Friday links

Molon Labe! (wiki): yesterday was the anniversary of the battle of Thermopylae.

If You Own Land, How Far Above and Below Do You Own?

The Inventor Of The Phone Was Obsessed With Sheep Nipples.

Predicting weather with bug sex.

Amish man starts Uber-esque horse and buggy ride-sharing. 

The story of the 1776 plot (from within) to murder George Washington and his senior officers.

ICYMI, most recent links are here, and include Milton Friedman's birthday, Beatrix Potter's botanical drawings, how to become a fossil after you die, and, from 1380, the onion test for determining whether someone is or is not dead (with bonus Monty Python).

Tuesday's links

April 25th is ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps ) Day, the anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli.

Seven Things You Didn’t Know About Medieval Dragons.

Is a Drunk Witness a Bad Witness?

It's Oliver Cromwell's birthday - here's his excellent speech throwing out the corrupt Parliament, with bonus Monty Python.

The World's Most Stubborn Real Estate Holdouts.

Inside the FBI’s Colossal Pre-Computer Fingerprint Factory.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include the science of cheap wine, Earth Day's murderous co-founder, a 1964 coffee revolt, fighting communism with jazz, and a 1983 episode of The Family Feud that pitted the cast of Gilligan's Island against the cast of Batman.

Monday links

"Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." It's the birthday of H.L. Mencken, noted curmudgeon, satirist, and political and cultural critic.

If You Own Land, How Far Above and Below Do You Own?

Fall Foliage Prediction Map

One minute science video lesson of the day: How A Bean Becomes A Fart

Here’s How Many Apple Cores It Would Take to Poison You.

The Political Power of Marie Antoinette's Hair.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include back to school fashion circa 1939, a gallery of unusual cloud formations, Heineken's abandoned plan to build houses out of beer bottles (plus more bottle houses and a DIY bottle brick tutorial), and everything you wanted to know about eyebrow interpretation from the 16th century.

Tuesday links

Apocalypse on March 8, 2016: freak supermoon, eclipse and asteroid on same day 'signal end of world'

The Spite House, an Architectural Phenomenon Built on Rage and Revenge.

This 1953 Film Perfectly Explains How Mechanical Computers Worked Before We Had Microchips.

Old English Words We Should Still Use Today.

The Story of Strawberry Fields Forever.

Meet the Last Generation of Typewriter Repairmen.

ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include Oregon Trail for Adults, a declassified CIA assassination manual from 1953, what it's like to live in the town where The Walking Dead is filmed, and cities in Russia what no one is allowed to go.

Monday links

A video tour of the (excellent) Museum of Bad Art.

How Not to Get Killed by a Cow. Related, from the archives: Brit farmer turned Nazi super cows into sausage because they were too aggressive.

The Canary Girls and the WWI Poisons that turned them Yellow.

The unexpected math behind Van Gogh's "Starry Night".

Got an extra $8.4 million? Michelangelo’s Tuscan is Villa For Sale.

Picasso’s Self Portrait Evolution From Age 15 To Age 90.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include interestingly-translated Chinese restaurant menus, where dogs come from, a 1960s Russian turbojet train, and a free coloring book of weird patents. 

Tuesday links

Geronimo died on this day in 1909 - history, quotes, and why we yell his name when we jump out of planes.

Due to the economic downturn, rapid increases in property tax, and onerous regulations, there are a lot of Italian castles for sale - here's a gallery.

The Most Ludicrous James Bond Supervillain Schemes Of All Time.

Check out this 1861 Victorian sex manual - it's chock full of useful information.

How the Military Waged a Graphic-Design War on Venereal Disease.

NatGeo has a gallery of extreme close-ups of mites.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and are all Valentine-related: science, history, music, food, and lots of cards (geeky, vintage, and offensive).

Monday links

Yesterday was the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Here's the History Channel on the battle, and here's Monty Python's reenactment.

Thousands of Einstein Documents Are Now a Click Away.

A real estate broker in The Netherlands installed a wooden roller coaster throughout the seller's home to take prospective buyers through.

How Scotch Tape Was Invented.

Video: How Bourbon is Made.

1964 Auditions for The Addams Family. Related, The Addams Family’s Black and White Living Room Was Actually Pink.

Chew on This: What Gum Has Cost Society in Its 5,000-Year History.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include British Christmas how-tos, flying cars, and the art and science of dried single-malt Scotch.

Tuesday links

Quiz: Match these gorgeous 18th- and 19th- century patent models to their purpose.

Add some weasel brain to your cheese to keep rats and mice away: Advice from 1649. Related, sort of: here's a list of risk factors from 1799 for spontaneous combustion, plus more recent science.

Brutally Honest Disney Movie Posters

Because it's that time of the year: Famous Writers’ Report Cards: Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Norman Mailer, E.E. Cummings and more.

Kentucky's $30 Million Castle.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include People Painted To Look Like Animals, Technologies That Replace Super Powers, the History of the Sunflower, and the History Of Light. (including how much light, historically, you could get for a day's work:

Antiquity: 10 minutes (candle)

1800s: 5 hours (kerosene)

Today: 20,000 hours (electricity))

Friday links

In the Original Story, Pinocchio killed Jiminy Cricket, Got His Feet Burnt Off, and was Hanged and Left for Dead.

Best 30 seconds you spend all day will be this video of a baby who wakes up dancing.  If you have another 90 seconds to spare, here's the science and history of popcorn.

What Would Happen if You Stuck Your Head in the Large Hadron Collider's Particle Beam?

25 Amazing Behind-the-Scenes Photos of Star Wars.

A 500 lb chicken from hell: large feathered dinosaur species used to live in the Dakotas.

How Much Is Kermit The Frog's House From 'The Muppets' Worth?

ICYMI, Thursday's links, including the history of the bra and real life versions of video game/cartoon weapons, are here.