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Fact of the Day - 'GYRO' Did you know... It’s a notoriously tricky one, so don’t feel too bad if you haven’t been getting it right. Alongside philosophy, democracy, and the Olympics, the gyro is one of the most famous—and delicious—things invented by the Greeks. It’s a classic street food dish widespread in Greece as well as in Greek restaurants across the U.S. But if you grew up outside its nation of origin, you may have a hard time pronouncing the food item the next time you order one. So is it “jee-roh”, “jye-roh”, or “yee-roh”? What Exactly Is a Gyro? Gyros consist of a pita wrap containing meat (usually pork and beef in Greece, while lamb is more common in the U.S.) sliced off a vertical rotisserie. Typical toppings include onions and tomato, as well as tzatziki sauce made from yogurt and grated cucumber. In Greece, it’s also typical to receive your gyro with French fries inside. Though the exact origins of the gyro aren’t known, it’s definitely not a new concept. Legend has it that the sandwich may have made its first appearance during the time of Alexander the Great. It’s said that soldiers on the move would use their long blades to skewer meat and roast it over fires, beginning the rotisserie tradition. Though we don’t know for sure if this story has merit, we do know the sandwich is similar to Turkish doner kebab and Levantine shawarma, and that it has undoubtedly influenced and been influenced by these Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. As is the case with immigrants everywhere, Greeks have brought their food traditions with them across the globe. From 1965 to1980, the United States experienced a wave of immigration from Greece. The largest number of immigrants ultimately settled in New York, many in the neighborhood of Astoria, Queens. This wave unsurprisingly coincided with the first major popularization of the gyro in America. In a 1971 article about the sudden boom in gyro sales in Manhattan, The New York Times claimed they were “selling like hot dogs.” How to Pronounce “Gyro” Correctly The arrival of the gyro immediately caused pronunciation issues for the American public, however. In its article, The New York Times made sure to clarify its pronunciation: “year-oh.” It’s not a particularly intuitive word for native English speakers, leading to all sorts of mispronunciations, like “gee-roh” and “jee-roh.” Part of the problem arises from the transliteration of the Greek gamma, or γ. Gamma generally represents the “g” sound in the Greek alphabet, pronounced like the “g” in “gift.” When gamma comes before “ee” and “eh” sounds, however, like the one in gyro, that hard “g” sound turns into more of a rough “y.” Hence the word is “year-oh” instead of “gee-roh.” It’s a pretty specific rule of Greek pronunciation, so it’s unlikely anyone would hold it against you if you got things mixed up when ordering. Luckily, you’ll probably end up with the tasty sandwich you were looking for, even if you do ask for a “jye-roh.” Source: The Right Way to Pronounce ‘Gyro’

What's the Word: STENTORIAN pronunciation: [sten-TOHR-ee-ən] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Greek, early 17th century Meaning: 1. (Of a person's voice) Loud and powerful. Examples: "A successful candidate requires a stentorian voice that carries above the cheering crowds." "It was a surprise to hear a stentorian voice coming from such a small body." About Stentorian Stentorian is an adjective to describe a loud, booming voice. "Stentor" is the proper noun from Homer's "Iliad," but "stentor" is a common noun for anyone with a powerful voice. Did you Know? Thank Homer for this one. In the classic epic poem the "Iliad," Stentor is the name of the herald who delivered proclamations to the Greek army during the Trojan War. It was said that his voice was as loud as 50 men together, but you don't have to be quite that loud to be called "stentorian."

Fact of the Day - AIR GUITAR COMPETITION Did you know... There are many approaches to promoting world peace — giving Nobel Prizes, developing diplomatic agreements — but none is quite as awesome as playing air guitar. In fact, that’s why the Air Guitar World Championships were created: The organization’s official website proclaims that “wars will end, climate change will stop, and all bad things will vanish when all the people in the world play the air guitar.” In keeping with that (perhaps overly optimistic) outlook, each competition ends with every contestant playing the air guitar “all at once to save the world.” For more than 20 years, people have traveled from around the globe to Oulu, Finland, to participate, but not without first winning their respective National Championships. In most years, there are about 10 National Championships, with participating nations including France, Thailand, Chile, and beyond. The 2025 event, which runs from August 20 to 22, will feature champions from eight countries — Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and the U.S. — alongside last year’s champion, Canada’s Zachary Knowles, and other top performers from the qualifying rounds. The 2020 event was canceled, but in 2021, a virtual event pitting past champions against each other crowned Justin “Nordic Thunder” Howard of Chicago the “Champion of Champions.” The 2021 event’s “air-judicators” judged performances using a 4.0 to 6.0 Olympic figure skating scale, with points awarded for technical merit, artistic impression, and “airness” — the latter being “the extent to which an air guitar performance exceeds the imitation of guitar playing and becomes an art form in and of itself.” Howard has been honing his skills — and winning competitions — since 2006, and according to his website, his mission is to share “his message of world peace, love, and understanding through invisible guitar licks and head-banging hair whips.” Finnish is considered one of the world’s most difficult languages to learn. While standard Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish are similar enough to be considered mutually intelligible, Finnish is part of the obscure Finno-Ugric language family, along with Hungarian and Estonian — three tongues with grammatical structures that make them notoriously difficult for non-native speakers to learn. That’s especially true of Finnish, which consistently ranks among the world’s most intimidating languages. If you find yourself trying to converse with a Finn, you may need to ask them, “Puhuisitteko hieman hitaammin?” (“Can you speak more slowly?”) Source: Finland is home to the annual Air Guitar World Championships.

What's the Word: LETHOLOGICA pronunciation: [lee-thə-LAH-jih-kə] Part of speech: noun Origin: Greek, early 20th century Meaning: 1. The inability to remember a particular word or name. Examples: "Her lethologica increased when she was meeting multiple people at a time." "Use mnemonic devices to avoid lethologica when you're studying for a big test." About Lethologica With the Greek word "lethe" for "forgetfulness" and the Greek word "logos" for "word," you can understand "lethologica" as the feeling of being unable to remember a word or a name. It can be a symptom of a medical condition, or it can be a case of forgetfulness. Did you Know? The root "lethe" comes from Greek mythology — it's the river in Hades that makes the souls of the dead forget their previous life. "Lethologica" is a somewhat obscure term for being unable to remember a certain word. A related medical condition is called "aphasia," the loss of ability to understand or express speech.

Fact of the Day - 'EGRESS' WINDOW Did you know.... This weird window term isn't widely understood, but it’s something everyone should know about. If you’ve ever looked into replacing your home’s windows, you might have heard the name egress window. Unlike generic terms like double-pane or single-hung, egress window doesn’t come up as often. You might nod wordlessly as a window salesperson makes the reference, then quickly change the subject. You're not alone: Many people lack knowledge of what egress actually means. But there’s a really simple explanation, and it’s one that has the potential to save your life in an emergency. And no, that’s not hyperbole. The Egress Window, Explained The key difference between your standard residential window and an egress window is that the latter doubles as an exit out of the premises. (Per Merriam-Webster, the word egress means “a place or means of going out” or “the action or right of going or coming out.”) Its operation and dimensions permit occupants to make a safe and rapid evacuation, as in the case of a fire, when conventional entryways are unavailable or unsafe to approach. Egress windows are most often found in finished basements, where occupants would have to ascend a flight of stairs in order to leave the home. Without a viable means of escape, a fire on the first floor could mean being trapped. With an egress window, people can flee without having to run toward danger. (An egress can also serve as a way in for first responders like firefighters.) An egress window becomes even more of a priority when a basement contains bedrooms. The risk of sleeping through a spreading fire makes an avenue of escape mandatory in most residential building codes. (More on that in a bit.) But even if there is no basement bedroom, an egress window is still typically required if the basement is intended as a living space. Because basements are partially below grade, or under the ground, an egress window is often installed near a window well, which provides space to maneuver once a person has exited through the window. If it’s low enough, some wells might come equipped with ladders or stairs to return to graded soil. Safety isn’t the lone reason for an egress window—just the lone mandated reason. Egress windows can also provide additional natural light into a space, increase ventilation, and potentially increase the appeal of real estate for prospective buyers by meeting local building mandates. Egress Window Requirements Because egress windows serve a very specific function, they’re usually subject to requirements. While this varies from region to region or city to city, the International Residential Code (IRC) that offers minimum building standards for residential properties provides some broad guidance. In general terms, the windows need to be large enough to permit human passage. In the state of Minnesota, for example, the fire code states egress exits need to be a minimum of 4.5 square feet. In Westbrook, Maine, the minimum is 5.7 square feet. These dimensions refer to the opening of the window, not its overall measurement. It’s the available space you can crawl through should you ever need to. There’s also typically a rule about how far the bottom of the egress window can be from the floor. Often, it’s a maximum of 44 inches. Egress windows don’t have to open in any particular way. Some are casement windows, which swing on a hinge in a manner similar to a door and may operate by hand crank. Others are horizontal sliding windows with glass panes that essentially overlap each other when opened, meaning the overall dimensions of the window would need to be doubled to meet the minimum exit size. And some operate like conventional vertical sash windows that move up and down. Window Type - Description Single Hung A window with two vertical sashes, with only the lower one able to be opened and closed; the upper sash is fixed in place Double Hung Both sashes can be opened and closed to provide more ventilation options Awning A window that opens from a top hinge and swings toward the exterior, effectively doubling as an awning; beneficial in rain-heavy climates Casement Windows with hinges on the right or left that open in a manner similar to a door via hand crank; ideal for areas like over a sink where it might be hard to manually push a sash open Sliding Windows that open horizontally rather than vertically Bay A group of glass panes, typically with one fixed pane in the center and smaller adjustable panes to the left, right, or top Picture Larger-than-average windows fixed in place that permit more natural light to enter a room Egress A window large enough to permit occupants to use as an exit in case of emergency Because egress windows need to be operational quickly, they shouldn’t require a key or other apparatus to open. Nor should they be blocked by security bars or anything outdoors that would limit the window’s ability to fully open. Egress Window Laws It’s difficult to summarize egress window requirements, as they can vary considerably. But some cities or states make allowances for older buildings. In Minnesota, egress windows are not required if the property was constructed prior to July 1, 1972. Properties that are covered by fire sprinkler systems may also be exempt from egress regulations.. Many cities, including Portland, Oregon [PDF], require that all bedrooms have at least one egress window each regardless of which floor they’re on—unless the windows were original to the home at a time when bedrooms met previous code standards. Put another way: Your older home isn’t likely to be in violation of egress standards with your old bedroom windows, but you might want to consider installing one in each room for your own sake. As with a basement, the objective is to be able to leave a home even if the stairs are not usable. You’ll have to deal with a fall from a second or third floor, but it’s likely preferable to the alternative. It's also possible your existing bedroom windows could double as egress windows, provided they offer an opening suitable for exit. That usually means a minimum width of 20 inches and a minimum height of 24 inches, though you can’t have the minimum for each and still reach the 5.7 square foot requirement. To do that, your 20-inch-wide window would need to be at least 42 inches tall. Some areas may also relax egress standards if the bedroom has a door leading to another area of the home, as virtually all bedrooms do. Equally as important as having an egress window is making sure it’s operational. Some home inspectors have found egress windows that have been painted shut or screwed closed, which would slow or hinder efforts to get through them in a hurry. Making sure the egress isn’t blocked off by furniture or otherwise non-functional is critical. So is making sure you don’t inadvertently replace a working egress window with a narrower one during remodeling. What happens if you don’t have an egress window where one is required? In a basement, it might mean not having a bedroom legally recognized as a bedroom, which can be a problem when it comes time to sell the property. For main living floors, you’re unlikely to encounter any code or inspection problems if the home meets regional thresholds for being old enough to be exempt from modern building codes. (If you add or remodel a room on a property, however, then you’re likely to have to adhere to contemporary building standards.) When in doubt, you can always check your local building or fire codes and look for egress or “emergency escape and rescue opening,” or EERO, for further guidance. Regardless of whether local codes demand it, it’s always best to have viable exits planned out in the event you need to make a quick escape from a building—especially if you’re in a basement. And if you’re shopping for a new home, it’s wise to keep an eye out to see what egress windows are on the premises. Like a lot of safety measures, it's better to have them and not need them than the other way around. Source: What’s an ‘Egress’ Window—And Why Is It Important?

