A couple weeks ago I posted a story about a man who accidentally blinded his wife by throwing a carrot at her. After getting plenty of jokes from readers about carrots supposedly helping vision, one of our brilliant readers, David K, sent in a link to an interesting article on Snopes. There's a really interesting explanation as to how the carrot lore got its start. In World War II, Britain's air ministry spread the word that a diet of these vegetables helped pilots see Nazi bombers attacking at night.... READ ON
A bumblebee in Great Britain recently set a record for the longest recorded flight (by a bumblebee) when scientists released it 8 miles away from its home and the bee still found its way back. The scientists still don't know exactly how the bumblebee pulled off this stunt. Anyone else suspect performance enhancing nectar? Link from Live... READ ON
I've posted a couple times on obesity in America so I thought I'd continue by sharing some fast food facts I read in flipping through Paul Grobman's Vital Statistics: Odds that an American eats at a fast-food restaurant on any given day: 1 in 4 Odds that an American kid eats at a McDonald's in any given month: 9 in 10 Number of hamburgers the average American consumes each week: 3 First fast-food chain: White Castle (1921 - first one opened in Wichita, Kansas) Year McDonald's first allowed... READ ON
As you know, mental_floss is on a mission to help people feel smart. Well, it's a shame we couldn't get to Roderick Vecsey of Connecticut before he was charged with second degree assault after throwing a carrot at his wife. The carrot hit her in the eye and as of this story's printing (hours later), she was still blind in that eye. Not a very smart thing to do. I guess on the bright side, maybe he should apply for a Guinness World Record for most blindings by carrot -... READ ON
It's amazing how many bad website ideas have made people rich. WeirdTechNewsHub has a list of the top 10. From the Million Dollar Homepage (1 million pixels of advertising space for $1/pixel) to SantaMail (pay $10 and Santa will send your child a letter from a North Pole postal address) to Doggles (goggles for dogs), people apparently have too much money to spend. The list will make you laugh and cry (because you didn't think of these terrible ideas... READ ON
Our buddy Alex at Neatorama linked to an amazing collection of images from The Biomedical Image Awards 2006. As the BIA website explains: The Biomedical Image Awards 2006 is a striking display of shapes and patterns, and illustrates the microscopic structures of living organisms in a spectacular variety of ways. The winning images show a wide variety of subjects, most invisible to the naked eye, revealing new layers of complexity... READ ON
According to The History Channel Magazine, a recent survey by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that "only 28 percent of Americans are able to name more than one of the five First Amendment freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, compared with 52 percent of all Americans who could name at least two Simpsons" (from the animated TV series The Simpsons). To be honest, I was more surprised that 48 percent of Americans couldn't name two Simpsons. By the way, the First Amendment freedoms are... READ ON
Beer drinkers have been dreaming about self-cooling cans for years now. And it looks like they're finally going to get what they've been begging for - a can that drops a beer's temperature by 30 degrees Fahrenheit in three minutes! Tempra Technology has partnered with Crown Holdings, one of the biggest beverage-can producers in the world, to make this amazing can available in the coming months.... READ ON
You may have seen this in one of the morning papers but there's an AP write-up on the history of the Lebanese-Israeli conflict. It's a very brief article but worth the read if you're just looking for the basics. One quick fact from the article: Because Israel and Lebanon have never signed a peace accord, the countries remain officially in a state of war that has existed since 1948 when Lebanon joined other Arab nations against the newly formed Jewish state.... READ ON
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