NASA Astronauts have relied upon hydrogen gas for decades and the element is essential for space travel. How? As a fuel source.
Hundreds of thousands of gallons of liquid hydrogen are utilized as rocket fuel to propel space shuttles into Earth orbit.
But the innovations don’t stop there. The research NASA has done is making way for hydrogen fuel cells that could one day be used for a variety of applications, from running your car to your cell phone.
When combined with oxygen to produce electric power, the only byproduct is pure water. Apparently, the water produced is “so clean that astronauts actually drink the water produced by fuel cells on the space shuttle.”
Though there are still problems and obstacles to overcome, hydrogen as a fuel has a promising future.
Capable of being produced in milligram amounts, californium-252 can be purchased from the US government, produced in the High Flux Isotope Radiator at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, for the price of $10 per millionth of a gram.
J.K. Simmons has been the voice of the yellow peanut M&M since the late 1990s. Source
Billy West, the voice of Fry from Futurama, as well as the voice of the red M&M told a story about Simmons. i’m paraphrasing here.
said his wife was watching HBO’s Oz for the first time. said that she was praising Simmons acting. saying that she was terrified of him. that he was too good at playing the bad guy. that the man himself was terrifying.
Billy looks at the scrren, sees the guy and says “oh, hey, i know him. i’ve been working with him for years. yea, that’s the Yellow M&M”
FYI, if you didn’t know. Simmons is also the voice of Cave Johnson in Portal 2,
They began with the reconstruction of noses, which at the time were cut off as punishment for adultery. The Sushruta Samhita records that a nose reconstruction method was invented wherein a patch of the cheek was used to fashion a new nose.
Sources:
Nicolò Manuzzi (1639-1717) and the first report of the Indian Rhinoplasty. Sykes PJ, Santoni-Rugiu P, Mazzola RF. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2010 Feb; 63(2):247-50. Epub 2008 Dec 19.
The path of nasal reconstruction: from ancient India to the present. Yalamanchili H, Sclafani AP, Schaefer SD, Presti P. Facial Plast Surg. 2008 Jan; 24(1):3-10.
On the fifth day of the festival, which marked the new year, the Kings of Babylon were slapped hard as part of a ceremonial purification of the city. The king would enter the temple of Marduk, chief god of Babylon, and tell Marduk hadn’t done anything wrong in the past year. The high priest would then rise and slap the king as hard as he can with an open hand, hoping that he would cry from the blow, as tears were a sign that the king was telling the truth, and that Marduk approved of his rule for another year.
Sources:
(Bidmead, Julye. The Akītu festival: religious continuity and royal legitimation in Mesopotamia. Piscataway, NJ, USA, Gorgias Press, 2014..
Tulips were imported from the Ottoman Empire in 1559, and quickly became popular because of their beauty. In the beginning, prices rose because of wealthy collectors who were truly interested in the varying breeds of tulip. But soon, the growing demand attracted people who bought them up to resell them at higher prices, assuming that the price would grow higher. In 1636, however, the bubble burst, and prices ended up dropping by 90 % as the bottom of the market fell out.
Mackay, Charles. Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. London: Office of the National Illustrated Library. 1852. Library of Economics and Liberty [Online] available from http://www.econlib.org/library/Mackay/macEx3.html; accessed 10 September 2017; Internet.
Sass, Erik, et al. The mental floss History of the World: An Irreverent Romp through Civilization’s Best Bits. New York, Harper, 2009
The Associated Press always scored very highly when it comes to unbiased reporting. Well worth checking out if you want news sources that are not coloured by opinions or editorial policy.
