-
Potato chips were born from a chef’s petty revenge! In 1853, a customer at Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York, kept sending his fried potatoes back to the kitchen, complaining they were too thick and soggy. The chef, George Crum, got fed up with the picky eater and decided to teach him a…
-
Paper clips seem like the most boring office tool, but they’ve got a rebellious history! During World War II, Norwegians turned the humble paper clip into a symbol of resistance against Nazi occupation. In 1940, after Germany invaded Norway, the Nazis banned all patriotic symbols, like pins with the Norwegian flag or the initials of…
-
Baby Yoda wasn’t supposed to be a meme, but it took over the internet anyway! When The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+ in November 2019, the show introduced a tiny, green, big-eared creature that fans dubbed “Baby Yoda” (though its real name is Grogu). The character, a young member of Yoda’s species, wasn’t in any of…
-
Squirrels are nature’s little hoarders, but they’ve got a nutty problem—they forget where they bury nearly half their stash! These bushy-tailed critters spend fall scurrying around, burying acorns and other nuts to survive winter. A single gray squirrel can bury up to 10,000 nuts in a season, digging tiny holes with their paws and covering…
-
Imagine being taxed for the windows in your house! In 1696, King William III of England introduced the Window Tax to fund his wars against France, and it turned into one of history’s oddest revenue schemes. The idea was simple: the more windows your house had, the more you paid. A house with up to…
-
Ever overslept because your alarm clock failed? Be glad you weren’t around in the 1400s—the first alarm clocks were a lot less reliable! Back then, people used a device called a “candle clock” or a rudimentary mechanical clock that relied on a falling weight to sound an alarm. The earliest known mechanical alarm clock was…
-
Octopuses are straight out of a sci-fi movie—they’ve got three hearts, but they can also change color to blend into their surroundings! These sea creatures are masters of disguise, using special cells called chromatophores in their skin to shift hues in seconds. If an octopus is hiding on a coral reef, it might turn red…
-
Carrots are orange, right? Well, not always! Up until the 1500s, carrots were mostly purple or yellow, and orange ones didn’t even exist. The purple carrots date back to ancient Persia in the 10th century, where they were prized for their deep color and earthy flavor. But they had a downside—they’d stain everything, from cooking…