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One in every 1500 people have something called Voluntarily Piloerection – the ability to consciously give themselves goosebumps. The phenomenon both perplexes and intrigues neurophysiologists by defying conventional understanding of how the unconscious nervous system operates.

People & Society /

Some People Can Control When They Get Goosebumps—and Scientists Are Stumped Travis Carrasco, 29, is a mechanical engineer in Las Vegas, Nevada. For all intents and purposes, he’s a normal individual. He loves coloring with colored pencils; likes leadership books and the color green. But in youth, his relatives took notice of Carrasco’s peculiar tendency […]

One in every 1500 people have something called Voluntarily Piloerection – the ability to consciously give themselves goosebumps. The phenomenon both perplexes and intrigues neurophysiologists by defying conventional understanding of how the unconscious nervous system operates. Read More »

The earliest depiction of Jesus was mocking graffiti carved into marble by a mischievous student to tease another student named Alexamenos, who was apparently a devout Christian. Jesus is drawn with the head of a donkey, because Romans believed Jews worshipped Donkeys.

Religion & Belief /

The Earliest Depiction of Jesus Was a Mocking Tribute to Christianity In the Palatine museum in Rome there is a collection of ancient graffiti etched on slabs of marble and limestone that once defaced the walls of palaces and public buildings across the Roman Empire. Among these is one that historians call “Alexamenos graffito”. It

The earliest depiction of Jesus was mocking graffiti carved into marble by a mischievous student to tease another student named Alexamenos, who was apparently a devout Christian. Jesus is drawn with the head of a donkey, because Romans believed Jews worshipped Donkeys. Read More »

In the 20’s a freak show saved over 6500 premature babies’ lives. Hospitals would leave them to die; but a “fake” Dr by the name of Martin Couney would display the babies in an experimental glass case called an incubator. He used the proceeds to pay for the show, seeing an 85% survival rate.

Family /

The Man Who Ran a Carnival Attraction That Saved Thousands of Premature Babies Wasn’t a Doctor at All Nurses in starched white uniforms and doctors in medical coats tended to babies in glass and steel incubators. The infants had been born many weeks premature and well below a healthy birth weight. Stores didn’t make clothes

In the 20’s a freak show saved over 6500 premature babies’ lives. Hospitals would leave them to die; but a “fake” Dr by the name of Martin Couney would display the babies in an experimental glass case called an incubator. He used the proceeds to pay for the show, seeing an 85% survival rate. Read More »

Limping was a fad in Victorian England. Young women admired the genuine limp of Alexandra of Denmark, bride of the Prince of Wales. So, women went around fake limping, dubbed the “Alexandra Limp.” Shopkeepers at the time sold pairs of shoes with one high heel and one low.

People & Society /

Victorian Strangeness: The bizarre tale of the ladies who limped ALAMY With the honourable exception of Lady Gaga’s frock of meat, it was the most thunderingly daft episode in the entire history of fashion, says author Jeremy Clay. In the well-heeled streets of London, something peculiar was afoot. In Edinburgh too, things were askew. Before

Limping was a fad in Victorian England. Young women admired the genuine limp of Alexandra of Denmark, bride of the Prince of Wales. So, women went around fake limping, dubbed the “Alexandra Limp.” Shopkeepers at the time sold pairs of shoes with one high heel and one low. Read More »

Smiling in public is frowned upon in Russian culture. Excessive smiling is seen as a sign of dishonesty, insincerity, or even stupidity. Russians also tend to not smile in photographs for this reason.

People & Society, Reference /

10 reasons why Russians don’t smile much In the Russian communicative consciousness, there is a rule: the smile must be a genuine reflection of a good mood and a good relationship. For many centuries, everyday existence in Russia was a strenuous battle for survival; the life of the common Russian was grueling, and worry became

Smiling in public is frowned upon in Russian culture. Excessive smiling is seen as a sign of dishonesty, insincerity, or even stupidity. Russians also tend to not smile in photographs for this reason. Read More »

Facebook conducted a study where they intentionally manipulated almost 700,000 users’ emotions without their knowledge or permission

People & Society /

Facebook deliberately made people sad. This ought to be the final straw For one week in January 2012, Facebook deliberately made about 155,000 people sad, just to see if it could. Stated that bluntly, it’s not hard to see why the company’s study, which was published in the prestigious PNAS journal on 17 June, has

Facebook conducted a study where they intentionally manipulated almost 700,000 users’ emotions without their knowledge or permission Read More »

An American woman needed her husband’s permission to open a bank account as recently as the 1960s

Human Rights & Liberties /

8 Rights Women Didnt Have a Century Ago … Women’s rights are something we take for granted these days. Because it was all a long time ago that the suffragettes fought for the right to vote, wasn’t it? However, women’s rights still depend very much on where they live, and even some of the rights

An American woman needed her husband’s permission to open a bank account as recently as the 1960s Read More »

A German nun left heartbroken after seeing leprosy patients in Pakistan, where it was believed as a punishment from God & patients were ostracized, left everything behind & moved there to fight leprosy alone. She got the country (then population of 127 million) rid of disease.

People & Society /

Non-Muslim Saviour of a Muslim Country Year is 1960, leprosy runs rampant in Pakistan. Even worse, it is considered a curse by God. People don’t touch lepers, believing their condition to be contagious, they aren’t treated, they are condemned to colonies created for them away from general population. There they wait to die in isolation,

A German nun left heartbroken after seeing leprosy patients in Pakistan, where it was believed as a punishment from God & patients were ostracized, left everything behind & moved there to fight leprosy alone. She got the country (then population of 127 million) rid of disease. Read More »

Harriet Tubman suffered a violent head injury as a child causing her to frequently slip into into sleep like states. These would produce vivid dreamlike hallucinations that Tubman interpreted as messages from god, to devote her life to freeing southern slaves through the Underground Railroad.

History, Sensitive Subjects, Social Issues & Advocacy /

The Brain Injury That Helped End Slavery An American icon of freedom and resilience, Harriet Tubman’s portrait is slated to grace the $20 bill beginning in 2030. It’s an auspicious achievement for a hero of civil rights who escaped from slavery, led hundreds of others to do the same, all while balancing a challenging array

Harriet Tubman suffered a violent head injury as a child causing her to frequently slip into into sleep like states. These would produce vivid dreamlike hallucinations that Tubman interpreted as messages from god, to devote her life to freeing southern slaves through the Underground Railroad. Read More »

Jim Henson originally wanted the Muppets to be for adults and didn’t see his characters as a vehicle for children’s education and family entertainment. Indeed, he first envisioned something closer to South Park rather than Sesame Street and in the 1950s they did dark comedy in commercials.

Children's Interests, TV Shows & Programs /

It’s Not Easy Being Evergreen: An Oral History of the Muppets Brow Beat Can the Muppets find a future as bright as their past? Jim Henson started making television programs starring his distinctive googly-eyed creations—part puppet, part marionette—in the 1950s. And they were hits. Early versions of Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and Cookie Monster

Jim Henson originally wanted the Muppets to be for adults and didn’t see his characters as a vehicle for children’s education and family entertainment. Indeed, he first envisioned something closer to South Park rather than Sesame Street and in the 1950s they did dark comedy in commercials. Read More »

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