How Canada’s Flag Ended Up With A Maple Leaf Instead Of Union Jacks, Beavers Or Mounties
Happy Canada Day! The flag you’ll see at events across the country today has quite an origin story: one guy, one red pen and a lot of potential roadblocks.
A Guy Used A Loophole In International Law To Put Himself “In Charge” Of Western Antarctica
This week in 1819 was probably the first European sighting of Antarctica. It’s different from all the other continents in so many ways - including how, from a certain point of view, a big chunk of Antarctica is “ruled” by a guy who’s never even been there.
Greenland Starts The New Year With Visits From Silent Masked Visitors
The new year tradition of Mitaarfik in Greenland features a bunch of people in masks hanging out in your house without saying a word.
The 300 Club Is The Hottest – And Coldest – Club In Antarctica
In extremely cold Antarctic weather, some of the researchers and staff have come up with an unusual way to pass the time: rushing from an extremely hot sauna to the extremely cold conditions around the South Pole, in extremely light outfits (if any!).
Cheers To The First Woman To Perform Shakespeare Onstage, Whoever She Was
Today in 1660, for the first time a woman took to the stage in England and performed a role in a production of Shakespeare’s Othello. We know she was a trailblazer. We know she was a pioneer. We don’t know who she was.
The Highly Photographic Life Of Frederick Douglass
Today is the assumed birth date in 1817 or 1818 of Frederick Douglass, who is known for his powerful writing and speeches, but was also probably the most photographed person of his time.
To Live At This Antarctic Base, You Have To Have Your Appendix Out
Villas Las Estrellas is a tiny community run by Chile on Antarctica's King George Island. And it's so remote that one of the rules is that everyone who lives or works there has to have their appendix out before they show up.
Richard Nixon Once Had The White House Guard Dress In Fancy White Uniforms
In early 1970 President Richard Nixon introduced new uniforms for the guards at the White House - European-style suits that Americans thought looked better for movie ushers or marching bands.
Fruit Crops Can Stay Safe From Frost Damage With Nanocrystal “Blankets”
Frost damage is a growing problem for fruit growers, but a team at Washington State University has developed a cellulose nanocrystal coating that can insulate the buds of grapes and cherries and keep them safe during cold snaps.
When A Giant Safe Showed Up In His Yard, A New York Farmer Decided To Embraced The Mystery
A farmer in Barre, NY found a massive old safe in his fields, with a note on the side saying whoever could open it could have what was inside. But he decided maybe it would be better not to spoil the surprise.