Why is the Washington Monument built to be 555 feet and 5 inches (555’ 05”) tall? Was it intentional or just a coincidence with all the fives?
Not only is the Washington Monument 555 feet 5 inches tall, it is also 55 feet wide at its base. That’s even more fives! But the reason for…
What is the math behind the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
The math is simple. It is a fight between two forces: the tower’s weight and the ground it stands on. The tower has a center of gravity. This is…
Where was the Luftwaffe during the Operation Overlord of the allied forces in the beaches of Normandy in WW2?
As it happens the Germans put together a formidable air flotilla of almost 500 planes to bomb the Allied invasion fleet but the planes were seized by Hitler…
What are the most mysterious countries?
There’s a country at the edge of Europe that feels like time stopped in the 80s. Literally. People from Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova that declared independence in…
How did the Roman aqueducts not have dirty, bug-infested water in them?
None of the other answers I’ve read actually explains how Roman aqueducts delivered relatively clear water. Yes, it was not necessarily germ free, but the addition of wine,…
During a tsunami, do whales and sharks go crashing into whatever town the wave hits?
No, don’t worry about some great white swimming down the road during a tsunami. Great whites are not likely to find themselves in cities. Tsunamis do strange things,…
Who thinks Trump will see out his full term as president?
My guess is he does not. My theory is that the rich billionaires don’t want to destroy America and turn it into a dictatorship, per se, because dictators…
Will people in the EU and Canada really stop buying American goods because of the tariffs?
My son works for a company that sells pumps. These are high end pumps. When Trump first announced the tariffs he received a call from a supplier in…
Are there any snakes in Africa that are more dangerous than black mambas and cobras to humans?
In terms of aggression, the Black Mamba with its cousin, the Green Mamba are the top contenders for the most dangerous snakes. Black and Green Mambas They both…
The drinking duck is a common science toy in American physics classrooms and elsewhere
When you wet its head, it slowly lowers until it suddenly becomes almost horizontal, then straightens up after a jolt or two. If you put a glass of…