Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794-1876) lost his leg in the service of his country, and he wanted to make sure no one ever forgot it. He also lost two other legs, and he probably wished no one would remember. Before becoming the 8th President of Mexico, Santa Anna came to prominence as a military... Continue Reading →
95% of all people have a natural immunity to leprosy. source
We refer to something outlandishly expensive as "costing an arm and a leg." Perhaps a better comparison would be the cost of a unit of blood. The sale of body parts is illegal in most parts of the world, so it is hard to evaluate the fair market value for an arm and a leg.... Continue Reading →
Winston Churchill was well known for his fondness of alcohol, and he was concerned that his access to his favorite drink would be curtailed during his visits to the United States in its Prohibition days. To make sure he was never without accessible libation, he persuaded his physician to write him a prescription, describing his... Continue Reading →
One of the most famous assassinations in history took place on March 15, 44 BC. Julius Caesar was attacked by a group of Roman senators and stabbed to death. William Shakespeare famously records his last words as, “Et tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar!” (Julius Caesar). Others say his last words were Greek, “Καί σύ, τέκνον.”... Continue Reading →
Kansas City is known as the home of barbecue, jazz, sports teams, and midwestern values. Did you know it is also the home of the greatest prophet from the Bible? Well, the home of one of his fingers, anyway.... Visitors the Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum Of Art can see a glass vial, housed in an... Continue Reading →
Many have speculated about what was going on inside Albert Einstein's brain. The author of the Theory of Relativity and one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists of all time possessed a brain that came to be synonymous with the word genius. While the mystery of his brain's inner workings continues to be a topic of... Continue Reading →
Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) was more than a violin virtuoso; he was one of the best violinists of all time. By the time he was in his 20's, he was known throughout Europe. His command of the violin was so complete, in fact, that rumors quickly spread that such ability was not humanly possible and that... Continue Reading →
In news that is sure to excite college students everywhere, a team of Scottish scientists announced the development of a pizza that is healthy enough to eat at every meal. Professor Mike Lean of Glasgow University and businessman Donnie Maclean worked with a team to produce the pizza which contains 30% of the recommended daily... Continue Reading →
Women have long disparaged men for acting as if their flu symptoms are more severe than those experienced by women. As it turns out, the men have been right all along. According to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, women possess a natural protection against the flu: estrogen.... Continue Reading →
If you have ever heard someone described as "worthless," you would do well to remember that no one truly qualifies as such. Setting aside the value of life and what a person chooses to do with his or her life, everyone has some value -- $160, in fact. The human body is made up of... Continue Reading →
If you are average you will grow 590 miles of hair in your lifetime. Source
Afflicted with a condition called macrodactyly, Lui Hua of Jiangsu, China had one of the largest hands on record. His left thumb was 10.5 inches (26 cm); his index finger was 12 inches (30 cm), and his middle finger was 6 inches (15 cm). Overall, his left arm weighed 22 pounds (10 kg). In 2007... Continue Reading →
Britain's King George I was on a hunting party in the Hertswold Forest of northern Germany in 1725 when he came across an extraordinary discovery: a wild boy. The child lived alone, without human companionship, and survived off of the local plant life. He walked on all four limbs like an animal and was unable... Continue Reading →
Countless songs, poems, and dramatic works have been written about the power of a kiss. You may have been unaware of one of the additional benefits of the exercise: allergy reduction. Dr. Hajime Kimata, a Japanese scientist who specializes in allergy research, published the findings of his study on how kissing affected allergic reactions in patients... Continue Reading →
