Humans, by nature, are a species designed for tropical climates. Our evolutionary journey has shaped our bodies to thrive in warm and humid environments. Considering the span of our species’ evolution, we are relatively new to adapting to cold climates, and from a physiological standpoint, our bodies aren’t inherently equipped...
Category: Facts
7 Fascinating Facts about the Black Death
The Black Death, one of history’s deadliest pandemics, left a profound impact on societies, cultures, and even our genetic makeup. From influencing pub culture in Britain to shaping human immunity genes, the reach of this 14th-century plague has been far more extensive than commonly acknowledged, as this article explores. 1. The...
Manjirō Nakahama: A Japanese Pioneer’s Odyssey from Shipwreck to Gold Rush
Manjirō Nakahama, at the young age of 14, was a fisherman who, along with four companions, found himself stranded on an island following a shipwreck. Their rescue arrived in the form of an American whaleship, which transported them to Honolulu. While his friends decided to stay in Honolulu, Manjirō ventured...
From Silicon & Synapse to Blizzard: A Name Evolution in Gaming History
The video game developer and publisher known today as Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., originally started out as Silicon & Synapse, Inc., established on February 8, 1991. Due to unfortunate confusion with silicon-based breast implants, they altered their name to Chaos Studios, Inc. in 1993. However, to avoid conflict with Chaos Technologies,...
1898: Guam’s Surrender – A Tale of Miscommunication and Unfired Salutes
In the Spanish-American War of 1898, Guam fell into US hands without any resistance. The island was such a neglected and isolated Spanish colonial outpost that the local governor was oblivious to the war’s commencement. As US ship arrived and began firing poorly aimed shots at the decrepit Spanish fort,...
1858: The First Transatlantic Telegraph and Queen Victoria’s 18-Hour Message
In 1858, the first transatlantic telegraph cable was established, with a single character requiring two minutes to traverse the distance. Queen Victoria’s first comprehensive message took nearly 18 hours to transmit across the cable.
The 1812 New Madrid Quake: A Tremor Felt Across the Continent
The most intense earthquake to ever strike the continental United States happened in New Madrid, Missouri, in 1812. Its force was so tremendous that it caused tremors felt as far away as New York, provoked church bells to chime in South Carolina, and even reversed the flow of a section...
The Fedora’s Feminist Origins: From Women’s Rights Symbol to Fashion Statement
The fedora, often associated with mobsters, originally held significance as a representation of the Women’s Rights Movement. Initially, the fedora was designed as a hat for women and gained popularity through the influential actress Sarah Bernhardt, who was known for her cross-dressing roles. Making its debut in 1882 as women’s...
Defending Liquor with Machine Guns: The Byron’s Warehouse Story in Oklahoma
Photo by Oklahoma Historical Society
Established by Byron Gambulos, Byron’s Liquor Warehouse stands as one of Oklahoma’s largest liquor outlets. This Oklahoma City landmark came into existence in 1959, soon after the state’s legalization of alcohol. The infancy of the legal alcohol era in Oklahoma was marked by chaos and confusion. “The system was haphazard. Both...
Idle Nature: The Unexpected Downtime in Insect Communities
Surprisingly, a significant number of animals, including those we typically consider industrious, spend a considerable amount of their time seemingly idle. Observations of social insect communities, such as ants or bees, reveal that roughly less than half of the population are often stationary, appearing to do nothing.