Cool Finds
Thomas Jefferson Conducted Early Smallpox Vaccine Trials
When an English doctor discovered a safer kind of immunity, someone had to spread the word to America
Wisconsin is Too Warm for a 66-Foot Ice Tower to Survive
Weather conditions likely played a big factor in the crashing demise of a giant ice sculpture intended to last through the winter
This Music Is Made of Embroidery
Here’s what happens when you feed historical cross-stitch through a music box
Visit 1940s Chicago With a Film Discovered at a Garage Sale
The film, produced in around 1945, offers a thorough, fact-filled tour of the city
Rare Cat Caught on Camera…Attacking a Monkey
Africa’s most elusive wild cat makes a rare daytime appearance
South Korea’s 'Women of the Sea’ Have Free Dived For Abalone Since the 17th Century
Diving supported life on the wind-scoured, rocky island of Jeju
A 10,000-Year-Old Forest Has Been Discovered, And It's Under Water
Ancient oak trees found on the bottom of the North Sea represent a prehistoric woodland that likely spanned thousands of acres
For the First Time in Almost a Century, a Rare Red Fox Was Seen at Yosemite
Cameras and “hair snares” could preserve a threatened Sierra species
How Halitosis Became a Medical Condition With a "Cure"
Bad breath wasn’t perceived as a medical condition until one company realized that it could help them sell mouthwash
Did Archaeologists Just Find Miguel de Cervantes, 400 Years After His Death?
A centuries-old crypt could hold the answer to the mystery of Cervantes’ missing remains
Women Were Key to WWII Code-Breaking at Bletchley Park
Female operators and mathematicians play a greater role in the history of computers and code-breaking than most realize
Mostly the Old And Ill Ate Breakfast Until the Rise of the Working Man
Romans disdained the meal, few ate it in the Middle Ages, but most eat breakfast now
Hive Mind: A Swarm of Microprobes Could Tell Us More About Jupiter
The miniature probes will gather atmospheric data before bursting into flames
The Mystery of the Continuously Functioning Battery From 1840
A battery at the University of Oxford has been incessantly ringing two bells for 175 years—but no one knows exactly why it’s lasted so long
Mystery Solved: Footage From a Long-Lost Silent Sherlock Holmes Is Found
William Gillette is responsible for how we see Sherlock Holmes—but the loss of his single silent film was an unsolved mystery
Evidence of a Seating Plan Discovered at the Colosseum
Restoration efforts reveal the red-painted numbers that would help ancient Romans find their status-dictated seats
How One 138-Page Book Inspired the Creation of the Boy Scouts
How a little military textbook evolved into a movement that would captivate generations of young men
Darwin May Have Experienced Extreme Anxiety
Many attempts have been made to diagnose Darwin’s illness, here’s a well-argued possibility
Some People Have Patterns on Their Tongues That Look Like Maps
The condition is harmless and fairly common
How to Mind Your Manners at Silent Movies
Vintage slides give an etiquette lesson to obnoxious silent movie audiences
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