A US Treasury Official Decided To Feature Himself On Currency
For National Dollar Day, the story of the time a guy overseeing the printing of US money decided the best person to feature on that money was… himself.
Turkmenistan’s Leader Once Drove Doughnuts Around A Flaming Crater Known As The “Gates Of Hell”
This week in 2019, the president of Turkmenistan got the world’s attention with a very unusual drive around a flaming gas crater that's become an attraction for some tourists as well as a big headache for environmental scientists.
Claire Weekes Came Up With Six Words To Help With Anxiety
Today in 1903, the birthday of Dr. Claire Weekes, who helped the world understand that sometimes the way to stop a spell of anxiety in its tracks… is, in a way, to stop trying to stop it.
Science Says Cats Can Perceive Time, Sort Of
The news site Inverse stopped me in my tracks with their recent article “Can Cats Tell Time? Yes, But It's Complicated.” And, when we look at the relationship between cats and time, it is complicated.
Abel Gonzales Is The Fried Food King Of The Texas State Fair
The Texas State Fair is getting underway, and if it's fried food you're after, you have Abel Gonzales Jr., aka "Fried Jesus," to thank.
A 10 Month Old Kitten Once Climbed The Matterhorn… Somehow
Today in 1950, the Coshocton, Ohio Tribune carried a news story with one heck of a headline: “Kitten Scales Matterhorn: Veteran Mountain Climbers Are Astonished”! Here's how the cat, later nicknamed Matt, got there.
Room 8, The Cat Named For A Classroom In L.A.
It's back to school season, and while some classrooms will have their own pets this year, none will be quite like Room 8, a stray cat turned classroom cat turned legend.
Why So Many Old Paintings Have Dogs Holding Lit Flares In Their Mouths
There's a phenomenon in art history where some paintings feature dogs with lit flares in their mouths. They're not committing arson or leading Indiana Jones through a dark cave... but what are they doing?
John Harrison Lived The Dream As A World-Class Ice Cream Taste Tester
It's National Ice Cream Month, and here's the story of a guy who tasted hundreds of millions of gallons of the sweet stuff: John Harrison, longtime ice cream tester.
How A Giant Pack Of Life Savers Ended Up In A Northern New York Town
Today in 1987, the community of Gouverneur, in northern New York, placed on its town green a giant roll of Pep-O-Mint Life Savers. It was a tribute to a local man, Edward John Noble, who ended up making Life Savers one of the best known candies in the world.