Despite careful planning, things can still go awry, emphasizing the importance of preparing for the worst. In 1969, as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made their groundbreaking lunar landing, NASA’s main worry was whether the lunar lander could effectively leave the moon’s surface and reunite with Michael Collins aboard the lunar orbiter. Had the liftoff…
The Black Death’s 14th-century survivors had genetic traits now linked to autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s. This demonstrates how past pandemics influenced the evolution of human immunity genes, highlighting the complex interplay between pathogens and human genetic adaptation.
In ancient Greece, men were legally prohibited from becoming midwives, as the law mandated that only those who had experienced childbirth themselves could qualify for the profession. This requirement was based on the belief that firsthand knowledge of the birthing process was essential for providing the best care to expectant mothers. Additionally, women in ancient…
In the 1998 film “Enemy of the State,” the National Security Agency (NSA) pursues Will Smith utilizing real-time satellite feeds, a surveillance technology that was not available at the time. However, the movie’s portrayal of this advanced system inspired a government research engineer to spearhead the development of Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI). WAMI is…
Dogs adept at detecting scents can be utilized to identify children with COVID-19, providing a more cost-effective and efficient screening method during pandemics. A group of international researchers found that medical alert dogs, trained to detect the presence of the virus, can accurately screen school-aged children. By sniffing the students’ ankles and feet, the dogs…
Following the untimely death of Bruce Lee in 1973, the film industries of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea embarked on a quest to find a suitable successor to capitalize on his immense legacy. This era, later coined as “Bruceploitation,” saw a slew of actors adopting screen names reminiscent of the martial arts legend, such…
The McDonald’s Corporation has emerged as a potent emblem of the American service economy, currently accounting for 90% of the nation’s new job opportunities. From its humble beginnings with around 1,000 restaurants in 1968, McDonald’s has expanded its global presence, boasting over 28,000 establishments and inaugurating nearly 2,000 new outlets annually. Astonishingly, it is estimated…
Throughout the Cold War, specifically between 1948 and 1951, the Czechoslovak secret police implemented Operation Border Stone, a scheme designed to entrap individuals attempting to flee the communist regime. To achieve this, they constructed counterfeit border crossings near West Germany, tricking escapees into believing they had successfully reached the West. The police then conducted sham…
Certain sound frequencies are exclusively audible to teenagers, and some retailers utilize devices that produce these specific sounds to deter them from loitering. Typically, humans possess a broader capacity to perceive various frequencies in their youth, which gradually diminishes as they age. These high-frequency sounds are often referred to as “mosquito tones” due to their…
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta issues the world’s rarest passport, with only a few hundred people possessing one. As of February 2018, there were around 500 diplomatic passports in circulation. Eligibility for this passport is exclusive and limited. However, the passport’s utility is restricted, as countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, and…