Some of the world ’s greatest mind spend their lives pondering the intent of mankind . Others just wonder why we never see infant pigeon . We ca n’t explicate our existence , but we can help with some other mysteries . Browse our dossier of question that have in all likelihood come in to you in the shower . ( Including why thinking often arrive to you in the shower . )
1. What was Albert Einstein’s IQ?
Though intelligence quotient test existed during Einstein ’s lifetime , he never took one , so his official IQ is n’t known . Still , that has n’t terminate mass from guessing . slews of internet site arrogate the physicist ’s I.Q. was 160 , but there ’s merely no way of verifying that claim .
2. Why do the best ideas come to us in the shower?
You ’re in the shower , mindlessly welt up , when — bam!—a prophetical mean pops into your read/write head . Those aha moments are n’t locked inside a bottle of lavender - scented shampoo , but inquiry show you ’re more likely to have a originative epiphany when you ’re doing something monotonous , like showering . Since these routines do n’t require much thought , you flip to autopilot . This free up your brainpower to play a no - clutch - debar game of free association .
Daydreaming activates the prefrontal cerebral cortex — the brain ’s statement center for determination , finish and behavior . It also switches on the rest of your brain ’s " default modal value mesh " ( DMN ) , remove the footpath that connect the regions of your dome . With your DMN switched on , you could make creative connector that your conscious mind would have dismissed .
3. Why is the American flag displayed backward on military uniforms?
The flag on the uniform of military members may appear backward , but it ’s in reality face onwards .
When a service appendage March or walk forward , they assume the office of a ranging pole , with the flag on their uniform think to resemble a flag flap in the picnic . With the canton on the observer ’s right hand , the signal flag on the right berm would be fluttering behind them . If it were depict with the canton on the left , the masthead would be fly back . The post of the fleur-de-lis is noted in Army Pamphlet 670 - 1 , which mandate that the lead field should face forward . The official term for this is " reverse side signal flag . "
4. Why isn’t Walt Disney World overrun by mosquitos?
It would be a feat to get free of plaguy mosquito anywhere , but Walt Disney World is in swampy Florida , where insects are abundant . To share with the pests , Disney employs a comprehensive programme that includes spraying insecticides and maintaining natural predators — but they do it with a level of vigilance that ’s horrendous to behold .
The parking lot has something called the Mosquito Surveillance Program . There are carbon paper dioxide traps everywhere . Once they catch something , the team at Disney freezes and analyzes the mosquito universe to fix how best to eradicate them .
They also use sentinel chicken , which dwell in henhouse all over the parking area . While these feathered employees are going about their daily lives , their blood is being monitor for mosquito - pay disease like West Nile computer virus . Lucky for the chickens , they do n’t get sick from the computer virus — but they do produce antibodies , so if they nibble it up , the Disney squad knows where in the car park they got it from , and they can deliver a fleet nose candy to the mosquitoes in that area .
5. Why do I always wake up five minutes before my alarm goes off?
Because your body ’s internal clock is just as good as the widget shrill atop your nightstand .
Your sleep - wake cycle is baffle by a protein telephone PER . The protein level rises and falls each day , peaking in the evening and plump at dark . When PER level are low , your blood pressure drops , middle charge per unit slow , and intellection becomes foggier . You get sleepy .
If you follow a persevering sopor everyday — waking up at the same clock time every day — your torso learns to increase your PER level in time for your dismay . About an hr before you ’re supposed to waken up , PER level rise ( along with your body temperature and blood pressure ) . To prepare for the stress of waking , your body releases a cocktail of stress internal secretion , like cortisol . Gradually , your sleep becomes lighter and light — and that ’s why you stir up up before your alarm .
Your body hates your alarm clock . It ’s jarring , and it bankrupt all that hard study . It defeats the function of gradually waking up . So , to avoid being interrupt , your dead body does something amazing : It starts increasing PER and accent hormones in the first place in the dark . Your body gets a chief start so the inflame process is n’t cut unretentive . It ’s so precise that your eyelids open minutes — perchance even seconds — before the alarm go off .
6. Why is there an “R” in “Mrs.”
In the 1500s , Mrs.was an abbreviation formistress , the distaff vis-a-vis ofmaster . The wordmistresshad a more general significance of " a woman who is in guardianship of something . " The abbreviated chassis was used most frequently as a title for a marital woman . finally , the form of address form took on a concentrate , gas constant - less orthoepy , and by the end of the 18th one C , " missis " was the most satisfactory way to say it . The full wordmistresshad by then come to abide for a paramour , someone who was explicitlynota Mrs.
7. Why is “Arkansas” pronounced like “Kansas”?
Kansas was named for the Kansa , a Siouan folk that live in the region . The Kansa masses were call up , in plural form , Kansas , and that became the name of the state . But before it did , English , French , and Spanish speakers , as well as speakers of various Native American speech communication , all come up with their own way of pronouncing the name of the clan . Eventually , Kansas win out .
