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☆ 'Mary & George': the Scandalous True Story Behind the Starz Series
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"Mary & George" takes viewers inside the raucous 17th century court of Britain's King James I. AdvertisementNicholas Galitzine as George Villiers in "Mary & George." Tony Curran as King James and Nicholas Galitzine as George Villiers in "Mary & George." Nicholas Galitzine as George Villiers in "Mary & George." "Mary & George" is released weekly on Fridays at midnight on the Starz app and the Starz linear channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Persons: Mary, George, Britain's King James I, —, Long, Kris Kardashian, Mary Villiers, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Galitzine, Tony Curran, Countess, Duke of Buckingham, Benjamin Woolley's, James I, England's James I, Scotland's James VI, George Villiers, Mary Villiers's, Sir George Villiers, Moore, what's, James, Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset, Laurie Davidson, King James, Carr, Alan Stewart, King James I, Marquess of Buckingham, George Villiers's, George reminisced, King James Until James, Katherine Manners, Earl of Rutland, Katherine, Starz Mary, Woolley, poultices, King Charles I, Charles Organizations: Service, Starz, Royal, Farnham, BBC, Smithsonian Magazine Locations: France, England, Scottish, London, Surrey, Britain

☆ 7 times a total solar eclipse revolutionized science
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In the middle of the afternoon, day will shift to night, as a total solar eclipse touches 15 states. We know now what causes a total solar eclipse. Here are seven times a total solar eclipse has helped advance human science. Culture Club/Bridgeman via Getty ImagesOn March 14, 189 BCE, a total solar eclipse swept over what is now northern Turkey. Corbis via Getty ImagesGemini 12 astronauts Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to see a total eclipse from space.

Persons: —, China's emporer, Edmond Halley, De, Anaxagoras, Hipparchus, Nicaea, Edmond, Halley, Isaac Newton's, Norman Lockyer, Pierre Jules César Janssen, Janssen, Lockyer, James Craig Watson, Vulcan, Albert Einstein, Einstein, Corbis, Jim Lovell, Buzz Aldrin Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, Alexandria . Culture Club, Bridgeman, Science, Society Picture Library, Sun, Mercury, Wallops, Smithsonian Magazine, NASA Locations: Ireland, China, Alexandria, Turkey, Egypt, England, India, French, Guntur, Brazil, Principe, Africa, Virginia, Peru

☆ I tried Sonic's 3 new barbecue-themed menu items, and they're proof that more national chains need to offer Southern-inspired flavors
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Erin Mcdowell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

During that time, I fell in love with North Carolina-style barbecue, mostly from local restaurants, but I'd also often order it from regional fast-food chains. Now, Sonic Drive-In, which is headquartered in Oklahoma City but has locations in 47 states, is stepping up to the plate with its trio of barbecue-inspired menu items: its pulled-pork BBQ cheeseburger, pulled-pork BBQ "totchos," and pulled-pork BBQ sandwich. "These new items are a harmony of BBQ's best flavors, proving BBQ really does make everything better," Gibson added. While the signature meat in Texas-style barbecue is usually beef and Kansas-style is a mixture of both beef and pork, North Carolina-style and Memphis-style barbecue particularly focuses on pulled pork and pork ribs. I tried all three new items on Sonic's menu to see how they stacked up to the chain's regular offerings, and to determine if more national chains should follow its lead and bring home the barbecue.

Persons: —, I'd, Sonic, Mackenzie Gibson, Gibson, Cook, McDonald's, Burger Organizations: Service, Business, Smithsonian Magazine Locations: North Carolina, Oklahoma City, Southern, Virginia, Texas , Kansas City, Carolina, Memphis, Texas, Kansas

☆ I spent $9,000 for just one night on Europe's leading luxury train. Here are 5 reasons it's worth the splurge — and one why it isn't.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Joey Hadden | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Read previewThe Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is the epitome of luxury, overnight train travel. Back then, it was renowned for luxury and sophistication, drawing wealthy and celebrity clientele, according to Smithsonian Magazine . This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Overnight cabins range from $9,000 to $26,000 per night, depending on the tier of accommodation, according to the company's website . Here's a breakdown of why the overnight trip was — and wasn't —worth $9,000.

