Euphonia: The Creepy Talking Head That Helped Inspire the Telephone
Joseph Faber’s eerie Euphonia talking machine synthesized speech, fascinated scientists, and helped shape ideas that pointed toward the telephone.
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How Thor Bjørklund Revolutionized Kitchens with the Cheese Slicer
Read more: How Thor Bjørklund Revolutionized Kitchens with the Cheese SlicerIn what was surely one of the most important leaps forward in human technological advancement, Thor Bjørklund of Norway invented the cheese slicer in 1925.
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Lanjaron, Spain: Where Dying is Illegal
Read more: Lanjaron, Spain: Where Dying is IllegalTo address cemetery overcrowding, Lanjaron’s mayor declared dying illegal, urging residents to prioritize health until more burial land is acquired. This unusual edict was inspired by a similar initiative in a Norwegian town.
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Elves Have Rights, Too — At Least in Iceland
Read more: Elves Have Rights, Too — At Least in IcelandWe are used to seeing public works projects halted or delayed out of concern for an endangered species or because of other environmental issues. The government of Iceland took this concept one step further when, in 2013, a judge halted the construction of a road out of concern about the environmental and cultural impact of…
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No Chasing Z’s on the Cheddar!
Read more: No Chasing Z’s on the Cheddar!Under Illinois law (410 ILCS 650/9) it is illegal to take a nap in a cheese factory.
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To Battle… By Car?
Read more: To Battle… By Car?In the movie Braveheart, Sir William Wallace gives a stirring speech at the beginning of the battle of Stirling Bridge that motivates the Scots to fight to victory. Perhaps they were so overcome with patriotic enthusiasm that they failed to notice the white van in the background (pictured above in the lower, left corner) —…
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Now Hear This…. Loudest Sounds In History
Read more: Now Hear This…. Loudest Sounds In HistoryAll of us think the loudest sound in the world is the phone that rings in the middle of the night or the dreadful music the neighbor kid blares on his car radio, but there are some sounds that drown out even those painful interruptions. Human speech is typically at the level of 25-35 decibels.…
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Two-Wheeled Commute
Read more: Two-Wheeled CommuteIf you are traveling in Tokyo, Japan, and the trip is for fifty minutes or less, a bicycle is, on average, faster than an automobile. source
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If He Doesn’t Get the World Record For Most Lawsuits, He’ll Probably Sue
Read more: If He Doesn’t Get the World Record For Most Lawsuits, He’ll Probably SueIn 2014 the total number of lawsuits filed in the US District Court of Arizona was 3,772. One person was responsible for 79.4% of them. Dale Maisano is serving a 15-year prison sentence for aggravated assault. He has been flooding the US District court with lawsuits to the astonishing tune of 2,995 separate cases in…
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The Welsh Government Once Answered a UFO Question in Klingon
Read more: The Welsh Government Once Answered a UFO Question in KlingonWhen a Welsh Assembly member asked about UFOs, the Welsh Government replied in Klingon—possibly the first official government communication in the language of the Klingon Empire.
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The Fabled Bridge of Doggie Suicides
Read more: The Fabled Bridge of Doggie SuicidesFor as far back as the 1950’s, Overtoun Bridge in Dunbartonshire, Scotland has developed a reputation for luring dogs to their death. At the astonishing rate of as much as one per month, dogs have been leaping off the bridge, falling 50 feet to the waterfalls below, to their deaths. While a few of the…
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The Bristlecone Pine That Is Older Than Methuselah
Read more: The Bristlecone Pine That Is Older Than MethuselahLearn about the bristlecone pine that is the oldest living thing on earth.
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Shipwrecking A Widely-Held Belief
Read more: Shipwrecking A Widely-Held BeliefContrary to popular belief, ship captains do not have the authority to solemnize marriage. The belief persists so widely, however, that both the US Navy and British Mercantile Marine Office have adopted regulations that specifically prohibit captains from performing weddings. (see, for example, 32 CFR 700.716). source
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Three Lawyers Found This Client to Be a Pain in the Neck
Read more: Three Lawyers Found This Client to Be a Pain in the NeckJosh Monson was facing trial for murder and drug charges in 2011 in Everett, Washington. Apparently unsatisfied with his defense attorney, Monson stabbed him in the neck with a pencil. That lawyer was excused from the case, and a second one was assigned. Three days later, Monson stabbed his second attorney with a pencil. This…
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Gunshot Wound? Don’t Worry, Son… I’m Sure There’s An App for That
Read more: Gunshot Wound? Don’t Worry, Son… I’m Sure There’s An App for ThatEvery child believes his or her mom can fix every boo-boo. Sometimes that faith can be misplaced. Consider the case of the 14-year-old son of Deborah Tagle, who received a gunshot wound to the leg in May 2013. The injury occurred when a friend of the family accidentally discharged his firearm. Not being the kind…
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Forget Playing with Pigskin; This Sport Really Gets Your Goat
Read more: Forget Playing with Pigskin; This Sport Really Gets Your GoatIf basketball or hockey isn’t your thing, consider taking up the sport of buzkashi. Originating with the Turks and Mongols sometime between the 10th and 15th centuries, its name means “goat dragging.” The name describes it well.
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