian patent office manager, Johan Vaaler. He was even granted patents in Germany and the U.S. for a paperclip of similar design as the Gem style paperclip, which is the most commonly used paperclip today, but which came […]

What Causes Hickeys

September 6, 2011 Scott

Today I found out what causes hickeys, that infamous badge of shame that requires most teenage boys to seriously consider buying make up to cover their necks before they go home to mom and dad! Now I know what your thinking, your partner in sadism causes those of course! While this may be true, the underlying factors that allow this […]

Welcome a New Writer to Today I Found Out

September 6, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Please help me welcome Scott as a regular contributing writer to Today I Found Out. Scott is a long time paramedic and fire fighter who has obviously particular expertise in the medical field and the human body in general. He also has an extensive background in physics, specializing in electromagnetism, gravity, and time. Check out Scott’s articles here.

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