Tour the Great Wide World of Mushroom Cloud Imagery
Nuclear testing yielded far more, and more diverse, images of mushroom clouds than those that are commonly shown
The Largest Manmade Block Ever Was Just Discovered in Lebanon
The block was never used, likely because it was too big to transport
Richard III’s DNA Analysis Reveals Cuckoldry in the Family
Researchers can trace the monarch’s maternal lineage to modern relatives, but not the male side
Hollywood Asked for Freeway Noise Barriers First
It only makes sense that the problem of road noise cropped up in Los Angeles
New Amsterdam’s First Laws: Drink Less, Fight Less
New Amsterdam was controlled by the Dutch from 1624 to 1664
Experts Have No Idea Who This Roman God Is
A recently unearthed carving combines Roman and Mesopotamian elements but may represent a god from an even earlier time
This Computer From 1949 Runs on Water
Computers at the time didn’t have displays; one economics student created a visualization using water-filled tanks and tubes
A Nurse Describes the Smell of the Civil War
The overpowering stink of blood and decaying flesh can surprise even trained soldiers
Soon Enough No One Will Remember Bill Clinton
People mostly remember first and recent US presidents, forgetting almost all the ones that came between
The 17th-Century Polish Vampire Next Door
In 17th century Poland, people pegged as vampires weren’t weirdo foreigners but locals who freaked their neighbors out
Mysterious Antikythera Mechanism Is Even Older Than We Thought
This ancient astronomical calculator is now dated to 205 B.C. and is 1,000 years more advanced than anything else found from that time
How NASA Censored Dirty-Mouthed Astronauts
NASA really didn’t want astronauts swearing on air
An Ancient Egyptian Spellbook Has Been Translated
It’s like the researchers have never seen a horror movie
How One Crop Allowed Humans to Conquer the Himalaya
Hardy barley enabled us to survive at altitudes that were previously beyond reach
India Once Released 25,000 Flesh-Eating Turtles Into the Ganges
A plan to clean up corpses failed due to lack of planning
This Archaeology Site Is Guarded by 500 Turkish Soldiers
The excavation of a 5,000 year old city on the Turkey-Syrian border continues despite nearby presence of the Islamic State extremists
19th Century Concern Trolling: Chess Is “a Mere Amusement of a Very Inferior Character”
The writers of Scientific American had some not nice things to say about chess
A Soldier’s Room Has Remained Virtually Untouched Since WWI
The home’s current owner, however, says he feels little connection to the dead soldier
George Washington Didn’t Have Wooden Teeth—They Were Ivory
Washington’s teeth were made of a lot of things, but not wood
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