A brief history of the Olympics
The first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C. in the Greek city of Olympia. Olympia was the site of the main temple to Zeus, and where the Greek god was…
Category: Briefs
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…
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…
Cockroach to the rescue
If you’ve ever wondered what possible use cockroaches are, a German startup has the answer: Tiny spies. SWARM Biotactics is seriously fitting Madagascar…
Get that bear off your car!
In the annals of strange laws, a driving law in Anchorage, Alaska, enacted in 1982, is one of the most peculiar, according to Reader’s Digest. You may not…
Sweaters from seaweed?
A new effort to find a planet-friendly clothing material took a deep dive into fibers and landed on kelp. Yes, that’s seaweed and it has some things going…
How special is your birthday, really?
Your birthday, your special day. But how special is it? According to Reader’s Digest, about 20.8 million people worldwide share the same day of their…