Tag Archives: now you know

Why are the Emmy Awards Called Emmys?

Now You Know

Rebecca S. asks: The other day you answered why the Oscars are called the Oscars, now why are the Emmy Awards called “Emmy”? This one’s got a more succinct and well documented answer than the Oscar question. Pioneering TV engineer (and third American Academy of Television Arts President) Harry Lubcke suggested that the name “Immy” be used, named after the […]

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How to Stop Windows Update from Automatically Restarting Your Computer

Now You Know

You should know how to prevent Windows Update from automatically restarting your computer. There are few more annoying default settings than Windows’ developers choosing to have the default on Windows Update be to automatically restart your computer and further not providing any obvious way to disable auto-restarts after a Windows update..  Sure, they have a “postpone” button that pops up, […]

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Why Does Your Nose Run When You Cry?

Now You Know

Emma asks:  Why does your nose runs when you cry? Well when you’re crying, if you find your nose running and your feet smelling, perhaps you’re upside down? *crickets* In truth, your nose runs when you’re crying because the tears from your tear glands not only drain out onto your face, but there is also a passage way in the […]

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How to Treat a Jellyfish Sting

You should know how to treat a jellyfish sting. Contrary to popular belief, you should never urinate on a jellyfish sting. This will just make the problem worse, as does washing the sting with fresh water without prior treatment.  You should also not try to put ice on it before properly treating the area, which is sometimes people’s initial inclination […]

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The Difference Between an Acronym and an Initialism

Now You Know

You should know the difference between an acronym and an initialism. Both acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, but there is a key difference between the two, at least at present. Due to rampant misuse of the term “acronym” some dictionaries are now starting to add an extra definition to it, allowing acronyms to expand their scope to include initialisms.  So […]

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Thomas Jefferson Created a Version of the Bible that Cut Out All the Parts He Didn’t Like

Thomas Jefferson Facts

Thomas Jefferson didn’t just write the Declaration of Independence, he also re-wrote the Bible to his liking.  Jefferson didn’t hold with the supernatural elements of the Bible.  He thus set about making his own Jeffersonian translation that basically excluded every part he didn’t agree with.  In his view, separating the wheat from the chaff. Reference

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What is the Origin of the Spelling Bee Contest?

Now You Know

Ali asks: What is the origin of Spelling Bee contest, its rules and regulation and interesting facts about it, the first winner, etc? Though spelling competitions were very likely around long before “spelling bees”, the first documented case of a spelling bee called such was in 1825.  It wasn’t until a century later that the first National Spelling Bee was […]

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