The phrase: “We who are about to die salute you,”was not as commonly used in Ancient Rome as the media likes to portray. In fact, the only known case when the saying took place is during Emperor Claudius’s naumachia- a fierce naval battle staged in the middle of a real lake for the purpose of entertainment. Read more
Japanese people tend to be very creative about their food, though one beer company from this fascinating country went so far so to create a blue beer. The beer’s color is deep blue and it is said to be made using standard beer brewing technologies with addition of local seaweeds and herbs read more
Thethermae were not only a center of social life, but also a great place of medical use. It is known that if you were in pain, the ancient Roman physicians would first ask you if you have visited the baths that day, and if not, they would immediately send you to one. Read more
Thescyphus was a type of vessel that was very common around the Roman dinner table. Originally a Greek cup, it was adopted by Romans who often took things from Greek culture to use in their own lives. Read more
Known these days as the “Tower of Hercules” (previously known as Farum Brigantium), this lighthouse was built in 1st century AD by the Romans, and is considered the most preserved ancient Roman lighthouse in the world. Historians say that it most likely was built during Emperor Trajan’s reign, over an older structure that is believed to have been Phoenecian. Read more
The history of pumpkin wine goes back to 18th century America. It never became as popular as regular grape wine, but those who gave it a try enjoyed the experience and praised its unique taste. Pumpkin wine comes in both regular and sparking wine, and can sometimes be served with spices added to it. Read more
The legend of the green children of Woolpit originates in 12th century England. The tale tells a story about how one day, during the harvest time, two green-skinned children, a boy and a girl, wondered into the village. According to the legend the two spoke in an unknown language and refused to eat anything but green beans. They claimed they have come from “the land of St. Martin’s” where everything was green as their skin, and, even as time has passed, could not explain how they managed to end up in the village. Read more
Australian Flat White is a way of preparing coffee. Flat white is made by pouring a microfoam (which is steamed milk from the bottom of the pitcher) over the coffee, and most often decorating it with well-known cappuccino art. Read more
Maple tea is a Canadian invention and can be very good if you want to warm up during the long snowy winters. It basically tastes like black tea mixed with very concentrated maple syrup, while maple sugar can be added to it in order to make the taste even stronger. Read more
Chocolate pasta is made by adding cocoa to pasta dough. It is often served with fruits and berries, and is considered a dessert. The many people who have tried it claim that it doesn’t taste much different from general pasta and that the chocolate taste is barely notable. Though the ones who favor it call it one of their favorite dishes and a dessert unlike any other. Read more
The nuclear-powered lighthouse of Cape Aniva in Russia was built in 1939 and was originally supposed to be maintained by a group of people. Later, because of the stormy local sea waters and the distant location, the Soviet government decided to make it completely automatic, putting a specially designed nuclear power unit in the lighthouse tower. This day this unique building is abandoned as its reconstruction is being constantly delayed because of the risk of the radioactive pollution around the area. Read more
The reports of the Monkey Man from New Delhi started in the year 2001, and still continue to this day. At least one death and 35 injuries were connected to the Monkey Man, while the other contacts were described as more peaceful, including him stealing food, or showing up and escaping into the woods. These incidents created a huge panic in the area in 2001, and to this day the police and the people aren’t sure about what exactly the thing was. Read more
The Ancient Roman doctor Galen, who was born in Greece, among other things, was also credited with the invention of cold cream, using olive oil as his base for it instead of the modern day mineral oil. It has been in use for over a thousand years for soothing skin and relieving sunburns. Read more
The entrance of a typical Ancient Roman domus (house) would never face the street. Such a design was supposed to help the inhabitants protect themselves from street noises and interruptions. This way the front side of the domus would usually serve for business purposes, sometimes containing shops owned by the family who lived there. Read more
Domus Augusti ortheHouse of Augustus was the palace that belonged to the Roman emperor, Augustus. The palace he wanted wasn’t meant to be extremely luxurious or stunning in its size, and was supposed to show the modesty and the humbleness of its owner, as both virtues were highly praised by the Romans. Its ruins still can be visited today and the beautiful frescoes can still be seen on its majestic walls. Read more
Wharram Percy is an abandoned medieval village located in North Yorkshire, England. The settlement was abandoned in the 16th century, and now it is one of the most popular touristic spots of its kind. The site has the well-preserved ruins of a medieval church, and the foundations where the houses used to be can be seen as well. Read more
It can be a weird idea to the modern person to eat a dormouse, though in some cultures and countries it is still being eaten as a delicacy. In Ancient Rome the fattest and heaviest of these little animals were considered a treat, so they were often fattened up before being eaten. A dormouse was usually served for dinner, showing the guests how heavy it is and symbolizing the wealth of the owner of the house. Read more
The method of preparation of Turkish coffee is a part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage program. The coffee is brewed in a special copper coffee pot called a cezve, very carefully and attentively, not letting it boil in order to avoid the bitterness, and then served in very specific cups. The other amazing thing about Turkish coffee is that it is often prepared on hot sand, which gives a great show to the tourists who decided to stop by and enjoy a cup. Read more
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