Arkansas was named for a related Siouan tribe , the Quapaw . The Algonquians called themakansa , joining their own a- prefix to the Kansa name . This name was picked up by others , and was also spelled in various way . However , it was the French adaptation , Arcansas , that became the basis for the state ’s name . The English speakers that take over after the Louisiana Purchase decided to use a modified Gallic spelling . But the state ’s two senators disagreed on the orthoepy , with one saying " arKANzis " and the other saying " ARkansaw . " These disagreements lead to a ruling by the state legislature in 1881 make the " ARkansaw " orthoepy official .
8. Why do honeycrisp apples cost so much?
Introduced commercially in 1991 after being developed by University of Minnesota scientist , the Honeycrisp tree diagram demands very specific soil and maintenance requirements . The fruit can ripen at various times , necessitating more frequent harvest . The skin is lean and touchy , so the apples must be trimmed off by script . Many of the tree are so fragile they require a trellis to support their branches .
All the extra childbed means more time and money — the latter of which gets passed along to the consumer .
raiser who did n’t anticipate the surging need for Honeycrisps were get off - safety machine by their popularity . Because trees can take up to six age to tolerate enough fruit for commercial-grade use , the routine of tree currently producing is n’t really proportionate to the degree of demand .
9. Why did cosmonauts bring shotguns to space?
Not to fight potential aliens . In case they land in Siberia , they wanted to be prepared to stand off bears .
10. What is the Riot Act, and why don’t I want it read to me?
The idiom refers to the monition of a somebody or persons who have committed an error in judgment . But the origin of the term concerns a very exceptional wrongdoing : an outlaw public fabrication that ataraxis military officer of the 18th century crusade with a pre - write admonition to disperse or face the repercussions . Like death .
The Riot Act was first passed by the British Parliament in 1714 and took consequence on Aug. 1 , 1715 . At its core , the enactment served as what linguists refer to as a talking to act : a give-and-take , phrase , or order that dribble literal weight . ( Think of an ordained curate pronouncing a couple married man and married woman . ) If confronted with a rowdy crowd , an functionary would get and — this was crucial — translate the act aloud for wait on formal poster that the parties involved were overstepping their bound .
The bit was extend in haste because supporters of the Catholic Jacobite political movement had been voicing their dislike of King George I. A belly laugh was any group of 12 or more the great unwashed engaged in public disharmony . Typically , the raucous formation would be given 60 minutes to take a hike . If not , their just punishment would be prison , labor or death . If the peace officer believed peril was imminent , he would n’t have to wait the whole hr : He could substitute citizens to try and break up the gathering .
The Riot Act was formally repeal in England and Wales in 1967 . Today , it ’s almost always used as a soma of speech , although Belize still recognizes it as a method of crowd dispersal . In 2017 , police officer there drew literary criticism for launching tear gasolene into a People ’s United Party dissent without first study them the Riot Act . When questioned by a newsman , then - assistant commissioner of police Edward Broaster say that the incident did n’t " meet the threshold " for busting out the paperwork .
11. What’s the difference between jelly and jam?
Jelly is made from the strained juice of fruit , with sugar and pectin added , while fix is made from the unstrained juice of the fruit , with yield , sugar , and pectin append .
12. What’s the difference between dinner and supper?
Dinner was historically the largest meal of the daylight , regardless of when it was serve . Supper hail from the Old French wordsouper , meaning an evening meal ; it ’s broadly speaking lighter than other meals served throughout the day .
13. What’s the difference between vanilla ice cream and French vanilla ice cream?
Vanilla is made with Milk River , ointment , sugar and flavorer , while French vanilla is made with milk , ointment , sugar , seasoner … and eggs , for a fluid body and that subtle icteric color .
14. Why do dogs' feet sometimes smell like corn chips?
If you call back your dog-iron ’s feet aroma like popcorn or Zea mays chips , you ’re not alone . firedog have a lot of bacteria and yeast that develop on their paws as a result of moisture that gets caught in the many folds and pockets between their toe . These microorganisms create a motley of smells . The bacteriaProteusorPseudomonasare the likely parties shamefaced of consecrate your hound ’s feet that distinct tortilla - corresponding smell . There ’s no demand to go wash away your pet ’s manus just yet , though — a subtle odour is completely normal .
15. Is a dog’s mouth cleaner than a human’s?
It bet on the weenie and the human . It ’s a uncouth myth that a dog ’s mouth is a as if by magic clean place , but a cuspid ’s sassing is brimming with bacterium . Fortunately , a lot of those germs are coinage - specific , so you do n’t have to worry if your pup rifle in for a wet candy kiss . That said , there are some similar bacterium , so make trusted your favorite is up to date on all their shots and do n’t let them lick you if you have slash or wounding .
16. Why do dogs walk in a circle before lying down?
Dogs get this behavior from their risky root , who did n’t have access to bow-wow seam . Walking in tight circle would crusade down tall Gunter Wilhelm Grass and shape it into a snoozing spot . The motion would also scare off any critters hide in the vegetation .
17. What do dogs dream about?
Researchers believe that , yes , heel do dream . Like human race , dogs have a sleep phase where their external respiration slows and their eye movements become rapid — indicator that they ’re daydream .
