The Centuries-Long Quest To Choose A Punctuation Mark For Irony And Sarcasm
The history of punctuation is full of efforts to choose a mark that would make it clear to readers when the writer is being ironic or sarcastic.
In Sweden And Finland, The Thursday Before Easter Is The Time For Trick-Or-Treating Witches
We're just a few days away from Easter for many people around the world. For kids in Finland and Sweden, the Thursday before Easter is itself a pretty important time: it’s when they turn themselves into witches.
Karolina Olsson, “The Sleeper of Oknö,” Woke Up After 32 Years In Bed
Today in 1861, the birthday of a woman with a very strange story. For reasons that aren’t at all clear, Karolina Olsson went to bed as a 14 year old and apparently didn’t wake up until she was in her forties.
If It’s Thursday, It’s Time For Pea Soup And Pancakes In Sweden
This past Monday was National Day in Sweden, but it's Thursday that the real fun gets underway, because that’s when people eat pea soup and pancakes. Together.
In Sweden In 1712, February Had 30 Days
Most years February is 28 days long. Every fourth year it has 29. But one time, in one country, for one year, there was a February 30th.
Clever Hans, The Horse That “Solved” Math Problems
Back about 120 or so years ago, in Berlin, Germany, you might have encountered a strange sight: a man named Wilhelm Von Osten asking math questions of a horse named Clever Hans. Was the horse actually solving the problems, or was something else at work?
Emma Schols Saved Her Six Kids From A Burning House
Today in 2019, a woman in Sweden rose to an unthinkable occasion: she rescued all six of her children, including three under 5 years old, while their house burned down.
A Museum Exhibit In Sweden Includes The Weirdest Drinks Of All Time
The Disgusting Food Museum in southern Sweden has a new exhibit on the strangest alcoholic drinks of all time, proving that people will drink some truly revolting concoctions in pursuit of a buzz.
I Dance For Me. FOR ME!
My god, he's the David Hasselhoff of Sweden!