Persons: —, I'd Organizations: Service, Orient, Orient Express, Smithsonian Magazine, Business Locations: Amsterdam, Istanbul, Europe, Paris, Venice, Italy

☆ Step onboard the world's most luxurious train — suits and gowns are mandatory and a $26,000 suite comes with unlimited champagne
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Joey Hadden | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a luxury overnight train comprised of historic carriages. Take a tour to go inside one of the world's most luxurious trains. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementWelcome aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a luxurious, overnight Belmond train. The iconic Orient Express transported the rich and royal from 1883 to 1977, and was the first transcontinental express train in Europe, according to Britannica.

Persons: —, Here's Organizations: Orient, Service, Orient Express, Smithsonian Magazine, Britannica ., Express, Business Locations: Venice, Europe, Britannica, London, Istanbul, Paris, Italy

☆ Black taxi drivers helped fuel the Montgomery Bus Boycott, even as they faced arrests and police pressure
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Montgomery Bus Boycott began in December 1955 after Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat. Black taxi drivers provided alternative transportation for thousands of boycotters. AdvertisementWithout the help of Black taxi drivers, the boycott would have been severely hampered. Women walked to work during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Don Cravens/Getty ImagesFacing police pressureIn the face of the mounting boycott, Montgomery police instituted a minimum fare law and even arrested taxi drivers who helped the city's Black residents.

Persons: Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks, —, Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, King, Don Cravens, Gretchen Sorin, Bayard Rustin, Rustin Organizations: Montgomery Bus, . Police, Service, Parks, Travel, Civil Rights, Smithsonian Magazine, Bus, Montgomery, National Archives, National Park Service Locations: Montgomery, Rosa

☆ Great Sphinx could have been initially formed by nature, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Now, a new study offers evidence to suggest that theory might be plausible, according to a news release from New York University. … Our experiments could add to the understanding of how these yardangs form,” he said. More on the mysterious Great Sphinx originsWhile the Great Sphinx of Giza has its mysteries — what it originally looked like and why it was made — it is believed that the 66-foot-tall (20-meter-tall) statue was carved out of a single piece of limestone. “There is too much evidence of human intervention in the construction of the Great Sphinx to make the yardang theory feasible,” Ikram said. The New York University researchers said their results suggest that Sphinx-like structures can form under fairly commonplace conditions, but their findings don’t resolve the mysteries behind yardangs and the Great Sphinx.

Persons: CNN —, Farouk El, Baz —, ”, Leif Ristroph, Ristroph, Baz, Ronald Greeley, Salima Ikram, Ikram, “ It’s, ” Ristroph Organizations: CNN, New York University, Laboratory, New York University’s Courant, Mathematical Sciences, “, Lions, Smithsonian, El, Mathematics Laboratory, Mathematics, American University, The New York University Locations: New York, El, Cairo

☆ An 11,000-year-old statue of a man holding his penis could reveal secrets about a mysterious Neolithic culture
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A 7.5-foot-tall statue of a man clutching his penis with both hands was uncovered in an ancient site. AdvertisementAdvertisementArchaeologists have uncovered an 11,000-year-old statue of a man clutching his penis — a discovery that could shed new light on a mysterious Neolithic culture. The Urfa man, a 6.2-foot-tall statue of a man seeming to protect his erect penis with both hands, was notably found nearby. Urfa man, also known as the Balikligol statue, is shown in at Archeology Museum in Sanliurfa on February 22, 2023. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe statue guards its mysterious meaningIt's not clear what the statue was meant to represent and how it fits within this mysterious Neolithic culture.

