Fact of the Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - COWABUNGA!

Did you know.... TMNT wasn’t the first kids show to use the totally tubular exclamation.

 

When “cowabunga!” was first uttered on a TV show for kids, it wasn’t by a turtle. Instead, it came out of the mouth of Chief Thunderthud, a now-very-offensive side character from the 1950s children’s show Howdy Doody.

 

As a made-up word first coined by Howdy Doody creator Edward Kean and spoken into existence by Thunderthud actor Bill LeCornec, kowabonga (as it was originally spelled by the show) first entered the collective lexicon in 1954 as a way of expressing surprise or anger. It was presumably part of Thunderthud’s herky-jerky “native language,” which he spoke as head of the Ooragnak—kangaroo spelled backward—tribe.

 

 

 

As Howdy-loving kids grew up, though, some began to make the phrase their own. Specifically, surfers in Southern California, who started to use it in the ‘60s as a way to convey the sort of exhilaration that can only really come with excitement and anticipation. Think: someone yelling “cowabunga!” as they drop in to surf a 10-foot wave, or the sort of surf equivalent of “banzai!”

 

Turtle Time
Cowabunga kicked around the surf scene for a couple decades, joining phrases like goofy foot (used to describe a surfer who rides with their right foot forward) and shooting the curl (meaning to “[surf] the hollow part of a wave as it crests [overhead].”). And then, in 1987, when looking for out-there words to use in introducing the audience to the skater/surfer/stoner-coded Michelangelo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, writer David Wise called upon it too.

 

Interestingly, the phrase didn’t pop into Wise’s mind because he was a surfer himself. Rather, he chose to use it simply because the scene he was writing had Michelangelo sort of street-surfing over some object and he remembered a Peanuts cartoon from the ‘60s where a surfing Snoopy used the phrase. Fred Wolf, an animator on the Turtles series, liked the use of it so much that he suggested it become Michelangelo’s catchphrase, and the rest is turtle history. 

 

 

 

For the few years, the Michelangelo character relied pretty heavily on cowabunga, saying it in movies like 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where it’s introduced to the turtles by Splinter, and in video games like 1991’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time, where it’s used when everyone’s favorite reptilian heroes finish levels. Michelangelo even performed a pretty terrible rap track called “Cowabunga” on the "Coming Out of Their Shells" tour, to rather cringeworthy effect. As the TMNT franchise took off, though, so did cowabunga, landing everywhere from t-shirts to The Simpsons. 

 

 

Yet, time moves on and trends fade: When Nickelodeon launched its own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series in 2012, it chose to replace the word with booyakasha. It became Michelangelo’s catchphrase for about two and a half seasons until the “Meet Mondo Gecko” episode, when the titular lizard reintroduces cowabunga and Mikey starts saying it from time to time. 

 

Writers working with the turtles have been able to have a little fun with the phrase since, with the 2014 movie revealing that Raphael had convinced Michelangelo not to use it so much. In 2023’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, it’s not actually uttered by a character until the end of the movie, a conscious choice made by the writers in an effort to set their characters apart from the original series.

 

Of course, that didn’t stop basically every media outlet from using the phrase in headlines about the movie or its subsequent box-office success, and really, can you blame them? As any good surfer (or turtle) will tell you, there’s just something special about that silly little word. 

 

 

Source: ‘Cowabunga, Dude!’: Exploring the Origins of the Radical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Catchphrase

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - TEETH WHITENER

Did you know... Millions of people shell out their hard-earned cash for brighter teeth. But do teeth whiteners actually work?

 

Tooth whitening is an multibillion-dollar industry in the U.S., with products used by more than 11 percent of American households every year. We’re definitely shelling out for whiter teeth—but are we getting them?

 

Sort of. As the video below from the American Chemical Society explains, whitening products vary in effectiveness. Nearly all commercial products—from the treatments administered by dentists to at-home whitening strips and mouthwashes—include hydrogen peroxide. The efficacy of these products depends on three things: how long they stay on your teeth, how concentrated they are, and the source of the discoloration on your teeth. If you use a concentrated product as it’s meant to be used, you will likely see a brightening effect.

 

Unfortunately, this effect is temporary. "Once you stop with the bleach, it regresses—your teeth start returning to their original color," American Society for Dental Aesthetics president Irwin Smigel told Prevention. "Very few people are happy with the color once it starts regressing, so they'll do teeth whitening again and again."

 

Also, these products are not intended for long-term use. They’re mostly safe in small doses, but over time, soaking your teeth in a bleaching agent can hurt your gums and teeth.

 

"Ten years ago, people weren't even aware of bleaching," Smigel said. "Now every dentist I know has had to cut off at least one patient because of overbleaching. People come in with great, great pain, and I can see immediately from the color of their teeth and the irritation along the gums that they've been bleaching and bleaching."

 

 

 

If a lifetime of bleaching is off the table, what about all those “natural” whitening remedies you see online? Dentists agree that baking soda is safe as long as you also brush your teeth with toothpaste, but it can only scrub your teeth, not brighten them.

 

And then there are the fruit remedies once touted by Dr. Oz, who declared that brushing with a mixture of strawberries and baking soda can whiten teeth. Do not do this. Scientists tested the mixture on extracted human teeth and declared it a real dud. Not only does the strawberry/baking soda combo not brighten teeth, but it actually hurts them. A naturally occurring strawberry compound called malic acid eats away at teeth’s enamel, making them softer.

If white teeth are important to you, there are two things that will always help: regular brushing and flossing.

 

 

Source: How Do Teeth Whiteners Work?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - OLDEST SONGS IN HISTORY

Did you know... Music is one of the most ancient human arts. Like echoes from the past, ancient melodies can still convey the emotions, beliefs, and cultures of our ancestors. From religious hymns to music of celebration, we gathered some of the 10 oldest songs ever recorded in human history (so far). Join us and listen to the enchanting music of past times!

 

1. Sumer Is Icumen In

Date composed: 13th Century C.E.
"Sumer Is Icumen In," often translated as "Summer has arrived," is one of the earliest examples of a _round_in Western music (a type of canon for at least three voices). Believed to have originated in the 13th century in England, this lively song celebrates the arrival of summer with its cheerful melody and lyrics. Amusingly, the song also exhibits one of the oldest recorded uses of the word "fart."

 

2. Jieshi Diao Youlan

Date composed: 6th Century C.E.

Jieshi Diao Youlan, often translated as "Solitary Orchid," is possibly the oldest surviving piece of written music from East Asia. The ancient Chinese melody dates back to the 6th century C.E., and it was originally composed for the guqin, a traditional seven-string musical instrument. The melody is renowned for its nuances, particularly in the form of microtones - in music terms, intervals that are smaller than a semitone. A curious effect of this technique is that it makes the melody sound almost modern to contemporary listeners.

 

3. Te Deum

Date composed: 4th Century C.E.

The "Te Deum" is a Christian hymn of praise dating back to the 4th century C.E. Traditionally attributed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, it is still sung in churches around the world. The name comes from the phrase "Te Deum laudamus," Latin for "Thee, God, we praise." The ancient hymn is often used during special occasions such as the election of a pope, the consecration of a bishop, or the canonization of a saint.

 

4. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Date composed: 4th Century C.E.

Another ancient hymn with roots in early Christian Greek liturgy, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" was originally written for the Liturgy of Saint James, and is still used in many orthodox Christian churches around the world. However, the modern version is actually a reconstruction that combines a translation of the original Greek lyrics with a French medieval folk tune named "Picardy."

 

5. Phos Hilaron

Date composed: 3rd Century C.E.

"Phos Hilaron," also known by its Latin name "Lumen Hilare," is one of the oldest known Christian hymns, dating back to the 3rd century C.E. Sung during vespers , or evening prayers, it is also known as "Lamp-lighting Hymn," because it is associated with the lighting of lamps at night. While its composition is sometimes attributed to St. Basil, who lived between 329 and 379 C.E., some sources claim that St. Basil himself said that the hymn was already old at his time.

 

6. Oxyrhynchus Hymn
Date composed: 3rd Century C.E.

Discovered in Egypt among the Oxyrhynchus papyri in 1918, the "Oxyrhynchus Hymn" is written in Greek vocal notation and thought to be one of the earliest surviving Christian hymns, dating back to the 3rd century C.E. Despite not drawing from the Bible (at the time yet to be written), and the fact that only fragments of its lyrics are preserved, the hymn does reference important Christian elements such as the Holy Trinity.

 

7. Seikilos Epitaph

Date composed: 1st Century C.E.

The Seikilos Epitaph, discovered on a funerary stele in Turkey, is the oldest complete surviving musical composition. Both the lyrics and musical notation of the short song are inscribed in the pillar, and it is thought to have been written by a man named Seikilos to his deceased wife called Euterpe, or alternatively, to the Muse of Music. Since the inscription is clear and the type of notation is known, researchers had no problem in fully reconstructing the ancient melody.

 

8. Delphic Hymns
Date composed: 2nd century B.C.E

The Delphic Hymns are a pair of Ancient Greek musical compositions dating back to the 2nd century B.C.E. Composed for the Pythian Games - celebratory competitions similar to the Olympic Games - held at the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi, these hymns honor the god Apollo and invoke his blessings on the athletes and participants. While neither of the songs is complete, there are modern reconstructions that attempt to piece together the surviving fragments.

 

9. Song of Songs

Date composed: 1st Millennium B.C.E.
The "Song of Songs," also known as the Song of Solomon, is a collection of ancient Hebrew poems dating back to the 1st millennium B.C.E. Found in the Hebrew Bible, these passionate and poetic songs are unique in the fact that they do not explore explicitly religious teachings but rather celebrate love, desire, and the beauty of human relationships. Although there are no surviving melodies or notations associated with the poem, modern musicians have composed vocal and instrumental accompaniments to the text.

 

10. Hurrian Hymn No. 6

Date composed: 1400 B.C.E

Dating back to the Neolithic, the Hurrian Hymn No. 6 is the oldest known song in existence. Discovered on a clay tablet in Ugarit, Syria, this hymn was written in the Hurrian language and is dedicated to the goddess Nikkal. The tablet also includes instructions to have the singer accompanied by an ancient type of harp. Historians and musicians have tried to reconstruct the song as faithfully as possible, and there are dozens of versions online if you are feeling curious.

 

 

Source: From The Pre-Christian Era! Have You Heard The Oldest Songs In History?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - APRIL FOOL'S DAY

Did you know... Every year on April 1, when jokesters pull out their best pranks and hoaxes, you probably ask yourself: How did this weird tradition start, anyway? The answer is ... no one really knows. In fact, the origins of April Fools’ Day have long been caught up in myth and legend.

 

The Many Origins of April Fools’ Day
Some have taken the origin of April Fools’ Day back to Noah sending out the dove before the flood was over, or to the Roman festival Saturnalia. And one popular 19th-century hypothesis traces it to the French term poisson d’avril, literally meaning “fish of April” but figuratively meaning “April Fools.”

 

According to this hypothesis, poisson is a corruption of passion, and was originally in reference to part of the Passion Plays of the Easter season—specifically to commemorate Jesus’s going “backwards and forwards from Annas to Caiaphas, from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate,” in the words of one 1854 book.

 

Then, in 1983, an intrepid AP reporter interviewed a professor at Boston University about the history of April Fools’ Day. The professor initially said he didn’t know anything, but—after the reporter pushed for information—he told a story about the Roman Emperor Constantine and his court jesters.

 

 

According to the professor, Constantine was told by his court jesters that they would make better rulers than him, and rather than immediately feeding everyone to the lions, Constantine allowed his jesters to rule for a day. The King of the Fools, someone named Kugel, made a proclamation that “only the absurd would be allowed on that day,” and April Fools' Day was born.

