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Permission to Grow
Beards have been banned in a number of military forces in history, from Qing Dynasty China to the modern-day Indian Army (apart from Sikhs). However cert...

Written by Alan Bellows • 22 November 2019 • Read →
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Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Cigar

Shortly after the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, U.S. President John F. Kennedy summoned his press secretary Pierre Salinger to the presidential ...
Written by Alan Bellows • 26 Sep 2019 • Read →
Long-Form:

Dead Reckoning

The 18th century misadventures of HMS Wager and her reluctant crew
Written by Alan Bellows • 12 Sep 2019 • Read/Listen →
Long-Form:

The Eponymous Mr. Ponzi

The little known story of an age-old scam.
Written by Michael Durbin • 02 Sep 2019 • Read/Listen →
Long-Form:

The Most Modern of Modern Sports

The secret runaway success of Kenneth Gandar-Dower’s racing cheetahs.
Written by Jennifer Lee Noonan • 15 Apr 2019 • Read/Listen →
Site News:

A Pregnant Pause

In January of 1963, husband and wife George and Charlotte Blonsky submitted a patent application for a revolutionary invention. George, a mining engineer...
Written by Alan Bellows • 29 Mar 2019 • Read →
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Every Breath You Take

In June of 1965, a 27-year-old gentleman by the name of Angus Barbieri checked himself into the Maryfield Hospital in Dundee, Scotland. His complaint was...
Written by Alan Bellows • 25 Jan 2019 • Read →
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Schumann Resonances

Three times a day, every day--roughly 9am, 2pm, and 8pm Coordinated Universal Time--an extremely low frequency electromagnetic pulse races around the Ear...
Written by Matt Castle • 04 Dec 2018 • Read →
Long-Form:

A Debaculous Fiasco

The most expensive, bizarre, and obscure work ever created by Dr. Seuss.
Written by Jennifer Lee Noonan • 06 Nov 2018 • Read/Listen →
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The Original Ghostbuster

In the early 1980s, a certain Mr. Vic Tandy found himself working for a medical device manufacturer in Warwick, in the county of Warwickshire, England. W...
Written by Erin Anderson • 14 Aug 2018 • Read →
Long-Form:

Drawing the Shorter Straw

Visionary Argentine filmmaker Quirino Cristiani created full-length animated films between 1917 and 1931. He has since been all but forgotten.
Written by Marisa Brook • 31 Jul 2018 • Read/Listen →
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Involuntary Indefatigability

Only one fictional character has ever been honoured with a front-page obituary in the New York Times: Hercule Poirot, one of Agatha Christie's two recurr...
Written by Marisa Brook • 21 May 2018 • Read →
Long-Form:

The Curse of Konzo

In 1981, an international group of doctors identified the devastating disease behind a perplexing outbreak of paralysis in northern Mozambique.
Written by Matt Castle • 02 May 2018 • Read/Listen →
Long-Form:

A Jarring Revelation

Amanda Theodosia Jones was a 19th-century poet, entrepreneur, and inventor who found inspiration in some unlikely places.
Written by Christine Ro • 30 Mar 2018 • Read/Listen →
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Scraping Bottom

When Germany was divided in two after the Second World War, military leaders recognized the need for liaison between the Soviet-occupied East Germany and...
Written by Alan Bellows • 19 Mar 2018 • Read →
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The Colors of Numbers

Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon in which certain sensory concepts are strongly linked to each other in seemingly random but persistent ways. Tho...
Written by Jennifer Lee Noonan • 12 Mar 2018 • Read →
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Yankee Swap

One of the more controversial trades in baseball history was announced on 04 March 1973, just before the start of the 1973 baseball season. Mike Kekich a...
Written by Alan Bellows • 04 Mar 2018 • Read →
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The Mystery Lake of the Himalayas

Nestled in a valley high in the Himalayas in northern India is a small lake named Roopkund, known locally as Mystery Lake. The area around Roopkund Lake ...
Written by Erika Nesvold • 19 Feb 2018 • Read →
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Echoes of NASA

On 13 May 1960, a NASA Thor-Delta rocket carried the agency's new Echo 1 satellite into a 1,000 mile orbit around the Earth. It was a 156.995 pound metal...
Written by Alan Bellows • 12 Feb 2018 • Read →
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Cracking the Case

A lengthy study of 'crack babies' born to cocaine addicts in Philadelphia in the 1980s and 1990s ended in 2013 with an unexpected result. The average IQ ...
Written by Marisa Brook • 06 Feb 2018 • Read →
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Water Proof

In 1936, Russian scientist Vladimir Lukyanov was confronted with the problem of devising a system to improve the quality of Russian concrete and the effi...
Written by Alan Bellows • 22 Jan 2018 • Read →