Persons: —, OZAN KOSE, Necmi Karul, Karahan, Gobekli, Esber, Sean Thomas, Thomas, Karul, Benjamin Arbuckle, Klaus Schmidt, Schmidt, Lee Clare, Clare, Ted Banning, Banning, Arbuckle Organizations: Service, Getty, Istanbul University, Agence France Presse, UNESCO, Archeology Museum, Anadolu Agency, The Spectator, AFP, University of North, Chapel, Smithsonian Magazine, Archaeological Institute, BBC, University of Toronto Locations: Karahan Tepe, Turkey, Karahantepe, Sanliurfa, AFP, Syria, Turkiye, Asia, University of North Carolina, Gobekli Tepe, Karahan, Gobekli

☆ The 9 locations around the world where sharks attack most, from Florida to Western Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The risk of being bitten by a shark is low, and deaths from a shark attack are rare. Insider has taken a look at the locations where the most shark attacks occur across the globe. Insider has taken a look at some of the major shark attack hot spots around the world, from Australia to the Bahamas. The ISAF says that the US tops the charts for "confirmed unprovoked" shark attacks since 1580, with a recorded 1,604 incidents. Peter Unger/Getty ImagesA woman was killed in a second fatal shark attack in the area of Plettenberg Bay in 2022.

Persons: —, Walt Harden, Mark Sumersett, I've, Simon Nellist, Peter Unger, Kimon Bisogno, Sara Andreotti, Pawel Toczynski, Kim Mahbouli, Alexis Rosenfeld, Katarina Zarutskie Organizations: Service, Sunshine State, Florida, ISAF, Australia Australia, New, CNN, Getty, South, Palmetto State, Hilton Head Hospital, Hilton Head Island Government, New York Times, South Africa's Stellenbosch University, CBS News, Smithsonian Magazine, Daily Star, BBC Locations: Florida, Australia, Bahamas, Florida Florida, Smyrna Beach , Florida, Volusia County, ISAF, New Smyrna, New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria, Little Bay, Sydney, Hawaii, Pacific, South Carolina, Sea Pines, Hilton, Carolina, North Carolina, South Africa, California, Africa, Plettenberg Bay, Plettenberg, France, London, Brazil Brazil, Brazil, Caribbean, American

☆ Two people have been accused of using an excavator to destroy part of the Great Wall of China to create a shortcut
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Two people have been accused of destroying part of the Great Wall of China with an excavator. The pair reportedly wanted to create a path cutting through the Ming-dynasty portion of the wall as a shortcut, according to CNN. The damage has affected the structural integrity of that portion of the Great Wall, and it was "beyond repair," state-owned newspaper China Daily reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe earliest segments of the Great Wall, which stretches for over 4,000 miles across China, were first created in the third century BC. The damage to the Great Wall is this summer's latest example of a world-historical landmark facing purposeful damage.

Persons: Vespasian Organizations: CNN, Service, China . Police, China Daily, UNESCO, Smithsonian Magazine Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Shanxi, Northeastern China

☆ Mystery surrounds 19th century 'vampire' found buried in New England with his thigh bones crossed over his chest
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But in recent years, DNA analysis has helped scientists uncover the tale behind the "vampire's" remains. An annotated image shows the placement of the "Connecticut vampire" skull and bones in the grave. The "Connecticut vampire" likely died of tuberculosisFor decades, the "Connecticut vampire" was known only as "JB55," after the initial "JB" that had been carved into the brass tacks used to close the coffin. A 3D-scan of Barber's skull was combined with DNA analysis to estimate John Barber's features, shown here in an artist's illustration. Not everybody agrees, however, that this burial site qualifies as a bona fide "vampire" burial site.

Persons: John Barber, —, Jolly Roger, I'd, Nick Bellantoni, he'd, Michael Ross, Daniels, Ellen Greytak, John Baker, Baker, It's, Parabon NanoLabs, John Barber's, Parabon, Barber's, sickles, Scott, Matteo Borrini Organizations: Service, Smithsonian, Smithsonian Magazine, Armed Forces DNA, Inc, Liverpool John Moores University Locations: Connecticut, Wall, Silicon, Griswold , Connecticut, Virginia, New England

☆ A history of the Mar-a-Lago club, the site at the center of Donald Trump's confidential documents case
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Sebastian Cahill | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

When the White House refused it, citing high maintenance costs, Donald Trump purchased the estate. The 20-acre Mar-a-Lago property, meaning "Sea to Lake" in Spanish, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Worth. While in office, he referred to the estate as the "Winter White House." Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham alleges Trump casually presented some of the documents to guests of the estate. Tuesday, Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump nominee, will preside over Trump's first pretrial hearing for the case.