 

Mystery solved, right? Wrong. Unfortunately for the reporter, it turned out the professor was having a bit of fun. A little over two weeks after the article appeared, the professor admitted he had invented Kugel. “I made up the story because it comported with April Fools’ Day,” the professor said, “and I don’t know what all the hullabaloo is about.” 

 

That was the end of the road for Kugel, and there's little to no evidence for any of the other theories, either. Instead, the most popular theory has to do with calendars.

 

A Calendar of Fools
There are a few versions of the calendar story, but the most popular takes place in France in general, and in the 16th century specifically. In the 1560s, Charles IX issued an edict which, among many other things, pinned the New Year to the first of January.

 

 

According to proponents of the calendar change hypothesis, the old New Year was celebrated on March 25 with a week-long party ending on April 1. Some people weren’t caught up on this date change, and thus had their week-long celebration at the end of March—and because of this became known as April Fools.

 

There are a few problems with this hypothesis, though. The edict was real, and really did move the date to January 1. But in a piece for the Library of Congress, Stephen Winick points out that the proponents don’t give evidence of that critical week-long party or that this confusion actually happened. Even worse, the old French New Year wasn’t on March 25.

 

There wasn’t one universal New Year in France—various regions would celebrate various dates—but the conventional New Year was Easter. According to 19th-century historian Sir Francis Palgrave, this is a problem in historical research, as some French years could have two Aprils.

 

The story works better for the United Kingdom’s (and its colonies’) switch from the Julian to Gregorian calendars in 1752—which also came with a New Year move from March to January—but April Fools was already known by then. In The Spectator from April 1711, the English essayist Joseph Addison wrote, “this little triumph of the understanding, under the disguise of laughter, is no where more visible than in that custom which prevails every where among us on the first day of the present month, when every body takes it in his head to make as many fools as he can,” before launching into a tale of a prank Addison’s neighbor played on Addison’s landlady. He wrote that “every one of her children [was sent] upon some sleeveless errand, as she terms it”—such as her daughter being sent to hunt after a monster—“and, in short, the whole family of innocent children made April Fools.”

 

Today, it’s generally agreed that April Fools has its origins in France. And possibly those “sleeveless errands.”

 

April Fools’ and the Mackerel
Back to poisson d’avril. The term didn’t mean “an April Fool” originally. Starting in the 15th century, it meant “go-between”—likely because of the two French meanings of maquereau. According to the Oxford Companion to the Year, both meanings came to French via Dutch: one was makreel, meaning “mackerel” (the fish), and the other was makelaar, meaning “broker.” Though other explanations for the double meaning of maquereau exist, according to The Entertaining Magazine, another name for the mackerel was poisson d’avril, because it was “a fish easily caught by deception, singly, as well as in great shoals, at this season of the year.”

 

 

As the years went on, poisson d’avril came to mean a person who was the go-between for matchmaking (possibly to distance itself from the more unsavory meaning of maquereau, “pimp”). Then, the theories go, people began playing pranks on these go-betweens, or making them take increasingly ridiculous missions in the name of love. According to The Museum of Hoaxes, the first unambiguous reference to April Fools’ Day is from a 1561 Flemish story about a nobleman sending a servant on ridiculous errands to prepare for a wedding feast. Even today, many Flemish speakers call April 1 “verzenderkesdag,” which the Museum of Hoaxes translates as “errand day.”

 

Sadly, as with all such theories, the lessons of 1983 should be kept in mind. The young reporter who told the world about Kugel, king of fools, was Fred Bayles, and from 2004 to 2016, he was an associate professor in the College of Communications at Boston University—the very institution he reached out to about the origin of April Fools’ Day. In 2009, Bayles reflected on the controversy in an interview with BU Today. “Be very, very wary of what someone, particularly someone talking about April Fools’ Day, tells you,” he advised. And that’s good advice for everyone.

Source: The Hazy Origins of April Fools’ Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SPIDER-MAN'S MANTRA

Did you know..... While writing the majority opinion for a 2015 Supreme Court case involving royalties for toy web shooters, Justice Elena Kagan seized the opportunity to toss in a few nods to Spider-Man.  “[In] this world, with great power there must also come—great responsibility,” she wrote, in reference to the court’s restraint at overturning precedent.

 

That axiom, often rendered as with great power comes great responsibility, is most closely associated with Peter Parker’s uncle Ben. But Uncle Ben didn’t originate it—and in fact, he wasn’t even the first fictional father figure to say it to a young superhero.

 

Who Said “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”?
People have been articulating the idea that power comes with responsibility for at least a couple thousand years. You can see shades of it in Christianity’s Parable of the Faithful Servant, in which Jesus tells his disciples that a servant placed in charge of the household shouldn’t take advantage of their master’s absence by carousing and mistreating the other servants.

 

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required,” reads one iteration in the New King James Version of the Bible. Islam has a similar message in one of the prophet Muhammad’s hadiths, translated from Arabic as “All of you are shepherds and every one of you is responsible for his herd.”

 

Though Voltaire is sometimes credited with coining the phrase with great power comes great responsibility, Quote Investigator couldn’t locate it in any of his writings. The earliest citation they identified is from 15 years after Voltaire’s death, in a 1793 decree written by members of France’s National Convention (the assembly that replaced the monarchy during the French Revolution).

 

 

“[Les Représentans du peuple] doivent envisager qu’une grande responsabilité est la suite inséparable d’un grand pouvoir,” they wrote, roughly translated as “[The people’s representatives] must consider that great responsibility follows inseparably from great power.”

 

Quote Investigator also unearthed enough 19th-century references to suggest that the expression was a pretty popular thing to include in any musings on power. In 1817, for example, British parliamentarian (and future prime minister) William Lamb deployed it during a debate in which he “[reminded] the conductors of the press of their duty to apply to themselves a maxim which they never neglected to urge on the consideration of government—‘that the possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility.’” He was warning journalists not to let their own “interests” and “passions” get in the way of their service to “justice” and “truth.”

 

World Leaders Take Up the Torch
Lamb wasn’t the only future prime minister to utter the phrase on the floor of the House of Commons. In 1906, during a debate about how to handle systemic racial injustice in South Africa (and Great Britain’s colonies at large), Winston Churchill used it to express his opinion that their duty to intervene was “directly proportionate” to their power in a given territory. “Where there is great power there is great responsibility, where there is less power there is less responsibility, and where there is no power there can, I think, be no responsibility,” he said.

 

Both Presidents Roosevelt invoked the adage, too—Theodore in a 1908 letter and Franklin in a 1945 undelivered radio address.

 

“I believe in a strong executive; I believe in power; but I believe that responsibility should go with power, and that it is not well that the strong executive should be a perpetual one,” TR wrote while explaining why he wouldn’t run for office a third time. (He actually did end up running again in 1912, but that fact doesn’t necessarily contradict what he said about power’s relationship to responsibility: He ran out of a sense of duty to steer the country back toward progressivism.)

 

 

For FDR, the responsibility in question had to do with using power to bring about peace: “Today we have learned in the agony of war that great power involves great responsibility. … We seek peace—enduring peace. More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginnings of all wars—yes, an end to this brutal, inhuman, and thoroughly impractical method of settling the differences between governments.”

 

He passed away before he could give the speech, but it was widely printed in newspapers days after his death. Just three years later, with great power comes great responsibility surfaced yet again—this time in reference to literal superpowers.

 

Spider-Man: Here He Comes
At the end of the first episode of Columbia Pictures’ 15-part film serial Superman, Jonathan Kent has a pivotal heart-to-heart with his adopted son, Clark.

 

“You’re different from other people,” he says. “Your unique abilities make you a kind of ‘super-man.’ Because of these great powers—your speed and strength, your X-ray vision and super-sensitive hearing—you have a great responsibility.”

 

That responsibility, Jonathan explains, is not only to “use them always in the interest of truth, tolerance, and justice,” but also to “go where they can be best put to use.” It’s not exactly a gentle nudge to get his son to fly the coop—he literally tells him “you must leave this farm.” So Clark heads to Metropolis (though only after Mr. and Mrs. Kent have died), and the rest is, if not history, at least common knowledge.

 

But one fleeting reference in a 1940s film serial is hardly enough to glue with power comes great responsibility to Superman, especially not when it’s competing against decades’ worth of mentions in Spider-Man stories.

 

The expression first appeared in the first-ever Spider-Man comic, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and published in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15. Peter Parker uses his newfound abilities to turn Spider-Man into a TV sensation, and the fame makes him so self-involved that he won’t even stop a thief who runs right by him. When that same thief murders Uncle Ben mere days later, Peter is forced to reckon with who he has become.

 

“And a lean, silent figure slowly fades into the gathering darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also come—great responsibility!” reads the closing panel.

 

So while Uncle Ben did inspire the phrasing, he didn’t originally say it himself. He would later, though—first, per GoCollect’s Luke Smith, in a 1972 music-comic fusion album called The Amazing Spider-Man: A Rockomic!. 

 

 

“What was it Uncle Ben used to tell me?” Peter says. “I remember, he used to say, ‘Petey, never forget—the stronger the man, the heavier the load. With great power comes great responsibility.’”

 

It came up a couple times in the 1980s, too: once when Peter hallucinates Uncle Ben during a battle in 1986’s The Amazing Spider-Man #274; and again when Peter recalls Uncle Ben’s words in 1987’s Spider-Man vs. Wolverine #1.

 

Sam Raimi’s 2002 film Spider-Man reinforced Uncle Ben’s association with the phrase: He says it to Peter by way of explaining why it’s not always good to beat someone up just because you can.

 

 

 

In short, with great power comes great responsibility is a key element of Spider-Man’s character development and it has been since the very beginning. The phrase is so closely tied to Uncle Ben at this point that it’s even become a bit of a cliché, and creators of late have looked for new ways to retain the message without having him say it word for word (or at all). In 2021’s Tom Holland–starring Spider-Man: No Way Home, for example, it’s Aunt May who says it, and she uses the formulation from Amazing Fantasy #15. In 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales’s dad tells him that “with great ability comes great accountability.”

 

“That’s not even how the saying goes, Dad,” Miles says. France’s National Convention would agree.

 

 

Source: ‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility’: From Age-Old Axiom to Spider-Man’s Mantra

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - TONGUES

Did you know.... Human tongues are a tight mass of muscles, arteries, and nerves, coated with around 10,000 taste buds, but they aren’t the wildest in the animal kingdom. Some animals use tongues for the same things that we do, like tasting, digesting, and making noises, but many others don’t even have their tongues attached in the same place as a human’s. The base of one bird’s tongue is in its nostril, for example, and that’s not the weirdest part. What do the forks of a snake’s tongue do? How do frog tongues work? Find the answers — and the story behind a parasite that can replace an entire tongue — in these nine facts about tongues.

 

1. The Human Tongue Has Eight Muscles

Human tongues average just over 3 inches long, but each one packs in a whopping eight muscles — four that exist only in the tongue and four that connect to other body parts. Two longitudinal muscles shorten and widen the tongue, and curl it upward and downward. The transverse muscle elongates and narrows the tongue, and the vertical muscle flattens it. The extrinsic muscles — the genioglossus, styloglossus, hyoglossus, and palatoglossus — handle, among other things, sticking out your tongue, pulling it back in, curling it up and down, and helping you swallow.

 

2. Cat Tongues Are Covered in Tiny Hooks

When a cat licks you, it feels like sandpaper. That’s because cat tongues are covered with little barbs called papillae, which are made of keratin — just like human fingernails. These barbs help cats groom themselves by working through knots and tangles in their fur, removing parasites, and spreading around beneficial oils. Big cats have the same barbed tongues; tigers use them to scrape fur and feathers off their prey, too.

