Untangling the History of Christmas Lights
(via Smithsonian) Today an estimated 150 million light sets are sold in America each year, adding to the tangled millions
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Innovation
“Year 1999 AD” – A 1967 Film Imagines the Future
(via Atlas Obscura) This short film, produced in 1967 by the Philco-Ford Corporation, a maker of battery-powered tech, imagines the
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The Weird Economics of the Traffic Jam
(via Popular Mechanics) In 2008, researchers in Japan were finally able to capture a phenomena all too frequent, but rarely
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The Story of the Little Tree Car Air Fresheners
(via Great Big Story) You can find them in seemingly every taxi cab in the world, and are the general
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7 of the Tallest Skyscrapers in the United States
(via Popular Mechanics) When American construction reaches for the sky, it does so mainly in either New York City or
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The Model T of Space: Russian Soyuz Spacecraft Turns 50
(via Popular Mechanics) When the Russian Soyuz spacecraft blasted into orbit for the first time, Lyndon Johnson was the president
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Striking Photos of Philadelphia’s Abandoned Power Stations
(via Atlas Obscura) The new book Palazzos of Power: Central Stations of the Philadelphia Electric Company, 1900-1930 explores the history
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An Alarm Designer on How to Annoy People in the Most Effective Ways
(via Atlas Obscura) Alarm sounds are engineered to elicit particular responses in humans. And yet, sometimes, humans choose not to
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Here’s Why Grape Ice Cream Isn’t a Thing
(via thrillist) Have you ever seen grape ice cream? It’s doubtful because it doesn’t really exist. Slushies, sorbets, and Otter Pops
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The Rebellious Origin of the Video Game Easter Egg
(via Great Big Story) Video game designer Warren Robinett was a pioneer of his craft. He conceptualized and programmed the
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Food for Fighters: The Science Behind Feeding America’s Troops
(via Eater) In unfamiliar and dire surroundings, seeking refuge in familiarity and the comforts of home can be a matter
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Inside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory: NASA’s Crazy, Kooky, Legendary Research Facility
(via Popular Mechanics) Everyone’s talking about private industry getting humans on Mars. Mars trips! Mars houses! Mars colonies! But no
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