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Good Vibrations: A Musical Milestone
On this date in 1966, Brian Wilson began recording what would come to be the Beach Boys single “Good Vibrations.” Here are some things you may not have known about the song. “Good Vibrations” was recorded while the Beach Boys were working on their album “Pet Sounds.” At some point, the song was intended to…
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MASH Units: Separating Fact From Television
On this date in 2006, the last American mobile army surgical hospital was deactivated. Here are some things you may not have known about MASH units. The inspiration for MASH units came during World War II. At the time, the U.S. military used a system that required injured troops to be transported long distances to…
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ENIAC: One Of The First Computers
On this date in 1946, ENIAC, one of the first electronic computers was dedicated. Here are some things you may not have known about it. ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. It was designed to calculate artillery firing tables for the U.S. Army’s Ballistic Research laboratory. It was literally a computer. It could…
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YouTube: Streaming Since 2005
On this date in 2005, YouTube was founded. Here are some things you might not have known about the video-sharing site. It was created by three former PayPal employees named Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim. The three differ on their inspiration for starting the company. Karim said it was because he couldn’t find…
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Louisville Sewer Explosions
On this date in 1981, more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky, were destroyed by a sewer explosion. Here are some things you might not have known about the incident. A Ralston Purina soybean processing plant suffered a massive leak of hexane, which was used as a solvent to extract soybean oil. Hexane…
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Gold Records: Marking a Milestone
On this date in 1942, the first gold record was awarded to Glenn Miller and his Orchestra. Here are some things you may not have known about certification of record sales. The record given to Miller was from his record company, RCA Victor, to celebrate the sales of 1.2 million copies of the single “Chattanooga…
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Daylight Saving Time
On this date in 1942, year-round Daylight Saving Time was reinstated in the United States during World War II. Here are some things you may not have known about Daylight saving time. It was not originally proposed by Benjamin Franklin. Despite his enthusiasm for working in the early morning, most of the world did not…
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NASDAQ: Taking Stock of its History
On this date in 1971, trading began on the NASDAQ stock market. Here are some things you may not have known about what is now the second-largest stock exchange in the world. Originally, NASDAQ was an acronym that stood for “National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations.” It was the first electronic stock market, but…
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Bananas: America’s Second Most Popular Fruit
Apropos of nothing, we’re going bananas today. Here are some things you may not have known about the second most popular fresh fruit in America. Bananas are technically berries which grow on large herbaceous plants, not trees. Herbs differ from trees in that they have no persistent woody stem above ground. The species of banana…
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Queen Elizabeth II: Reigning for 65 Years
On this date in 1952, Elizabeth II became queen regnant of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms when her father, George VI, died. Here are some things you may not have known about Queen Elizabeth II. She was born by cesarean section on April 21, 1926, at her maternal grandfather’s home in Mayfair, London.…