Impossible Questions: That Big Year Edition
Think you know the answer to this question? Think you can get it? Good luck…and come back tomorrow to see if you’re right.
Daily Dispatch
University of Heroes
Recently, we told you about Tim Draper’s crazy scheme to chop up California into six separate states. We held back a bit more of the story – how Draper founded a very, um, unique private college.
More Cowbell!
The “More Cowbell” sketch aired on Saturday Night Live in 2000, and is one of the most famous in the show’s history. It’s set up as a mock episode of the documentary show Behind the Music, set at a recording studio as Blue Oyster Cult records its cowbell-heavy 1976 hit “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” But how accurate is it?
AUJA – What’s the Point of Mosquitos?
They bite. They suck blood. They spread disease. So what’s the point of mosquitos anyway? Those things are the point.
Mosquitos spread viruses and parasites through the animal kingdom (not counting humans). That naturally helps control the population of animals, keeping ecological balances in check.
St. Patrick’s Day Trivia: True or False
How much do you know about the history of St. Patrick’s Day traditions? Here’s some St. Patrick’s Day trivia to pass on to your friends today.
The Hoverboard Hoax
We recently told you about Nike’s plans to release footwear inspired by the electronic sneakers that Marty McFly wore in Back to the Future Part II. But there’s another product from that movie fans want to be a reality: hoverboards.
Fake-or-Fact Friday: Boys Will Be Boys Edition
Two of these news items really happened. One of them only happened…in our minds. Can you tell which is the fake? The answer is below.
The Other World Cup of Soccer
Who can’t play for the World Cup this summer? Teams from non-sovereign nations, displaced peoples, dependencies, and tiny countries. They’ve got their own tournament.
Impossible Questions: “La Cocina” Edition – The Answer
Did you figure it out the answer to this week’s “Impossible Question”? Read on to see if you were right.
What’s the most popular Mexican food item in the United States?
Okay, so we might be fudging the details here to try and trick you, but the most popular Mexican food item isn’t the obvious guess (of course not) like the taco or the burrito.
The New and Improved SAT
Some new SAT adjustments will make the test that tormented you in high school a little less traumatic for today’s teenagers.
Impossible Questions: “La Cocina” Edition
Think you know the answer to this question? Think you can get it? Good luck…and come back tomorrow to see if you’re right.
What’s the most popular Mexican food item in the United States?
Splitting California Into Six States
California, California, California, California, California, California Dreamin’! California is a large, varied state, with vast cultural and geographic differences across its many regions. We already told you about the charge for one section to split off into its own state. One man has another ideas: six states.
Spring Forward, Fall Back: Daylight Saving Time Facts
Have you adjusted to Daylight Saving Time (not “Savings”) yet? Here are some facts about why we change our clocks each March, and then change them back again in November.
- Benjamin Franklin invented Daylight Saving Time…as a joke. While living in France in 1784, he published a satirical essay called “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light,” which suggested changing the clocks to provide more daylight hours.
6 Weird Celebrity Barbies
Mattel has produced thousands of different Barbie dolls over the past six decades, including these bizarre ones based on real people.
Farrah Fawcett (2011)
Not just a doll of the Charlie’s Angels star, it’s a doll that re-creates exactly Fawcett’s iconic 1970s swimsuit poster. The doll is posed with one knee up and includes the poster’s backdrop, too.
AUJA – Tony’s Tony and Oscar’s Oscar
Only one person named Oscar has ever won an Academy Award, nicknamed “Oscar” by an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences librarian who remarked that the bald statuette resembled her Uncle Oscar.
Fake-or-Fact Friday: The “Yellow King” Edition
Two of these news stories are real. One isn’t. Can you tell which? “Urine” luck, because the answer is at the end.
Remembering the Alamo
On this day in 1836, the Battle of the Alamo ended. Here are some little-known facts about one of the most famous and important battles in history.
A Weird App: Toilets-for-Rent with Airpnp
There’s an app you can use locate and rent other people’s homes for a few nights when they’re not occupied…but what if you only need a very particular part of that house, and for, oh, 10, maybe 15 minutes, at the most? Introducing Airpnp, a web-based app that allows users to find a clean bathroom in a private residence where they can confidently do their business.