 

3. Frog Tongues Can Catch Prey Heavier Than Their Own Body Weight

Frogs can use their long tongues to catch bugs at dizzying speeds, thanks to saliva that functions as both a liquid and a solid, filling in all the crevices of the target and holding them for the return trip. In fact, frog tongues are so efficient that they can actually aim for even bigger prey, catching mice and small birds — up to 1.4 times the frog’s body weight — and dragging them back with a force 12 times greater than gravity. The whole process happens in 70 milliseconds, five times faster than a human can blink.

 

4. Your Tongue Should Rest on the Roof of Your Mouth

Bring your awareness to your tongue — if you haven’t already — without moving it. Despite the tongue usually being pictured as tucked into your bottom teeth, it’s probably touching the roof of your mouth. This is good tongue posture, and it helps support a wider palate that keeps your airways open. It also helps keep your tongue from interfering with the alignment of your teeth.

 

5. Forked Snake Tongues Collect Smell Samples

Unlike many animals — including humans — snakes don’t taste things or make noises with their forked tongues. The function of these forks is related to smelling, albeit indirectly. When snakes stick out their tongues, they collect samples of chemicals in the air. After the tongue drops the samples inside the mouth, a different organ on the roof of the mouth does the actual smelling. The forked shape means that snakes can evaluate their environment in three dimensions, and when they spread the forks out completely, they can check out an area wider than their heads. Once they find a trail made by prey or a possible mate, the forks help them determine more quickly if they’re getting off track — if one prong falls outside the trail, they can adjust quickly.

 

6. Giraffes Have Purplish Prehensile Tongues

Giraffes have unique tongues that are both colorful — they fall on a blue-purple-black spectrum — and wiggly. They’re prehensile, meaning that they’re capable of grasping, like a finger. They’re also around 18 inches long, covered with thick, protective saliva, and among the strongest in the animal kingdom. This helps them grab leaves high up in the trees (otherwise, what would be the point of those super-long necks?) and be precise when they’re seeking out food that’s tangled up in thorns. So why are giraffe tongues purple? Scientists aren’t entirely sure, but it may provide some sun protection when they’re rooting around in the top of the tree canopy.

 

7. Woodpecker Tongues Wrap Around Their Skulls

Woodpeckers use their bony tongues to bore deep into trees to find their prey — but their tongues extend far longer than their beaks, and sometimes even their entire heads. When they pull their tongues back in, they actually wrap them around the inside of their skulls. Like humans, they have a hyoid bone that supports the back of their tongue, but it’s tucked way up near their nostrils. When the woodpecker needs its tongue, the organ travels all the way from around the back of their skull and back out the bottom of the beak. The actual length of the tongue varies by species, but it can be up to a third of the bird’s body length.

 

8. A Fish Parasite Masquerades as a Tongue

It’s a good thing that fish aren’t particularly squeamish (at least as far as we know), because they can be targeted by a pretty horrifying parasite that feeds off fish tongues … before taking their place in the fish’s mouth. After entering the fish through the gills, the parasite latches onto the tongue and begins drinking its blood. Once the tongue eventually falls off, the parasite moves in and takes the role of the fish’s tongue, feeding off the fish’s mucus instead. The good news is that this doesn’t kill the fish — it’s a functional tongue replacement — and the partnership can go on for years.

 

9. Chameleons Have Suction Cups at the Ends of Their Tongues

Like frogs, chameleons have long tongues that can snatch insects out of the air in a fraction of a second, but they function a little differently. At the end of each chameleon tongue is a ball of muscle that hits the prey and turns into a suction cup. Once it has its snack locked on, the chameleon snaps the tongue back into its mouth and crushes the prey with its jaws before swallowing. Chameleon tongues are quite formidable: They can stretch out to twice the length of a chameleon’s body and accelerate faster than a fighter jet, thanks to a system that combines a powerful muscle and a series of sheaths that function sort of like a stretched rubber band that propels the tongue into the air.

 

 

Source: Sticky Tongue Facts

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - BATTERY HISTORY

Did you know... Maybe it happened when you were buying batteries to go along with a toy you’d picked up as a gift, or perhaps it was when you nabbed replacements for the batteries in your TV remote. But as you perused the AAs, AAAs, Cs, and Ds, you may have asked yourself: Where are all the B batteries, anyway?

 

A Simplified History of Early Batteries
Though there were earlier experiments involving batteries, what’s widely considered the first true battery was created in 1800 by physicist Alessandro Volta; his device consisted of stacked zinc and copper discs with salt-water-soaked cloth in between. Georges Leclanché invented a battery that involved ammonium chloride solution in 1868, and Carl Gassner created a dry battery (so-called because it contained the solution, keeping it from spilling out). The nickel-cadmium battery was invented by engineer Waldemar Jungner in 1899. Even Thomas Edison got in on the battery game with a nickel-iron storage battery that debuted in 1900.

 

Setting the Battery Standards
Around the time of World War I, American battery manufacturers, the War Industries Board, and a few government agencies got together to develop some nationally uniform specifications for the size of battery cells, their arrangement in batteries, their minimum performance criteria, and other standards [PDF].

 

In 1924, industry and government representatives met again to figure out a naming system for all those cells and batteries they had just standardized. They decided to base it around the alphabet, dubbing the smallest cells and single-cell batteries A and going from there to B, C, and D. There was also a No. 6 battery that was larger than the others and pretty commonly used, so it was grandfathered in without a name change.

 

As battery technology changed and improved and new sizes of batteries were made, they were added to the naming system. When smaller batteries came along, they were designated AA and AAA. These newer batteries were the right size for the growing consumer electronics industry, so they caught on. C and D batteries also found a niche in medium- and high-drain applications.

 

But the mid-size A and B batteries simply didn’t have a market and more or less disappeared in the U.S. According to a paper published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Standards Committee in 2002, “The ‘A cell’ is still manufactured and combined to form large portable batteries for lanterns, especially in Europe. The ‘A battery’ and the ‘B cell’ and ‘B battery’ have disappeared altogether.”

 

Battery Etymology
While we‘re on the subject of battery names, we should discuss that the first use of battery in the sense of “a combination of simple instruments, usually to produce a compound instrument of increased power” dates back to 1748 and came from none other than Benjamin Franklin. According to Smithsonian, Franklin “discovered that by linking multiple jars together he could increase the amount of charge they could store.”

 

 

He wrote about his discovery in Experiments & Observations on Electricity, describing it as “An electrical battery, consisting of eleven panes of large sash-glass, arm’d with thin leaden plates.” He got it from the sense of battery meaning “A number of pieces of artillery placed in juxtaposition for combined action.”

 

 

Source: Why Aren’t There B Batteries?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - PROFESSIONAL ETIQUETTE

Did you know... A lot has changed about office work in the last several years, but many rules of etiquette are the same, albeit with a few tweaks. If you’re trying to stand out in the professional world, it pays, sometimes literally, to know a few pointers. A little bit of thoughtfulness can go a long way toward landing a dream position and getting along with your peers.

These etiquette tips cover the job search, interviews, meetings, and day-to-day life in the office, from the proper way to address cover letters to how to handle Zoom meetings like a pro.

 

1. Handshakes Are Still Standard, but Refusal Is Fine
Handshakes have been around for thousands of years, and they might be around for another millennia or two. It’s still customary to shake hands as a greeting in professional settings, although the COVID-19 pandemic has made it a little easier to decline touch. You can get out ahead of a handshake with another firm, warm greeting like a wave or a nod with your hand on your heart. (If you are going to be shaking some hands, however, be sure to practice some good hand hygiene and wash up first.)

 

2. Address Cover Letters to the Hiring Manager (When You Can)

Resumes may be getting screened by AI now, but if you make the cut, your application is still going to be viewed and vetted by human beings — and that’s when a cover letter is going to help you stand out. One way to make it pop is by addressing it to the hiring manager for the position, aka your potential new boss, who is likely going to be reading it. If the name of the hiring manager is not obvious in the posting, there are ways you can suss it out, such as through a LinkedIn search, a company directory, or even a phone call. If you’re not confident about who to address it to, a “Dear Hiring Manager” should suffice.

 

3. Send a Thank You Note After Job Interviews
After a great interview, it’s polite to send a quick follow-up message to say thank you. It gives the hiring managers a great second impression to go with the good first one. It doesn’t have to be a snail-mailed card — it might not even make it to their desk before a decision is made, anyway. A quick email telling them it was great meeting them and letting them know how excited you are about the position should suffice.

 

4. Glance Over Your Emails Before Sending Them

Misspellings were one thing in the time of typewritten memos, but now that spell check is standard pretty much anywhere text exists, it’s worth giving your communication an extra glance before hitting the send button. Try reading your emails under your breath if you keep missing errors. While you’re at it, double-check the names of anybody you’re addressing against their signatures or contact information.

 

5. BCC Is Your Friend
When you send an email to multiple recipients, stop and consider whether the entire group needs to read every reply to your initial message. If the answer is no, you should place most or all of the recipients in the BCC (blind carbon copy) field. Those who need to be kept fully in the loop can go in the “to” or CC field; then, when somebody hits “reply all,” their email will just reach you and whoever else isn’t on BCC. A reply-all to everybody can clog up inboxes and make it easy to miss important information.

 

6. In Small-to-Medium Meetings, Leave Your Camera On

Video meetings are increasingly a part of everyday business life, and they come with their own etiquette rules. One best practice is to join meetings with your camera on to show that you’re present and make things a little more like an in-person meeting. If it’s a massive all-hands where you’re not presenting anything and only a few people are doing all the talking, it’s less gauche to turn off the camera — although you might want to leave it on for the first few minutes to be polite.

 

7. Pay Attention to Your Microphone
In virtual meetings and, if you still have them, on conference calls, be aware of whether you’re on mute or not — in most cases, you should stay on mute unless you’re actively speaking. A pet, child, phone call, unexpected visitor, or crunchy snack can derail a meeting, especially on video, when a little sound can put your camera on the main screen for other attendees.

 

8. Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

If you receive praise for an accomplishment that isn’t solely attributable to you — maybe you were part of a team, or just managed the people responsible — make sure you call out anybody who pitched in. Your colleagues will feel appreciated, and your honesty likely won’t go unnoticed, either.

 

9. Respect Others’ Personal Time
Just because one person eats lunch at their desk and checks their email at 11 p.m. doesn’t mean it should be expected of anybody else. Let people in your professional life draw their own boundaries as long as everybody’s getting their work done — anything else is a recipe for resentment and burnout. This is best practice for anybody you interact with at work, but especially for anybody working below you, who may see after-hours communication as an expectation that they need to work late.

 

 

Source: Hardworking Professional Etiquette Tips

Edited April 2 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - BAGPIPES

Did you know... There are certain traditions that accompany the funerals of law enforcement officials, first responders, or military personnel, including handing a widow (or widower) a folded American flag, playing “Taps,” and firing weapons in honor of the deceased. Maybe you’ve witnessed these firsthand; maybe you’ve caught them in movies or on television. But one component seems a little out of place: Irish or Scottish bagpipes being played, even if the decedent isn’t of Irish or Scottish descent. So how and when did this musical instrument establish itself in memorial services?

 

Bagpipes at Police and Firefighter Funerals
It helps to first understand that while bagpipes likely originated in Egypt, they’re most closely associated with both Scottish and Irish cultures. Scottish bagpipes move air from a bag that the piper blows up, while Irish bagpipes, or Uilleann bagpipes, have bellows. In Scotland, bagpipes were used to marshal forces on battlefields and intimidate the enemy. (Some Scottish soldiers carried a horn for that same reason.) Later, the bagpipes became part of weddings and other happy celebrations. Sonically, they can also take on a slower, mournful tone that matches the somber mood of a funeral.

 

The bagpipe became a presence at law enforcement funerals beginning in the 1800s and early 1900s, though how that happened depends on which side of the pond you’re on. In 1829, England’s home secretary—and future prime minister—Sir Robert Peel organized the Metropolitan London Police Force like a military unit. A number of officers were Irish; commanders were primarily British, who had also adopted Scottish bagpipes for military use. Bagpipes for fallen service members therefore made sense.

