One of the most sought-after jobs in Venice is that of gondolier. There are only 425 licenses issued, and applicants must be Venetian by birth. Apprenticeships involve over 400 hours of training, and when a gondolier dies the license passes to the beneficiary, who then decides the replacement. 00
The gym chain Planet Fitness charges between $10 and $20 per month…
The gym chain Planet Fitness charges between $10 and $20 per month and has, on average, 6,500 members per gym. Most of its gyms can hold around 300 people. Planet Fitness can do this because it knows that members won’t show up. 00
“Giraffe” is a relatively new term…
“Giraffe” is a relatively new term. Before the 1600s they were known as “Camelopards”. 00
Wheel of Fortune’s Vanna White sued Samsung Electronics…
Wheel of Fortune’s Vanna White sued Samsung Electronics in 1993 over its use of a humorous ad featuring a robot turning letters on a game show, alleging a violation of her personality rights. White was ultimately awarded $403,000 in damages. 00
The human eye is different from most animals…
The human eye is different from most animals in that we have a large sclera — the white part of the eye. It’s theorized that we evolved this so we could silently communicate where we are looking. 00
A man born premature with cerebral palsy…
A man born premature with cerebral palsy, was unable to swallow on his own until the age of 1, is blind, was unable to speak or walk until the age of 16, began playing Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No.1 on piano in the middle of the night at age 16. He now can play any song after […]
Humans are not the only primate that curse…
Humans are not the only primate that curse. Chimps do it to. In project Washoe, chimps being taught sign language internalized taboos around the toilet, with the sign “dirty” representing something shameful. They started using that sign as an admonition or to express anger, like a swear word. 00
Carl McCunn, a wildlife photographer arranged…
Carl McCunn, a wildlife photographer, arranged to be flown out to remote Alaskan wilderness but forgot to schedule when he’d be picked up. He wrote of a plane spotting him stranded, in his excitement he accidentally gave the pilot an “All is well” signal, his diary was found with his body. 00
Pet food tasters (humans) serve as professional quality control…
Pet food tasters (humans) serve as professional quality control for pet food. They make up to $120k/year. 00
The figure in “The Scream” isn’t actually screaming…
The figure in “The Scream” isn’t actually screaming; he’s listening to a scream passing through nature. 00