Persons: Donald Trump, Donald Trump's, Marjorie Merriweather, Michael Luongo, Trump, Xi Jinping, Shinzo Abe, Stephanie Grisham, Aileen Cannon, Trump's Organizations: White, Service, Lago, Postum Cereal Company, NPR, Smithsonian Magazine, Palm, Post, Mar, Country, Town, White House Press, Trump Locations: Lago, Wall, Silicon, Lake Worth, Palm Beach, Florida, Syria, Mar, Palm

☆ July 4: Was the last battle of the American Revolution fought in India?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The answer is: The last battle of America’s war of independence was fought on this continent. DuVal and others say two key protagonists of the Revolutionary War – Britain and France – actually fought the final battle of the conflict in Cuddalore, India, in June of 1783. Britain and, to a lesser extent, France were well established with colonies in India when the American Revolution began and had already brought their hostilities from Europe to the subcontinent, according to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. “They brought news that six months before in Paris, the British, French and the Americans – the Dutch were a little later – signed the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolution,” he says. “Cuddalore, India, was indeed the last battle of the American Revolution.”

Persons: you’ve, Kathleen DuVal, ”, ” DuVal, DuVal, France –, “, Don Glickstein, Frederick the Great, Prussia, Maximilian Ulysses Count Browne, Prince Charles of Lorraine, it’s, Glickstein, ” Glickstein, David Allison, ” Allison, Generals Rochambeau, Marquis de Lafayette, – Organizations: CNN, University of North, British, US, Department, State Department’s Office, Austrian, Hulton, National Park Service, National Museum of, Smithsonian, Yorktown, Washington, Getty, Brits, American Revolution, Museum, American, British East India Company, Britain Locations: North America, Asia, University of North Carolina, United States, Massachusetts, Virginia, Britain, France, Cuddalore, India, British, Spain, Netherlands, American, Seattle, Yorktown, Quebec, Abraham, North Carolina, Pacific, Portugal, Canada, Prague, Yorktown , Virginia, “, Dutch Republic, Washington, Paris, Jamaica, Gibraltar, Europe, Philadelphia, Bengal

☆ What is OceanGate? Meet the company that made a business out of risky deep-sea tours of the Titanic shipwreck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The company has attracted renewed scrutiny since its submersible vessel, Titan, went missing Sunday. In 2018, OceanGate faced a lawsuit from former employee David Lochridge, who said he warned about quality and safety issues related to the Titan vessel. The Titanic shipwreck expeditionsOceanGate has been conducting expeditions of the Titanic ship wreckage since 2021, according to the company's website. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for OceanGate told Insider the company was "unable to provide any additional information at this time." What is the OceanGate Titan?

Persons: OceanGate, Rush, David Pogue, David Lochridge, Pogue, Peter Girguis, Mike Reiss, Reiss Organizations: Stockton Rush, Rush, Morning, OceanGate Expeditions, Titanic, Smithsonian Magazine, Princeton University, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, University of California, The Seattle Times, Smithsonian, CBS, Titan, US Navy, BBC Locations: Everett , Washington, Pitchbook, St, John's, Newfoundland, OceanGate, Harvard

☆ Stockton Rush: What we know about the Titan submersible's pilot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Rush has approached his dream of deep-sea exploration with child-like verve and an antipathy toward regulations — a pattern that has come into sharp relief since Sunday night, when his vessel, the Titan, went missing. But in 2004, he told Smithsonian, the dream shifted after Richard Branson launched the first commercial aircraft into space. “I had this epiphany that this was not at all what I wanted to do,” Rush told the magazine. The commercial sub industry is “obscenely safe” he told Smithsonian, “because they have all these regulations. He also asked Rush about what the vessel’s “MacGyvery” components — like the plastic PlayStation controller and LED lights that Rush bought from an RV retailer.

