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March 2019

In ancient Egypt, under the decree of Ptolemy II, all ships visiting the city were obliged to surrender their books to the library of Alexandria and be copied. The original would be kept in the library and the copy given back to the owner.

Reference /

Library of Alexandria Map of ancient Alexandria. The Mouseion was located in the royal Broucheion quarter (listed on this map as “Bruchium”) in the central part of the city near the Great Harbor (“Portus Magnus” on the map). The Ptolemaic rulers intended the Library to be a collection of all knowledge and they worked to […]

In ancient Egypt, under the decree of Ptolemy II, all ships visiting the city were obliged to surrender their books to the library of Alexandria and be copied. The original would be kept in the library and the copy given back to the owner. Read More »

If you won the lottery in Australia, you had to go public with your win, turning into an overnight celebrity. This was until the abduction & murder of Graeme Thorne, 8, whose family won the lottery leading to Graeme being abducted for ransom but killed.

Lottery /

Deadly Lottery – The Abduction of Graeme Thorne It was the 7th of July, 1960, when Freda Thorne kissed her son, 8-year-old Graeme Thorne, goodbye and sent him off to school. Graeme lived in a two-bedroom ground floor flat in Edward St., Bondi, Australia, with his mother, his father, Bazil, and his 3-year-old sister, Belinda.

If you won the lottery in Australia, you had to go public with your win, turning into an overnight celebrity. This was until the abduction & murder of Graeme Thorne, 8, whose family won the lottery leading to Graeme being abducted for ransom but killed. Read More »

In 2006, a woman farted on an American Airlines plane and attempted to cover up her farts by burning matches. When the passengers reported the smell of burning matches to the crew, the flight made an emergency landing in Nashville, and the FBI was called in to conduct an investigation.

Sensitive Subjects /

Flatulence leads US jet to divert An American Airlines plane made an emergency landing in Nashville after passengers reported the smell of sulphur from burning matches. The matches were found on the seat of a woman who had attempted to conceal the odour of flatulence with the matches, Nashville airport authorities said. All 99 passengers

In 2006, a woman farted on an American Airlines plane and attempted to cover up her farts by burning matches. When the passengers reported the smell of burning matches to the crew, the flight made an emergency landing in Nashville, and the FBI was called in to conduct an investigation. Read More »

An Australian bird, called the rainbow lorikeet, routinely gets drunk from spring to summer. The small birds drink the fermented crimson flower nectar from the Weeping Boer-bean tree. When intoxicated these birds make loud drunken noises which many people find bothersome.

Birds, Hobbies & Leisure /

Aussie Bird Likes to Get drunk You can hardly go anywhere in Australia without hearing the familiar shrieking of the rainbow lorikeet. Beautiful to look at with their array of colourful feathers but extremely hard on the ears, the rainbow lorikeet can sometimes be considered a pest. The rainbow lorikeet is perhaps one of the

An Australian bird, called the rainbow lorikeet, routinely gets drunk from spring to summer. The small birds drink the fermented crimson flower nectar from the Weeping Boer-bean tree. When intoxicated these birds make loud drunken noises which many people find bothersome. Read More »

Dalmatians are the official firehouse dog because, in the 1700’s, they would run alongside horse-drawn carriages keeping pace, even at full sprint, and protect the horses from other dogs or animals that could spook them.

Arts & Entertainment, Dogs, Hobbies & Leisure /

A History of Fire Dogs and the Lives They’ve Saved The image of a polka-dotted dalmatian riding shotgun in a fire truck is indelible in American pop culture and lore, but the story of how they got there is lesser-known. In honor of National Fire Pup Day, we’ve delved into the history, evolution, and enduring

Dalmatians are the official firehouse dog because, in the 1700’s, they would run alongside horse-drawn carriages keeping pace, even at full sprint, and protect the horses from other dogs or animals that could spook them. Read More »

Dr. Carlo Urbani recognized the emergence of a outbreak of pneumonia as a new epidemic and immediately notified the WHO, personally flying to Hanoi to investigate. He would die this day in 2003 of SARS, having triggered the most effective response to an epidemic in history.

Infectious Diseases /

Carlo Urbani Carlo Urbani (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkarlo urˈbaːni]; Castelplanio, Italy October 19, 1956 – Bangkok, Thailand March 29, 2003) was an Italian doctor and microbiologist and the first to identify severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) as a new and dangerously contagious viral disease. Although he became infected and died, his early warning to the World

Dr. Carlo Urbani recognized the emergence of a outbreak of pneumonia as a new epidemic and immediately notified the WHO, personally flying to Hanoi to investigate. He would die this day in 2003 of SARS, having triggered the most effective response to an epidemic in history. Read More »

A UK man found a way to earn money off telemarketers who were constantly calling him. In 2011 he set up his own personal 0871 line – so to call him now costs money to the caller. Every time a bank, gas or electricity supplier asked him for his details, he submits it as his contact number.

Business & Industrial /

How one man turns annoying cold calls into cash A man targeted by marketing companies is making money from cold calls with his own higher-rate phone number. In November 2011 Lee Beaumont paid £10 plus VAT to set up his personal 0871 line – so to call him now costs 10p, from which he receives

A UK man found a way to earn money off telemarketers who were constantly calling him. In 2011 he set up his own personal 0871 line – so to call him now costs money to the caller. Every time a bank, gas or electricity supplier asked him for his details, he submits it as his contact number. Read More »

A scientist stationed in Antarctica managed to score a date through Tinder with a girl camping just 45 minutes away.

Online Communities /

Tinder Makes Its First Match in Antarctica The dating app makes looking for warm hearts in a cold climate a whole lot easier Once it was just lonely penguins getting lucky in Antarctica, but now a scientist has proved that Tinder works in the tundra. The geolocation-based dating app, reportedly popular among Olympic athletes in

A scientist stationed in Antarctica managed to score a date through Tinder with a girl camping just 45 minutes away. Read More »

Aretha Franklin required that she would be paid, in cash, prior to any performance, often carrying the money in a bag, on stage during the show.

Jazz & Blues, Urban & Hip-Hop /

Soul Survivor Late on a winter night, Aretha Franklin sat in the dressing room of Caesars Windsor Hotel and Casino, in Ontario. She did not wear the expression of someone who has just brought boundless joy to a few thousand souls. “What was with the sound?” she said, in a tone somewhere between perplexity and

Aretha Franklin required that she would be paid, in cash, prior to any performance, often carrying the money in a bag, on stage during the show. Read More »

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