January 4th is the birthday of Jacob Grimm of Grimm Fairy Tales fame, Jacob being the elder. He was born in Hanau, Germany in 1785. According to The Writers”Almanac, He and his brother volunteered to help some friends gather oral folktales for a research project. The Grimms did such a great job that one of their friends suggested
I have always seen pictures of the Frankenstein monster, and film clips from various productions, but that was the extent of my exposure. Lately I’ve gotten interested in classic literature (see my earlier piece on The Phantom of the Opera), and decided to read the original novel, Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft
It came as a shock to me to hear that all rainbows are not the usual kaleidoscope of colors. There are different kinds of rainbows, including some that are almost all red. They are rare, but they can be found. Basically, red rainbows happen when the sun is on the horizon. When the sun
Many people consider autism to be a 20th-century disorder, but an article in the January-February 2016 issue of Smithsonian magazine presents surprising evidence that the condition is much older than that. Entitled “Autism in Early America”, it outlines some possible early cases. There was the Wild Boy of Aveyron, who walked naked out of a
It’s been a while since I’ve posted any original fiction. This story was published at BewilderingStories.com in Issue 612, and was an Editors’ Choice in the 2015 First Quarterly Review. And one of these segments actually happened! The Joy in Forgotten Objects by Bob Welbaum It’s a small, round white stick, made of sturdy
This is an obvious question with what seems to be an obvious answer — why do we get bored? Actually, it’s not that simple. Researchers are studying how and why people get bored, and what the implications are. For example, our economy would be much better off if everyone were fully engaged in their work.
This is one of those stories you check multiple times to make sure you’ve seen it right. I read this on Time magazine’s daily news brief awhile back, and I didn’t believe it either. Basically, here’s what happened — After fertility treatments had produced a son, the couple had a paternity test. Imagine their surprise when
If you’re concerned about the state of the world and are looking for a worthwhile charity to support in 2016, I’d like to introduce you to someone who feels the same way. Her name is Barbara Abdeni Massaad and she’s from Beirut, Lebanon. Less than an hour’s drive from her home were Syrian refugees in
The website Reader’s Favorite has just reviewed Some Poems About Life. Some Poems About Life by Bob Welbaum is an enjoyable and easy-to-read selection of thirty poems that examine ordinary life and its significance. Most of the verses rhyme and others are a mixture of line length and non-rhyming thoughts. The poet covers a variety
If I were smart, I’d stay away from this one, because it gets complicated, but I just ran across this topic on the EarthSky News. The short answer to how big a black hole can get is 50 billion suns before the food that powers them crumbles into stars. (Like I said, it’s complicated.) The