People & Society

For a while in the 2010s, you could rent the country of Liechtenstein on Airbnb for $70,000 a night. This included hanging out with the monarch, temporary currency, the ability to rename streets and a key to country. December 6, 2020

After Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob Squarepants, graduated high school he worked as a fry cook during summers at a restaurant in Islesford, Maine known as Islesford Dock Restaurant. The restaurant would later be the inspiration for the Krusty Krab in the show. November 30, 2020

Firefighters that responded to last year's fire at Notre Dame knew which works of art to rescue and in which order following a protocol developed for such a disaster. November 30, 2020

In the 17th century, weavers in Nimes, France, accidentally made denim while trying to replicate the process of producing another popular fabric called serge. They called the new material "serge de Nimes" meaning literally "serge from Nimes." Over time, merchants shortened the name to "denim". November 28, 2020

English cricket great Denis Compton was renowned for his absent-mindedness. He once arrived at a match without his kitbag, so he used an antique bat from the stadium's museum; and during a major celebration in honour of his 70th birthday, his mother rang, telling him that he was only 69 November 28, 2020

Every year, a regatta is held in Alice Springs. Due to the lack of water in Central Australia, contestants have to carry bottomless "boats" trough a dried-out river. When the river did carry water in 1993, the regatta became "the only regatta ever cancelled because of wet weather". November 27, 2020

After the Scarecrow gets his diploma in The Wizard of Oz, he recites the Pythagorean theorem incorrectly. November 25, 2020

Meet the symbiotic relationship of wolves and ravens. Ravens will lead wolves to prey so that they can take a portion of the leftovers, play games of tail chasing with each other, and develop individual friendships. November 22, 2020

The song 'Rapture' by Blondie (1981) was the first single featuring a rap to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Debbie Harry, lead singer of Blondie, has said many rappers, including the Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep, told her it was the first rap song they ever heard. November 20, 2020

Due to a strong dislike towards mixing of science and politics, Einstein said were he a young man again, he'd choose to be a plumber or a peddler, to which many plumbing companies responded by making him the honorary plumber. Also, there are many Einstein Plumbing companies in the US now. November 20, 2020

Comcast changed their brand from "Comcast Internet" to "Xfinity" because the comcast name had become associated with poor quality and service. The name change decision was made after a Comcast technician was recorded while sleeping on a customer's couch. November 20, 2020

40% of the Cream of Mushroom Soup Sold in the U.S. Goes to Make Green Bean Casserole November 19, 2020

900 year old African coins were found of the coast of Australia, making them the oldest foreign artefacts found on the continent, predating the Europeans by centuries. November 19, 2020

Dracula was translated into Icelandic in 1901, and it wasn't until 2014 that anyone noticed this version was actually a significantly different novel with a smaller page count and a lot more sex November 18, 2020

Horses originated in North America, migrated to Asia and were domesticated, went extinct in North America, and were brought back over again by the Spanish thousands of years later. November 17, 2020

Babies' cuteness is key to their survival. Cute babies are just extremely hard to ignore, and this is likely hardwired into human brains. Less cute children are treated differently. November 14, 2020

Martin Luther King Jr. considered running for president in 1968 after being urged to by anti-Vietnam Democrats, but ultimately decided against the proposal as he felt uneasy with politics and considered himself better suited for his morally unambiguous role as an activist. November 8, 2020

Meet the 1956 Dutch-American Friendship Treaty. Americans with 4500 Euros can obtain a 2-year visa to work as an independent contractor in Holland. This can be extended long enough to ultimately apply for Dutch/EU citizenship. November 5, 2020

On the night that MTV launched, the opening sequence for the network featured footage of the Apollo 11 launch, simply because it was public domain and free to use. It was that opening sequence that connected MTVs image with astronauts, including the Video Music Award "moon man" trophy. November 4, 2020

On Disneyland's opening day in 1955, an invitation-only crowd of 15,000 was expected, but thanks to counterfeit tickets, 28,154 entered the gates. A few more even scaled a fence, using a ladder erected by an entrepreneur who charged $5 a head. On the Santa Ana Freeway, there was a 7-mile backup November 4, 2020