Tom Hanks is an avid supporter of NASA’s manned space programs and originally wanted to be an astronaut, but “didn’t have the math”. He was awarded the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award in 2006 for his contributions to raising public awareness of space programs.
Signals that baffled astronomers for 17 years were…
Signals that baffled astronomers for 17 years were traced to the observatory microwave.
Language learning site Duolingo makes its money from having…
Language learning site Duolingo makes its money from having its users practice translating a real-world document (e.g from CNN). Duolingo has contracts these websites to translate stories and is earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year with this business model.
Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone, was so talkative…
Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone, was so talkative that on a two hour car ride the rest of his family remained silent to see if Rod would notice their lack of participation. He did not, talking nonstop through the entire car ride.
A dog saved a new born baby after finding the child…
A dog saved a new born baby after finding the child tossed in a dump, he brought the child back to his owner and didn’t stop barking until he got his attention. The dogs owner brought the child to the hospital where she survived.
There is an Annual Tarantula Exhibition, where participants…
There is an Annual Tarantula Exhibition, where participants are judged much like dogs in a dog show. Participants are judged on shiny coats, correct proportions, an active demeanor and proper stance. In 2014, the event was attended by more than 30,000 tarantulas and their keepers.
Ken Allen (1971–2000), an orangutan at the San Diego Zoo…
Ken Allen (1971–2000), an orangutan at the San Diego Zoo, not only did he escape 3 times, his peers began following his example & escaped too. He outwitted zookeepers even when they posed as visitors. During his escapes, Ken would “peacefully stroll around the zoo looking at other animals.”
Private companies that control prison phone calls charge…
Private companies that control prison phone calls charge over a $1/minute, apply large connection/usage fees…and work to ban inmate visitation.
The mobile game “Send Me to Heaven” involves throwing your phone…
The mobile game “Send Me to Heaven” involves throwing your phone as high in the air as you can. The creator said he made it with the hope of destroying as many iPhones as possible, but Apple banned it from the App Store.
The world’s tallest man, Bao Xishun, used his long arms reaching…
The world’s tallest man, Bao Xishun, used his long arms reaching 1.06m to remove plastic from the stomachs of 2 dolphins, which ultimately saved their lives, after trainers tried numerous other methods.