For over 20 years, Cuba has been aiding and treating more than 18,000 children affected by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, for free.
The first ever modern commercial refrigerator was built in Australia…
The first ever modern commercial refrigerator was built in Australia in 1856 to keep beer cold.
Purple is known as a ‘royal’ color because back when they relied only on natural dyes…
Purple is known as a ‘royal’ color because back when they relied only on natural dyes, purple came from sea snails and was the hardest dye to extract and produce so only royals could afford it. To put into perspective just how expensive it is, an ounce of gold is currently worth around $1,200. An ounce of Tyrian purple dye is worth roughly $100,000.
In 1970 Jimmy Carter let a prisoner convicted of murder obtain a work release to serve…
In 1970 Jimmy Carter let a prisoner convicted of murder obtain a work release to serve as a maid at the governor’s mansion. He was so impressed, when he was elected president in 1976 he volunteered to be her parole officer & let her continue working at the White House. She was later exonerated.
A Dutch nursing home provides free housing to college students in return…
A Dutch nursing home provides free housing to college students in return for being good neighbors, interacting with older residents, attending parties, etc to ward off loneliness and depression common in the elderly.
When the first US ship arrived in China in 1785, the Chinese loved the American flag…
When the first US ship arrived in China in 1785, the Chinese loved the American flag, calling it “as beautiful as a flower”. Since then, an informal Chinese name for the United States has been the “flower flag country”.
To demonstrate the sharpness of stone tools, Archaeologist Dr. Adrien Hannus…
To demonstrate the sharpness of stone tools, Archaeologist Dr. Adrien Hannus elected to have major surgery done with obsidian blades rather than surgical steel scalpels. Obsidian is the sharpest substance known to mankind.
The man who wrote the documents of surrender signed by Confederate general Robert…
The man who wrote the documents of surrender signed by Confederate general Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Courthouse on this day in 1865 was a Seneca Indian named Ely Parker (born Hasanoanda). Upon meeting him Lee extended his hand and said, “I am glad to see one real American here.”
When the first settlers arrived, oysters were so numerous in the Chesapeake Bay…
When the first settlers arrived, oysters were so numerous in the Chesapeake Bay that they were able to filter the whole bay about once a week. Their current numbers are less then 1% of what they were at that time.
King Gustav III of Sweden commissioned an experiment to prove coffee was poisonous…
King Gustav III of Sweden commissioned an experiment to prove coffee was poisonous. Overseen by two doctors, a prisoner was forced to drink three pots of coffee a day until he died. Both doctors and the King died before the prisoner.