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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Truly, a Fate Worse Than Death
Read more: Truly, a Fate Worse Than DeathSometimes it just isn’t worth it to become a celebrity. Take, for example, the case of Charlotte Taylor. In 2009 the 18-year-old attended the Leeds Festival and stopped to make use of the port-a-potty. When her bag slipped and fell into the toilet, Charlotte lunged for it and missed, resulting in her bag falling into…
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Continually Checking Under the Tailpipe is Exhausting
Read more: Continually Checking Under the Tailpipe is ExhaustingThe law in Denmark requires all drivers to look under the car prior to starting the engine to make sure there isn’t anyone there. source
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Counselor, Don’t Just Keep Saying, “Who?” When I Ask How Your Client Pleads
Read more: Counselor, Don’t Just Keep Saying, “Who?” When I Ask How Your Client PleadsIf Charles Abbott’s attorney gives the impression of being as wise as an owl, that might be because he is one. Granted, he’s a stuffed owl, but that can be excused, because he isn’t really a lawyer, either. None of these facts prevented Abbott from bringing him along to represent him before the Pitkin County,…
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Castor Oil And The Seeds of Death
Read more: Castor Oil And The Seeds of DeathCastor oil may be an all-purpose remedy, but its seeds make it one of the world’s deadliest plants.
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Wise Counsel For Legal Counselors
Read more: Wise Counsel For Legal Counselors“About half the practice of a decent lawyer consists in telling would-be clients that they are damned fools and should stop.” — Elihu Root, attorney and Secretary of State under President Theodore Roosevelt and Secretary of War under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
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Lost an Arm? Here’s One Advantage You Gain
Read more: Lost an Arm? Here’s One Advantage You GainSwitchblades are illegal to make, sell, distribute, or possess under U.S. federal law, except for members of the armed forces and by individuals with only one arm. 15 U.S.C. §§ 1242-1244
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Fast-Growing Marvels
Read more: Fast-Growing MarvelsWe are used to thinking of the rate of tree growth as being similar to that of continental drift. Surprisingly, the fastest-growing lifeforms on the planet include trees. Consider some of these fast-growing examples: The fastest-growing tree in North America, the Eastern Cottonwood can grow 10-15 feet per year. Given that it can be dormant…
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Hot News on a Heated Debate: What is the Hottest Pepper?
Read more: Hot News on a Heated Debate: What is the Hottest Pepper?The Carolina Reaper Pepper has been officially recognized as the World’s Hottest Pepper by the Guinness Book of World Records, boasting a staggering 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units. This intense heat far surpasses other peppers, highlighting its extreme spiciness and marking a significant achievement in the realm of spicy foods.
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Finger-Lickin’ Persistence
Read more: Finger-Lickin’ PersistenceSuccess did not come easily for Harland Sanders. By the time he was ready for retirement, he tried his hand as an Army mule-tender, railroad worker (from which he got fired for fighting with a co-worker), gas station operator, lawyer (a career that ended, by the way, when he got into a courtroom brawl with…
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A Pretty Good Indication of a Gambling Problem
Read more: A Pretty Good Indication of a Gambling ProblemSome of us who break out in a rash at the thought of losing a quarter in a faulty vending machine may have difficulty empathizing with Australian businessman Harry Kakavas. He didn’t just lose some pocket change … He lost a LOT of money, and he kept on losing a LOT of money in extravagant…
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That’s Hard to Stomach
Read more: That’s Hard to StomachNatalie Cooper of Kent, England, gets ill when she eats any food — except for Tic Tac mints. Having to receive all her nourishment through a feeding tube, Tic Tacs are the only solid food she can stomach. source
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Hitler’s Flatulence: His Politics Weren’t the Only Thing that Smelled
Read more: Hitler’s Flatulence: His Politics Weren’t the Only Thing that SmelledAccording to his medical records, Adolf Hitler suffered from uncontrollable flatulence and took up to 28 different drugs to try to control the embarrassing condition. source
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How “Herbie Goes Bananas” Unintentionally Caused a Radioactive Disaster in Brazil
Read more: How “Herbie Goes Bananas” Unintentionally Caused a Radioactive Disaster in BrazilDiscover how the movie ‘Herbie Goes Bananas’ played an unexpected role in one of Brazil’s worst radioactive disasters—the Goiânia incident.
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Don’t List These Awards on Your Resume
Read more: Don’t List These Awards on Your ResumeIn a world that cherishes personal achievement, there are some awards you probably don’t want to have associated with your name. Here are just a few: The Diagram Prize is awarded each year to for the book with the most unusual title. Recent winners include: Strangers Have the Best Candy (2014) How to Poo on…
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That’s Quite a Punch for Such a Shrimp
Read more: That’s Quite a Punch for Such a ShrimpThe mantis shrimp may not be the largest creature in the ocean (hey, it’s a shrimp, after all), and its appearance can be a bit on the flamboyant side, so you probably wouldn’t count on it being much of a prizefighter. Appearances are often deceiving, though. This little guy may be in the lightweight division,…
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