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Fact of the Day - TOY HALL OF FAME Did you know... From teddy bears to train sets, classic playthings of youth often conjure memories of a gleaming toy store, holidays, or birthdays. So curators at the Strong National Museum of Play branched out when they added the stick to their collection of all-time beloved toys. Among the most versatile amusements, sticks have inspired central equipment in several sports, including baseball, hockey, lacrosse, fencing, cricket, fishing, and pool. Humble twigs are also ready-made for fetch, slingshots, toasting marshmallows, and boundless make-believe. Located in Rochester, New York — about 70 miles northeast of Fisher-Price’s headquarters — the Strong acquired the fledgling National Toy Hall of Fame in 2002. (It was previously located in the Gilbert House Children's Museum in Salem, Oregon.) To date, more than 70 toys have been inducted, including Crayola Crayons, Duncan Yo-Yos, and bicycles. The stick was added in 2008, three years after another quintessential source of cheap childhood delight: the cardboard box. Sticks were the first timekeeping device used by humans. Circa 3500 BCE in the modern-day Middle East, Mesopotamians rooted sticks in the ground to craft the earliest versions of sundials. The approximate time could be determined by measuring the length and position of the stick’s shadow. Over the next 1,500 years, Egyptians substituted stone obelisks that functioned in a similar way. Since the late 19th century, America has been home to the world’s tallest obelisk, the 555-foot Washington Monument. Source: The stick has been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.

What's the Word: FLAVANOL pronunciation: [FLAY-və-nohl] Part of speech: noun Origin: German, 19th century Meaning: 1. Any of a major group of flavonoids found in many fruits and vegetables. Examples: "Quercetin is a flavonol found in onions and cilantro, and it has anti-inflammatory effects for people who consume it." "My mother sent me an article about how flavonols found in vegetables and tea may slow memory loss." About Flavanol “Flavonol” was coined in 1895 by German chemists Kostanecki and Tambor. They based their word on the existing German chemical term “flavon.” Did you Know? There are more than a dozen classes of flavonols, a substance in plants that performs many functions. In many cases, flavonols — and other flavonoids (the chemical grouping of which they are a greater part) — give bright pigments to flowers that attract bees and wasps. The flavonol kaempferol is in onions, asparagus, and leafy greens, and appears to protect healthy cells against cancer. Quercetin, known for its anti-inflammatory effects, is another common flavonol found in capers, cilantro, yellow peppers, and onions.

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.

What's the Word: DECAPOD pronunciation: [DEK-ə-pod] Part of speech: noun Origin: French, 19th century Meaning: 1. A crustacean of the order Decapoda, such as a shrimp, crab, or lobster. Examples: "Instead of fish, I chose the crab and lobster platter and dined on decapods." "Decapods often prefer warm and shallow water to colder deep water." About Decapod Decapod is a loanword from the French "décapode," formed by combining the ancient Greek terms "δέκας" ("dékas," meaning "10") and "ποδός" ("podós," meaning "foot or limb"). Did you Know? The classification "decapod" includes 8,000 species of crustaceans, ranging from crabs and lobsters to shrimp, prawns, and crawfish. The smallest decapod is a half-inch shrimp, while the largest is the 12-foot spider crab. Though their name suggests decapods have 10 legs, some have as many as 38. Decapods live in both salt water and fresh water, as well as on land. While they tend to prefer warmer, shallower water, decapods are found throughout the ocean, including at the great depths of the abyssal zone, or around 10,000 to 20,000 feet down.

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.

Fact of the Day - TSUNDOKU Did you know.... It’s often said that “there’s probably a German word” for unusual situations that are difficult to express in English, but sometimes there’s actually a Japanese word instead. Tsundoku, for example, describes the act of buying books and never reading them. Many bibliophiles can surely relate. Doku can be used in Japanese as a verb that means “reading,” and tsun comes from tsumu, which means “to pile up.” According to University of London Japanese studies professor Andrew Gerstle, the word appears to have been coined in 1879 in a satirical reference to a teacher who didn’t read the many books he owned. Despite that, the term — which can also refer to the piles of books themselves — doesn’t carry a particularly negative connotation in Japan. For some, tsundoku might be anxiety- or even guilt-inducing — who hasn’t bought an imposing tome such as James Joyce’s Ulysses with every intention of reading it, only to pick up something lighter instead time after time? But it doesn’t have to be that way. There can be a joy to “practicing tsundoku,” since every unread book on your shelf can be thought of as a literary adventure in waiting. There’s no time like the present, but neither is there any harm in leaving Don Quixote for just the right moment. There’s a Japanese phrase for when you think you’re going to fall in love. In addition to hitomebore, a word for love at first sight, the Japanese language also has a more nuanced phrase for “the feeling upon first meeting someone that you will inevitably fall in love with them” — koi no yokan. It’s closer to predicting love than actually feeling it just yet. The term is common in shoujo manga, or comic books aimed at teenage girls, although it also has a particular resonance for older generations, who married at a young age and didn’t fully know their spouse until after tying the knot. Despite — or perhaps because of — the fact that there’s no precise English equivalent, the phrase has inspired both a short film and a rock album of the same name. Source: The Japanese word “tsundoku” describes the act of buying books and never reading them.

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: REALIA pronunciation: [ree-AL-ee-ə] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, 19th century Meaning: 1. Objects and material from everyday life, especially when used as teaching aids. 2. Real things or actual facts, especially as distinct from theories about or reactions to them. Examples: "The visiting firefighter dazzled the schoolkids with his realia, which included his helmet, ax, and oxygen tank." "In science class, Daria learned best from lessons involving realia, such as demonstrations of dramatic chemical reactions." About Realia “Realia” is directly from the Latin “reālia,” meaning “real things.” Did you Know? The first realia many babies encounter is a simple set of wooden blocks, which were developed as teaching tools in 18th-century England and popularized by German educational philosopher Friedrich Fröbel (best known for inventing and naming “kindergarten”). “Fröbel gifts,” a set of mostly wooden blocks he developed, became massively popular educational toys for babies, offering them real-world experiences with basic shapes, gravity, and building or stacking. These toys provide pieces of the real world small enough for babies to handle and safely experiment with. Used as realia, building blocks have been the foundation of early learning for hundreds of millions of people.

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.