Fake-or-Fact Friday: Random News 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.
Daily Dispatch
Spring Break!
Hey, parents of college students: Your kids are using that tuition money you gave them to take a March trip to Florida. (Hey, college students: Your secret is safe with us!) Here’s a little bit about the history of Spring Break.
Impossible Questions: Weird Science Edition – The Answer
Think you’ve got a legitimate answer to this crazy question? Keep reading to see if you nailed it.
How are music superstars Lenny Kravitz and Bette Midler enemies of science?
Both Midler and Kravitz recorded very popular songs that make casual reference to basic scientific phenomena…and both got their facts completely wrong. Really!
Klingon Beer, Zombie Beer, Westeros Beer
How do you prove that you’re a true fan of Star Trek, The Walking Dead, or Game of Thrones? Drink these pop-culture-inspired beers.
The Federation of Beer – as in the United Federation of Planets from Star Trek – has licensed the Star Trek name to create a beer called Roggen Dunkel to be brewed in Indiana.
Impossible Questions: Weird Science 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.
How are music superstars Lenny Kravitz and Bette Midler enemies of science?
The Long Island Rhesus Monkey Escape
A monkey mess from Uncle John’s bottomless “dustbin of history” files. It was the year 1935. A collector of rare, and what were then considered exotic, animals named Frank Buck ran a 40-acre “jungle camp” on Long Island, New York. Once common, these animal enclosures were small roadside zoos.
The Wonderful World of (Unauthorized Tributes to) Disney
Generations of artists, filmmakers, and musicians have been inspired by Disney films, TV shows, and songs. Some actually grew up to work for the “House of Mouse.” Others just made their own Disney-esque creations without any official approval from the company.
Not Coming to a Theater Near You: The Breakfast Club Edition
You’d be surprised by how many films in Hollywood are started, but not finished. Here’s a look at a fascinating could have-been. Note: The Breakfast Club had detention 30 years ago today.
AUJA: Bank vs. Credit Union
From the outside, it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a difference between a bank and a credit union. You probably can’t tell much of a difference as a customer, either, as both offer checking accounts, savings programs, teller windows, multiple branches, ATMs, car loans, and mortgages.
The Wee Retreat
Because we all want a wee little place down by the sea.
Beachside property can be really expensive, which is why Nick Willan bought a fixer-upper when looking for a vacation house on the U.K.’s eastern coast. But instead of purchasing a cabin with outdated fixtures or an undeveloped plot, Willan chose an old public bathroom in the seaside town of Sheringham.
Fake-or-Fact Friday: A Body of Weirdness 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 Mystery of Seattle’s Mystery Coke Machine
Seattle has long been a proudly weird place, but one of its weirdest elements is a vending machine. Really. Here is the mysterious story of Seattle’s mystery Coke machine.
Impossible Questions: That Big Year Edition (The Answer)
What major national event precedes women’s voting rights in the U.S., the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, France phasing out the guillotine, statehood of four states, the discovery of Pluto, sliced bread, and the demotion of Pluto?
Exploring the ‘Cosmos’
With Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s modern-day reboot of Carl Sagan’s 1980 documentary series doing so well, here’s a look back at the original, which was a surprising pop culture phenomenon. “Cosmos” is a Greek word that literally means “order.” In science, however, it means “the universe” or “everything, including space, atoms, and everything in between. Cosmology […]
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.
What major national event precedes women’s voting rights in the U.S., the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, France phasing out the guillotine, statehood of four states, the discovery of Pluto, sliced bread, and the demotion of Pluto?
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.
