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30 years ago you had 15-17 minutes to escape a house fire. Nowadays you only have 3-5 minutes (due to more plastics & petroleum-based products in the house as well as more open floor plans, bigger rooms, & higher ceilings).

How Much Time Do You Have To Escape a House Fire? It’s Much Less Than You Think. The amount of time you have to escape a house fire has greatly decreased in the past few decades: 30 years ago you had about 15 to 17 minutes to escape a house fire. Today, you have about […]

30 years ago you had 15-17 minutes to escape a house fire. Nowadays you only have 3-5 minutes (due to more plastics & petroleum-based products in the house as well as more open floor plans, bigger rooms, & higher ceilings). Read More »

In Iceland people light candles for the huldufólk, hidden elves, during New Year’s Eve to help the huldufólk find a new home for the year.

Huldufólk There are four Icelandic holidays considered to have a special connection with hidden people: New Year’s Eve, Thirteenth Night (January 6), Midsummer Night and Christmas night. Elf bonfires (álfabrennur) are a common part of the holiday festivities on Twelfth Night (January 6). There are many Icelandic folktales about elves and hidden people invading Icelandic

In Iceland people light candles for the huldufólk, hidden elves, during New Year’s Eve to help the huldufólk find a new home for the year. Read More »

Due to a strong dislike towards mixing of science and politics, Einstein said were he a young man again, he’d choose to be a plumber or a peddler, to which many plumbing companies responded by making him the honorary plumber. Also, there are many Einstein Plumbing companies in the US now.

Albert Einstein said if he could do it all again, he would be a plumber. In November 1954, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to a magazine in which he declared that, were he a young man again, he would not try to become a scientist: “I would rather choose to be a plumber or a

Due to a strong dislike towards mixing of science and politics, Einstein said were he a young man again, he’d choose to be a plumber or a peddler, to which many plumbing companies responded by making him the honorary plumber. Also, there are many Einstein Plumbing companies in the US now. Read More »

Pre-electricity theatre spotlights produced light by directing a flame at calcium oxide (quicklime). These kinds of lights were called limelights and this is the origin of the phrase “in the limelight” to mean “at the centre of attention”.

Limelight For other uses, see Limelight (disambiguation). Diagram of a limelight burner Limelight (also known as Drummond light or calcium light) is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of quicklime (calcium oxide), which can be

Pre-electricity theatre spotlights produced light by directing a flame at calcium oxide (quicklime). These kinds of lights were called limelights and this is the origin of the phrase “in the limelight” to mean “at the centre of attention”. Read More »

If microwaves had clear glass windows you would be exposed to the harmful microwaves they emit. The metal mesh screen over the windows have large enough holes for our eyes to see inside, but small enough to block the harmful microwaves that would otherwise be emitted.

Why Microwave Ovens Can Have See Through Windows Knoji reviews products and up-and-coming brands we think you’ll love. In certain cases, we may receive a commission from brands mentioned in our guides. Learn more. Have you ever wondered why a microwave oven can have a see-through window? “Microwaves” are radiation after all. We all know

If microwaves had clear glass windows you would be exposed to the harmful microwaves they emit. The metal mesh screen over the windows have large enough holes for our eyes to see inside, but small enough to block the harmful microwaves that would otherwise be emitted. Read More »

Squirrels were originally placed in US cities as a way to reconnect city dwellers with nature

Squirrels Were Purposefully Introduced to American Cities This story appears in the February 2018 issue of National Geographic magazine. Squirrels aren’t natural city slickers. In 1856 the sight of one in a tree near New York’s city hall so shocked passersby that a newspaper published a report about the “unusual visitor.” Around that time, the

Squirrels were originally placed in US cities as a way to reconnect city dwellers with nature Read More »

Light bulbs in the New York City subway system screw in “backwards” (i.e. with left-handed threads) so people won’t steal them to use at home.

Edison screw Three-way E26d light socket E26 Edison screw to NEMA 1-15 adapter Specifications for all lamp mount types are defined in the following American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) publications: Lamp Caps—ANSI C81.61 and IEC 60061-1 Lamp Holders—NSI C81.62 and IEC 60061-2 Gauges (to ensure interchangeability)—ANSI C81.63 and IEC 60061-3

Light bulbs in the New York City subway system screw in “backwards” (i.e. with left-handed threads) so people won’t steal them to use at home. Read More »

The likely record for fastest manmade object is a manhole cover launched by a nuclear bomb. A high-speed camera recording the lid only caught one frame of it moving meaning it was traveling over 125,000 miles per hour

The fastest object ever launched was a manhole cover — here’s the story from the guy who shot it into space Two angles facing left, which often indicate, “return to the beginning.” Two angles facing right, which often indicate, “advance to the end.” When I first heard this story, I didn’t believe it. How could

The likely record for fastest manmade object is a manhole cover launched by a nuclear bomb. A high-speed camera recording the lid only caught one frame of it moving meaning it was traveling over 125,000 miles per hour Read More »

IKEA is serving food because they realized that customers don’t buy and don’t stay for long when being hungry. Their policy is to be the absolute lowest price on food within a 30-mile radius, even if it means selling at a loss. So, they take a hit on the food, but they make it up in furniture

The untold truth of the IKEA food court Admit it: You’ve pretended to need just one more BILLY bookcase for the sole purpose of noshing at IKEA’s food court. Whether it’s the $2 breakfast plate, or the iconic Swedish meatballs from the restaurant, or the unbeatable hot dog deal from the bistro, it’s impossible to

IKEA is serving food because they realized that customers don’t buy and don’t stay for long when being hungry. Their policy is to be the absolute lowest price on food within a 30-mile radius, even if it means selling at a loss. So, they take a hit on the food, but they make it up in furniture Read More »

Tom Hanks has been gifting the White House press corps with new coffee machines since 2004 after visiting and finding an old decrepit Mr. Coffee machine serving really bad coffee. Latest was a $1700 espresso machine in 2017.

Tom Hanks Sent This $1,700 Coffee Machine to White House Reporters The gift of caffeine just might be the best gift of all. Just ask the White House press corps, who recently received a high-tech espresso machine from Tom Hanks as a gift. It arrived with a personal, encouraging note from the actor, reading: “Keep

Tom Hanks has been gifting the White House press corps with new coffee machines since 2004 after visiting and finding an old decrepit Mr. Coffee machine serving really bad coffee. Latest was a $1700 espresso machine in 2017. Read More »