 

In the United States, however, the tradition might be rooted in part in prejudice. Irish immigrants were a persecuted class in the early to mid-1800s owing to a stereotype that immigrants were violent. It wasn’t until politicians noted the strengthening numbers of Irish that they began to court them with job opportunities in the hopes they could win their vote. As a result, many Irish people took jobs in law enforcement. At their funerals, honoring their Irish culture with bagpipes was a given.

 

It’s also possible that early police departments—such as Boston’s—emulated British law enforcement groups and their traditions, which included bagpipes. In either case, the instrument soon became associated with memorial services.

 

That doesn’t mean they necessarily used Irish-style bagpipes, however. Because Scottish bagpipes tend to be louder and because funerals are typically held outdoors, Scottish wind instruments are better suited to the occasion.

 

If bagpipes were initially used for cities with large Irish contingents, how did it spread to other communities? In 2009, Slate speculated that the popularity of the bagpipe for funerals could have increased when they were used during the procession of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Kennedy, who was of Irish descent, enjoyed a bagpipe performance by Scotland's Black Watch regiment days before he was shot and killed. His widow, Jacqueline, invited them to the ceremony.

 

Why Bagpipes Play "Amazing Grace"
At funerals, bagpipers typically play “Amazing Grace,” though the Scottish ballad “Balmoral” is also in rotation—the latter can be heard during funeral scenes in films like The Dark Knight (2008). “Balmoral” was written by Sir Robert Bruce, a Scottish soldier who fought in World War II and who composed the melody to honor soldiers who perished while imprisoned in the conflict. "Amazing Grace" is likewise spiritually stirring.

 

 

 

So where do pipers come from? They’re usually recruited from a professional bagpiping service to come and perform. But you don’t necessarily need a death to solicit one: Bagpipers also do weddings, parades, and other events, thanks to the bagpipe being a versatile instrument.

 

“It’s just marvelous sounds that bring out the emotion and it’s a very [respectful] sound,” Donald Willis, who played bagpipes in Ohio, said in a Coshocton Tribune article on the practice in 2005. “If you’re happy, it will bring it out. If you’re sad, it will bring out tears.”

 

 

Source: Why Are Bagpipes Played at Police Funerals?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - JOHN WAYNE

Did you know... John Wayne, the shy son of a struggling pharmacist, wasn’t all that much like the characters he played — he wasn’t really a swaggering marshal, a brooding brawler, or prone to shooting up troublemakers in frontier towns. He didn’t even respond to being called “John.” Yet the commanding aura he used to mesmerize audiences eventually made his legend indistinguishable from the individual beneath the cowboy hat and drawl. Here are eight real-life facts about the larger-than-life actor who set the gold standard for the lawmakers, the justice-dispensers, and the men of action he portrayed to unparalleled effect on the big screen.

 

1. He Wasn’t Born John Wayne

Born Marion Robert Morrison in 1907 in Winterset, Iowa, the future movie star earned his longtime nickname, Duke (or “The Duke”), well before he adopted his famed stage name. According to Scott Eyman's John Wayne: The Life and Legend, after Wayne’s family moved to California, they adopted an Airedale terrier named Big Duke, prompting local firemen to dub the skinny boy who chased after the dog "Little Duke.” More than a decade later, with Duke Morrison set for his first starring role in The Big Trail (1930), Fox Studios head Winfield Sheehan decided to rename the young actor after maverick Revolutionary War General “Mad Anthony” Wayne, with the "John" something of an afterthought.

 

2. He Was a Talented Football Player Before Becoming an Actor

Given his 6-foot-4-inch, 200-plus-pound frame, it's perhaps unsurprising that Wayne was a standout football player in his younger years. Per The Life and Legend, Wayne starred on a championship-winning Glendale High School football team in the early 1920s, before earning a scholarship to play at the University of Southern California. Although he lost his scholarship (allegedly after getting injured in a bodysurfing accident) during his junior year, Wayne had already spent time working in the Fox props department via his head coach's connections, and as such was prepared to continue in the motion picture industry after his football prospects disintegrated.

 

3. John Wayne Was One of the First “Singing Cowboys”

Between his first headlining role in The Big Trail and his leap to stardom with Stagecoach (1939), Wayne toiled away in dozens of forgettable feature films through the 1930s. That included a stint in talkies — such as Riders of Destiny (1933) and Lawless Range (1935) — as a singing cowboy, an archetype soon made famous by Gene Autry. But while Autry was a legitimate musician, Wayne relied on the "movie magic" of a dubbed voice and guitar strumming to look the part. Embarrassed by the inability to perform his characters' songs during public appearances, Wayne informed his bosses that he was retiring from the lip-syncing business.

 

4. He Was Criticized for Being a Draft Dodger

Perhaps surprisingly for someone who represented American ruggedness in the flesh, Wayne never signed on for military service during World War II. Even as peers such as Clark Gable, Henry Fonda, and Jimmy Stewart enlisted, Wayne was initially given a pass as the sole provider for his family, and later obtained additional deferment as a movie star who best served "national interest." Although Wayne did entertain American troops overseas on behalf of the United Services Organization (USO), he occasionally experienced a rude welcome from the servicemen who didn't appreciate the "fake machismo" he demonstrated on screen. Later biographers have suggested that Wayne remained in Hollywood to further a career that was just taking off, with his guilt over not serving fueling public displays of patriotism.

 

5. He Frequently Enjoyed Games of Chess

His reputation as a man's man notwithstanding, Wayne also enjoyed headier activities such as chess. His affinity for the game of kings stretched all the way back to at least high school, with one teacher recalling the teenager's "aggressive" style in matches. Often seen hunched over a chessboard between takes on set, Wayne was said to have rung up an undefeated record against industry buddies Ed Faulkner and Jimmy Grant. However, he may not have been a particularly gracious loser; he reportedly once sent a board and pieces flying after getting badly beaten by fellow actor William Windom.

 

6. He Turned a Former Navy Warship Into a Pleasure Boat

In his later years, Wayne enjoyed spending increasing amounts of time aboard his 136-foot yacht, the Wild Goose. Wayne bought the vessel, originally built as a U.S. Navy minesweeper during World War I, in the early 1960s, and had it renovated to include such luxuries as a saloon, a fireplace, and a bridal suite. Although Wayne most treasured the family getaways aboard his yacht, he also used it to host parties for Hollywood luminaries, and lent it out to friends such as Tom Jones and Dennis Wilson. Like its owner, the Wild Goose even managed to work its way into the movie business, with appearances in The President's Analyst (1967) and Skidoo (1968).

 

7. He Earned a Grammy Nomination for a Poetry Album

A few years after winning his first and only Oscar for his performance in True Grit (1969), Wayne nearly added to his trophy collection with the well-received release of his 1973 spoken-word poetry album, America, Why I Love Her. Written by John Mitchum, brother of Wayne's sometime co-star Robert Mitchum, the album's 10 tracks included such entries as the service-oriented "An American Boy Grows Up" and the anti-demonstration "Why Are You Marching, Son?" America, Why I Love Her spent 16 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and earned a 1973 Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album, although Richard Harris ultimately claimed the award for his rendition of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

 

8. After Having a Lung Removed, He Performed for Another Decade

Possibly due to his work in the vicinity of a nuclear test site on the set of The Conqueror (1956), Wayne wound up having a lung (and multiple ribs) removed to treat cancer in 1964. Amazingly, he returned to the sort of action-heavy roles that had come to define his career, in films such as Hellfighters (1968) and Chisum (1970). Despite his willingness to soldier on, the veteran actor was clearly suffering from an array of health problems by the mid-1970s. After word of his health issues reached insurance companies, he wound up having to contribute a hefty portion to finance the insurance for what became his final film, The Shootist (1976). He succumbed to stomach cancer in 1979. (His family later created the John Wayne Cancer Foundation to help others with the disease.)

 

 

Source: Larger-Than-Life Facts About John Wayne

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - STREET FOODS

Did you know... Ever tasted a witchetty grub in the Australian outback? Or a live octopus mouthful? Well, if you are up for the culinary adventure, we shall embark on one as we explore the eccentric world of street food. From peculiar flavor combinations to downright unusual ingredients, these bizarre bites from around the globe prove that when it comes to satisfying our taste buds, there are no boundaries.

 

1. Balut - Philippines

A street food that is bound to raise some eyebrows, balut is a fertilized duck embryo boiled and enjoyed with a pinch of salt. The dish, often sold by street vendors at night, particularly in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam, is not only a protein-packed snack but also a cultural delicacy with a devoted fan base.

 

2. Sannakji - South Korea

Daredevils in South Korea might indulge in sannakji (also styled san-nakji ), a live octopus sashimi. As the tiny octopus is sometimes swallowed whole, the wriggling tentacles provide an unusual sensory experience, as diners grapple with the dish's subtle yet distinct flavor. If you are up to the challenge, chew cautiously, as the still working suction cups of the octopus can cling to the inside of your mouth!

 

3. Haggis Pakora - Scotland
A fusion that defies tradition, haggis pakora combines the Scottish staple haggis (sheep's heart, liver, and lungs) with the Indian delight of deep-fried pakoras (vegetables seasoned in gram flour batter). The result is a wonderfully spicy, eclectic street snack that marries two distant culinary worlds. Talk about globalization, right?

 

4. Fried Tarantulas - Cambodia

For the brave-hearted foodies, Cambodia offers a peculiarly crunchy delicacy—fried tarantulas. Seasoned and deep-fried until crispy, these arachnids are a very popular street food, believed to be rich in protein and even a cure for back pain, according to local folklore. While it is not clear how the practice started, some believe that Cambodians began to eat spiders out of desperation during a great famine.

 

5. Stinky Tofu - China

Ever forgotten a piece of tofu for months in the back of your fridge? If that’s the case, the pungent aroma of this Chinese delicacy might bring you bad memories. But don’t let that deter you from experiencing this traditional dish! Fermented to perfection, stinky tofu's unique odor contrasts with its delicious taste. Often served deep-fried as a side dish or directly in soups, it's a staple for daring food enthusiasts. Just don’t try making some at home, or you might end up with food poisoning.

 

6. Khash - Middle East and Central Asia

Khash is a warming, yet peculiar, dish made from boiled cow or sheep's hooves. Typically enjoyed in the winter months, this gelatinous soup-like concoction is believed to have medicinal properties, and it is often accompanied by wine. It's an acquired taste, but it might prove refreshing for those seeking unique new flavors.

 

7. Rocky Mountain Oysters - USA

Hailing from the American West, the deceptively named Rocky Mountain Oysters are not seafood of any kind—much less oysters—but rather deep-fried bull testicles. Often served as an appetizer, with a side of hot sauce, these mountain "oysters" are a testament to the inventive ways people have to make use of every part of an animal.

 

8. Ant Brood Tacos - Mexico

Tired of conventional tacos? Mexico has an adventurous alternative for you—ant brood tacos. In some regions of Mexico, ant larvae are harvested directly from their nests, to be then cooked and served in tortillas. The prepared larvae, a dish in itself called escamoles, reportedly has a nutty flavor with a hint of citrus, with some calling it Mexican caviar . If you are willing to stomach the first impression, it is a true delicacy for anyone seeking exotic tastes.

 

9. Fugu - Japan

Fugu, a type of pufferfish, is a Japanese delicacy that comes with a twist—it's lethally poisonous if not prepared correctly. Licensed chefs meticulously remove the toxic parts, leaving behind a unique and potentially dangerous dish that's highly sought after by thrill-seeking foodies. The dish has been prepared in Japan for centuries, and for those who have tasted it, it is said to be worthy of death.

 

 

Source: Would you dare to eat these outlandish local dishes?

Edited April 5 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - TIME TRAVELING TOMB

Did you know... Deep in London’s historic Brompton Cemetery sits a mausoleum that houses a Victorian heiress, her daughters, and a time-travel story that keeps growing.

