In 1848, to begin construction on the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge, engineers needed to secure a line across the 800-foot chasm. The lead engineer held a kite-flying contest and eventually paid a local boy $5 for securing the first line over the river.
Henry Moseley, the scientist that pioneered the concept…
Henry Moseley, the scientist that pioneered the concept of the atomic number, volunteered for combat duty in World War I, and was killed by a Turkish sniper. As a result of his death, scientists were later prevented from enlisting in the military.
When famed jeweler Harry Winston donated the 45 carat…
When famed jeweler Harry Winston donated the 45 carat Hope Diamond, valued at $200 to $250 million USD, to the Smithsonian, he simply shipped it via the US Postal Service in a box wrapped in brown paper.
For the film “Psycho” Alfred Hitchcock insisted theater managers…
For the film “Psycho” Alfred Hitchcock insisted theater managers to put “no late admission” policy so that audience either see the film from the very beginning, or they don’t see it all.
Some humans can be tetrachromats, which gives them the ability…
Some humans can be tetrachromats, which gives them the ability to see more colors than a normal human, like Concetta Antico, an Australian artist who can see 100 times more colors than a regular human.
Godzilla was conceived as a metaphor for the…
Godzilla was conceived as a metaphor for the nuclear weapons. To emphasize the monster’s relationship with the atomic bomb, its skin texture was inspired by the keloid scars seen on survivors in Hiroshima.
Southern sweet tea was originally used…
Southern sweet tea was originally used to show wealth, as tea, ice, and sugar were all very expensive at the time.
In 1972 John Wojtowicz attempted to rob a bank in Brooklyn…
In 1972 John Wojtowicz attempted to rob a bank in Brooklyn after being inspired by Al Pacino’s performance in ‘The Godfather’, only to be portrayed by Al Pacino himself in 1975’s ‘Dog Day Afternoon’
Scientists developed a brain-computer interface…
Scientists developed a brain-computer interface that allow paralyzed patients to surf the web with just their thoughts.
The person who invented the stop sign, the pedestrian…
The person who invented the stop sign, the pedestrian crosswalk, the traffic circle, the one-way street, the taxi stand, and pedestrian safety islands, William Phelps Eno, never learned how to drive.