In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt faced an excruciatingly delicate task. Although he had promised—and campaigned on—a policy of American neutrality in World War II the year before, Roosevelt ached to help the Allies stem the increasingly ravenous Nazi threat sweeping across Europe. The qu
Pop quiz! Which of the following popular candies—M&M’s, Kisses, Milk Duds, Chocolate covered peanuts, or Malted milk balls—is a trademarked name? If you said Kisses, you’re right—but only just. Which leads to one of the strangest trademark cases of the past century. ALL KINDS OF KISSES
Johndclare The First World War was an unprecedented catastrophe that shaped our modern world. Erik Sass is covering the events of the war exactly 100 years after they happened. This is the 165th installment in the series. January 25-31, 1915: Germans Repulsed at Givenchy By the beginning of 1915
Undeveloped World War II Film Discovered from The Rescued Film Project on Vimeo. During World War II, an unidentified American soldier filled 31 rolls of film with photos that he never got to, or had cause to, see developed. Over 70 years later, The Rescued Film Project acquired these rolls and pain
A savvy publisher dug up the old 'Pioneer Girl' manuscript and made it available to the public. The problem is, they didn't make it available enough. via Mental Floss http://mentalfloss.com
Czech Institute of Egyptology Over the weekend, Egyptian officials announced that Czech Institute of Egyptology archaeologists had unearthed a previously-unknown tomb within the funeral complex of Pharaoh Neferefre—who ruled for just a few years during the Fifth Dynasty 4500 years ago—located in
Shakespeare coined many of his own words, played around with others, used existing words in new and imaginative contexts, and joined pairs of words together to create compounds like watchdog (in The Tempest) and birthplace (in Coriolanus). He used rhetorical devices extensively, reworked the order o
These are great mysteries of WWII. * What is mindfulness? 60 Minutes explored the subject on a recent episode. * That’s a tough way to go. Check out 16 of the most crazy, ridiculous, unrealistic death scenes in movie history. * This robot really presses your buttons— but in a good way. * Time g
Remember those books with swirly, patterned plates on the front and rear covers? Here's an awesome short film about the Cockerell Bindery, which produced marbled paper in a surprisingly handmade process. It's beautiful, retro, and super-British. If you just want to see the color marbling process its
Whether you’re a whiskey novice or veteran collector, tasting new (and familiar) products is one of the best parts of the hobby. Seventh generation Jim Beam Master Distiller Fred Noe’s favorite part of his job is tasting the whiskey at every step in production. “When you’re tasting what come
Museums often have millions of items in their collections, so it’s not surprising that things occasionally get misidentified or even lost—but it must be a nice surprise to rediscover them. Here are just a few examples of specimens and artifacts that were lost, then found, in museums. 1. BEETLES
Wikimedia Commons The First World War was an unprecedented catastrophe that shaped our modern world. Erik Sass is covering the events of the war exactly 100 years after they happened. This is the 157th installment in the series. NEW: Would you like to be notified via email when each installment of t
As much as 30 percent of the English language—or roughly one in three English words—is believed to be derived directly from French. It’s a surprisingly high figure due in part to the Norman Conquest of 1066 which made French the language of the law, finance, government, the military, and the r
In the 1980s, a group of great thinkers, authors and communicators penned a series of How To's for honing one's writing skills. The source of these amazing troves of advice was an ad campaign put out by a paper company. via Mental Floss http://mentalfloss.com
William Shakespeare devised new words and countless plot tropes that still appear in everyday life. Famous quotes from his plays are easily recognizable; phrases like “To be or not to be,” “wherefore art thou Romeo,” and “et tu, Brute?” instantly evoke images of wooden stages and Elizabe
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