 

Swinging open the front gate of Brompton Cemetery is a bit like cracking the spine of a book detailing London history. Famous suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst rests here. Beatrix Potter strolled its 39 acres and plucked names from tombstones to use in her work, including decedents Peter Rabbett and Mr. Nutkins. More than 35,000 monuments in all are present, rich and poor, known and obscure.

 

In the middle of the grounds and shrouded by trees stands a mausoleum. An imposing 20 feet tall with a pyramid peak, it’s made from granite, with a heavy bronze door secured by a keyhole. Decorative accents line the front, furthering the air of mystery. The door’s margin displays a rectangular band of Egyptian hieroglyphs. Erected in the early 1850s, it was intended as the final resting place of a woman named Hannah Courtoy and two of her three daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.

 

Courtoy’s tomb would be remarkable for its imposing stature and cryptic veneer alone: It’s the largest, most elaborate construction in Brompton. But there’s more to the story. For the many visitors who make moonlight visits to the cemetery and for a small band of London raconteurs, the tomb’s missing key and resulting lack of access has led to speculation that something strange is going on inside—that it's secretly a time machine.

 

It’s a fantastic notion, but one that London musician and Courtoy historian Stephen Coates is quick to dismiss. “It’s not a time machine,” he tells Mental Floss. “It’s a teleportation chamber.”

 

In order to try and digest the bizarre urban legend that’s been constructed around Courtoy’s tomb, it helps to understand the highly controversial life of the woman who ordered its construction.

 

Born around 1784 (sources differ), Hannah Peters fled an abusive father at a young age and found work as a housekeeper and as a tavern employee. In 1800, a friend introduced her to John Courtoy, a 70-year-old former wigmaker in poor health who had made a fortune in the lending business. Peters was shortly in his employ as a housekeeper. Within the year, she had given birth to the first of three daughters. She claimed they were Courtoy’s, although some eyes were raised in suspicion that the friend who made the introduction, Francis Grosso, might have been the real father.

 

Courtoy’s illness is also ill-defined in historical accounts, although it was said to follow a violent run-in with a prostitute in 1795 that left Courtoy—who had been slashed at with a knife—reserved and antisocial. He apparently warmed to Peters, who took his name and exerted considerable influence over many of his decisions. Courtoy’s 1810 will, which left the bulk of his fortune to an ex-wife named Mary Ann Woolley and their five children, was revised in 1814 so Hannah received the majority share.

 

When Courtoy died in 1818, the contents of the will were disputed, both by Woolley and Courtoy’s French relatives; they argued that dementia had overtaken Courtoy’s better senses. The legal arguments dragged on through 1827, at which point Hannah and her daughters had received most of Courtoy’s money.

 

According to the account presented in author David Godson’s 2014 book Courtoy’s Complaint, largely based on diaries kept by Courtoy housekeeper Maureen Sayers, Hannah's urge to distract herself from the often-unpleasant Courtoy led to developing a friendship that would prove essential to her later mythology. Like many Victorians of the era, Hannah was intrigued by Egyptian iconography, particularly hieroglyphics. She believed Egyptians had a deep understanding of astrology and their place in the universe, and she invited Egyptologist Joseph Bonomi over for regular visits.

 

Bonomi and Hannah would spend hours discussing Egyptian lore, with Hannah hoping to one day fund Bonomi’s expeditions to Egypt so he could study their work. The two would also arrange for a 175-foot-tall monument dedicated to the Duke of Wellington to be constructed and insisted that the sculpture resemble an Egyptian obelisk.

 

When Hannah died in 1849, her remains were set to be placed in an expensive, elaborate mausoleum in Brompton that paid tribute to her interests; Bonomi arranged for the tomb to feature Egyptian characters and a pyramidal top. Later, Mary and Elizabeth, who shied from marriage because they didn’t want men chasing after their wealth, joined her. (Susannah, who married, was buried elsewhere.) When Bonomi died in 1878, he arranged for a depiction of Courtoy’s tomb to appear on his own modest headstone. Whether Bonomi intended it or not, an illustration of Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, appears to be “looking” in the direction of his friend’s final resting place.

 

 

Things appeared to remain status quo at Brompton for the next 100 years or so. Then, around 1980, the key to the tomb was lost following a visit by Hannah's relatives. And that’s when things took a turn for the weird.

 

Intending to pique the interest of readers during Halloween, Associated Press reporter Helen Smith wrote a story in October 1998 that may have been the first mainstream article to raise the theory that Courtoy’s tomb might actually be a time machine.

 

Smith described the monument as a “strange, imposing structure” containing “three spinsters, about whom almost nothing is known” and cited an unheralded author named Howard Webster as perpetuator of the story. Webster claimed his research had excavated a connection between Bonomi and Samuel Alfred Warner, a “maverick Victorian genius” and fraudster said to have attempted to interest the British armed forces in several advanced weapons—too advanced, in fact, to actually exist.

 

 

Webster speculated that Warner’s inventive abilities may have led him to consort with Bonomi, who supposedly had knowledge of the Egyptian theories of time travel. Together, the two convinced the wealthy, trusting Hannah to finance their secret project, with Bonomi providing ancient wisdom and Warner adding his breakthrough scientific resources. By placing their device in a cemetery, Warner could guarantee the structure was unlikely to be disturbed over decades or centuries, allowing him to return to London after traveling through time again and again.

 

The lack of a key was crucial to Webster’s tale. Since it had been lost and no one had been inside for years, it could be argued that perhaps Warner was busying himself in a manner similar to an occupant of the TARDIS, bouncing from era to era, while Hannah and her family were either entombed or buried someplace else entirely. Webster also claimed that plans for the tomb were missing, which was rarely the case with other monuments in Brompton.

 

The story bubbled to the surface periodically over the years. In 2003, an album cover by musician Drew Mulholland depicted the tomb and its eerie structure, which led to some renewed interest. In 2011, Coates, a musician with a band named the Real Tuesday Weld, came across mention of the theory and was intrigued. He wrote a post on his blog positing that the Courtoy tomb was not a means of time travel, but that Warner had the technology to teleport torpedoes and that he later adopted that framework to develop a series of teleportation chambers in and around "the Magnificent Seven," a group of London’s historic private cemeteries.

 

“It was a way to move around the city,” Coates says. “Warner and Bonomi worked together on ancient Egyptian occult theory and science. I posted that on my blog, and it started to take on a life of its own.”

 

 

Coates’s premise is a proper study in how an urban legend can proliferate. With the key still missing, it was impossible to disprove the teleportation idea with any real precision, and the mythology allowed for a great deal of speculation. Was Warner, who died in 1848, killed because he knew too much about revolutionary technology? Why did the tomb take four years to complete following Hannah’s death, which meant she didn’t actually enter it until 1853? Was Hannah duped by the two to fund what she might have believed would be a pioneering mode of travel?

 

It became, Coates says, “one of the myths of the city.” In 2015, the Independent ran a feature describing his belief, contrasting it with the activities of Hannah Courtoy descendant Ray Godson, who simply wanted access to the tomb to pay his respects to his great-great-grandmother. The feature came just as Coates was busy organizing visitor groups that could come—with the cemetery’s permission—hear the legend of Courtoy, Bonomi, and Warner while standing near the tomb in the middle of the night.

 

“I fell in love with the idea,” Vanessa Woolf, a professional storyteller based in London who hosts the gatherings, tells Mental Floss. “I must credit Stephen Coates. I contacted him after hearing about the myth and told him I really wanted to tell the story. He said to go for it.” Woolf hosted the first event in 2015 and has done several more since. “The first time, we were absolutely overwhelmed with bookings,” she says.

 

In the story presentation, Woolf tells of a “barking mad” inventor named Warner who connects with Bonomi and hatches an idea for a teleportation network. Hannah, she relates, had an interest in the occult and unexplained phenomena.

 

“There’s a huge interest in the story in London,” she says. “I think people are just interested in the fabric of places where they live. This is a story rooted in the secret, in the occult, but no one is quite sure what actually happened.”

 

It can be difficult to corner Coates for a precise answer on whether he believes his fanciful hypothesis about the resting place of Hannah Courtoy. When initially contacted for an interview, he agreed while mentioning that he “came up with the whole teleportation system idea as the background to a short story.” In conversation, he presents the teleportation springboard as a “way for people to make up their own mind” about what the tomb might contain. A breath or two later, he expresses doubt that Hannah’s daughters might still be entombed there, before wondering whether the mausoleum might be home to a secret subterranean chamber.

 

It’s all “alternative theory based on historical fact,” he says in a phone call. It’s hard not to imagine a slight expression of amusement crossing his face.

 

Performance art or not, the attention has increased awareness over the cemetery’s attempts to secure funds for a site-wide renovation. (Courtoy’s tomb was partially spruced up in 2009 following aging, frost-coated chunks of granite sloughing off the side, with costs partially covered by a family trust.) When asked to comment on whether the midnight vigils and sightseers have been disruptive, Brompton officials refer questions right back to Coates, who appears to have become their unofficial spokesman on all things involving molecular disruption and Egyptian time-hopping.

 

“It’s not something they promote themselves,” Coates says. “They’re very welcoming of people who come if they’re showing respect. The conservation efforts have been going on for years, and the events help that.” At the last Coates-arranged show, tickets went for £6 to £8, with a quarter of the proceeds donated to the cemetery’s rebuilding efforts.

 

How many people will visit once a key is made is another question. Both Coates and a Brompton Cemetery historian named Arthur Tait say that efforts are currently underway to fabricate a replacement that would allow Hannah’s relatives access to the tomb. After an initial flush of curiosity, wouldn’t the presumably ordinary interior dampen interest?

 

“Opening it may not establish it’s not a time machine,” Coates hedges. “It may just deepen the mystery.”

 

For Woolf, who still has regular engagements hosting visitors near the tomb, seeing a key may be a letdown. “It’s much nicer, in a way, not having it,” she says. “It’s really all in the minds of the audience. It’s a slab of rock. The real magic is in their minds.”

 

Usually. While Woolf normally gets very positive notices from those attending her performances, one reviewer on Instagram does stick out. “It said something like, ‘Oh, I was really excited, but then got really disappointed. She didn’t even open it.’”

 

Source: The Legend of London’s Time-Traveling Tomb

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS

Did you know... 

An earthquake is taking place somewhere in the world right this second. Subterranean rock is naturally shifting, and a sudden jerk—what we know as an earthquake—can happen anywhere, anytime. Earthquakes cannot be predicted (yet), but are easy to track after the fact. The United States alone clocks more than 20,000 earthquakes a year. Most are smaller, lasting less than a minute, but the large, catastrophic ones (magnitude 8 and higher) occur globally about once per year.

 

With all that seismic activity happening at all times, you’re likely to have the earth shift beneath your feet at some point. Some areas are much more susceptible to rumblings—if you live in the U.S., this interactive map will show you the earthquake risk in your city—but everywhere and everyone is at vulnerable, according to the federal government’s emergency agency. This is why knowing what to do before, during, and after an earthquake is an essential skill to learn.

 

How to Prepare Before an Earthquake

 

1. Secure Your House
Hire a professional contractor to bolt your home to its foundation, reinforce walls, and repair any structural defects. Affix heavy furniture, like bookcases and your water heater, to wall studs, and be sure to trim tree branches. It’s also a good idea to buy earthquake insurance if you live in a high-risk area.

 

2. Organize Your Home With Earthquakes in Mind
Store heavy appliances on lower shelves and away from doorways. Hang art and mirrors away from seating areas and beds. Move beds away from windows. Add latches to your cabinets and secure breakable and flammable items inside them.

 

3. Know Your Home
Learn how to turn off your water and gas mains and circuit breaker. Teach your children how to operate your fire extinguishers.