What's the Word: INTERSTICE pronunciation: [in-TUR-stəs] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, 15th century Meaning: 1. An intervening space, especially a very small one. Examples: "I see the neighbor's dog's eye peeking through the interstice of the fence." "His birthday falls during the interstice between Christmas and New Year's." About Interstice You might recognize "inter" as "between." "Interstice" comes from the Latin word "intersistere," which means "standing between." It's an impressive word for a tiny gap. Did you Know? Read between the lines — an interstice is the space between. The word can apply to a physical gap between objects, or it can be used in a more figurative sense, such as between time periods or even emotional space.

What's the Word: EUPHONY pronunciation: [YOO-fə-nee] Part of speech: noun Origin: Greek, 17th century Meaning: 1. The quality of being pleasing to the ear, especially through a harmonious combination of words. 2. The tendency to make phonetic change for ease of pronunciation. Examples: "She wanted to pick out the perfect name for her baby — something unique and with euphony." "Some abbreviations are created purely for ease of speech and a sense of euphony." About Euphony English adopted the noun "euphony" from the French word "euphonie," but it really goes back to the Greek word "euphōnia," derived from the adjective "euphōnos," meaning "well sounding." Any word containing "phon" can be traced to the Greek "phōnē," which means "sound." Did you Know? Euphony can describe any pleasing sound, but it is most commonly applied to words. There is, however, a specific linguistic phenomenon called "euphony." Some speakers are drawn to easier-to-pronounce words, even going so far as to alter the pronunciation of words to make them simpler and faster to say. The development of contractions is an example of euphony.

Fact of the Day - WIDOW'S PEAK Did you know.... A 15th-century queen might have something to do with it. A widow’s peak is a noticeably v-shaped point to the front of a person’s hairline, with the tip of the v typically aligning with the center of their forehead. As many as a third of people have a widow’s peak. But where did that strange moniker come from? Superstition and Omens It’s a name with a long heritage: The Oxford English Dictionary unearthed the earliest record of widow’s peak way back in 1681, when English botanist Nehemiah Grew used it in a catalog of “natural and artificial rarities belonging to the Royal Society and preserved at Gresham College” to describe fabric used to cover women’s genitals that was “A ¼ of a yard deep, and shaped like a Widows Peak.” Before that, the late 16th-century expression widow’s lock was used to describe a loose curl or tuft of hair on a person’s forehead. In folklore and superstition, the presence of a widow’s lock or widow’s peak was seen as an omen: It was thought that someone born with those features would be destined to lose their spouse at an earlier than expected age. That idea seems to be based on the similarity between the hairline and the pointed shape of a biquoquet, a traditional widow’s headdress or hood—part of the weeds, or mourning clothes, that a bereaved wife was once expected to wear as a symbol of her loss. (Weeds, per the OED, was an Old English word for an item of clothing.) A Queen’s Influence Some explanations point to Anne of Brittany, the medieval queen of Charles VIII of France, as the origin of both this v-shaped adornment and its connection to early widowhood. According to the story, Anne’s royal costumier designed a v-shaped bonnet as part of her funeral weeds after King Charles’s death in 1498. Given that Anne was just 22 years old at the time (and quickly remarried Charles’s cousin, Louis, the new king of France, the next year), she is said by some to have established a superstition that anyone with a v-shaped hairline similar to her widow’s hood was destined not only to lose their partner at an early age, but to remarry quickly afterward. Famous Widow’s Peaks The term widow’s peak may have originated with women and their dress, but anyone, male or female, can have one: Some famous figures past and present with widow’s peaks include: Leonardo DiCaprio Fran Drescher Chris Hemsworth Keanu Reeves Marilyn Monroe Andrew Jackson Gary Cooper Brooke Shields Ronald Reagan Why do so many vampires have widow’s peaks? When you think of a vampire, it’s likely the image you see involves a tall, cape-wearing man with a prominent widow’s peak. According to Stanley Stepanic, Dracula expert and assistant professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Virginia, there’s a simple reason for that. “When the original Dracula play was brought to Broadway in 1927, the role of Count Dracula was played by Hungarian immigrant Bela Lugosi ... It was his natural hairline,” Stepanic told the university’s website. Lugosi’s hairline and Eastern European accent became a stereotypical vampire’s hallmarks after the actor played Dracula on the silver screen in 1931. Source: Why Is a V-Shaped Hairline Called a “Widow’s Peak”?

What's the Word: FATUOUS pronunciation: [FA-tchoo-əs] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, early 17th century Meaning: 1. Silly and pointless. Examples: "He thought the decorative pillows were fatuous, but they made his mom happy." "The teacher was frustrated by the fatuous questions that showed the students hadn't been paying attention." About Fatuous The "fat" in this adjective is misleading — "fatuous" has nothing to do with weight. Instead, the origin can be traced to the Latin word "fatuus," meaning "foolish." You might recognize this root in the word "infatuation," which refers to a silly, foolish crush. Did you Know? The word "fatuous" is an adjective used to describe someone lacking in intelligence, or something that is pointless. But before you call someone else "fatuous," make sure you're not being inane, puerile, infantile, vacuous, asinine, witless, harebrained, preposterous, or risible yourself.

Fact of the Day - LETTER "J" Did you know.... We know and love it as the 10th letter of the alphabet, but good old “j” was actually late to the ABCs party — every other letter was added first. Its placement between “i” and “k” is explained by the fact that it began as a swash, or typographical flourish used to embellish “i,” usually at the end of a Roman numeral. Take “XIIJ,” or 13, for instance: In this case, the “J” is used in place of a third “I” to signify that a series of ones has reached its end. And for many years, “i” and “j” were used interchangeably to write both the vowel and consonant sounds, in words like “ice” or “January.” We have the Italian writer and scholar Gian Giorgio Trissino (1478–1550) to thank for giving “j” its much-deserved place at the table. He did so in a 1524 text called Epistola del Trissino de le lettere nuωvamente aggiunte ne la lingua italiana (“Trissino’s epistle about the letters recently added in the Italian language”), which marked the first time “i” and “j” were distinguished as separate letters. As with much else in European history, this ultimately relates to Jesus: Distinguishing the soft “j” sound helped Trissino decide that the Greek word Iesus, a translation of the Hebrew Yeshua, should be spelled — and pronounced — the way it is today. Yet it would take centuries for the letters “i” and “j” to fully differentiate; as late as 1755, the great lexicographer Samuel Johnson still referred to “j” as a variant of “i.” The dot over “i” and “j” is called a “tittle.” We tend to think that languages like French and Arabic have lots of diacritical marks, better known as accents, while English is comparatively unadorned. In fact, only the lowercase “i” and “j” have them — and they’re called “tittles.” The word comes to us from the Latin titulus, which means “inscription” or “heading,” and dates back to the 11th century. Since “i” and “j” look similar to other letters with vertical strokes, the tittle was added to differentiate them and eliminate confusion. Source: “J” was the last letter added to the alphabet.

What's the Word: CIPHER pronunciation: [SY-fər] Part of speech: noun Origin: Arabic, 14th century Meaning: 1. A secret or disguised way of writing; a code. 2. A monogram. Examples: "The twins developed their own cipher, a secret code for keeping notes hidden from their parents." "Their wedding registry was filled with linens marked with their new cipher. " About Cipher The Arabic word “ṣifr” means "zero," or "empty." It was borrowed into Old French as "cifre" and late Middle English as "cipher," both meaning "symbol for zero." Did you Know? Cipher is a flexible noun that can refer to many things: a numeric or text character, a mark of interweaving characters (a monogram), a method of concealing text, a cryptography system, a secret message, a feature on a musical organ, or even a hip-hop jam session. It can also be used as a verb, meaning "put (a message) into secret writing" or "do arithmetic."

Watched the I Am A Hero movie with @Dave55811

Fact of the Day - LITTLE DOORS Did you know.... These little spaces often spark curiosity and nostalgia, though few people know their history. If you’ve ever wandered through an old house, especially one built before the 1960s, you may have noticed a tiny, mysterious door tucked into a hallway near the kitchen or by the back entry. These little doors—too small to walk through and too intentional to be just a vent—often leave modern homeowners scratching their heads. But as it turns out, they weren’t random at all. Game Time According to Taste of Home, many of these small doors served as built-in storage spots for folding or collapsible card tables. By the mid-20th century, card games, puzzle nights, and casual gatherings were a favorite way to spend time together and provided a central form of entertainment and social connection. Back then, families didn’t have big screens or endless shows to binge; instead, they pulled out a simple card table for games like bridge, canasta, or an evening puzzle. Rather than cramming a bulky table into an overcrowded closet or hauling it up from the basement, many homes had slim, dedicated cubbies to keep items like card tables close at hand but neatly out of sight. So, when a neighbor dropped by unannounced (as they often did), the host could pull out the table, set out some snacks, and voilà—an instant gathering space was created. Today, the purpose of these tiny doors is all but obsolete. That said, some homeowners choose to keep them as charming reminders of a slower, more neighborly time. Others, meanwhile, opt to repurpose them into hidden pantries, creative storage spots (they’re especially great for those who are tight on space!) or quirky little display nooks. Architectural Blasts From the Past Of course, these little doors are just one example of how older homes were intentionally designed with everyday living in mind. From fold-down ironing boards to built-in phone nooks, these clever design touches made daily routines easier and helped create spaces where family and friends could gather with ease. In this case, beyond simple storage, these small doors reflected a thoughtful approach to home life—one that prioritized comfort, authentic social connection, and functionality in equal measure. But beyond game nights and impromptu social gatherings, there are other reasons why an older house may feature tiny doors: A small exterior door that leads to a basement may have once been used for coal. A coal delivery person would simply shovel coal into a customer’s house via the opening. Other small, exterior, cubby-like doors were used for milk deliveries. The local milkman would place his goods in the door each morning; the customers would also leave their empty milk bottles there for the milkman to collect and reuse. Some houses had little exterior door that were used for ice deliveries: Before refrigerators, an iceman would open these doors and place ice directly into an icebox. Many 20th-century homes include laundry chutes, which allowed homeowners to toss their dirty garments into a small door—usually in a bathroom or cabinet—that would dump their clothes right into the laundry room. Source: What Are Those Little Doors in Old Houses For?

