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Month: January 2020

Vishakanya
By The Generalist Posted on January 31, 2020January 25, 2023

Poison damsels

The Poison Damsels of ancient Indian mythology were assassins who could kill someone with a look or a touch.

Categories: Ancient history, Arts & recreation, History, Literature, Places, Religion & belief, South Asia
Harold Holt
By The Generalist Posted on January 30, 2020April 28, 2021

Disappearance of a prime minister

In 1967 the prime minister of Australia walked into the ocean and was never seen again.

Categories: 20th century history, History, Oceania, Places, Politics & law
Saturn Devouring His Son
By The Generalist Posted on January 29, 2020January 27, 2020

Wood to canvas

Paintings last longer on canvas than wood or plaster – so from the 18th century CE on, restorers have transferred famous art onto canvas using razors, laughing gas, and glue.

Categories: Art, Arts & recreation
Sugar glass
By The Generalist Posted on January 28, 2020January 25, 2023

Edible glass

Ever see someone get hit over the head with a bottle in an old film? They could probably eat the glass afterwards.

Categories: Arts & recreation, Fashion & design, Film & television, Food & agriculture, Sciences
Hanne
By The Generalist Posted on January 27, 2020January 26, 2020

Androgen insensitivity

All fetuses develop along similar lines until about 7 weeks into pregnancy, when androgen hormones trigger the development of male characteristics. But what happens when someone is immune to androgen?

Categories: Health & medicine, Sciences
Moscow
By The Generalist Posted on January 26, 2020April 28, 2021

The 101st kilometre

Soviet Russia kept undesirables (criminals and political dissidents) away from view by banning them from coming closer than 101km to major urban centres.

Categories: 20th century history, Europe, History, North & Central Asia, Places, Politics & law
Wine
By The Generalist Posted on January 25, 2020January 25, 2023

Oldest wine

A bottle of wine on display in a German museum is more than 1600 years old. There are none older – but it probably tastes terrible.

Categories: Ancient history, Europe, Food & agriculture, History, Places, Sciences
Lavoisier
By The Generalist Posted on January 24, 2020January 25, 2023

Vital air and lifeless air

Antoine Lavoisier explained how combustion uses oxygen with a very clever experiment. Later, he lost his head.

Categories: Early modern history, Europe, History, Physics & chemistry, Places, Sciences
Haskell Library
By The Generalist Posted on January 23, 2020January 25, 2023

Borderline houses

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House was built across the border between the United States and Canada. Yes, there is a thick black line on the floor between the two countries.

Categories: Architecture, North & Central America, Places, Politics & law
By The Generalist Posted on January 22, 2020April 28, 2021

King of Fire

French magician Ivan Chabert was famous in the 19th century CE for his feats with heat: sitting in an oven, putting melted lead in his mouth, and bathing his feet in molten metal.

Categories: 19th century history, Arts & recreation, Europe, History, Physics & chemistry, Places, Sciences, Theatre
By The Generalist Posted on January 21, 2020January 20, 2020

Beat deafness

You’ve probably heard of tone deafness, the inability to distinguish small differences in musical tones. Some people have beat deafness: they don’t have rhythm.

Categories: Arts & recreation, Health & medicine, Music, Sciences
Infernal Cauldron
By The Generalist Posted on January 20, 2020April 28, 2021

Accidental 3D film

Georges Méliès accidentally created 3D film in 1903, nineteen years before the première of the first deliberate one.

Categories: 20th century history, Arts & recreation, Film & television, History, Sciences, Technology
Lightning
By The Generalist Posted on January 19, 2020January 17, 2020

Simultaneous not simultaneous

According to special relativity, something can happen both before and after something else – depending on the observer’s frame of reference.

Categories: Physics & chemistry, Sciences
Bee
By The Generalist Posted on January 18, 2020January 25, 2023

Mad honey

Honey takes on the chemical properties of nectar gathered by bees. This fact turns out to be quite useful if you’re fighting the ancient Romans.

Categories: Ancient history, Animals, Food & agriculture, Health & medicine, History, Middle East, Military, Places, Plants, Sciences
Yaa Asantewaa
By The Generalist Posted on January 17, 2020April 28, 2021

War of the Golden Stool

When the British colonise your country and exile your king, what do you do? If you’re a queen mother of the Ashanti Empire, you start a war.

Categories: 19th century history, Africa, History, Military, Places, Politics & law
Navy
By The Generalist Posted on January 16, 2020January 14, 2020

Longest acronym

The US Navy loves their abbreviations: JAG, SEAL, NCIS, SECNAV, USLANTFLT… but the best has to be ADCOMSUBORDCOMPHIBSPAC. The Soviets also loved their abbreviations: НИИОМТПЛАБОПАРМБЕТЖЕЛБЕТРАБСБОМОНИМОНКОНОТДТЕХСТРОМОНТ!

Categories: Language, Military

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