 

4. Practice Earthquake Safety Drills
Come up with a readiness plan for you and your family. If you are inside your home, where will you seek cover? After the shaking stops, where will you meet?

 

5. Assemble a Disaster Kit
Fill a bag with non-perishable food, water, and camping supplies, such as flashlights, a battery-operated radio, goggles, and dust masks. Include any other personal and medical items you, your family, and your pets may need in an emergency. Also include cash and copies of important documents. You can make similar kits to store in your workplace, car, and near your bed.

 

How to Stay Safe During an Earthquake

 

6. “Drop, Cover, and Hold on”
This is the mantra that the CDC recommends for anyone stuck in an earthquake.

 

7. If You Are Inside
Move away from anything that can fall or break on you, including furniture, windows, light fixtures, and overhead cabinets. Stay in one room, and drop down to your hands and knees so you do not fall over. Seek shelter under a sturdy desk or table, or if none is available, against an interior wall. Cover your head and neck with your hands or a nearby book or pillow. Hold on and stay in place, indoors, until the shaking ends.

 

8. If You Are Outside
Get away from trees, overpasses, street lights, bridges, power lines, and buildings. Drop to your hands and knees and cover your head. Stay in place, outdoors, until the shaking ends.

 

9. If You Are in a Vehicle
Check that your seatbelt is buckled and drive away from those same outside obstacles. Once you are in a clearing close by, engage your parking brake and stay inside until the shaking ends.

 

What to Do After an Earthquake

10. Prepare For Aftershocks
These can happen at any moment, so be ready to drop, cover, and hold on again, even after the earthquake seemingly stops. If you live near water, the earthquake could have broken a dam or triggered a tsunami. Prepare for the possibility of flooding and landslides.

 

11. Provide Help, If Possible
Check yourself and the people around you for injuries. Put on shoes. If someone is hurt or trapped, administer first aid to those you can reach and then attempt to contact rescue services. Do not enter damaged buildings or any areas that look unsafe.

 

12. Inspect Your Surroundings
If you are inside, go outside to a clearing to assess impact and check your home for obvious damage. Beware when opening cabinets or closets, as items inside may have fallen. Put out any small fires with a fire extinguisher and clean up any small chemical spills. Call for emergency assistance for larger fires or spills. Inspect your utilities, sewer, and water lines and turn them off if you suspect leaks.

 

13. Stay on Top of the News
Listen to your radio for emergency instructions and updates on the situation. If you are in an area at risk for flooding, move to higher ground.

14. Know What to Avoid
Do not drive near bridges or overpasses until they have been assessed for damage. Also look for broken gas lines or downed power lines to avoid.

 

15. Be Prepared For Future Earthquakes
Once safe, call an inspector to your home to check for structural damage and hire a contractor to complete the repairs. Re-secure your home and refill your emergency kit so you are prepared in the event of another future earthquake.

 

Source: The Science of Staying Safe in an Earthquake

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - ACTION COMICS

Did you know... 

The modern superhero was born in 1938, when Cleveland friends and collaborators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster debuted Superman in Action Comics #1. So few copies of the comic are known to exist in good condition that it’s become one of the most sought-after collectibles of all time. Last week, it broke new ground: At $6 million, it’s now the most valuable comic ever sold.

 

The copy, which was offered by Heritage Auctions, was graded 8.5 out of 10 by the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), a third-party grading service that assesses the condition of books and maintains a database of known and graded copies. According to CGC, only two copies of Action Comics #1 have received a higher numerical score. Both are graded 9.0 and are believed to be in the possession of billionaire collector Ayman Hariri.

 

While higher grades are always coveted, the comic is scarce enough that even lesser versions can fetch big money. A copy graded 6.0 sold for $3.56 million in 2023; one poor relic graded .05 sold for $408,000 that same year. In 2020, someone paid $410 for a few stray flecks of paper (and one staple) from the book.

 

 

While you might expect Action Comics #1 to be consistently in first place when it comes to comic book values, that hasn’t always been the case. In 2022, a nearly perfect copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 (CGC 9.6), the first appearance of Spider-Man, sold for $3.6 million, becoming the most valuable comic at that time. In 2023, a copy of Superman #1 (CGC 8.0) sold for $5.3 million, establishing a new record.

 

Bolstering the sale price was the fact that the copy was part of a “pedigreed” collection, or one that is known to collectors for having a provenance. This is the “Kansas City” copy, so named for being part of a collection traced to a collector in that city who compiled hundreds of first issues from the earliest days of comics publishing.

 

Another pedigreed copy, this one from the collection of Edgar Church, is rumored to be the best-preserved of them all: Church was a collector in Denver, Colorado, whose dry basement kept his books in exceptional condition. But what that might mean at auction is unknown: The copy is in private hands and there’s no way of knowing when or if it will come up for sale.

 

CGC estimates there are fewer than 100 copies of Action Comics #1 still in existence out of the 200,000 or so that were printed back in 1938. The chances you have one in your basement are low, but you might want to check your walls. In 2013, a contractor in Minnesota was working on renovating an older house when he found a copy being used as insulation. Graded 1.5, it sold for $175,000.

 

 

Source: ‘Action Comics’ #1 Sells for $6 Million, Setting a New All-Time Record for Comics

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - HIGH HEELS

Did you know.... For something that’s almost as ubiquitous as sneakers, high heels are pretty controversial. A staple of feminine business wardrobes and club wear alike, heels are beloved by many, although maybe not by podiatrists. They’re now largely considered fashion statements, yet they have surprisingly practical — and masculine — origins. How did high heels come to be? What then-cutting-edge technology made stiletto heels possible? Where did the most iconic designers of high heels get their inspiration? These nine facts about high heels might give you a newfound appreciation for one of the most storied styles of footwear.

 

1. The First High Heels Were Designed for Men

While they’re typically considered feminine today, high heels started as functional footwear for men. In the 10th century, Persian men wore heeled shoes on horseback because they clicked into stirrups, which helped them stay steady when firing arrows in battle. The extra height didn’t hurt, either. The style spread to Europe in the 17th century, after Persian Shah Abbas I went on a diplomatic tour to Spain, Germany, and Russia. In Europe, they were considered a sign of masculinity; women began wearing them because adopting masculine styles was trendy at the time. Practical riding heels — for example, cowboy boots — are still in use today for all genders, although they’re not typically advertised as high heels.

 

2. Early High Heels Were a Sign of Status

At first, Europeans adopted high heels in much the same way Persians did — for stability in horseback riding. As the 17th century went on, however, heels started to rise in usage among the aristocracy, particularly in France. There’s no way you could do manual labor, or even walk very far, in ornate 5-inch heels, so only people of leisure would wear them.

 

3. Louis XIV Loved a Signature Heel

French monarch Louis XIV was pretty short, and wore heels — 4-inch red ones, specifically — as a symbol of his authority. Sometimes, his heels were even decorated with battle scenes. Red dye was expensive, which made what was already a status symbol even more glaring. In 1670, the king issued a decree that only members of his court were allowed to wear red heels, which meant that (theoretically) you could tell who was in royal favor just by looking at their shoes.

 

4. 16th-Century Venetian Women Wore Bizarre Platforms

In early 16th-century Venice, women wore a strange precursor to the heel: the chopine, a high platform shoe designed to protect feet from muddy streets. The height of the shoes may have been associated with the level of nobility of the wearer. One pair at a Venetian museum is a full 20 inches high — imagine the prestige! Even at shorter heights, chopines were a luxury item, and usually required an attendant to walk next to the wearer to help them stay steady.

 

5. Stilettos Required Cutting-Edge Tech

Images of what would later be called stiletto heels, named for a small Italian style of dagger, appeared in erotic art in the early 20th century, but engineering hadn’t come far enough at that point to make actual stilettos that people could walk on. After World War II, new materials and techniques, some designed for aircraft carriers, made ultra-thin heels possible. High heels had previously often been made of wood, which can only support so much weight without cracking, but in the postwar era, shoe designers increasingly turned to steel for its incredible tensile strength. Designers figured out steel shanks, a load-bearing part of the sole that supports the foot and takes the pressure off the toe and heel. Multiple designers released stiletto heels in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and fashion historians are still divided on which designer actually came first. As plastic technology improved in the 1960s, designers were able to make lightweight heels with plastic shanks instead.

 

6. Louboutin’s Red Soles Were Inspired by Nail Polish

One of the most sought-after makers of high heels is Christian Louboutin, known for his signature red soles; his wares are sometimes called “red bottoms.” It may seem like a nod to Louis XIV’s luxurious color preference, but according to the brand, it was more of a fortunate accident. The story goes that Louboutin was working on prototypes in the early 1990s, but was unhappy with the black soles on the shoes, which he thought made them look clunky. As he was having that thought, his assistant was painting her nails red — so he snagged the bottle and painted the bottom of the shoe. The rest is history.

 

7. High Heels Change Your Posture — Short- and Long-Term

One reason for the popularity of high heels is the way the wearer stands and walks in them. With the feet at an angle and body weight pitching toward the toes, different muscle groups have to fire to stay upright. The back arches, the chest puffs forward, the bottom sticks out, and calf muscles tighten. This creates what some consider an attractive shape, but staying in that position for too long too regularly can have serious consequences. Regular use can result in foot injuries, including bunions and hammertoe, as well as long-term changes to hip muscles, the lumbar spine, and even leg bones.

 

8. Coco Chanel Was in Her 70s When She Released Her Iconic Slingback

One of the best-known creations to come from the Chanel fashion house is the two-tone slingback heel with a beige body, black toe, and sturdy 2-inch heel. Coco Chanel designed the black toes, inspired by the black toes of sailors’ shoes and sturdy sporting sandals, to help hide scuffs, minimize the foot, and elongate the leg. They’re a mainstay for the brand even years after Chanel’s death — but they were released in 1957 during a second act for the designer, who was 73 or 74 at the time.

 

9. Manolo Blahnik’s Hangisi Shoe Was Inspired by Josephine Bonaparte

Designer Manolo Blahnik’s most sought-after footwear is the Hangisi shoe, a luxurious-looking heel with a decorative buckle on the toe. The shoe hit the market in 2008, and was popularized by the Sex and the City film that came out the same year. Blahnik designed the shoe after seeing portraits of Empress Josephine Bonaparte and her sister-in-law Pauline and noting their opulent footwear, likely designed by the House of Leroy, Josephine’s preferred fashion house. White the style comes in many fabrics, each bejeweled buckle contains exactly 144 Swarovski crystals. Fittingly, the shoe is now in a royal portrait of its own: Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore an emerald green pair posing for a painting alongside her husband, Prince William.

 

 

Source: Towering Facts About High Heels

Edited April 9 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SOME SING SOME CAW

Did you know.... Birds vocalize using their syrinx, and these specialized organs vary in capability. That's why some birds produce melodic songs, and others can only squawk.

 

Ever wonder why some birds tweet, some sing, some quack, and the ones outside our bedroom windows at 5:00 in the morning caw?

 

A bird’s “voice” comes from the syrinx, which is the avian variety of the human voice box. The syrinx contains membranes that vibrate when air from the bird’s lungs is passed over them. But while the human larynx is positioned high in the throat, birds’ syringes (that’s the plural of syrinx) are located down closer to the chest, where the bronchial tubes branch off into each lung. That means that the syrinx has two sources of sound, one from each bronchus, which gives birds a wider range of vocal sounds than humans.

 

But even in the bird kingdom, life isn’t fair. The melodiousness and versatility of a bird’s voice is a product of evolution—the more and higher-developed muscles a bird has around its syrinx, the sweeter its song. Birds that don’t have to rely on conversing with others to find a food source, like ostriches and vultures, have no syringeal muscles. Ducks spend their days paddling around lakes and waddling along the shore, in clear view of one another, so they don’t need elaborate songs to attract a mate. A simple “quack!” and the shake of a tail feather is sufficient.

