Things I Learned Today

otsana — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:30:01 +0000

Prior to about the 1950s, transmission fluid was mostly whale oil.

otsana — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:24:16 +0000

Copper (and also brass, which contains copper) is germicidal. Brass doorknobs can kill many bacteria within eight hours.

otsana — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:26:31 +0000

The average life span of a $1 bill is 21 months. The average life span of a $100 bill is 89 months.

otsana — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:50:11 +0000

Curry was introduced to the Japanese by the British.

otsana — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 04:41:05 +0000

Galileo’s two daughters lived their lives in a convent because he thought they would be unmarriageable.

otsana — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:16:59 +0000

Washington has the highest percentage of non-religious people in the United States. Oregon and Vermont are tied for second highest percentage.

otsana — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 16:15:03 +0000

Gaston Glock, the Austrian founder of the company that makes the Glock pistol, made curtain rods before he made guns.

otsana — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 05:15:51 +0000

Some Eastern European cultures have folktales about vampire pumpkins or watermelons. According to these stories, any pumpkin or watermelon kept too long (for a certain number of days, or sometimes past Christmas, depending on the story) will turn into a vampire. These vampires are not considered scary, as they lack teeth.

otsana — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:42:05 +0000

The oldest surviving pile carpet came from the 4th or 5th century BC, and was preserved in ice in a burial ground. In Europe, carpets were not commonly used on floors until about the 18th century. Until then, they went on tables and walls.

otsana — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 20:49:19 +0000

The first medical use of radiation was in 1936. A leukemia patient was treated with a radioactive isotope of phosphorous-32.