09 December 2019

When Tobacco Companies Used Doctors to Sell Cigarettes When Tobacco Companies Used Doctors to Sell Cigarettes
flashbak.com
Stunning Warrior Grave — Complete with Chariot, Horses — Uncovered in England Stunning Warrior Grave — Complete with Chariot, Horses — Uncovered in England
livescience.com
Robotic junk collector will be first mission to remove item of debris from orbit Robotic junk collector will be first mission to remove item of debris from orbit
theguardian.com
What Aircraft Crews Know About Managing High-Pressure Situations What Aircraft Crews Know About Managing High-Pressure Situations • (see also)
hbr.org
The Assassination of Thomas Doughty by the Brigand Sir Francis Drake The Assassination of Thomas Doughty by the Brigand Sir Francis Drake • (see also)
crimereads.com
A Great Wave of Hokusai A Great Wave of Hokusai • (see also)
smithsonianmag.com
From their balloons, the first aeronauts transformed our view of the world From their balloons, the first aeronauts transformed our view of the world
theconversation.com
Bullets That Killed President Kennedy to Be Released as 3D Scans Bullets That Killed President Kennedy to Be Released as 3D Scans
paleofuture.gizmodo.com
On this day in 1921 a chronically catastrophic chemist developed leaded gasoline On this day in 1921 a chronically catastrophic chemist developed leaded gasoline
damninteresting.com
How Russian Agents Hunt Down Kremlin Opponents in Europe How Russian Agents Hunt Down Kremlin Opponents in Europe
spiegel.de
Scientists Crack Longest, Most Complex Encryption Key Ever Scientists Crack Longest, Most Complex Encryption Key Ever
popularmechanics.com
How Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Got Its Freaky ‘Tiger Stripes’ How Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Got Its Freaky ‘Tiger Stripes’
gizmodo.com
Nicolas Bourbaki: The greatest mathematician who never was Nicolas Bourbaki: The greatest mathematician who never was
theconversation.com
Lessons From a Teenage Cyborg Lessons From a Teenage Cyborg
wired.com
How Tycho Brahe Discovered a New Star with a Piece of String How Tycho Brahe Discovered a New Star with a Piece of String
lithub.com
CRISPR-resistant viruses build 'safe rooms' to shield genomes from DNA-dicing enzymes CRISPR-resistant viruses build 'safe rooms' to shield genomes from DNA-dicing enzymes
phys.org
The Long-Forgotten Vigilante Murders of the San Luis Valley The Long-Forgotten Vigilante Murders of the San Luis Valley
5280.com
Study: People misremember numerical facts to fit their biases Study: People misremember numerical facts to fit their biases
eurekalert.org
Someone ate a $120,000 banana that an artist had taped to a wall Someone ate a $120,000 banana that an artist had taped to a wall
cnn.com
How robocalls became America's most prevalent crime How robocalls became America's most prevalent crime
theweek.com
New Zealand volcano: 'No sign of life' after White Island eruption New Zealand volcano: 'No sign of life' after White Island eruption • Photos
bbc.com
When Mental Illness Becomes a Jail Sentence When Mental Illness Becomes a Jail Sentence
theatlantic.com
Recordings reveal that plants make ultrasonic squeals when stressed Recordings reveal that plants make ultrasonic squeals when stressed
newscientist.com
He won hockey gold, then became a motivational speaker. But Paul Rosen’s dark secrets nearly killed him He won hockey gold, then became a motivational speaker. But Paul Rosen’s dark secrets nearly killed him
thespec.com
New York's high-rise jails: what could go wrong? New York's high-rise jails: what could go wrong?
theguardian.com

08 December 2019

Video: An Antidote to Dissatisfaction [10:00] Video: An Antidote to Dissatisfaction [10:00]
youtube.com
Video: Relative rotation rates of the planets cast to a single sphere [0:20] Video: Relative rotation rates of the planets cast to a single sphere [0:20]
reddit.com
A US town only reached through Canada A US town only reached through Canada
bbc.com
Austria struggles with marauding Krampus demons gone rogue Austria struggles with marauding Krampus demons gone rogue
theguardian.com
Lovers in Auschwitz, Reunited 72 Years Later. He Had One Question. Lovers in Auschwitz, Reunited 72 Years Later. He Had One Question.
nytimes.com
'Don't mess with us': Family of the 'Cat Lady' seeks justice in Muskoka mystery of missing seniors 'Don't mess with us': Family of the 'Cat Lady' seeks justice in Muskoka mystery of missing seniors
cbc.ca
Uncovered details behind the shooting and death of Michel Vieanneau Uncovered details behind the shooting and death of Michel Vieanneau
newsinteractives.cbc.ca
When a DNA Test Says You’re a Younger Man, Who Lives 5,000 Miles Away When a DNA Test Says You’re a Younger Man, Who Lives 5,000 Miles Away
nytimes.com

07 December 2019

Why We Get Nostalgic About Junk Food Why We Get Nostalgic About Junk Food
thewalrus.ca
One man’s 10-year experiment to record every moment One man’s 10-year experiment to record every moment
bbc.com
Black holes formed from dark matter could be making dead stars explode Black holes formed from dark matter could be making dead stars explode
newscientist.com
Colored Micrographs Magnify Pollen Seeds, Plant Cells, and Leaf Structures in Photographs by Rob Kesseler Colored Micrographs Magnify Pollen Seeds, Plant Cells, and Leaf Structures in Photographs by Rob Kesseler
thisiscolossal.com
On this day in 1941 a Japanese fighter pilot crash landed on the sparsely populated Hawaiian island of Niihau On this day in 1941 a Japanese fighter pilot crash landed on the sparsely populated Hawaiian island of Niihau
damninteresting.com
Suspect swallows poison after verdict in French murder case Suspect swallows poison after verdict in French murder case
france24.com
Remembrance Lake: In Japan, an intimate reminder of climate change Remembrance Lake: In Japan, an intimate reminder of climate change
reuters.com
Billionaires only, please! London vault for the ultra-rich opens Billionaires only, please! London vault for the ultra-rich opens
theguardian.com
The Man Who Predicted Nazi Germany The Man Who Predicted Nazi Germany
nytimes.com
Our Bodies Age in Three Distinct Shifts, According to More Than 4,000 Blood Tests Our Bodies Age in Three Distinct Shifts, According to More Than 4,000 Blood Tests
sciencealert.com
The dark side of electronic waste recycling The dark side of electronic waste recycling
theverge.com
Victoria Falls dries to a trickle after worst drought in a century Victoria Falls dries to a trickle after worst drought in a century
theguardian.com


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