 

But birds that spend most of their time in trees need voices that carry, since all those leaves act as sound dampeners. And they also need distinctive sounds, so that sparrows can communicate with other sparrows. As a result, songbirds have from five to nine pairs of muscles around their syringes that squeeze out the tunes that serve as everything from a danger signal to a dinner bell to a love song.

 

Source: Why Do Some Birds Sing, While Others Caw?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - TONIC WATER

Did you know... Tonic water is best known for adding a little bite to cocktails, though it has a hidden talent: It glows when exposed to ultraviolet light. While modern tonic waters often include citrus flavors or sweeteners to ease their bitter taste, the mix is traditionally crafted from just two ingredients — carbonated water and quinine, the second of which is capable of illumination. Quinine’s ability to glow, technically called fluorescence, only occurs when the substance is exposed to the right conditions, particularly when its molecules absorb invisible ultraviolet light (such as that projected by a black light). The excited molecules then quickly release that energy, which appears as a blue hue to the human eye in a darkened room. 

 

Though tonic water is now a bar cart staple, its initial purpose wasn’t enjoyment — it was to prevent and treat malaria. Quinine, which comes from the bark of the South American cinchona tree, was first used by the Indigenous Quechua people as a cure-all for stomach ailments; by the 1600s, Europeans had documented its fever-reducing properties. In the 1700s, Scottish doctor George Cleghorn discovered it could also effectively treat malaria. As the only known treatment for nearly 300 years, quinine’s bitter flavor was paired with water to create a “tonic,” and distributed to British soldiers stationed in India and other malaria-prone regions. Some historians believe soldiers began adding the medication to gin and other alcohols to make the bitter flavor more palatable, eventually creating the “gin and tonic” drink we know today. However, other researchers suggest it wasn’t until the 1860s that the classic drink emerged, served to victorious patrons at horse racing tracks in India.

The search for a quinine alternative created the first synthetic dye.
Quinine’s legacy isn’t just in the beverages we drink, but also in the clothes we wear. The medicine led one scientist to discover mauveine, a synthetic dye that lends its name to the shade of purple we call mauve. In the 19th century, getting ahold of quinine was costly, since the compound was only created from cinchona tree bark imported from South America. Some researchers, like chemist William Perkin, attempted to create bark-free synthetic versions. One of Perkin’s attempts, using a chemical called aniline, resulted in a goopy dark substance that didn’t easily wash away. Realizing its staining abilities, Perkin patented the substance as the world’s first synthetic dye — easier to use than natural dyes, and with the benefit of being more colorfast. Shortly after his discovery, Perkin opened his own textile dyeing factory, helping to launch a fashion craze that featured his newly created hue. Even Queen Victoria got into the act, wearing a mauve-colored dress at the International Exhibition of 1862.

 

 

Source: Tonic Water Can Glow in the Dark

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CATS & VOICES

Did you know... While dogs are often touted as man’s best friend, cats can be so aloof that they seem like little more than a passing acquaintance. However, there is more going on between felines and their human owners than a cat’s sometimes steely exterior may suggest. In October 2022, researchers from France published results from an experiment examining the relationship cats have with their owners’ voices. In the study, cats responded more positively to a familiar human voice (swishing tails, pivoting ears, pausing grooming) than when they heard the voice of a stranger. 

 

This builds on previous research from 2013 that found a similar connection between a familiar voice and its effects on a cat — though none of the felines in that study even bothered to get up in response to the voices they recognized. Unlike dogs, cats were never domesticated to follow a human’s orders, and instead were the product of a more symbiotic relationship, as the rise of agriculture also gave rise to rodents and other pests for cats to hunt.

 

The French researchers also studied how owners spoke with their pets; specifically, if they used cat-directed speech — aka baby talk — which is known to positively impact both babies and canines. (In fact, babies learn words more quickly when listening to baby talk.) Owners’ voices were recorded asking questions such as “do you want to play?” and “do you want a treat?” using both cat-directed speech and human-to-human conversational speech. Like dogs and babies, cats reacted more positively to cat-directed speech than to an owner’s normal speaking voice.

 

There’s a scientific reason why you hate listening to your own voice.
Hearing a recording of your voice can be an unpleasant experience, as the sound isn’t usually what you expect. To put it simply, hearing works by something called “air conduction,” in which sound waves travel to our ears’ cochleas, which in turn stimulate nerve axons that send signals to the brain — but that’s not what happens when we speak. While some air conduction occurs when we hear ourselves talking, most sound is translated through “bone conduction,” particularly our skull bones. This blend of both air and bone conduction gives our voice a deeper, richer low end, which explains why most people perceive their voices as higher pitched when listening to a recording.

 

Source: Cats can recognize their owners’ voices.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - I WANT IT THAT WAY

Did you know... When “I Want It That Way” comes on, everyone sings along—even if they don’t understand what, exactly, the song means.

 

Musically, it’s neither a grand romantic ballad nor a propulsive dance banger, and lyrically, it’s semi-coherent at best. Technically, it’s not even the group’s highest-charting U.S. single. And yet, the Backstreet Boys’ 1999 smash “I Want It That Way,” which celebrates its 25th anniversary in April 2024, is among the definitive songs—if not the definitive song—of the ’90s teen-pop explosion.

 

 

 

More than just a sign of the times, “I Want It That Way” is a ridiculously catchy, expertly crafted piece of music that transcends eras and defies criticism. When it comes on the radio, everyone in the car sings along—period.

 

“I Want It That Way” is largely the handiwork of Swedish songwriter and producer Max Martin, a melodic genius who has penned hits for everyone from NSYNC to The Weeknd—and who’s arguably done more than anyone to shape the sound of popular music over the last quarter-century. The story of how the song and its iconic music video came together is filled with little twists and strange artistic choices that make it seem like the universe wanted “I Want It That Way” to happen. And you really can’t blame the universe.

 

Orlando Origins
To fully appreciate the significance of “I Want It That Way,” one must first know some Backstreet Boys history. The quintessential ’90s American boy band comprises A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, and cousins Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell. They came together in Orlando, Florida, in 1993, after a secretly shady (more on that later) blimp magnate named Lou Pearlman placed an ad in the Orlando Sentinel. Pearlman was looking to start a group like New Kids on the Block, who’d achieved massive success earlier in the decade, and soon, his photogenic fivesome had signed a deal with Jive Records. Their name derives from the Backstreet Market, an outdoor flea market in Orlando.

 

 

When the Backstreet Boys debuted in 1995, America wasn’t quite ready for a teen-pop takeover. Their debut single, “We Got It Goin’ On,” went no higher than No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100. Over in Europe, however, it became a bonafide smash, reaching the Top 10 in numerous countries. The group’s 1996 self-titled debut album didn’t even come out in America, but it topped the charts in places like Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

 

On August 12, 1997, America finally got its own version of Backstreet Boys. It contains songs from the international edition of the album and its follow-up, Backstreet’s Back, which came out globally (though not in the U.S.) on August 11, 1997. The singles “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” and “All I Have to Give” cracked the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100—the former peaking at a career-best No. 2—and by August 31, 1998, the album had gone sextuple platinum. (It was certified 14x platinum in April 2001.)

 

 

Seven years after Nirvana had instigated the angsty grunge rebellion with 1991’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a new revolution was underway. This time, it would be clean-cut model-types and former Mouseketeers leading the charge, presenting America’s youth with a decidedly peppier vision of adolescence.

 

Melodies to the Max
Two of the biggest songs on the American edition of Backstreet Boys, “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” and “As Long As You Love Me,” were written or co-written by one Karl Martin Sandberg, a.k.a. Max Martin. A product of Sweden’s famed state-sponsored music education programs, Martin started off playing the recorder before graduating to French horn, drums, and keyboards.

 

In addition to being an ace musician, Martin was a huge music fan. Growing up in suburban Stockholm in the ’70s and early ’80s, Martin absorbed his parents’ records—the Beatles, Elton John, Vivaldi—before latching onto theatrical hard rockers Kiss, whom he discovered through his older brother. In the mid-’80s, Martin began fronting the glam-metal outfit It’s Alive. When he wasn’t rocking out with the band, he was sneaking listens to pop songs like The Bangles’s “Eternal Flame,” a harbinger of things to come.

 

Martin’s life changed in 1994, when he met producer Dag Krister Volle, otherwise known as Denniz PoP. As co-founder of the now-legendary Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, PoP had produced a string of memorable hits for the Swedish electro-pop foursome Ace of Base. PoP became Martin’s mentor and gave him his stage name. Whereas PoP was an untrained musician who trusted his gut, Martin had a deep knowledge of music theory. He was able to synthesize new sounds and textures into funky, hooky music that left his collaborators floored. PoP and Martin co-wrote and co-produced “We’ve Got It Goin’ On,” Backstreet Boys’s debut single.

 

 

Around the same time of those early Backstreet Boys hits, the world received another Max Martin pop gem, “...Baby One More Time,” the 1998 debut single by a then-unknown Louisiana hopeful named Britney Spears. Written and co-produced by Martin, that song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and shook the Earth off its axis. Teen pop had fully arrived.

 

“Abstract” Lyrics
Despite their heightened profile, Backstreet Boys didn’t have an easy road to their third album (second in America), 1999’s Millennium. In 1998, four of the five members sued Lou Pearlman; among the issues was the accusation that Pearlman pocketed $10 million from a European tour, while they’d only made $300,000. After a court case that involved 20 judges and lawyers spread across three states, they wound up settling in October 1998 (the terms were not disclosed). That same year, BSB member Brian Littrell underwent surgery to fix a hole in his heart.

 

 

Amid all this drama, Backstreet Boys hit the studio in the fall of 1998 and started work on Millennium, an album that would be loaded with songs written and produced by Martin and his Cheiron collaborators. (PoP was not among them—he died of cancer in August 1998 at age 35.) Among them was a mid-tempo number called “I Want It That Way.” Martin wrote it with help from Andreas Carlsson, a relative newcomer at Cheiron who’d given up his pop-star dreams after opening for Backstreet Boys in Sweden in 1996.

 

“All I understood after that was that I was a waste of time as an artist—because they were so good!” Carlsson told Billboard.

 

Martin came up with the bulk of “I Want It That Way” himself. He had the opening line, “You are my fire/The one desire,” but he enlisted Carlsson—whom he’d recently discovered was his next door neighbor—to help him complete the lyrics. They tried a “million different variations” for the second verse, Carlsson told HitQuarters, before they ultimately used the “fire/desire” rhyme again, albeit with a slight tweak: “Am I your fire / Your one desire?”

 

They capped the song off with a guitar lick that, according to numerous online sources, was inspired by Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.” (Remember: Martin was a metal guy.) When it was finished, everyone loved it. There was just one little problem.

 

“The band and the record company heard it and they immediately said, ‘This is a classic,’” Carlsson told Billboard. “But they weren’t sure about the lyrics because they thought they were too abstract—and rightfully so!”

 

“Abstract” is a nice way of putting it. “I Want It That Way” is sung from the perspective of a guy who doesn’t want to break up with his significant other. He begins by telling this person they’re his “fire” and “one desire.” “Believe me when I say/I want it that way,” he adds. Simple enough so far. But then comes this section:

 

 

“But we are two worlds apart
Can’t reach to your heart
When you say
That I want it that way”

 

Those lines are confusing unless you throw quotation marks around the phrase I want it that way, thereby indicating that the narrator’s love interest is the one saying those words. It’s worth noting that there are no quotation marks in the lyrics printed in the original CD booklet, so it’s unclear whether Martin and Carlsson intended them to be there. But quotation marks around I want it that way would also come in handy on the chorus:

 

“Tell me why
Ain’t nothin’ but a heartache
Tell me why
Ain’t nothing but a mistake
Tell me why
I never wanna hear you say
I want it that way”

 

With quotation marks, this reads like the narrator telling his partner that he never wants to hear them say that this relationship is a heartache and a mistake. (Though even if you add quotation marks, the lyrics are pretty confusing—people aren’t wrong to scratch their heads.) The Backstreet Boys themselves seemed to support this interpretation when they responded to a tweet from Chrissy Teigen in 2018. Teigen was puzzled by the lyrics that end the song—“I never wanna hear you say/I want it that way/Cause I want it that way.” In particular, she wanted to know what “it” means—and BSB offered this response: “Don’t wanna hear you say that you want heartaches and mistakes... or to be 2 worlds apart. We don’t want you to want ‘it’ that way - that’s the way we want it... for you to not want it that way.”

