“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” — Winston Churchill It’s important to remember that the accuracy of historical accounts always depends upon the historian. For example, have you ever heard of the Matilda Effect? It publicizes when men receive credit for women’s accomplishments. The term was introduced in 1993
A question to ponder after we’ve just finished adjusting our clocks to accommodate Daylight Savings Time: Have you wondered why we always say O’clock with the time? I found an interesting explanation in “Why Do We Use ‘O’Clock’ When Telling Time?” by Caroline Bologna on the Huffpost website. According to the article, “O’clock” is a
Do you suffer from Triskaidekaphobia? If so, this is going to be a difficult year for you. Triskaidekaphobia is basically fear of the number 13, including fear of Friday the 13th. And this year’s calendar features three of these dates: February 13, March 13, and November 13 are all Fridays. What are the odds? This
If you are looking for a feel-good story, The New York Times recently found one. It seems the tooth fairy is real. Her name is Dr. Purva Merchant and she’s a pediatric dentist in Seattle, Washington. Which brings up the question, how did she get the job? It started with her boyfriend-now-husband who in 2004
What is the world’s most difficult job? I would vote for police officer. That’s especially true in this country, when there are so many complex situations that can arise, and most of them require split-second judgment — mental illness, drug addiction, spouse abuse, hostage situations. And the underlying assumption is that anyone, anywhere could be
Back in Colonial America, agriculture was the primary occupation for about 90% of the population (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_agriculture_in_the_United_States). But today, due to increased efficiency and other opportunities, less than two percent of the population is directly involved in farming. (https://www.google.com/search?q=percentage+of+people+in+agriculture+in+usa&sca_esv). And yet, despite the historic ‘loss’ of all those jobs, today’s unemployment rate has been consistently below five percent. I thought
It’s summertime! Are you happy? According to the World Happiness Report, you probably are if you live in Finland. On the Report’s 0-10 Happiness scale, Finland’s three-year average in 2024 was 7.736. In fact, all the Scandinavian countries score well — Denmark is second at 7.521. The USA? We don’t score as well; we’re 24th
We all know how a lot of things change with the seasons, including human behavior. But what you might not realize is this includes one behavior you might not have considered — divorce. According to a recent NPR report (https://www.npr.org/2025/06/05/nx-s1-5415880/divorce-months-seasons-why?), divorces tend to spike twice a year: in the early spring and again in the
Tired to hearing about how much food is wasted? There is an imaginative way to start taking advantage of leftover food at commercial establishments — restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores — especially if you like surprises. The idea is called Too Good To Go (https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-us). According to its website, “Too Good To Go is a social
Do you have a superpower? Mine is turning a two-sided piece of paper into a one-sided piece of paper. Okay, it’s actually a mathematical trick (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-timeless-journey-of-the-moebius-strip), but middle-school students don’t know that, so I usually get away with it. Yes, humans can have superpowers, although maybe not the kind found in comic books. For example,