Persons: Jacques Cousteau, Rush, MacArthur, you’re, ” Rush, Alan Estrada, ”, Richard Branson, Kirk, OceanGate, Greg Gilbert, Estrada, “, David Lochridge, OceanGate hasn’t, David Pogue, You’re, Pogue, plumb, Nick D’Annunzio, TARA, Celina Tebor, Sam Delouya Organizations: New, New York CNN, Stockton Rush, verve, Princeton, Smithsonian Magazine, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, UC Berkeley, Smithsonian, Enterprise, OceanGate, Everett, NASA, CBS, Boeing, University of Washington, USA, Michelin Locations: New York, Seattle, Washington

☆ OceanGate Expeditions' Titanic tourism is a thing, and it's dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But for those willing to shell out, tourism and research company OceanGate Expeditions offered eight-day missions that allow customers to explore the Titanic more than 13,000 feet below the ocean’s surface using five-seat carbon fiber and titanium underwater vessels. OceanGate launched successful expeditions to the Titanic wreckage in 2021 and 2022. Geoffrey Kent, the founder of luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent, has recently planned trips for clients including race car driving on ice in Finland and orangutan trekking in Borneo. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush has also repeatedly claimed that existing submersible regulations needlessly prioritize passenger safety over commercial innovation. But it also hasn’t innovated or grown—because they have all these regulations,” Rush said in an interview that appeared in a June 2019 issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

Persons: –, ”, Nick D’Annunzio, TARA, OceanGate, Stockton Rush, Andrea Doria, Bill Sikes, Rush, Knight Frank, “, Gideon Kimbrell, Everest’s, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Geoffrey Kent, Sal Mercogliano, hasn’t, It’s, ” Rush, David Pogue, don’t, “ Don’t, ” It’s, D’Annunzio, Ann Epting, Epting, Brad Lendon, Parija Kavilanz Organizations: CNN, OceanGate Expeditions, US Coast Guard, Expeditions, Stockton Rush, Rescuers, OceanGate Foundation, Virgin Galactic, Virgin, VSS Unity, Origin, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Abercrombie, Kent, Campbell University, Smithsonian Magazine, CBS, Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX, FAA, Kent’s, Abercrombie & Kent Locations: Everett , Washington, Boston, Stockton, Finland, Borneo, North Carolina, Oman

☆ Mummified heads of Māori ancestors returned to New Zealand from Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Germany has returned six mummified Māori heads to New Zealand, together with the remains of almost 100 Māori and Moriori ancestors. German institute/Museum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaIn Māori culture, the head was considered the most important part of the body. Back in 2016, the Smithsonian Institution returned the remains of 54 indigenous people, including four mummified Māori heads, to Te Papa. The latest repatriation involved the skeletal remains of 95 ancestors of both peoples, together with six mummified tattooed Māori heads. A team carry 20 mummified Māori heads, repatriated from France, during a ceremony at Te Papa on January 27, 2012.

Persons: Hinemoana Baker, Te, Arikirangi Mamaku, Ironside, Reiss Engelhorn, Georg August, Roemer, Te Papa Tongarewa, Marty Melville, —, Arapata, Papa’s Māori, Te Herekiekie, “, Reiss, James Cook, moko, Craig Hawke, ‘, hora, marino, kia whakapapa, tere, ” Organizations: CNN, New Zealand, Smithsonian, New, Smithsonian Institution, Grassi Museum, Linden Museum, Stuttgart State Museum of, Georg August University, Pelizaeus, Museum, Getty, Aotearoa New Locations: Germany, New Zealand, Papa, New, Aotearoa, Chatham, Te Papa, Vienna, Leipzig, Mannheim, Stuttgart, Göttingen, Hildesheim, Museum Wiesbaden, Te, France, AFP, When, Te Papa’s, Aotearoa New Zealand, Engelhorn, Europe, Wellington, Te_Papa

☆ Scientists saw a surge in brain activity in dying patients that could finally help explain mysterious near-death experiences
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists observed a surge in brain activity in dying patients even after their hearts stopped. Near-death experiences, "challenges our fundamental understanding of the dying brain," the researchers reported in the study, which was published last month. How scientists measured human brain activity near deathThe four patients in the recent study were comatose and removed from life support, with their families' permission. At this point, electroencephalogram sensors measured the patients' brain activity as they went into cardiac arrest. Borjigin has observed this same type of surge in brain activity in previous studies on dying rats, but it has historically been very difficult to examine in humans.

