‘Roman haul’ turns out to be TV show Detectorists prop Two men who thought they had unearthed a stash of Roman gold coins had their dreams dashed when they discovered the coins were a prop for a TV sitcom. Andy Sampson and Paul Adams had been metal detecting in a field on the Suffolk/Essex border […]
How to always win at rock, paper, scissors In 2005, a flagging Japanese economy convinced Takashi Hashiyama, president of the electronics firm Maspro Denkoh, to sell the corporate collection of French impressionist paintings. This included a major Cézanne landscape and lesser works by Sisley, van Gogh, and Picasso. Both Christie’s and Sotheby’s gave presentations to
HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant submarine collision Nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard arrives back at HM Naval Base Clyde, Faslane, Scotland following a patrol. A Triomphant-class submarine (here, Vigilant) The submarines HMS Vanguard and Triomphant collided in the Atlantic Ocean in the night between 3–4 February 2009. Both are nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The Royal Navy’s
Fact-Checking Steve Jobs: Was “The Customer Is Always Right” Really Coined by a Customer? In the new movie Steve Jobs, written by Aaron Sorkin, a nonbeliever questions the Apple guru’s wisdom by reminding him of the saying “the customer is always right.” Jobs, played by Michael Fassbender, shoots back, “I guarantee whoever said ‘the customer
Learning Anne Frank was bisexual is a game-changer Alma via JTA — Like many American children, I first read Anne Frank’s diary in school. And like many American children, I was unaware that I read the first, censored edition of the famous work. There is actually a complete and unabridged second edition. That edition has
Miracle on Dan Bus #4 It was a very hot day in July 1951. I was in Tel Aviv and too hot to walk. I boarded Dan bus #4 on the corner of Ben Yehuda and Gordon streets. The bus was very crowded and there was no available seat. I had to stand next to
We Fact-Checked Snapple’s ‘Real Facts’ Of course a duck’s quack echoes. But claims to the contrary are so often repeated that the BBC has aired audio proof of the echo, Mythbusters has investigated the acoustics of a quack’s reverberations, and others still have uploaded Internet videos of waterfowl in sound studios selected to amplify the
Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909. Born in Brussels as the second but eldest surviving son of Leopold I and Louise of Orléans, he succeeded his father to the Belgian throne in 1865 and reigned for 44 years until
Trevi Fountain Coins are purportedly meant to be thrown using the right hand over the left shoulder. This was the theme of 1954’s Three Coins in the Fountain and the Academy Award-winning song by that name which introduced the picture. An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. In 2016, an estimated
Storm Scents: It’s True, You Can Smell Oncoming Summer Rain When people say they can smell a storm coming, they’re right. Weather patterns produce distinctive odors that sensitive noses sniff out. This year’s peculiar weather patterns—such as drought in the Midwest and a “super derecho” of thunderstorms earlier this summer—are no exception. In fact, as