What's the Word: GERMANE pronunciation: [jer-MAIN] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, 17th century Meaning: 1. Relevant to a subject under consideration. Examples: "Discussing the author’s childhood was germane to the lecture on his influences. " "You can find germane sources listed in the appendix to the book. " About Germane Germane, previously spelled "germain," was synonymous with the adjective "german" (lowercase) in Middle English. Both words come from the Latin word "germanus," meaning "genuine," or "of the same parents." Did you Know? The modern definition of "germane" — relevant to a given subject — first appears in Shakespeare's "Hamlet": "The phrase would bee more Germaine to the matter: If we could carry Cannon by our sides." Prior to about 1600, the adjective "germaine/german" was applied to people having the same parents. Following Shakespeare's usage, it became more loosely applied to anything connected.

What's the Word: ABLUTION pronunciation: [ə-BLU-shən] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, early 16th century Meaning: 1. The act of washing oneself (often used for humorously formal effect). 2. A ceremonial act of washing parts of the body or sacred containers. Examples: "She prepared the altar with the necessary pitcher of water and perfumes for the ablution." "Every morning she read the paper over a cup of tea, then completed the ablution of the kitchen and herself." About Ablution "Ablution" comes from the Latin verb "abluere," meaning "to wash away." The religious ritual context was added in 1533 in a writing by Thomas More. Since then, "ablution" has been used to describe any sort of washing in a formal sense, but particularly as a religious or ritual act. Did you Know? Ablution is a fancy word for washing, but it has a few particular meanings. It can be used to describe the ritual hand-washing that occurs as part of a Communion ceremony, and in Eastern Orthodoxy, ablution is the consumption of the leftover Communion wine. Then the British military decided to use the word in plural (ablutions) to describe a shower building. It's most often used now as a humorously formal way of describing one's morning getting-ready rituals.

Fact of the Day - RETRO TOYS Did you know.... In the 1950s, the science kits sold in toy stores may have contained real radioactive material. August 6 and 9, 2025, mark the somber 80th anniversaries of when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. These two catastrophic events led to the deaths of over 100,000 Japanese civilians and helped bring about the end of World War II in the Pacific. They also ushered in the Cold War era and the Atomic Age of science and technology, when, from the late 1940s through the 1960s, such devastating nuclear power inspired awe, fear, and some truly wild kids’ toys. You read that right. Products for children—including atomic bomb-themed card games, gadgets, and even a few toy sets that were literally radioactive—were invented in the spirit of scientific ingenuity at the time. Needless to say, they did not age well. Here’s a look at some of the strangest Atomic Age toys, some of which are still available for sale by collectors via websites like eBay and Amazon. Atomic Energy Labs—With Uranium In the early 1950s, one of the most dangerous toys ever designed—the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab—came with a Geiger counter and ”four glass jars containing natural uranium-bearing (U-238) ore samples” of “autunite, torbernite, uraninite, and carnotite from the Colorado Plateau region.” A detailed 60-page manual allowed kids to conduct mini nuclear experiments in the comfort of their own home. The set also included several nuclear spheres, “low-level radiation sources,” and a Wilson cloud chamber, among other models of atomic scientific equipment. As you can imagine, these aren’t around anymore. However, similar (albeit less lethal) versions featuring other chemicals like aluminum sulfate and sodium carbonate can be seen on display at the MINT Museum of Toys in Singapore. Atomic Space Guns According to the ORAU Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity, atomic ray guns were all the rage in the 1950s and 1960s. They took many shapes and sizes, and were called everything from atomic disintegrators to electronic space guns. One version was even modeled after comic book hero Buck Rogers’s very own atomic pistol. You can view a vintage atomic space gun on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Kid-friendly Versions of Atomic Geiger Counters In the 1950s, the Bell Products Company sold nuclear fun-loving toys like atomic Geiger counters—which detected ferrous metals (objects containing iron) to simulate real radioactivity detection. A deluxe version also came with an electronic radio station and a pair of walkie talkies to complete the atomic childhood experience. In 1949, the A.C. Gilbert Company offered similar items, namely the U-239 Geiger Counter, that would make clicking sounds through your headphones and light up whenever radioactive material reared its ugly head. Nuclear War, The Card Game Billed as “a comical cataclysmic card game of global destruction,” Nuclear War, a popular card game created in 1965, gives you and up to five friends the chance to pretend you’re “major world powers” and negotiate your nation’s fate using “propaganda” and “secrets” cards. Over the course of an hour, you’ll declare war and potentially destroy each other’s homelands before either one of you outlasts the others or peace is eventually reached. A special 50th anniversary version was created in 2015 and can be purchased on Amazon. Atomic Submarines, With Missiles What’s better than playing a game of global domination? How about being able to shoot your friends with missiles from an atomic submarine? This extremely rare toy was created by Louis Marx and Company in 1960. The 13-inch sub was made of tin and, thanks to its battery-operated feature, could launch little missiles. Modern collectors might be able to track one down on eBay or through other vintage toy sellers. Giant Atomic Bomb Toy Sets In 1955, kids had the opportunity to nuke their friends with a “safe, harmless giant atomic bomb,” as if their parents needed a reminder that these were indeed family-friendly toys. They were made of plastic, with caps that made cracking and popping sounds when they crashed. Today they can be seen on display at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis as part of the “Memories, Wonders, and Dreams: Stories from 100 Years” exhibit. Dollhouses With Nuclear Bunkers Even the girls section of the toy aisle got in on the atomic action thanks to dollhouses that came with built-in nuclear fallout shelters. In a 1962 Sears catalog, one version of the Blueberry Lane collections’ Colonial Metal House came with a “conversation piece” featuring a fallout shelter complete with everything you’d need to withstand a nuclear holocaust painted on its walls—shelves stocked with canned food, first aid kits, and other supplies, plus two cots. There’s even a sundeck of sorts, ideal for any dolls who might want to take in views of the blast. Since these Louis Marx and Company dollhouses weren’t exactly sell-out items back then, only so many were built, which makes them highly coveted by collectors today. Source: Retro Toys From the Atomic Age

What's the Word: CULPABLE pronunciation: [KULL-pə-bəl] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, 14th century Meaning: 1. Deserving blame. Examples: "The little boy’s mother knew he was culpable for eating the last cookie because of the crumbs on his mouth. " "All the evidence proved she was culpable for the accident. " About Culpable Culpable comes from the Latin "culpa," meaning "blame, fault." Did you Know? The word "culpable" has been through a few iterations to get to its modern spelling. In Latin, "culpare" is the verb "to blame," and "culpa" is the noun for "guilt." The Old French word "coupable" came from the Latin word "culpabilis," and that's where the Middle English word "coupable" came from. Over time, the adjective meaning "deserving blame" turned into the spelling of "culpable," harkening back to the original Latin.

Fact of the Day - OLDEST BLACK HOLE Did you know..... The big ol’ hole at the center of the CAPERS-LRD-z9 galaxy is almost as old as the universe itself. In a galaxy far, far, far away, astronomers have found the oldest black hole in the universe. It sits at the center of the CAPERS-LRD-z9 galaxy, and it’s thought to have formed over 13.3 billion years ago—less than 500 million years after the Big Bang. Birth of a Black Hole Black holes are believed to form when massive stars collapse in on themselves at the end of their life cycles, creating concentrations of gravitational force so powerful that they swallow up everything around them, including light. Astronomers suspected their existence in the 18th century, but such theories weren’t confirmed until the 1970s, when X-ray emissions revealed stellar wind accreting around a black hole positioned 6000 to 7200 light-years away from Earth. Researchers the University of Texas at Austin’s Cosmic Frontier Center and colleagues reported that the black hole at the center of CAPERS-LRD-z9, named after a James Webb Space Telescope program studying some of the oldest and farthest galaxies in the observable universe, was discovered in much the same way. Using spectroscopy, the astronomers were able to separate light from CAPERS-LRD-z9 into multiple wavelengths, revealing patterns unique to and therefore indicative of black holes. “There aren’t many other things that create this signature,” Anthony Taylor, a postdoctoral researcher at the center and first author of the paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, said in a statement. “And this galaxy has it!” The Biggest Black Hole in the Universe? Not only is this black hole old—it’s gigantic. Taylor’s team estimates that the black hole is 300 million times more massive than our own sun, with a mass equal to around half of the 100 to 400 billion stars in the Milky Way. As unfathomably big as this black hole is, it’s not the biggest—not by a long shot. That honor may go to a black hole located at the center of the Cosmic Horseshoe galaxy that early estimates suggest is a mind-boggling 36 billion times more massive than the sun. But while the black hole at the center of CAPERS-LRD-z9 isn’t the biggest of its kind, it is the oldest. Until a future discovery lays claim to its title—the researcher say they have a couple promising candidates awaiting spectroscopic evaluation—this galaxy remains home to the most ancient body in the cosmos. For astronomers, this black hole’s proximity to the Big Bang is equal parts puzzling and exciting. Though it casts doubt on long-established theories about how black holes are formed and how fast they grow, it provides researchers with a unique opportunity to study the infant universe. Source: It’s Official: Astronomers Confirm the Universe’s Oldest Black Hole

What's the Word: VELOCIOUS pronunciation: [və-LOH-shəs] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, 18th century Meaning: 1. Rapid; fast. Examples: "The velocious cyclists blew past the spectators in a blur." "The roller coaster is too velocious for me to ride." About Velocious If you haven’t heard this word before, you might be more familiar with "velocity," a noun given to the speed of motion (whether fast or slow). "Velocious" is an adjective describing speed, but it always refers to a fast speed. Did you Know? Velocious comes from the Latin root "vēlōx," meaning "speed." "Velodrome," an indoor arena for bicycle racing, comes from the French word for bicycle, "vélo," but this Romance-language word can also be traced back to the same Latin root for "speed." You could certainly watch a velocious vélo race at the velodrome.

