• Did Bill Gates Predict The Coronavirus Pandemic?

    Every time something newsworthy happens, someone digs into an old episode of The Simpsons and finds a joke that seems to predict the real-life incident. But people have recently discovered another coronavirus oracle, whose predictions are even more reliable than a yellow cartoon family: Bill Gates.

    By Pauli Poisuo March 19th, 2020 Read More
  • The Untold Truth Of Dr. Fauci

    The head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has more than a little experience, as well as education. Dr. Anthony Fauci has been head of NIAID since 1984, appointed during the Reagan administration, which means he's worked successfully for six different presidents.

    By Eric Meisfjord March 19th, 2020 Read More
  • The Truth Behind Merle Haggard's Time In Prison

    Merle Haggard's youth really does sound like a country song: raised in a converted boxcar during the Great Depression, his father died when he was eight years old, after which he became a juvenile delinquent. In 1957, though, he pushed his luck a little too far.

    By Eric Meisfjord March 18th, 2020 Read More
  • The Real Difference Between A Recession And A Depression

    What with the coronavirus, rumbling of a coming depression tumbled out of the Twitter feeds of pessimists, while the more pragmatic but still not-fun-at-parties crowd foresaw a fast-approaching recession. And that begs the question: what's the difference?

    By Tom Meisfjord March 18th, 2020 Read More
  • The Real Reason The Titanic's Sister Ship Also Sank

    In 1912, White Star Line vice-president Philip Franklin declared, "There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable and nothing but inconvenience will be suffered by the passengers." Given what actually happened, Franklin's words would go down as the height of stupid pride ...

    By A. C. Grimes March 18th, 2020 Read More
  • What Happens To Your Body If You Drink Vape Juice?

    Might as well start with the basics: don't drink vape juice. Nothing that you're about to read will change the fact that drinking vape juice will cement your place as the weird (and unhealthy) dude who drinks vape juice. That sort of social branding doesn't go away.

    By Tom Meisfjord March 18th, 2020 Read More
  • How Many People Survived The Jonestown Massacre?

    Members of the Jonestown community were given the choice to take their own lives or be killed by the camp guards, having been told that authorities would be "parachuting in" and taking their kids to be raised as fascist pawns. Amazingly, through various turns of events, 33 people made it out alive.

    By Tom Meisfjord March 18th, 2020 Read More
  • Here's The Difference Between Quarantine And Isolation

    Quarantine is the word of the day, and unfortunately, it can do a lot more than just earn us a ton of points in Scrabble. Thanks to the COVID-19 coronavirus strain currently making the rounds, tons of people are getting intimately acquainted with the term, whether they like it or not.

    By Pauli Poisuo March 18th, 2020 Read More
  • How Franklin Roosevelt Convinced America He Could Walk

    Was it polio? That was the consistent diagnosis at the time. Current medical opinion is inclined to think that Franklin Delano Roosevelt might have had Guillain-Barre syndrome instead. Whatever the condition, when he was 39 his legs were paralyzed, and remained so for the rest of his life.

    By Eric Meisfjord March 17th, 2020 Read More
  • What To Do If You Really Run Out Of Toilet Paper

    Americans like to smell good, groom, and generally bathe regularly. We like our plumbing and ready access to potable water, hot when we need it and cold when we don't. And we like our toilet paper.

    By Eric Meisfjord March 17th, 2020 Read More
  • The Real Reason Bats Carry So Many Diseases

    Forget Bruce Wayne, who carries lots of gadgets and emotional baggage. The really impressive bat-creature weighs in at less than an ounce. It's the Chinese horseshoe bat, and by some estimates, according to the New York Times, it's a possible source of the coronavirus.

    By Eric Meisfjord March 17th, 2020 Read More
  • The Truth About Second Waves Of Pandemics

    "Pandemics are inherently unpredictable in appearance and severity," so it's by no means guaranteed that waves will occur at all. However, both the Black Death and the 1918 flu had hellacious second waves. So why might these second waves happen?

    By A. C. Grimes March 16th, 2020 Read More
  • The Truth Behind Master P's NBA Tryout

    During the 1998-99 NBA season, the league went the extra mile to grab fans' attention after a contentious lockout. As part of that promotional effort, the Charlotte Hornets invited Master P (real name Percy Miller) to give it his best shot during a preseason tryout.

    By A. C. Grimes March 16th, 2020 Read More