Persons: —, Jimo Borjigin, Borjigin Organizations: Service, Privacy, Smithsonian Magazine

☆ A commuter train excavation near Notre Dame Cathedral has uncovered a 2,000-year-old necropolis containing bodies buried with coins in their mouths and an entire pig skeleton
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Remains of at least 50 men, women, and children were unearthed during excavation for a train line. The burials of a large necropolis, located south of Lutèce in the 2nd century AD , have been unearthed. The burials of a large necropolis, located south of Lutèce in the 2nd century AD, have been unearthed. One pit unearthed by the researchers contained the skeleton of a whole pig, though it is unclear what purpose it may have served. The burials of a large necropolis, located south of Lutèce in the 2nd century of our era, have been brought to light.

☆ Tupperware: How a plastic bowl with a 'burping seal' gave women a means to an income
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Tupperware stereotyped women as much as it empowered themTupperware parties became popular social and marketing events in the 1950s and 60s. They wanted to present an upscale version of themselves because these were also events where women were recruited into the Tupperware sales force,” he said. Tupperware products were the centerpiece of the event, carefully stacked and presented to be shown off. Wise, a divorced single mother living in Florida, held her own Tupperware parties in the 1940s and 50s and became a budding entrepreneur. Like Blockbuster, the Tupperware brand will never go away,” he said.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence a 50-foot snake exists
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

According to experts, the longest snakes recorded have reached lengths of around 20 feet. “I have never heard of an extant (currently living) species of snake that can grow this long. Smithsonian Magazine reported that boas can be up to 14-feet-long and anacondas could exceed 20 feet ( bit.ly/3U5K9kf ). The Natural History Museum of London says on its website that the reticulated python reaches sizes over 20 feet. The biggest snakes recorded are up to 20 feet long, according to experts.

☆ Beep! The barcode turns 50, who invented it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Dayun Park | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The barcode, that rectangle of thick and thin parallel lines seen on seemingly every grocery product, package, prescription bottle and piece of luggage is turning 50 years old. There’s hardly any products now that don’t use a barcode for identification.”Who got there first? A replica of a package of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum used in a Smithsonian museum exhibition. The Wall Street Journal, in a 2022 obituary of Collins, gives the nod of inventing the barcode to him. Years later, the Smithsonian had a replica of that Wrigley’s gum installed in a museum exhibition on the history of the barcode.

☆ You can run for president from prison. Here's what happened when 2 candidates campaigned from behind bars.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two previous candidates, Eugene V. Debs in 1920, and Lyndon LaRouche in 1992, both ran from prison. If Trump is convicted, it's possible he could run for president from behind bars. Socialist Eugene V. Debs ran from behind bars over 100 years agoThe socialist party 1904 Eugene V. Debs and Ben Hanford. HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesIn 1920, Socialist Eugene V. Debs ran for the Oval Office from the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, where he was known as "prisoner 9653," according to Smithsonian Magazine. Alex Brandon/File/APWhile Debs and LaRouche were both unsuccessful in their campaigns, they both were still able to run for president while behind bars.

☆ Empty for years, NYC's famous Flatiron Building — and its weird narrow passages — may get a fresh start with $190M sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The historic Flatiron Building went to a court-mandated auction on Wednesday after being practically empty for years. Investor Jacob Garlick outbid previous owners to buy the landmark for $190 million, reports say. The Flatiron Building was completed in the summer of 1902 at 175 Fifth Avenue, and has become an iconic tourist attraction for visitors of New York City. One witness to the auction, real estate broker Tom Brady, told NY1 that the sale was an "iconic moment." One of the Flatiron Building's previous owners, Jeffrey Gural of GFP Real Estate, said he wished Garlick "hadn't shown up" to the auction.

☆ A heart-shaped pendant linked to Henry VIII was dug up on an English farm, pointing to a more romantic side to the Tudor king
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An amateur metal detectorist found a gold necklace linked to Henry VIII and his first wife. The locket is engraved with "H" and "K", the initials of the Tudor king and Katherine of Aragon. The heart-shaped locket is engraved with "H" and "K", the initials of the Tudor king and his first wife Katherine of Aragon. It is not known if the pendant belonged to Henry VIII, Katherine, or a courtier. Henry VIII is famous for his six marriages.

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