Fact of the Day - DUCK AND COVER Did you know.... The school drill was intended to protect kids from nuclear annihilation, a prospect some found dubious. Just 1.8 seconds. That’s how long it took for students of teacher Lillian McDonald’s second and third grade classes to obey McDonald’s single command (“cover”) during a drill at Phelps School in Springfield, Missouri, in October 1962. In less than 2 seconds, the children had crawled under their wooden desks and clasped their hands around their heads. It happened so quickly that a news photographer present for the drill was afraid he had missed his shot. In the 1950s and into the 1960s, grade school students across the country practiced some form of “duck and cover,” a civil defense strategy intended to shield children from being mortally wounded from the immediate effects of a nuclear attack. Kids got a very grown-up lesson—often instructed by an animated turtle named Bert—in seeking shelter in the event foreign conflicts went atomic for a second time. The morbidity of the drill has been debated ever since. So has its usefulness. “Every kid in America knew this was ridiculous,” Rick Ginsberg, dean of the University of Kansas School of Education and Human Sciences, once observed. “There was no way a desk was going to save you from the bomb. It was arguably the stupidest thing ever done in American education.” But safety wasn’t necessarily the point. The Class Project For a brief period of time, the United States had been the only atomic superpower in the world: The U.S. bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan might have been the greatest show of military force in modern history. But by 1949, the Soviet Union was on the map, detonating an atomic weapon that could level both the playing field and, if the Soviets so chose, American soil. In response to the Soviet tension and the outbreak of the Korean War, President Harry Truman created the Federal Civil Defense Administration program, or FCDA, a government organization that subsidized community efforts to try and mitigate the casualties of a nuclear attack on domestic cities. “The Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950, which I have signed today, is designed to protect life and property in the United States in case of enemy assault,” Truman said in a statement accompanying his signing of the act into law. “It affords the basic framework for preparations to minimize the effects of an attack on our civilian population, and to deal with the immediate emergency conditions which such an attack would create.” With their vulnerable adolescent populations, schools were of particular concern. Little could be done about a direct hit to a populous area, but the FCDA figured there could at least be merit to minimizing injuries in cities that were some distance away. The point was not to avoid radiation exposure, but to prevent children from being mangled from the physical effects of such a blast. This was especially important in schools, which in postwar America had a design that favored floor-to-ceiling windows that let in plenty of sunlight. In peacetime, it was a pleasant aesthetic choice; during the Cold War and the possibility of a strike, such windows became known as “walls of death” due to the potential for shards of glass to blow into the classroom. The duck and cover drill was simple. At the behest of a teacher or upon hearing a formidable rumble or siren in the distance, or in the event they might see a flash, children were to dive under their desks and turtle up, putting their arms over their heads and their hands over their necks. The desks would theoretically shield them from glass or rubble blasting through classrooms. Duck and Cover The FCDA had a drill; now it needed a teaching tool. The agency reached out to Archer Productions, an ad agency based in New York, to produce a film reel explaining the duck and cover protocol. The “star” of the reel was Bert the Turtle, an affable animal who explained the need for the training. More importantly, he was friendly, not ominous. The objective was to warn children but not frighten them—a heady task when the topic was mutually assured destruction. The program implored children to “duck to avoid the things flying through the air” and to “cover to keep from getting cut or even badly burned.” Duck and cover, Bert instructed, was the answer to avoiding these calamities, which the literature equated to everyday dangers like road traffic. “You have learned to take care of yourself in many ways—to cross streets safely” one pamphlet stated. “And you know what to do in case of fire. But—the atomic bomb is a new danger. It explodes with a flash brighter than any you’ve ever seen. Things will be knocked down all over town, and, as in a big wind, they are blown through the air. You must be ready to protect yourself.” Bert went on to appear in comic strips, newspaper ads, and other material. He was somewhat analogous to Smokey Bear, who gently but seriously warned of forest fires. But while he may have been a soothing presence for younger children, not everyone could tolerate the contrast between the Disney-esque character and Armageddon. One high schooler in White Plains, New York, reported that his class “laughed hysterically” during the cartoon. Schools around the country practiced duck and cover, though it’s hard to ascertain their frequency. In Montgomery, Alabama, students were due to have two drills for each school in the district. Some kept students in the classroom; others practiced heading to more fortified areas, like basements. (As Bert reminded them, he had a built-in shelter thanks to his shell—kids had to go find one for themselves.) Soon, newspapers were describing kids who were no longer playing cops and robbers but duck and cover. One child would be the air raid siren, wailing; the others would quickly look for a sturdy wall to crouch against. Teachers would sometimes decorate safe harbor areas as reading areas. Bert even had song lyrics: “There was a turtle by the name of Bert And Bert the Turtle was very alert! When danger threatened, he never got hurt He knew just what to do! He’d duck and cover, duck and cover He did what we must learn to do, you, and you, and you, and you! Duck and cover!” But not all parents were pleased. Taking Shelter For some adults, the idea of their children going to school and being reminded of the practical realities of nuclear war was too much. Some complained to school boards, others to newspapers. Like sex education, it was a divisive topic. (So were adult duck and cover drills, in which citizens of all ages were expected to seek shelter upon hearing a siren. One drill in Lindon, Utah, was deemed a failure when some locals ran out of their houses to figure out why the siren was blaring, a decision that would have likely meant death in a real nuclear attack.) For complainants, Bert was trotted out. “I think seeing an excellent film like this would reassure those parents who are still afraid that we are frightening their children,” Queens superintendent Max Gewirtz told The New York Times in 1952. The reel, the Times added, showed “no explosion scenes or shots of death or destruction.” The other emerging problem was that nuclear warfare was growing increasingly intense. In 1954, the U.S. successfully tested Castle Bravo, a thermonuclear bomb far more powerful than the atomic weapons dropped in Japan nearly a decade earlier. The radiation fallout was immense. Duck and cover, while possibly protective of blunt force trauma, offered no degree of protection against a weapon of such magnitude. The FCDA was having another problem. Despite a call for other civil measures, the agency and the Eisenhower-led government was reluctant to fund the construction of public fallout shelters. Instead, the U.S. distributed literature on how families could build their own to try and guard against the nuclear fallout, which could stretch for hundreds of miles from the blast site. Government advice also turned to dispersal, or evacuating struck areas. This, too, was seen as impractical. Orange County, California, dismissed that official tact in 1954, instead promoting duck and cover as the only viable alternative. Having tens of thousands trying to flee an area, county officials argued, could only make things worse. Some would likely be driving toward the blast. Officials in Pennsylvania agreed. “We must follow the procedure of duck and cover,” state civil defense head Dr. Richard Gerstell said in 1954. “There are 10.5 million people in Pennsylvania and we might as well get used to the fact that we can’t run from this thing. We could in some cases move people out, but let’s not have any loose talk about taking to the hills. I don’t pretend for one minute that under hydrogen bomb attacks, the duck and cover procedure would cut losses in half—but it would result in the saving of some lives.” Though the Cold War persisted—the Soviets showed off a 58-megaton bomb in 1961—duck and cover did not. By the time Mrs. McDonald was directing her students to cover in 1962, it was as much for tornado preparedness as a Soviet strike or a development in the Cuban Missile Crisis. By the 1980s, only some schools were still participating. Nuclear war was still very much on the table, but there was much less optimism that huddling under a desk or near a wall would improve one’s chances. The FCDA’s mandate of emergency preparedness would later be replaced by FEMA, which assists in community efforts for natural disasters. Duck and cover is still taught in schools, though typically for severe weather events. Rather than desks, students are taught to assemble in hallways and away from windows. Ultimately, duck and cover drills might have been less about physical safety than emotional reassurance. For millions of Americans, particularly children, a sense of powerlessness permeated culture during the Cold War. Having some strategy, however ineffectual it might have actually been, was better than doing nothing at all. “When we grew up with bomb shelters and drills, we were being told that adults would take care of us,” one baby boomer said of her duck-and-cover upbringing in 1984. “Even though I was scared and worried, I also knew that somebody was doing something that might save me.” It was certainly preferable to another atomic era program: giving children metal dog tags in the event their bodies needed to be identified. Some even bore their religious orientation for burial purposes. Source: Classroom Cold War: When Students Were Trained to “Duck and Cover”

What's the Word: UXORIOUS pronunciation: [uhk-SOR-ee-əs] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, late 16th century Meaning: 1. Having or showing an excessive or submissive fondness for one's wife. Examples: "His uxorious habit of giving flowers to his wife every Friday earned him some teasing at the florist. " "After 50 years of marriage, he still felt as uxorious as he did on their wedding day." About Uxorious Being uxorious isn’t just about being a devoted husband. It usually implies an excessive amount of affection or even submissiveness. While we won’t call her domineering, the wife in a uxorious couple is probably the boss of the house. Did you Know? It’s about as straightforward a translation from Latin as you can get. In Latin, "uxor" means "wife." "Uxorious" (adjective), "uxoriously" (adverb), and "uxoriousness" (noun) are all related to devotion and affection toward one’s wife.

Fact of the day - RAT DRIVERS? Did you know... The next time you get cut off in traffic, think twice before honking — the other driver could be none other than a tiny rat. Well, not really, but scientists have trained them to drive cars — and if the adorable videos are any indication, the rodents seem to love it. The pint-sized vehicles aren’t Fords or Hondas but rather custom-made cars made of plastic cereal containers and small wires. Though the rats were originally motivated to get behind the wheel by the promise of Froot Loops, scientists were surprised (and, one assumes, delighted) to discover the creatures loved going for joy rides. This was confirmed when two of three rats at Virginia’s University of Richmond chose the scenic route rather than driving directly toward their precious Froot Loops. “Rather than pushing buttons for instant rewards, they remind us that planning, anticipating and enjoying the ride may be key to a healthy brain,” wrote Kelly Lambert, a professor of behavioral neuroscience who took part in the research, in a reflection on the study for the BBC. “That’s a lesson my lab rats have taught me well.” It’s a welcome reminder that sometimes it really is about the journey, not the destination. The land speed record hasn’t been broken since 1997. On October 15, 1997, British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green set a new world record by driving the Thrust SuperSonic Car at a speed of 763.035 mph — the first and only time a land vehicle has broken the sound barrier. The previous record of 633.47 mph, which was set by a Scottish entrepreneur named Richard Noble, had stood for 14 years. Despite significant technological advances and many attempts over the years since 1997, Green’s record has stood the test of time. Building a vehicle that can reach such speeds is as expensive as it is dangerous, with the current land speed record for a woman having been set by a driver who died in the process. Other efforts have run out of funding, meaning Green’s record isn’t likely to be broken anytime soon. Source: Scientists have trained rats to drive cars.

What's the Word: RISIBLE pronunciation: [RIZ-ə-bəl] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, mid-16th century Meaning: 1. Such as to provoke laughter. 2. (Of a person) Having the faculty or power of laughing; inclined to laugh. Examples: "I was in a grumpy mood, but the risible new cartoon show turned it around." "He's such a risible guy; he always seems to have a smile on his face. " About Risible Risible is a funny word. It’s an adjective used to describe anything related to laughing. It could be something funny that causes laughter; it could be a person who is prone to laughing; it could describe something related to laughter. It’s all fun and games. Did you Know? Risible is a funny word. It’s an adjective used to describe anything related to laughing. It could be something funny that causes laughter, or it could be a person who is prone to laughing. The noun form of the word is "risibility," and as an adverb, it's "risibly."

Fact of the Day - EARS HURT Did you know.... Cracking your car’s rear window can be a highly unpleasant experience—and physics is to blame. One moment you’re cruising along the road, and the next, you’re faced with an ear-throbbing sound. It’s happened to most of us at some point—and it’s all because someone in the back seat decided to crack a window. Here’s why. The Science Behind the Ear Pain This unpleasant sensation is all due to some chaotic physics known as Helmholtz resonance, which makes your car into somewhat of a musical instrument when the conditions are just right. When you roll down one rear window while driving, the car essentially turns into a massive version of an empty soda bottle. Blow across the top of that bottle, and it’ll make a note. That’s because air rushes across the opening, gets sucked in, and then springs back out again. This creates a loop of vibrating air. The exact same thing that happens when you crack your car’s rear window. Air gets pulled in through the back window, compresses the air inside the car, and then springs back out, over and over again. That pulsating movement creates pressure waves that slap against your eardrums. Except instead of a cute little whistle like you’d get by blowing on a soda bottle, the frequency is so low that it becomes infrasound, a.k.a. a sound that is below the lower range of human hearing. You might not hear it, but your ears can feel it. The effect is so intense it can hit pressure peaks around 130 decibels—for context, that’s louder than a jackhammer or a rock concert. How to Stop the Ear Pain Oddly enough, rolling down the front windows doesn’t do the same thing. That’s because the airflow up front is messier, and the resonance breaks up before it even starts. The shape of your car matters, too. Today’s vehicles are way more aerodynamic and airtight than their boxy, leaky ancestors. That’s great for fuel efficiency, but it makes it much harder for air to escape. When you open just one rear window, there’s nowhere for that compressed air to go … except straight into your ears. Opening more than one window (ideally the one across from the one that’s been rolled down) is how you can prevent this jarring feeling. You could also opt to keep your back windows entirely closed and crack open the front ones. Or, if you want to avoid any potential disturbances, you can simply just crank up the air conditioning. Source: Why Does Driving With a Car’s Rear Windows Down Hurt Your Ears?

