In 2010 George Lucas said “I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education. It is the key to the survival of the human race.” Two years later, Lucas sold Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney for 4.05 billion dollars and donated the proceeds to a charity that focuses on education.
Mobile users in poor countries can access Wikipedia articles without data charges…
Mobile users in poor countries can access Wikipedia articles without data charges thanks to ‘Wikipedia Zero’. It’s currently operating in 34 countries.
Hunter Gatherers experienced far more leisure time and far fewer…
Hunter Gatherers experienced far more leisure time and far fewer hours of work than members of modern industrial society
There is a lake in the US named Lake…
There is a lake in the US named Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg. The lake’s name comes from Nipmuc, an Algonquian language, and is said to mean, “Fishing Place at the Boundaries — Neutral Meeting Grounds”.
“Roasted Nuts” was the paper headline for when a mental…
“Roasted Nuts” was the paper headline for when a mental hospital caught on fire.
A German art student illuminated and bound the entire Silmarillion…
A German art student illuminated and bound the entire Silmarillion by hand like a 21st-century monastic scribe as his final project.
Researchers who measured the slipperiness of banana peels, the ability…
Researchers who measured the slipperiness of banana peels, the ability of pork strips to stop nosebleeds, and the reactions of reindeer to humans in polar bear suits were among the winners of 2014 Ig Nobel prizes.
Australia’s first police force was made up of the…
Australia’s first police force was made up of the most well-behaved convicts.
A man who attempted to commit suicide changed his mind at the last minute resulting…
A man who attempted to commit suicide changed his mind at the last minute resulting in a chain reaction train wreck killing 11. He was later sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences.
Preventing an abort of the Apollo 11 mission has been attributed to the work….
Preventing an abort of the Apollo 11 mission has been attributed to the work of Margaret Hamilton, the lead flight software designer for Project Apollo. She was 31 when the lunar module landed on the moon, running her code, and is credited for coining the term “software engineering.”