In 1848, Henry Brown was a slave in his 30s who had spent almost 20 years working on a Virginia plantation. There, he met his wife and had three children with her. Tragically, the plantation owner sold Brown’s wife and children to another slave owner, leaving Brown powerless to intervene. By...
Fred Franzia, the creator of the affordable wine brand “Two Buck Chuck,” purchased the Charles Shaw name from a defunct winery for $27,000. When inquired about his wine’s lower price compared to water, Franzia humorously responded, “They’re overcharging for the water. Don’t you get it?”
Today, we mourn the passing of Jerry Springer, a legendary television personality who made a significant impact on pop culture. To honor his memory, we’ve compiled a list of five intriguing facts about his life. Born in a WWII bomb shelter: Jerry Springer entered the world in extraordinary circumstances, as his...
Ekiben, the quintessential Japanese train travel companion, are specially crafted bento box meals that showcase the unique flavors of each region. As passengers journey through Japan, they can indulge in these locally inspired delicacies that differ from station to station. In the 1980s, the popularity of ekiben soared, with an...
In 1975, the legendary artist Stevie Wonder found himself growing increasingly frustrated with the state of the U.S. government. At one point, he seriously considered leaving his music career behind and relocating to Ghana. Ultimately, however, he chose to channel his emotions into his work, which led to the creation...
A recent study has shown that pet parrots, when taught to use video calls to communicate with one another, experience reduced loneliness. By providing the birds with a tablet for making video calls, researchers observed an increase in social behaviors such as preening, singing, and play. The parrots were allowed...
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...
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...
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...