 

This wasn’t the first time the Backstreet Boys had weighed in on the song’s cryptic lyrics. “Ultimately the song really doesn't really make much sense,” BSB member Kevin Richardson told LA Weekly in 2011. Richardson chalked it up to Martin’s limited command of the English language. “His English has gotten much better,” he said, “but at the time …”

 

Melodic Math
Martin’s limited English skills might have actually been a blessing. In a 2015 article for The New Yorker, John Seabrook argues that Swedish songwriters like Martin are liberated from the demands of having to be witty and clever. Instead, they can focus on what Martin has called “melodic math,” the notion that words should function mostly in service of a song’s melody. The hook is everything—meaning is secondary.

 

 

“I Want It That Way” is far from the only example of questionable English in Martin’s oeuvre. When he wrote the line “Hit me, baby, one more time” for Britney Spears’s breakthrough, he thought hit was slang for call, and that the line meant “call me one more time.” But people didn’t get it. As Seabrook puts it, “It was hard to imagine that anyone for whom English is a first language would write the phrase ‘Hit me, baby’ without intending it as an allusion to domestic violence or S & M. That was the furthest thing from the minds of the gentle Swedes, who were only trying to use up-to-the-minute lingo.”

 

Martin originally offered the song to TLC, and they turned it down partially due to that lyric. “I was like, I like the song but do I think it’s a hit? Do I think it’s TLC?” group member T-Boz told MTV. “I'm not saying ‘hit me baby.’ No disrespect to Britney. It's good for her. But was I going to say ‘hit me baby one more time'? Hell no!”

 

 

 

Justin Timberlake was more accommodating when Martin asked him to pronounce the word me as “may” on the 2000 *NSYNC smash “It’s Gonna Be Me.” “I don’t remember if the specifics were a ‘meaner me,’ but I sang, ‘It’s gonna be me,’ and he was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no, no,’” Timberlake said on the YouTube series Hot Ones. “He was like, ‘It’s may.’ … The parts of their English that were broken actually made them catchier songwriters because they would put words a way that almost didn’t make sense, but when you sang them, they were more memorable.”

 

Slightly more recently, Martin made headlines for the grammatical liberties he took in writing Ariana Grande’s 2014 song “Break Free,” featuring Zedd. Martin’s lyrics required Grande to sing lines like “Now that I’ve become who I really are” and “I only wanna die alive,” and that didn’t sit right with the pop star.

 

 

“I fought [Martin] on it the whole time,” Grande told TIME magazine. “‘I am not going to sing a grammatically incorrect lyric, help me God!’ Max was like, ‘It’s funny—just do it!’ I know it’s funny and silly, but grammatically incorrect things make me cringe sometimes.” She sang the lyrics as written anyway, and the song peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

 

“No Goodbyes”
Jive ultimately released “I Want It That Way” with Martin’s convoluted lyrics, but only after the label commissioned an alternate version co-written by South African superproducer and songwriter Robert John “Mutt” Lange, the man behind hits for Def Leppard, AC/DC, and Shania Twain.

 

 

Now known as “No Goodbyes” by Backstreet Boys superfans, the alternate version includes the following chorus, which completely flips the meaning of the original. (It could also use quotation marks around “I want it that way,” but maybe that’s nitpicking.)

 

“No goodbyes
Ain’t nothing but a heartache
No more lies
Ain’t nothing but a mistake
That is why
I love it when I hear you say
I want it that way”

 

So why isn’t this the version that’s burned into the brain of every ’90s kid on the planet? The Backstreet Boys vetoed the rewrite and stuck with Martin and Carlsson’s lyrics. “I don’t think that it would have ended up the way that it did had we gone with the proper version,” McLean told HuffPost. “I guess you could say, you know, the one that made sense.”

 

“Sometimes you overthink things,” Richardson said. “I think the newer version or the second version that we did that was more of a literal context didn’t ... it was the rhyming scheme that didn’t feel right. Yeah, it just didn’t feel as good, so sometimes you just got to go with what feels right.”

 

Richardson believes that “I Want It That Way” makes perfect sense to most fans, since “everyone interprets lyrics differently and every song moves people differently.” The song certainly spoke to people somehow. Released as the lead single off Millennium, “I Want It That Way” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary, Mainstream Top 40, and Top 40 Tracks charts. It stalled at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, but only because no physical CD single was available for purchase. Millennium debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and the 1.1 million copies it sold in its first week broke a record previously held by Garth Brooks.

 

Dancing at LAX
Upon hearing “I Want It That Way,” anyone old enough to remember MTV’s TRL will naturally picture the music video, which features the group dancing in all-white outfits in an airport terminal and serenading fans on a tarmac. The Backstreet Boys shot the clip at Los Angeles International Airport, and according to McLean, it was the “first and only time” such a thing was allowed, as the tragedies of 9/11 a couple years later made filming at airports impossible.

 

 

 

While the costumes and choreography would become iconic—pop-punkers Blink-182 famously lampooned the video in their “All the Small Things” music video—none of the Backstreet Boys were particularly impressed at the time.

 

“I just remember having to film the music video in between doing a lot of stuff,” Carter told Us Weekly in 2017. “I don’t remember traveling but I remember coming in and working up a choreography routine at the last minute. I think we felt that it was super cheesy and it was something that was unnecessary. It was kind of like we didn’t want to do it.”

 

Legacy of a Bop
In 2012, Rolling Stone readers voted Backstreet Boys the No. 1 boy band of all time, and the accompanying article refers to “I Want It That Way” as a “genre-transcending classic.” VH1 ranked “I Want It That Way” as the No. 3 song of the ’90s, right behind Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and U2’s “One.” “I Want It That Way” has been covered by everyone from goofy ’80s hair-metal revivalists Steel Panther to ’70s-era psych rockers Vanilla Fudge to YouTuber Billy Cobb, who created a popular emo version.

 

 

 

“I Want It That Way” has also appeared in commercials for Geico, Chipotle, Downey, and Doritos—the latter was a high-profile Super Bowl spot starring Chance the Rapper, who gave the song a hip-hop update. All the while, fans have continued listening to the original. In November 2021, the “I Want It That Way” music video reached a billion views on YouTube.

 

As of 2023, Backstreet Boys are still together. They’ve released seven albums (not counting compilations) since Millennium, the most recent being 2022’s A Very Backstreet Christmas. That collection of holiday tunes includes a cover of Wham!’s “Last Christmas” that reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. The group was set to star in an ABC special titled A Very Backstreet Holiday in December 2022, but those plans were scrapped due to rape allegations against Nick Carter. Carter has denied the claims, and earlier this year, he filed a defamation suit against another rape accuser.

Legal troubles also haunt the legacy of Lou Pearlman. It turns out he was running a massive Ponzi scheme that he used to steal more than $317 million from investors, many of whom were retirees. (Some former associates have also accused Pearlman of sexual misconduct.) After fleeing the U.S., Pearlman was arrested in Indonesia in 2007. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy, money laundering, and making a false claim in a bankruptcy, and he was sentenced to 25 years behind bars. He died of a heart infection in 2016 at the age of 62.

 

The biggest winner of this story is Max Martin, who has remained pop’s go-to collaborator and reigning chart champion for decades. In the last 10 years alone, he’s written and produced blockbuster singles for Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and Ariana Grande, among many, many others. The man has more than two dozen No. 1 pop hits to his credit, including “My Universe,” Coldplay’s 2021 team-up with the K-pop band BTS. Martin’s list of chart-toppers contains bangers galore, but few will get you screaming along in the car quite like “I Want It That Way.”

 

 

Source: How Max Martin’s ‘Melodic Math’ Led to This Enduring (and Confusing) Backstreet Boys Hit

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - WHY ARE THEY NAMED THAT?

Did you know... Certain generational names are well-known, but how exactly did they come to be in the first place? Discover the origins behind a few of them here.

 

Wondering how different generation names came to be? While the Pew Research Center has revamped their definitions for who gets counted under what generation, who actually decides what those generations are called can be a much hazier thing.

 

Surprisingly, there isn’t one single clearinghouse where these generational names are chosen. Instead, generations frequently receive multiple monikers that then battle it out until only one remains—a process that was being fought between the likes of iGen, Generation Z, and Post-Millennials.

 

Although Gen Z won out as the name for the current generation, older group names generally involve one writer picking a term and then a bunch of other writers all coming to some crude form of consensus—with a couple of failures along the way.

 

Baby Boomers (1946-1964)

Calling a dramatic increase in the number of children born a “baby boom” dates to the 19th century. In 1941, an issue of LIFE magazine—discussing the increasing birthrate due to older couples having children after the Great Depression and the many marriages that came about because of the peacetime draft of 1940—proclaimed that “the U.S. baby boom is bad news for Hitler.”

 

The children who would come to be known as Baby Boomers, however, wouldn’t be born for a few more years as soldiers returned home from the war and the economy “boomed.”

 

Although the children born from 1946 to 1964 are referred to by Baby Boomer now, the phrase wouldn’t appear until near the end of that period. In January 1963, the Newport News Daily Press warned of a tidal wave of college enrollment coming as the “Baby Boomers” were growing up. That same year, the Oxford English Dictionary quoted the Salt Lake Tribune as saying “Statistics show that ... long hours of television viewing put an extra strain on chairs, causing upholstered seating pieces to wear out three to four times faster than in the days before television and the baby-boomers.”

 

Oddly, an alternate moniker for people born during this time was Generation X; as London’s The Observer noted in 1964, “Like most generations, ‘Generation X’—as the editors tag today’s under 25s—show a notable lack of faith in the Old Ones.”

 

Generation X (1965-1980)

That comment in The Observer was in reference to a then-recently published book called Generation X by Jane Deverson and Charles Hamblett. A few years later, Joan Broad bought a copy at a garage sale, her son found it, and he fell in love with the name.

 

That son was Billy Idol, and according to his memoir, “We immediately thought it could be a great name for this new band, since we both felt part of a youth movement bereft of a future, that we were completely misunderstood by and detached from the present social and cultural spectrum. We also felt the name projected the many possibilities that came with presenting our generation’s feelings and thoughts.” The band Generation X would begin Billy Idol’s career.

 

But the name Generation X wouldn’t become associated with a wide group of people until 1991. That’s the year Douglas Coupland’s Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture was released. The book became a sensation for its ability to capture early ’90s culture and, although it didn’t coin the words, helped popularize a range of terms as diverse as McJob and pamphleting—and a name for an entire generation.

 

Millennials (1981-1996)

What comes after Generation X? Generation Y, obviously. That was the logic behind several newspaper columns that proclaimed the coming of Generation Y in the early ’90s. (While the magazine Advertising Age traditionally gets credit for coining the term in 1993, it was actually in use in 1992.) But as psychologist Jean Twenge explained to NPR regarding the failure of baby busters as a term to describe Generation X, “Labels that derive from the previous generation don’t tend to stick.”

 

Instead, in 1991 authors Neil Howe and William Strauss wrote Generations, which included a discussion about the Millennials. According to Forbes, they felt that as the oldest members of this generation were graduating high school in 2000—and everyone was focusing on the coming date—Millennials seemed a natural fit.

 

 

Source: How Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials Got Their Names

Edited April 14 by DarkRavie