Daily Curiosities: New Jersey was Invaded by Aliens
31 October 2009, 12:00 pmOrson Welles via Wikimedia On October 30th 1938, a martian “cylinder” landed in Grovers Mill, New Jersey, heralding the beginning of a Martian invasion that created mass panic and caused immense damage throughout the world. Luckily for us, it was only a radio broadcast. In 1938, CBS was running a radio series named “Mercury Theatre,” narrated by Orson [...]..... More
Daily Curiosities: Jack-o-Lanterns Used to be Turnips
28 October 2009, 6:00 amEvery Halloween,, front porches across the United States are invaded by carved, candle lit pumpkins. Yet, as common as Jack-o-Lanterns are, it seems an odd tradition to carve faces on pumpkins. Of course, there is a reason for the tradition, and it starts in Ireland. According to Irish legend, a man named Stingy Jack twice [...]..... More
Daily Curiosities: Candy Corn was Invented in the 1880’s
27 October 2009, 6:00 amhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2/ / CC BY-SA 2.0 Every year Americans eat so much candy corn that if the pieces were laid end to end, they would circle the earth more than 4 times. Candy corn is made much the same way it was when it was invented, though machines have taken over much of the process. Candy corn [...]..... More
Daily Curiosities: Glow Sticks!
26 October 2009, 6:00 amTwo Glow Sticks, one was broken normally and the other was cut open and the liquids mixed in a small bottle. Glow sticks have become an extremely common trick or treating accessory. They are perfect for increasing the visibility of kids because they are safe, easy to use, and have an awesome spooky glow to [...]..... More
Daily Curiosities: Tonic Water was Used to Prevent Malaria
24 October 2009, 6:00 amTonic water is a liquid that it often used as a mix in for alcoholic drinks, but did you know that it was originally used to prevent malaria? As the European powers colonized South Asia and and Africa, they began encountering new diseases such as malaria that caused much pain and suffering. One of the [...]..... More
Daily Curiosities: Gombocs
23 October 2009, 6:00 amGomboc via Wikimedia I was browsing Dark Roasted Blend and came across an article about an interesting toy called a Gomboc. The Gomboc has only one point of stable equilibrium and one point of unstable equilibrium, resulting in the Gomboc rolling around when placed on a flat surface. More Info Buy a Gomboc The Story of the [...]..... More
