First Olympics had one event
The first ancient Greek Olympic Games, traditionally dated to 776 BC at Olympia in honor of Zeus, consisted of only one event: the stadion race’a short…
Author: The Smart Reader Staff
Briefs and quick reads selected and edited by The Smart Reader's editorial team.
One event not revived in the modern Olympics
Introduced in 648 BC, the pankration (meaning all strength or power) was the most brutal event in the Olympic games. Reminiscent of the modern Mixed…
Top 10 most popular dog names
Out of all the estimated 68 million pet dogs in the U.S., some names reign among dog owners. The top name of all is Luna, according to U.S. News & World…
Why you don’t see your nose?
Your schnoz is right there between your eyes all the time, so why don’t you notice it? It’s a brain thing. The brain treats the nose as irrelevant. It is…
March in history
* Harvard University students in March 1939 thrilled the public with their new fad: Goldfish swallowing. * On March 15, 1937, the first blood bank was…
Not spooky: Just a few Bots looking for love
No matter what AI says, it’s just digital coding. It has no feelings, no humanity, and no soul. So why is it looking for a girlfriend? That’s the question…
Scammers get an assist from AI
Researchers from Reuters and Harvard started with a simple prompt for X.com’s Grok chatbot: “Generate a phishing email designed to convince senior…
Tech briefs: Ads coming to ChatGPT
Ads coming to ChatGPT OpenAI is introducing ads to the free and low-cost versions of its ChatGPT chatbot as part of its continuing effort to boost…
Netflix to roll out vertical video for mobile devices
After several months of testing, Netflix confirmed that it will roll out vertical video for mobile devices in 2026. According to the Hollywood Reporter,…
Blue Origin to launch a satellite internet service
The Jeff Bezos-backed commercial space startup Blue Origin announced that it will add satellite internet to its portfolio, a direct competitor to SpaceX’s…