In 1772, Alexander Hamilton survived a hurricane in the Caribbean and wrote a letter about his ordeal. His vivid descriptions moved people to start a fund to move him to New York to get an education. He went on to become a Founding Father and greatly shaped our early nation. 00
The Romans loved Chinese silk so much…
The Romans loved Chinese silk so much that the Senate banned its wearing by men in 14 A.D. It was hurting the economy as way too much silk was being imported and not enough of other stuff, like iron. 00
Some trees exhibit a phenomenon called “crown shyness”…
Some trees exhibit a phenomenon called “crown shyness” which prevents their branches and leaves from touching one another, forming a canopy with channel like gaps. 00
An Air Canada flight was asked by Australian…
An Air Canada flight was asked by Australian authorities to investigate an emergency beacon. The plane, with 270 people, flew at 4000 feet as crew and passengers used binoculars to locate a stranded sailor, who was later rescued by police. The flight landed safely in Sydney, 90 minutes delayed. 00
Iceland is extremely protective of their language…
Iceland is extremely protective of their language, instead of loaning words from other languages they repurpose old ones, telephone is ‘simi’, meaning thread, jet plane is ‘thota’, meaning to zoom and the word for computer, ‘tölva’ translates to number priestess or numbers witch. 00
Costco purposefully designed their store without…
Costco purposefully designed their store without signs to force people to wander through all the aisles and find things to buy. 00
If you play dead in order to kill or capture…
If you play dead in order to kill or capture an enemy in a war scenario, you are committing a war crime according to the Geneva Convention. 00
There was a prison warden so loved…
There was a prison warden so loved that when he retired, 100 inmates pooled together their money to throw him a party. 00
A week after Hurricane Katrina, after receiving little…
A week after Hurricane Katrina, after receiving little to no federal supplies, Sheriff Billy McGee stole 2 FEMA trucks full of ice from a U.S. military base to give to the citizens of Forrest County, MS. 00
Stockholm has a 20-story light up tower and the color…
Stockholm has a 20-story light up tower and the color of every floor can be changed by anyone with a smartphone. It’s meant to be a statement on the power of democracy and the the public. 00