Texas cancelled its last meal program after an inmate ordered two chicken fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, a large bowl of fried okra, a pound of barbecue, three fajitas, a meat lover’s pizza, a pint of ice cream, and a slab of peanut butter fudge and didn’t eat any of it.
US Marine John Kelly was the last person to be awarded 2 Medals of Honor. He ran…
US Marine John Kelly was the last person to be awarded 2 Medals of Honor. He ran 100 yards in advance of the front line and attacked an enemy machine gun nest, killed the gunner with a grenade, shot another man with his pistol, and returned with 8 prisoners. He was 19.
After 2 US officers were killed while trying to cut down a tree in the DMZ…
After 2 US officers were killed while trying to cut down a tree in the DMZ, the US and South Korea sent 813 soldiers, 27 helicopters and nuclear-capable bombers to the DMZ to supervise the cutting down of the tree. North Korean soldiers watched in silence as the tree was cut down in 42 minutes.
You Can Make Diamonds Out Of Tequila!
Tequila may be just another drink to those out in the town, but to a team of scientists in Mexico their country’s native alcohol turned out to be a gem; a diamond, to be precise. Javier Morales, Luis Apátiga and Victor Castaño at the National Autonomous University of Mexico made the alchemist-worthy discovery while experimenting turning various organic solutions, such as acetone and ethanol, into diamonds. The scientists noted that 80-proof tequila (40 percent alcohol) had the ideal proportion of ethanol to water to create diamond films. In order to make the diamonds, they evaporated the tequila into a vapor, and then heated the vapor above 1400 degrees Fahrenheit before depositing it on silicon or stainless steel trays. The resulting diamond films were between 100 to 400 nm in diameter and free of impurities.
Hard and heat resistant, the diamond films could have several commercial applications, such as for cutting tools and optical electronic devices. At the moment, the team is looking into creating diamonds with impurities for potential use as a new kind of semiconductor. The scientists have bigger plans in sight, too: They intend to turn their work into an industrial-scale venture by 2011 and hope to find a tequila distiller to provide them with the supplies.
[via PopSci]
In 1966 and 1967, soldiers testing Agent Orange in Canada were told…
In 1966 and 1967, soldiers testing Agent Orange in Canada were told the chemical was completely safe and sprayed it on each other to cool off.
Scientist Louis Slotin died while working on the Manhattan Project…
Scientist Louis Slotin died while working on the Manhattan Project. He accidentally dropped a hemisphere of beryllium on a plutonium core; witnesses saw glowing blue light and felt a heat wave. He died nine days later. The plutonium core was later nicknamed the “demon core”.
Brides normally stand on the left of the Groom at a wedding so that his sword…
Brides normally stand on the left of the Groom at a wedding so that his sword hand is free to defend against any other suitors.
Researchers determined that ‘deer crossing’ warning signs…
Researchers determined that ‘deer crossing’ warning signs do not prevent accidents.
In 2011, James Franco put his name behind a project called “The Museum of Non…
In 2011, James Franco put his name behind a project called “The Museum of Non-visible Art”. A woman paid $10,000 for a non-visible piece called “Fresh Air”.
When one hermit crab finds a bigger shell, a gang of them will sometimes form a “vacancy…
When one hermit crab finds a bigger shell, a gang of them will sometimes form a “vacancy chain” in which they queue up from smallest to largest and all move one shell up.