Fact of the Day - SHORTEST DAY Did you know... For reasons that no one has been able to discern, the Earth has been spinning faster since roughly 2020, after decades of slowing down (starting in the mid-1970s). The vast majority of us won’t notice the effects, but scientists do — especially since that increase in speed resulted in August 5, 2025, being one of the shortest days ever recorded. That recent Tuesday was 1.25 milliseconds shorter than a usual day, which may seem infinitesimal, but is actually quite a landmark event. There’s a distinction between a solar day, which is how long it takes Earth to rotate on its axis relative to the sun (exactly 24 hours), and sidereal days, which are the planet’s true rotation period relative to distant stars (23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.1 seconds); in this case, both were slightly shorter than usual. Three other dates in 2025 were notably short: July 9 (1.23 milliseconds less than 24 hours), July 10 (1.36 milliseconds less), and July 22 (1.34 milliseconds less). The shortest day ever recorded was July 5, 2024, which was 1.66 milliseconds under the usual 24 hours. Short-term fluctuations in Earth’s rotation speed are caused by the moon’s gravitational effects on our humble planet, but the long-term increase in speed in recent years is less understood. Should it continue for four more years, however, a “leap second” may be subtracted from a single day in 2029. The North and South Poles don’t have official time zones. If you’ve ever argued that time is merely a human construct, you may enjoy learning about time zones at the Earth’s poles. As science writer Katie Weeman put it in Scientific American, the poles are simultaneously in “all of Earth’s time zones and none of them,” and they have no official time zone. That’s because all 24 longitude lines (which mark the time zones) converge in these spots, making the zones essentially meaningless once they reach the North Pole and South Pole. Since both poles are generally uninhabited, there’s also no real need for an official time. Antarctica’s research stations navigate this problem by observing either the local time of their home country or that of the nation nearest them, whereas the North Pole has no permanent research stations. Source: One of the shortest days on record just occurred.

What's the Word: APHORISM pronunciation: [AF-ər-iz-əm] Part of speech: noun Origin: Greek, early 16th century Meaning: 1. A pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.” 2. A concise statement of a scientific principle, typically by an ancient classical author. Examples: "My dad's favorite way to impart life wisdom is through aphorism." "'Actions speak louder than words' is a good aphorism to employ in your friendships." About Aphorism "Aphorism" entered English in the early 16th century from the French "aphorisme," which came from the Latin "aphorismus," and the original Greek "aphorismos," which meant "definition." It was likely coined by Hippocrates. Did you Know? Sometimes the ancient root of a word matches up perfectly to the modern definition. "Aphorism" comes from the Greek word "aphorismós," which directly translates to "definition," but the usage was closer to "brief statements and general reflections of facts." Many credit the Greek physician Hippocrates for the invention of this word in his writing, "Aphorisms of Hippocrates." Today, you can keep in mind one of the most well-known aphorisms: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

Fact of the Day - RHUBARB Did you know.... Rhubarb may be best known as a tart springtime ingredient that introduces a bright, distinct tang to otherwise sweet desserts, but not all rhubarb is grown in the light of day, or even in spring at all. In parts of England, a special variety is harvested by candlelight in the depths of winter, producing stalks that are quite different from their more common counterparts. In a 9-square-mile area known as the “Rhubarb Triangle” in England’s West Yorkshire county, the plant is grown in total darkness and harvested by candlelight. This technique dates back to the early 1800s, when farmers realized moving rhubarb plants indoors after frost began to hit the fields could trick the plants into thinking it was spring, reawakening the roots and forcing them to grow quickly in the warm, dark sheds. According to a Smithsonian Magazine interview with London horticulturalist Helena Dove, the plant “panics” without sunlight. Over the following eight weeks, it enters a growing frenzy, aggressively using its stored energy and growing upward in an attempt to seek out light. It grows so fast, it even makes noise: In the otherwise silent sheds, farmers say they can hear the stalks creaking as they reach up into the darkness. As the plants stretch quickly in search of sun, their cells elongate as well, rendering the stalks more tender. The plant also draws on its stash of stored sugars to grow, making for noticeably sweeter rhubarb. To achieve this coveted texture and flavor, the harvest, like the growing, must happen in darkness. Workers move quietly between rows, handpicking each stalk, while candles elevated on spikes glow around them. The dim setting helps prevent any chemical changes from sudden light exposure, and though the process is labor-intensive, the result is a product chefs and foodies seek out each winter. Rhubarb was once at the center of a court case. In 1947, a debate took place in a United States customs court to determine whether fresh rhubarb imported from Canada should be classified as a fruit or a vegetable. The stakes? A 15% difference in tariffs. Rhubarb is technically a vegetable by botanical definitions, but by arguing that rhubarb is typically stewed with sugar, served with cream, or baked into pie, attorney Joseph Schwartz made the case that it should be classified as a fruit. A customs official, however, disagreed: He claimed he personally ate rhubarb as a side dish with dinner, making it fill more of a traditional vegetable role. The court considered these culinary uses, as well as dictionary definitions and an 1893 Supreme Court case that ruled that tomatoes were vegetables for tariff purposes even though they meet the botanical definition of a fruit. In rhubarb’s case, the sweet-leaning use won out and the court formally ruled it a fruit. This decision didn’t last forever, though; under the current international tariff system, rhubarb is again classified as a vegetable. Source: Certain types of rhubarb have to be harvested by candlelight.

What's the Word: OPULENCE pronunciation: [AHP-yəl-ens] Part of speech: noun Origin: Middle French, 16th century Meaning: 1. Great wealth or luxuriousness. Examples: "The opulence of Marcia’s home was most apparent in the kitchen, with its marble countertops, hardwood floors and cabinetry, and eight-burner Italian gas range." "As we walked the gardens of the castle, we found the opulence of the interior extended to the lush landscaping." About Opulence “Opulence” came into English from an identical word in Middle French, meaning “great wealth.” The French word “opulence” was based on the Latin “opulentia,” meaning “riches” or “splendor.” Did you Know? The richest person in history was believed to be Mansa Musa (1280-1337 CE), king of Timbuktu in present-day Mali. Since Musa oversaw the world’s largest resources of gold, he enjoyed such extravagant opulence that he once threw the currency of neighboring Egypt into crisis through his own personal spending. Musa’s personal wealth and levels of opulence are impossible to measure by today’s standards. Julius Caesar, another historical figure of great wealth, is estimated to have had a fortune equivalent to about $4 trillion.

Fact of the Day - TWO FRONT DOORS Did you know... You aren’t seeing double—some houses were intentionally built with this architectural quirk. If you’ve ever driven through an older neighborhood and spotted a home with two front doors side by side, you might’ve assumed it was once a duplex. And in some cases, you’d be right. But many of these houses started out as single-family homes. Those two doors weren’t random, though. In fact, they often served very specific purposes. Let’s explore the history (and the theories) behind this architectural quirk. A Matter of Symmetry In the 18th and 19th centuries, symmetry was a defining feature of many architectural styles, especially in Georgian and Federal homes. Builders took balance seriously: that meant matching windows, centered chimneys, and evenly spaced shutters. But sometimes, the interior layout didn’t allow for a single, centered front door. Rather than disrupt the exterior harmony, designers would simply add a second door to restore visual balance. Formal vs. Functional Another common reason for two doors was that each had its own distinct role. One door typically opened into the formal parlor, which was the room reserved for guests or important occasions. The other door led to the family’s main living space—where everyday life took place. This dual-entry layout allowed homeowners to separate public and private life. Visitors entered through the “good” door; family members came and went through the other. In certain homes, this division was also tied to class structure: one door for the homeowners, one for hired help. It was a subtle but deliberate design decision rooted in social norms of the time. Other Theories Behind Why Houses Have Two Front Doors Over the years, a handful of other double-door explanations have emerged, and some are more plausible than others. One theory suggests that one door was used exclusively during funerals. Known as the “coffin door,” it provided a direct route from the front parlor to the outside. While this explanation may not apply widely, it has roots in some early New England traditions. Then there’s the practical stuff, like temperature control. Before air conditioning, opening both doors could help cool down a house by creating a breeze. And in homes where glass was hard to come by, a second door was sometimes a cheaper alternative to a window. Whatever the reason, it’s a small detail that says a lot about how people lived and what they valued in centuries past. While today’s homes tend to favor open floor plans and fewer formal spaces, those old double-door facades still catch the eye. Source: The Fascinating Reasons Why Some Old Houses Have Two Front Doors

Fact of the Day - PETRICHOR Did you know... Humans love the smell of rain, a delicious medley of aromas known collectively as “petrichor.” But where does that smell come from? Well, the word itself (coined by Australian scientists in 1964) gives a clue. “Ichor” is the name for the fluid that forms the blood of the gods in Greek mythology, while “petros” in Greek means “stone” — which is one of the places this sweet-smelling chemistry happens. When rain hits porous soil and rocks after a long dry spell, small bacteria called actinobacteria (primarily Streptomyces species) release earthy-smelling organic compounds known as geosmin (a type of alcohol) into the air and into our nostrils. Plants also secrete oils during dry spells that then release odors when it rains. Human noses are highly sensitive to this mixture of smells — we can detect it at levels of less than 10 parts per trillion — and can sniff it out better than a shark can smell blood in the sea. (Estimates put a shark’s ability to sniff out blood at about one part per million.) Some scientists theorize that early humans relied on this keen sense of smell to find clean sources of water. Bacteria and plant oils aren’t the only reasons rainstorms come with a signature aroma, however. Lightning can sometimes split two oxygen atoms (O2), which reform with other oxygen molecules to form ozone (O3), a word derived from the Greek for “to smell.” Because of powerful downdrafts, ozone can be carried on the wind for miles, tingling the nostrils of animals and humans alike. The human nose can detect 1 trillion different odors. The human nose is a remarkable evolutionary creation. While not as sensitive as a dog’s or as flexible as an elephant’s, its 400 receptors can sniff out the chemical properties of a particular smell and help create neural responses linked with a memory or emotion. But for years, science has underestimated just how good the human nose really is. Since 1927, the common belief was that humans could smell around 10,000 distinct smells, a pitiful number compared to our other senses (human eyes can see around a million colors). However, new research in 2014 discovered that the sniffing ability of the human nose far surpassed that number. The study in question started by showing that humans have a hard time distinguishing between two scents whose chemical mixtures overlap by more than 50%. By extrapolating how many mixtures reside below that 50% ceiling, scientists were able to determine the lower limit of humanity’s sense of smell, which comes out to around 1 trillion odors. In other words, certainly nothing to sniff at. Source: Humans are more sensitive to petrichor than sharks are to the smell of blood.

