The Air Force Once Bombed Montana
Today in 1944, the U.S. Air Force carried out a bombing raid in Montana. Even stranger, they did so at the request of the governor. We'll explain.
For Michelangelo, Painting The Sistine Chapel Was Literally A Pain
Today in 1475 Michelangelo was born. One of his masterworks was the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, though if a poem he wrote about the job is to be believed, making all that great art was pretty painful.
We Can Send Edible Drones To People While They’re Waiting For A Rescue
Engineers and enthusiasts are finding all kinds of great uses for drones, but this one may top them all: there are now drones with edible wings that can reach and then feed people who are in need of rescue.
Sarah Biffin, A 19th Century Painter “Without Hands” Who’s Getting 21st Century Recognition
Today in 2019, the sale of a portrait by 19th Century English miniaturist Sarah Biffin, a renowned artist who was born without full arms or legs and whose life and work are the subject of an exhibition now running in London.
Piano Chords May Help Stop Chronic Nightmares
There's a new technique that could help people trying to fend off chronic nightmares - and it involves playing "neutral" piano chords at just the right times.
A Mirror From The 16th Century Just Revealed Its Secret
In the collection of the Cincinnati Art Museum, there’s a mirror from 16th Century China that has been keeping a secret for centuries. And, at long last, that secret is out.
Stone Age People Figured Out How To Do A Kind Of Animation
There’s evidence that people in the Stone Age took plaquettes, limestone representations of animals, put them near the fire and watched as the light created a kind of animation. Pretty high-tech stuff for 14,000 years ago.
Mill Ends Park In Portland Is The World’s Smallest Park
Today in 1948 that a guy in Portland, Oregon, dedicated Mill Ends Park, two square feet of green space in the middle of a parkway. It's still the world’s smallest park today.
A Delicious Cookie With A Bad Name Won’t Taste As Sweet
Research from the Ohio State University just found that the words we use to describe food can affect how we perceive its taste.
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.