The ins and outs of the music business are notoriously complex, with many details hidden behind closed doors, and rates subject to wide variation. In part this is understandable – both artists, streaming services and labels, strive to keep their individual contracts opaque, in part to secure for themselves the most favourable deals possible. The… Read More »
Erik Weiss, better known by his stage name Harry Houdini, was one of the greatest entertainers in history, and among the first modern mega-celebrities. Over a 35-year career spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Houdini thrilled audiences the world over with his headline-grabbing feats of stage magic and death-defying escapology, making entire elephants… Read More »
The age of the giant rigid airship or Zeppelin was tragically brief, lasting barely forty years from the first Zeppelin flights in 1900 to the scrapping of the last surviving such airship, the Graf Zeppelin II, in 1940. When we think of the end of giant airships, we tend to picture the Hindenburg, which met… Read More »
For the residents of San Francisco, October 11, 1950 started out like any other day, with thick banks of autumn fog rolling in from the bay and across the city. By the afternoon, however, it became clear that something was seriously wrong. On that day alone, eleven patients were admitted to Stanford Hospital with pneumonia,… Read More »
Brazilian businessman José Roberto “Zero” Alves Freitas, born around 1955, owns the largest record collection in existence, boasting over 8 million vinyl records. His passion for music began during his childhood when his father purchased a hi-fi stereo with 200 albums. Freitas’s mother, who owned a collection of 400-500 records, further influenced his love for… Read More »
Consuming the “miracle fruit,” scientifically known as Synsepalum dulcificum, can temporarily transform sour flavors into sweet ones for a duration of 15 to 30 minutes. This unique fruit contains a glycoprotein called miraculin, which binds to the taste buds and alters their perception of sour tastes. During this brief period, even the tangiest of foods,… Read More »
This unique formation is not a massive green blob of goo, but rather a 3,000-year-old shrub known as llareta. Composed of tens of thousands of tightly packed flowering buds, the density is so remarkable that one can even stand on them. This particular llareta specimen has been around since long before the time of Jesus’… Read More »
Herman Lamm, known as the pioneer of modern bank robbery, introduced groundbreaking methods such as meticulously scouting banks and devising escape plans prior to committing the crime. Employing a systematic approach called “The Lamm Technique,” he successfully executed numerous bank heists. Unfortunately, his final robbery attempt ended in disaster and ultimately led to his demise.… Read More »
In a visionary 1931 essay discussing the future of science, Winston Churchill not only championed the concept of lab-grown meat but also foresaw the advent of an internet-like system for long-distance communication. Furthermore, he speculated that humanity might possess the capability to artificially cultivate humans based on specific needs; however, he believed that ethical debates… Read More »