Fact of the Day - GREEN OLIVES vs BLACK OLIVES Did you know.... What’s the difference between green olives and black olives? The answer is a little more complicated than you may think. There’s widespread disagreement when it comes to olives, whether they‘re black or green. But have you ever wondered if there‘s a difference between the two besides color? The annoying, yet honest, answer is yes and no. Are Green Olives and Black Olives the Same Thing? Both are essentially the same fruit: Green olives are the unripe versions of black olives. Sporked says green olives are known for being a bit more bitter than black ones. Black olives tend to be oilier and contain less salt than green ones, primarily due to their packaging differences. Green Olives vs. Black Olives: Similarities and Differences Black olives Origin: Olive (Olea europaea) trees Taste: Mild, buttery, oily When are they harvested?: When ripe How are they treated?: Usually straight to salt brining Common uses: Pizzas, pasta salads, salads Green olives Origin: Olive (Olea europaea) trees Taste: Salty, bitter, tangy When are they harvested?: When underripe How are they treated?: Lye soaking before salt brining Common uses: Charcuterie boards, sandwiches, martini garnish How Green and Black Olives Are Processed Whether talking about non-ripe or ripe olives, you usually won’t find a fresh version of the fruit in grocery stores; they’re always fermented or treated in some way. This is because olives contain a lot of oleuropein, a compound that makes them super bitter and unappetizing. Although studies show that oleuropein has health benefits, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, few can tolerate the abrasive taste. Olive producers have ways of combating the unappealing flavor. They will soak the fruits in water, ferment them in salt brine, or treat them with sodium hydroxide (a.k.a. lye) to break down the oleuropein. Lye soaking is usually the go-to process; it only takes about one week compared to the other methods, which can take several weeks. Green olives almost always soak in a lye solution before brining, whereas fully ripe black olives can head straight to the brining process. To add another wrinkle to the matter, most black olives you find on grocery store shelves aren’t picked when ripe. They’re actually harvested green olives that have been artifically ripened using ferrous gluconate, an oxygen and iron compound that turns the fruits black. This is cheaper than waiting months for olives to ripen on the branch, but it results in a less flavorful product. Now that you know how green olives and black olives differ, you can read about the distinction between extra virgin olive oil and the regular stuff here. Source: Green Olives vs. Black Olives—They're Not as Different as You May Think

What's the Word: SILT pronunciation: [silt] Part of speech: noun Origin: Middle English, 15th century Meaning: 1. Fine sand, clay, or other material carried by running water and deposited as a sediment, especially in a channel or harbor. Examples: "The bottom of the pond was mostly silt and a few rocks." "Chris has a special attachment for his pool vacuum to pick up silt so fine that it would otherwise clog the machine." About Silt “Silt” is a centuries-old word with uncertain origins, though it came into English through the Middle English words “silte” and “cylte,” which also indicate sediments left by water sources. Did you Know? There are many words similar to “silt” across northern European languages. In Norwegian and Dutch, the word “sylt” refers specifically to a “salt marsh,” as does the word “sylta” in Swedish. These words were preceded by the Middle Low German “sulte,” also meaning “salt marsh.” All are related to the Old English “sealt” (circa the 11th century), meaning “salt.” Between the 15th and 16th centuries, “silt” developed its modern meaning of fine sediment deposited by water.

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Fact of the Day - CALLING 911 Did you know.... You never want to butt-dial the cops. But if you do, here’s what happens next. In 1987, only 50 percent of the U.S. population had access to 911, the universal emergency assistance line that had been championed by lawmakers and telephone operators since the 1960s. By 2000, the coverage was up to 93 percent. Today, so long as you have a cell or landline phone, you should be able to ring for urgent help when there’s been an accident, crime, or injury. But sometimes, 911 calls happen by mistake. In Lewis County, Washington, it’s estimated that 20 percent of the calls received are dialed unintentionally. So what if you dial 911 by mistake? What happens? Are there consequences? What to Do if You Call 911 by Mistake As it turns out, 911 misdials are often the result of so-called “butt dials” (inadvertent calls owing to a phone being activated while in someone’s pocket), children dialing it without supervision, or triggering a phone’s emergency service shortcuts. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Emergency Medical Services, which houses the National 911 Program, it doesn’t really matter how the mistake was made. If you dial 911, you should never, ever hang up. If you do, the 911 operator will have to assume an emergency is in progress and will either dispatch first responders to your location, try to call you back, or both. Instead, remain on the line and tell the operator that dialing 911 was an accident. By reassuring the call center there’s no emergency, it’s likely you can avoid a welfare check by police. Suppose you hang up. What then? There’s no hard and fast rule about whether a dispatcher can trace your call to a physical address or whether a certain number of rings is required. It’s possible your cell carrier may only be able to pinpoint your location to within 300 yards. Updated 911 systems might employ device-based hybrid location accuracy, or DBH, which is what ride-sharing apps like Uber use. (Landline phones, which are normally registered to physical addresses, are a bit easier to track.) It’s best to assume you’ll get a visit; however, you should therefore explain yourself. (Obviously, the easier you are to find in a real emergency, the better. If you’re curious whether your local emergency services provider has your correct physical address, you can always try contacting their non-emergency number by searching for your city or county online. You’ll also want to make sure your house number is visible from the street both during the day and at night.) Can You Get into Legal Trouble for Accidentally Calling 911? Mistakes happen, and it’s highly unlikely any local government is going to legally pursue a resident for accidentally phoning 911. If you intentionally dial 911 and make a false report of a crime or emergency, however, you can expect to have a very real problem on your hands. Many states have laws prohibiting prank calls. California, for example, considers a false emergency report to be a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of $1000. If prosecutors believe the person knew that injury or death could occur while responding to the false report, it becomes a felony. When to Call 911 It’s fairly easy to identify a situation in which you might need to phone 911. According to the National 911 Program, it’s when a person needs immediate assistance from the police, fire department, or ambulance. If you’re unsure, just call—and be sure to tell them your name and callback number, your location, and the type of emergency at hand. The dispatcher can advise on whether to proceed with a first responder or whether the issue can be addressed another way. Reasons to Dial Emergency Services • You see smoke • You see a fire • You’ve witnessed or were in a car accident • You need to report a reckless driver • You’ve witnessed (or been the victim of) a crime or suspicious activity • You or someone nearby are having a medical emergency Smoke, fire, car accidents, crime, and other emergencies usually indicate that urgent assistance is needed. Some people, however, may pause when it comes to medical issues. Again, the best thing to do is call, but the situation is likely to be urgent if anyone is experiencing the following symptoms [PDF]: • Shortness of breath • Chest pain • Rapid heart rate • Mental confusion or unconsciousness • Heavy bleeding • Trouble speaking • Broken bones • Severe headache • Drownings • Drug overdoses • Seizures • Allergic reactions Regardless of the severity of the medical problem, calling 911 might be best if moving the person would result in further injury; the condition is likely to worsen while driving to a hospital; or the person needs assistance that could only be provided by a paramedic. For non-urgent situations—like general questions or minor complaints—dial your local police station’s non-emergency number. How to Prevent Accidental 911 Calls Years ago, iPhones introduced an Emergency SOS function that allows users to speed up 911 service by bypassing the phone app and dialing. Instead, they could tap the power button five times or hold down other buttons (like volume), which would create a countdown and then a call to emergency services. This function isn’t a default setting: It needs to be set up on an iPhone. If you did that and no longer want it activated, you can use the Settings to get to Emergency SOS. Then, disable both Call with Hold and Release and Call With 5 Button Presses. If you have children, it’s also a good idea to lock your phone with a password to prevent them from dialing by accident. 911 calls can also be placed by kids playing with old, unused phones on the presumption that, without a calling plan, they can’t make outgoing calls. They can’t—but 911 is usually the lone exception. If you give a kid a used phone to make pretend calls with, be sure to take out the battery first. Source: What Happens If You Call 911 by Mistake?

Fact of the Day - HOT BEVERAGE MAKE YOU COOL DOWN? Did you know... It’s counterintuitive, but downing a hot drink on a hot day may actually cool you off. Here’s why. When it’s hot outside, few things are more refreshing than an ice-cold beverage—unless you’re one of those folks who swears the best way to cool down on a sultry day is to drink a steaming cup of tea. Common sense suggests that ice water would be the better option. Getting a near-freezing cold beverage into your body should lower your core temperature and offer temporary respite from the blazing heat around you, right? How Hot Drinks Can Cool You Down That’s not exactly how the human body reacts to heat. A 2012 study from the University of Ottawa had cyclists drink water at different temperatures while they cruised at moderate speed, and then measured their core body temps. Researchers found that drinking the hot beverage triggered a disproportionately high sweat response without significantly raising the athletes’ core temperature. And since sweating is the body’s primary way of cooling itself, the results showed that a hot drink is actually better at cooling you down than a cold one. “If you drink a hot drink, it does result in a lower amount of heat stored inside your body, provided the additional sweat produced when you drink the hot drink can evaporate,” Dr. Ollie Jay, senior author of the study, told The Skeptical Enquirer. Sweating is the Key to Cooling Off Of course, there are some catches. One is that you won’t feel the effects until your sweat has evaporated fully, contrasting with the instant effect of an ice water hit. The other, much bigger one is that it only works under certain conditions. If it’s humid, if you’re sweating a lot already, or if you’re wearing clothes that trap moisture on your skin, then drinking a hot drink is only going to make you hotter. So while it seems counterintuitive, having a hot drink on a hot day actually can cool you down. Turns out the people downing boiling coffee in July knew better than all of us. Source: Does Drinking a Hot Drink Really Cool You Down?

What's the Word: ALLUVIUM pronunciation: [ə-LOO-vee-əm] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, 17th century Meaning: 1. A deposit of clay, silt, sand, and gravel left by flowing streams in a river valley or delta, typically producing fertile soil. Examples: "Thanks to a layer of alluvium covering the ground, the valley was easy to walk through." "Soil full of alluvium makes a fantastic garden." About Alluvium “Alluvium” is based on the Latin “alluvius,” meaning “washed against.” Did you Know? Alluvial deposits are sediments that are moved around and left behind by rivers. Often, “alluvium” refers to existing deposits of silt, sand, clay, and gravel left long ago by water that no longer exists where it once did. But the sediments can also appear with seasonal shifting river currents, and be filled with nutrients. The nutrient-rich soil will be distributed to areas downstream by the river current.

