Of all the Founding Fathers, I think the most fascinating is Benjamin Franklin. He was our first humorist, and in his day the best writer in the Colonies. He was also an inquisitive scientist, perhaps best known for his experiments with electricity. But recently I ran across a Ben Franklin story that I’m sure he
On November 11, 2016, this country started something we take for granted every day — it established a highway numbering system. This was described so well by an entry in The Writer’s Almanac that I’m just going to quote it verbatim — In the early days of automobile travel, the federal government wasn’t involved
Remember when I wrote about dihydrogen monoxide, that dangerous chemical that should be banned because it causes thousands of deaths every year (http://www.dhmo.org/truth/Dihydrogen-Monoxide.html)? (News flash: it’s water. Think about it, two hydrogen and one oxygen.) I have another one for you. There are several videos on YouTube claiming that, because of a conjunction between Venus
Yesterday I related a story about how difficult it is to learn the Thai language. But I know every language requires a lot of effort to master. The language I’ve actually studied is Spanish (not counting a Latin course in high school). I was a Latin American Studies major at the Air Force Academy. Although
What is the most difficult language to learn? Based on my personal experience, I would vote for Thai. And that personal experience came in the military. Every generation seems to have a war; mine was Vietnam. Fortunately, I got in on the tail end, when “Vietnamization” was in full swing. I spent little time in-country,
On November 2nd, 1920, radio station KDKA in Pittsburg, PA broadcast the first regular radio transmission in the US — the Harding-Cox presidential election results. Only about 5000 people owned radios at that time, and no one was quite sure how to use this new technology. Some wanted radio used for the good of everyone, funded
When I saw the musical Annie, I remember Daddy Warbucks inviting President Roosevelt to dinner, then ordering his staff to “Find out what Democrats eat.” Cute line, but apparently there’s some truth to it. In an article “Do You Eat Like a Republican or a Democrat?”, Chris Wilson reports that members of the two main
While checking my email this afternoon, I ran across an interesting item on the Time News Brief: “Why You Should Eat Your Halloween Candy All At Once ” by Jamie Ducharme is the most counterintutive headline I’ve seen in a long time. It’s definitely the opposite of what my mother preached. Of course, no one
I’m reposting this from last year in honor of Halloween. Halloween Fun Halloween can be fun for adults, too. I like to hold out a bowl of candy — a nice assortment — and simply say “You may take one of your choice.” and watch the little wheels turn. Which one should I pick?
Having had a career in the military, I know something about camouflage. A common opinion is good camouflage is supposed to make you disappear into the background (which has led to a lot of jokes, particularly about stealth technology). Actually all camouflage has to do is make a recognizable shape unrecognizable, if only for a