Fact of the Day - MALT vs MILKSHAKE Did you know.... Whether you love dipping fries in shakes or malts, you should know the subtle yet tasty difference between the two. Malts and milkshakes are both quintessential American treats and the perfect end to any diner meal. Although the two ice cream-based drinks look incredibly similar, one crucial ingredient sets them apart. Here’s how to tell the difference between the frosty beverages. How to Define Malts and Shakes There’s only a slight difference in ingredients when it comes to malts and milkshakes. Both creamy drinks have a base made of ice cream and milk. While vanilla and chocolate milkshakes are classics, people also get creative with the drinkable dessert, sometimes adding candies, cookies, and even whole slices of cake to it. A malt, meanwhile, is a milkshake with malted milk powder. The ingredient gives the drink a nuttier depth of flavor compared to your average milkshake. In short, all malts are milkshakes, but not all milkshakes are malts. MALT Primary Ingredients: Milk, ice cream Is it a milkshake?: Yes Does it contain malted milk powder?: Yes Taste: Sweet, creamy, toasty, nutty MILKSHAKE Primary Ingredients: Milk, ice cream Is it a milkshake?: Yes Does it contain malted milk powder?: No Taste: Sweet, creamy So What Is Malt, Exactly? Now that you know what a malted milkshake is, you may be wondering what malt is on its own. The ingredient is made by processing cereal grains—mainly barley, but others are sometimes utilized. The complicated procedure involves soaking the grains until they sprout, heating them to halt growth, and then grinding them into a fine powder. The product has many uses. After the mashing stage, brewers can add yeast to the mixture to ferment the malt and make beer. According to Britannica, the majority of malt produced is used for beer production. Malt is an important ingredient in malted whiskey as well. Bakers may also add malt to flour to make baked goods, such as bagels and Belgian waffles. But people usually don’t use plain malt for milkshakes; that’s where malted milk powder comes in. It’s made by combining malt with evaporated milk solids. The result is a toasty, earthy flavor that adds a layer of complexity to an otherwise straightforward milkshake. Popular Foods and Drinks Containing Malt Beer Malted milkshakes Malted milk balls Ovaltine Bagels Malt whiskey Malt vinegar If you’re someone who likes to dip fries in their milkshake, you’re not alone. Science has proven that the sweet and salty combination is appealing to many people. Source: Malt vs. Milkshake: What’s the Difference?

What's the Word: RIVIERE pronunciation: [riv-ee-AIR] Part of speech: noun Origin: French, 19th century Meaning: 1. A necklace of gems that increase in size toward a large central stone, typically consisting of more than one string. Examples: "While a rivière is a striking piece of jewelry, it can make a subtle fashion statement." "The standard rivière is made with matching gems of the same cut and color, though the stones get larger toward the center of the necklace." About Rivière “Rivière” is taken from the French for “river.” Did you Know? The necklace style known as the “rivière” links gemstones together on a string or chain with a continuity that brings to mind the flow of a river — the root of the style’s name. The style emerged in 18th-century France, during the time of Queen Marie Antoinette, who was associated with a rivière called “le collier de la Reine” (“the Queen’s necklace”). This rivière was the subject of the infamous “Affair of the Diamond Necklace,” in which Marie Antoinette was accused of refusing to pay the crown jeweler for making the ornate rivière in 1845. It later emerged that Marie Antoinette had rejected the piece, but a notorious thief named Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy forged the queen’s signature, hoping to steal the set of jewels.

Fact of the Day - CACAO BEANS Did you know.... You may love chocolate, but probably not as much as the Aztecs did. This Mesoamerican culture, which flourished in the 15th and early 16th centuries, believed cacao beans were a gift from the gods and used them as a currency that was more precious than gold. The biggest chocoholic of them all was the ninth Aztec emperor, Montezuma II (1466–1520 CE), who called cacao “the divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.” To say he practiced what he preached would be an understatement: Montezuma II was known to drink 50 cups of hot chocolate a day (from a golden goblet, no less). His preferred concoction is said to have been bitter and infused with chilis. Needless to say, that was an expensive habit. Aztec commoners could only afford to enjoy chocolate during special occasions, whereas their upper-class counterparts indulged their sweet tooth more often. That’s in contrast to the similarly chocolate-obsessed Maya, many of whom had it with every meal and often threw chili peppers or honey into the mix for good measure. Candy bars skyrocketed in popularity after World War I. Morale boosts were hard to come by during World War I, but one thing was sure to get the job done: chocolate. In America, the military chocolate tradition dates all the way back to the Revolutionary War, when the cocoa-loving George Washington included the treat in his soldiers’ rations. For our frenemies across the pond, every soldier received a King George Chocolate Tin in 1915; U.S. WWI rations were solicited from chocolate companies in 20-pound blocks, then cut down and hand-wrapped. Doughboys and Tommies (slang for U.S. and U.K. WWI soldiers, respectively) brought their sweet tooth home with them, and confectioners were happy to oblige. Candy bars became massively popular in the decade following World War I — more than 40,000 different kinds were produced in the U.S. alone by the end of the 1920s. These regional specialties began to die out following the one-two punch of the Great Depression and the outbreak of World War II, when Hershey’s was commissioned to create more than 3 billion ration bars for the U.S. Army. They’ve remained an industry titan ever since, and still claim the highest market share of any American confectionery by a sizable margin. Source: Aztecs considered cacao beans more valuable than gold.

Fact of the Day - BABY VIEWING WINDOW Did you know.... They used to be a staple of hospital maternity wards around the country—so, what happened? For much of the 20th century, hospital maternity wards featured a curious design choice: large glass windows that allowed families to gaze at rows of newborns, all bundled up and sleeping in neat, orderly rows. These so-called “baby viewing windows” gave proud families their first chance to spot their newest member—but nowadays, they’ve seemingly vanished. Upon further investigation, it becomes clear that their disappearance actually reveals a great deal about shifting attitudes toward birth, bonding, and even hospital marketing. The Origins of Baby Viewing Windows After childbirth began shifting from home to hospitals in the early 1900s, many hospitals established separate nurseries where nurses cared for newborns away from their mothers. These large windows weren’t just practical: They were meant to be a spectacle. As Smithsonian Magazine explains, hospitals used them to show off rows of healthy babies as proof of their modern, high-quality care. It’s also worth noting that the concept of putting babies in the public eye for all to see wasn’t entirely new. In the early 20th century, premature babies were often displayed in incubators at fairs and amusement parks to help raise money for their care. For decades, fathers weren’t typically allowed in delivery rooms either, so the nursery window was often their first real introduction to their new child. As Smithsonian notes, these glass-front nurseries helped project an image of hospitals as safe, nurturing places where science kept these tiny patients healthy and strong. The window moment became a rite of passage, not to mention a favorite photo op. The Evolution of Modern-Day Hospital Maternity Wards In the 1970s, hospitals began rethinking this approach. Instead of separating newborns from their mothers, they began promoting “rooming-in,” where babies stayed in the same room with their parents 24 hours a day. This new approach came with a long list of benefits: it encouraged breastfeeding, helped parents bond more quickly, and made mothers feel more confident caring for their newborns. Around this time, as Time reports, those once-beloved nursery windows soon started to feel outdated. Families preferred privacy and hands-on time with their new babies over the idea of putting them on public display. By the 1990s and early 2000s, growing security concerns also contributed significantly to their decline. As a result, hospitals became more cautious about disclosing the exact location of newborns to protect family privacy. Soon, it became clear that nursery windows no longer aligned with the public’s expectations for safety and confidentiality. Despite all this, our desire to show off newborns hasn’t waned; instead, it has simply evolved with the times. Many hospitals now offer online galleries (sometimes called web nurseries) where parents can share professional photos with friends and family. A private login is typically required to access the images, creating a modern, digital, and more secure version of the traditional nursery window. All in all, the move away from glass showcases reflects a broader cultural shift. Instead of treating childbirth like a distant medical event, today’s hospitals focus on intimacy and immediate family connection, keeping babies close from day one—literally. Source: Why Did Baby Viewing Windows Disappear From Hospitals?

What's the Word: OSSIFIED pronunciation: [OS-ih-fied] Part of speech: verb Origin: Latin, early 18th century Meaning: 1. Having turned into bone or bony tissue. 2. Having become rigid or fixed in attitude or position. Examples: "Bone is formed from cartilage that has ossified." "Over time she became ossified and rejected any attempts to change her habits." About Ossified Ossified came into English in the late 17th century from the French "ossifier," from the Latin prefix "oss-" and word "os," which mean "bone." Did you Know? The prefix "oss-" is Latin for "bone," and it makes up the root of many bony terms. "Ossify" is a verb meaning "turn into bone or bony tissue," but it also has a figurative usage meaning "become rigid or fixed in attitude or position; cease developing." "Ossified" can be a conjugation of the verb, but it can also be an adjective, describing things that have either turned into bone or become fixed and rigid. "Ossification" is a noun describing the process of converting into bone, and "osseous" is an adjective for anything made of or resembling bone.

What's the Word: SONORUS pronunciation: [SON-er-uhs] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, early 17th century Meaning: 1. (Of a person's voice or other sound) Imposingly deep and full. 2. Capable of producing a deep or ringing sound. Examples: "The highlight of the hike was the sonorous cave, which produced a ringing echo from the hiker’s shouts." "I chose the narrator for the audiobook of my first novel based on his rich, sonorous voice." About Sonorus Sonorous is an adjective that applies to sound, usually of a full and imposing nature. It comes from the Latin word for sound, "sonor." Pull out this regal adjective when the tones need appropriate weight for the description. (We’re talking ringing gongs, not bird chirps.) Did you Know? Sonorous can be used to describe the quality of a sound — think ringing clock bells or a booming, deep voice. The noun form of this adjective is "sonority." That word has a specific usage in phonetics as well. Sonority occurs when there is no stressed syllable, but there is still a distinction between vowels and consonants.

Fact of the Day - ORIGINS OF PLAYING CARDS Did you know.... Playing cards aren’t just one of the most ubiquitous objects in human culture (who doesn’t have a deck lurking in a drawer somewhere?) — they’re also one of the most iconic. Whether new and neatly packaged or old and well-thumbed, cards have a certain mystique about them. From the casino table to the magician’s hand, these simple pieces of plastic-coated paper have achieved a status that transcends their simple yet elegant design. Yet despite this familiarity, few people know the fascinating journey that cards have taken throughout history. Here, we take a look back through time to trace the origin of playing cards. Ancient Origins The earliest known written reference to playing cards is found in Chinese literature from the 10th century, though there are no details about card markings or the particular games played. In The Invention of Printing in China and Its Spread Westward, author Thomas Francis Carter notes that playing cards likely originated in China around the same time as paged books, writing, “As the advent of printing made it more convenient to produce and use books in the form of pages, so was it easier to produce cards.” Carter goes on to explain how these cards, known as “sheet-dice,” began to appear before the end of the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907 CE. He also suggests the possibility that “sheet-dice” evolved in two different directions during the Song dynasty (960-1279 CE). Some were eventually made using bone or ivory and developed into games such as mahjong, while others retained their paper form, were embellished with new and more intricate images and designs, and became the true ancestors of modern playing cards. Playing Cards Take Shape As trade routes expanded during the Song dynasty, early playing cards began to spread westward along the Silk Road, carrying with them the fundamental concepts that evolved into the decks we recognize today. The most important stage on this journey happened in the Islamic world. By the 14th century, playing cards had reached the Mamluk Sultanate, which controlled Egypt and parts of the Middle East, at which point the cards underwent a significant transformation. Thanks in part to the discovery of one particular set of cards from the 1400s, we can see how card design progressed toward something simil (440ar to modern decks. The Mamluk pack, as it is sometimes referred to, was discovered in 1931 in Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace Museum. The deck is divided into four suits, with 13 cards per suit. It has just 47 cards, but if it were complete, it would have contained 52 cards, just like today. The design of this centuries-old deck is also surprisingly similar to the packs of cards we use today. The cards feature a symbol for each of the four suits: cups, coins, swords, and polo sticks, which reflect the culture and interests of the Islamic aristocracy. And each suit contains 10 numbered cards as well as three court cards: the king (malik), the viceroy or deputy king (naib), and the second deputy (naib thani). Origins of the Four Modern Suits Playing cards made their way to Europe in the late 14th century. Some theories suggest they were brought back by returning Crusaders, which is possible, although scant supporting evidence exists. It’s more likely they came through trade with the Islamic world, including with the Mamluks. Thanks to written accounts from Spain, France, and Switzerland, we do know that playing cards grew in popularity in Europe from 1370 to 1400, although standardization was still a long way off. During the 15th century, European decks sometimes contained five rather than four suits, and specific regional tastes meant that different suit motifs also emerged. Germans, for example, used hearts, acorns, bells, and leaves, while the Italians favored cups, swords, batons, and coins. It was the French, however, who made perhaps the most significant contribution to modern playing card design. In the late 1400s, they adapted the German suits to create pique, coeur, carreau, and trèfle — known in English as spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. French card makers also simplified the production process by using stencils and developing more efficient printing techniques, making cards more affordable and widely available. This helped popularize the design in Europe, and the colonial exploits of the French, Spanish, and British introduced the newly standardized playing cards to the rest of the world. Source: Where Did Playing Cards Come From?

(Thursday's) Fact of the Day - FIREFLIES Did you know.... A new study shows that vulnerable fireflies might still have a chance. Over the past few decades, firefly population have been declining due to factors like light pollution, pesticides, and habitat loss. Now there's a ray of hope: A recent study suggests there’s reason to be optimistic for these insects. They’re more prevalent this summer than they have been in years. What’s Up With This Wave of Fireflies? According to Popular Science, residents across the U.S. have been seeing a spike in firefly numbers in recent weeks. There have even been upticks in urban areas, such as New York City and Washington, D.C. While firefly numbers still aren’t what they used to be, the change signals a positive outlook for the insects. The increased numbers of the glowing bugs in many states could be attributed to the factors below: Weather: Climate plays a significant part in firefly reproduction, as they tend to seek out wet soil to lay their eggs. Many states saw decent rainfall this year, which could have led to the insects’ population growth. Lifecycle: Firefly larvae live for about two years before pupating and becoming the bioluminescent creatures we’re familiar with. When the insects emerge from their pupal stage to find mates, they will live for a few weeks, depending on the environment and species. Firefly prevalence can vary by year because of this factor, and some places may be simply experiencing good timing this summer. Why Are Fireflies Important? Fireflies aren’t just aesthetically pleasing; They also help the environment. A 2019 report from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation highlighted the ecological benefits of fireflies. The larvae of the species primarily feed on snails and slugs, both of which damage plants. These insects also contribute to the diets of many creatures in the animal kingdom, especially various spider species. Environment America also shares that some species feed on pollen and nectar, benefiting many flowering plants. We may be lucky enough to enjoy their twinkling light shows for years to come if we make an effort to take care of them. You can help fireflies out by doing simple things, such as turning off lights at night so as not to confuse the insects, and mowing lawns less frequently. It also won’t hurt to avoid using pesticides outside and share your awareness about the lovely creatures. Not everyone gets the pleasure of seeing fireflies light up their environment in person, but you can watch a video of synchronizing fireflies doing their thing in Thailand. Source: Fireflies Are Surging This Summer, in a Rare Win for the Insects

What's the Word: ERRANT pronunciation: [EHR-ənt] Part of speech: adjective Origin: French, 15th century Meaning: 1. Erring or straying from the proper course or standards. 2. Traveling in search of adventure. Examples: "An errant seagull ended up in my bathroom when I left the window open." "My brother believes any errant french fries that fall off my plate are free for him to eat." About Errant “Errant” came into English through the French “errant,” based originally on the Latin “errāre,” meaning “to stray.” Did you Know? In its earliest meaning, “errant” (as in “a knight errant”) referred to a state of being an itinerant traveler, often in search of adventure. In modern use, the term refers to a stray state, in which a thing or person moves or behaves unpredictably and not according to an accepted course.

Fact of the Day - JELLYFISH Did you know... While we humans can quite happily sit out in the sun for hours (with adequate sun protection, of course), jellyfish can disappear completely if washed ashore on a sunny day. This is because a jellyfish’s delicate body is composed of at least 95% water, unlike the human adult body, which is about 60% water. As you may suppose, jellyfish are jellylike in consistency — at least when well hydrated — but they aren’t actually fish. They are in fact plankton, ranging in size from less than an inch to nearly 8 feet long, with tentacles that can measure an impressive 100 feet or more. (The largest jellyfish is longer than a blue whale.) Jellyfish have no bones, no brain, and no heart, and they use only rudimentary sensory nerves at the base of their tentacles to detect light and odors. Due to their structure and exceptionally high water content, jellyfish can evaporate within hours in a process known as deliquescing if they’re stranded on a beach in the sun. The jellyfish shrinks as its water evaporates away, leaving behind nothing but a faint imprint on the sand. Box jellyfish rank among the ocean’s deadliest creatures. When we think of dangerous sea creatures, our minds tend to jump straight to sharks. In reality, there’s a far greater threat floating in the open water: the box jellyfish. These nearly transparent creatures possess up to 15 tentacles, each growing to roughly 10 feet in length. Each tentacle has about 5,000 stinging cells, whose venom is considered to be among the most potent and deadly in the world. While typically used to instantly stun or kill prey such as fish and shrimp, a box jellyfish’s venom can also be fatal to any humans who come too close. The sting is so unbearably painful that human victims have been known to go into shock and drown — or die from heart failure — before even reaching the shore. While there are an average of six fatalities from shark attacks per year, box jellyfish stings result in between 40 and 100 human fatalities annually, although experts believe the true figure is likely far higher. As such, box jellyfish can claim to be the deadliest creatures in the ocean. Source: Jellyfish can evaporate if left out in the sun.

What's the Word: MOXIE pronunciation: [MAHK-see] Part of speech: noun Origin: American English, 19th century Meaning: 1. Force of character, determination, or nerve. Examples: "Arlene had no experience but lots of moxie, and her attitude got her hired." "Mark held onto his youthful moxie even though he was decades past his teen years." About Moxie “Moxie” as an adjective is taken directly from the name of the New England soft drink Moxie, which was marketed as strengthening drinkers’ nerves. Did you Know? The first appearance of the word “moxie” was as the name of the soft drink Moxie, patented by Augustin Thompson in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1885. Its flavor was a combination of root beer with a bitter aftertaste of gentian root, which is traditionally used in herbal medicine. Moxie was originally sold as “Moxie Nerve Food,” and, in its early marketing, it was said to cure “paralysis, softening of the brain, nervousness, and insomnia,” which strengthened its association with strong nerves and forceful character.

What's the Word: MACROSCOPIC pronunciation: [mak-rə-SKA-pik] Part of speech: adjective Origin: English, 19th century Meaning: 1. Visible to the naked eye; not microscopic. 2. Relating to large-scale or general analysis. Examples: "A macroscopic view of U.S. food trends considers the practices of all restaurants, caterers, and food-producers." "The mold growth was microscopic at first, but after several days it became macroscopic and clearly visible." About Macroscopic The word “macroscopique” appeared in French in 1865. English speakers may well have brought it into the language as an obvious opposite to “microscopic,” which had been in use since the 17th century. In both French and English, “macroscopic” combines the prefix “macro-,” meaning “large” or “long,” with the suffix “-scopic,” which refers to the act of watching. Did you Know? In its initial form, “macroscopic” referred specifically to the opposite of “microscopic,” things so small they could not be viewed with the naked eye. “Macroscopic” things were simply those that could be seen. Over time, however, the term has taken on a metaphoric implication, invoking “a long view” or “the big picture” — both of which are variations on the word’s two roots of “macro” and “scopic,” which together refer to the act of watching in a broad manner.

Fact of the Day - LONGEST KNOWN CAVE SYSTEM Did you know... On September 9, 1972, spelunkers exploring Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave system made an incredible discovery. While plumbing the darkest recesses of the nearby Flint Ridge Cave system, then the longest known cave in the world, the group suddenly spotted a well-groomed tourist trail that belonged to Mammoth Cave. The spelunkers quickly realized that the two cave systems were actually one, making Mammoth Cave the longest cave in the world. (The world’s second-longest cave, Sistema Ox Bel Ha in Quintana Roo, Mexico, is around 150 miles shorter.) With the discovery, what was once simply one of America’s oldest tourist attractions became one of the world’s grandest caves. This historic revelation was the culmination of thousands of years of human exploration of the cave system. The first peoples to enter the cave were Native Americans, who explored roughly 19 miles of its interior some 5,000 years ago. Tribes used the cave for shelter, and the discovery of mummified remains suggests they also found the caves sacred in some way. In the years leading up to the U.S. Civil War, an enslaved cave guide named Stephen Bishop extended the cave’s known length while also creating its first map. Entire families of explorers traversed the caves leading up to the 1930s, until Mammoth Cave became a national park in 1941. With around half a million visitors every year, Mammoth Cave continues to inspire awe just as it did many thousands of years ago. The world’s largest cave has its own weather system. In Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park lies Hang Son Doong — the largest cave in the world. While the cave was discovered by a local in 1990, it took almost two decades for an official expedition to rediscover it and explore its vast interior, which encompasses a dumbfounding 1.35 billion cubic feet. Because of the cave’s immense size and consistent year-round temperature (a very comfortable 73 degrees Fahrenheit), when warm air enters the cave it forms clouds, which then cool and produce rain inside the cave, creating a unique rainforest ecosystem. This occurs at the cave’s mouth and at two dolines, spots where the cave ceiling collapsed around a millennia ago. These cave clouds only form in Vietnam’s warm and muggy spring, summer, and fall months. During the winter, when outside temperatures are cooler than the cave’s ever-consistent 73 degrees, the weather inside Hang Son Doong is crystal clear, much like in many other much smaller caves on the planet. Source: The world’s longest known cave system is in Kentucky.

What's the Word: BRACKISH pronunciation: [BRAK-ish] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Dutch, 16th century Meaning: 1. (Of water) Slightly salty, as is the mixture of river water and seawater in estuaries. 2. Unpleasant or distasteful. Examples: "The fish we caught tasted as brackish as the water we’d pulled them out of." "The water in the bay was so brackish that we could smell the salt more than a block away." About Brackish The root for “brackish” is the Dutch “brac,” meaning “salty.” Between the 16th and 17th centuries, “brackish” existed in English alongside “brack,” a term meaning “salt” or “salt water.” “Brack” fell out of use by the 19th century, but “brackish” is still in common use. Did you Know? Though “brackish” is still intermittently used to describe salt water, the term has always had a secondary meaning suggesting something that has been ruined or spoiled — such as fresh water that has been rendered undrinkable by the addition of salt water. This meaning extends back to the word’s etymological ancestor: In Dutch, as in English, “brak” means both “salty water” and also “bad.” In fact, one modern meaning of “brak” in Dutch is “hungover,” though that definition has not yet made it to English.