There ’s also the trivial evidence : Dogs often bark or twinge while they ’re sleeping in ways that connote they ’re dreaming of trail an elusive mark . That ’s because weenie , like us , in all likelihood dream about the events of the daylight — in their case , running or playing . dream can even be breed - specific , like a pointer who will go " on point . " little dogs incline to daydream more than big heel , and senior dogs more than midlife hound .
Apart from physical cue , it ’s hard to know exactly what rifle through a puppy ’s creative thinker when it ’s sleeping . But if you leave them be , mayhap they ’ll finally catch that squirrel or whatever else they ’ve been chase after .
18. How big was the world’s tallest dog?
On Oct. 4 , 2011 , Guinness World Records identify Zeus — a Great Dane from Otsego , Michigan , who was 44inches improbable — the World ’s Tallest Dog . Though Zeus passed away in 2014 , he maintains the record .
19. Why do cats “blep”?
You may get your cat staring off into the abyss with their tongue lolling out of their mouth — a cartoonish expression that has been identified as ablep .
It could just be your cat " smelling " the environment with their lingua . But Ingrid Johnson , a indorse guy behavior consultant and the proprietor of Fundamentally Feline , say that bleps may have several plausible explanations . " It ’s potential they do n’t feel it or even see they ’re doing it , " she says . " One intellect for that might be that they ’re on medication that do rest . Something for anxiousness or tenseness or a brawniness relaxer would do it . "
A blep might even be breed- specific . Persians , who have fat faces , might drop their tongues because they miss the real estate to hive away it .
Whatever the beginning , bleps are generally no effort for concern unless the cat is doing it on a regular groundwork , which could be a sign of an unwritten job with their gum or teeth . Otherwise , a blep can either be admired … or draw back with a aristocratic prod of the tongue ( render your kitty put up with that kind of nonsensicality ) .
20. Why do cats love cardboard boxes?
Cats take comfortableness in cramped spaces because it makes them feel more untroubled and predominant . " Part of it pass back to when they were kitty and inside the uterus , feel safe and comforted , " suppose quat healer Carole Wilbourn . " There ’s a feeling of coziness , being able to do what they want to do , and just feeling untouchable . "
Science supports this possibility . Animal behaviorists have studied stress levels in newly arrived shelter cats and find that felines with approach to boxes had scummy focus level and faster adjustment periods than those without .
21. Why are cats afraid of water?
According to John Bradshaw , Ph.D. , author ofCat Sense , African tea may have an ancestral concern of get pie-eyed . " domesticated cats were go down from Arabian wild computerized tomography , " he says . " Their root lived in an sphere with few large consistence of piss . They never had to learn how to float . "
A cat-o'-nine-tails ’s displeasure extend to the forcible mavin of being soak . According to Bradshaw , a khat ’s pelage does n’t shed body of water easy , making it hard for them to dry out off quick .
Not all species of cat avoid swim , however . The Van cats that live on near the shoring of Lake Van in Eastern Turkey are reared to dive in as kitten , with their mother nudging them in .
22. Do cats fart?
They do ! We just do n’t really hear it . The deficiency of audible farts is in all probability due to the fact that cats do n’t gulp theirfood like wienerwurst do , leading to less breeze accumulating in their digestive piece of land . So cat pass gas with the same grace and stealing with which they draw close everything else .
23. Who is the world’s loudest cat?
In 2015 , a 13 - year - old deliverance cat bring up Merlin was named the World ’s Loudest Cat by Guinness World Records . His 67.8 - dB purr is as about as meretricious as an air conditioner or dishwashing machine .
24. Who is smarter, cats or dogs?
allot to experts , comparing cat intelligence information to firedog smarting is like comparing apples to oranges : " Intelligence evolves to solve job that are recurrent over an [ evolutionary timescale ] , " Rosalind Arden , an intelligence investigator at the London School of Economics , says .
Experts know that computed tomography have " object permanence , " or the ability to know an object is there even when it goes out of peck ( like a toy they ’ve flutter underneath a couch ) . They also seem to be capable to figure out where the item has been move , even if they are n’t secluded to the activity .
Studies also show that felines can single out between quantities , come after a human - pointing motion to observe food , respond to their owner ' emotions , distinguish between human using only vocal cues and cipher out simple-minded food puzzles — all alike to pawl . ( Unlike hotdog , however , cats wo n’t look up at their owners for " help " if they ca n’t solve a puzzle . ) However , we still have a farsighted manner to go before we figure out what feline are really capable of — and when we do , we should compare them to other cat instead of dogs .
25. Why does “will not” become “won’t”?
Most contractions in English are pretty straight : Two word are join together , minus a few sounds . That is n’t the case forwill not , which becomeswon’tinstead ofwilln’t . But there ’s a good rationality for it .
In Old English there were two class of the verbwillan(to wish or will)—wil - in the present andwold - in the past . Over the next few C there was a beneficial great deal of bounce back and forth between those vowel sound ( and others ) in all forms of the give-and-take . At dissimilar time , will came out aswulle , wole , wool , welle , wel , wile , wyll , and evenull .
There was less edition in the contracted form . From at least the sixteenth century , the preferred bod waswonnotfromwoll not , with occasional departures later towinnot , wunnot , or the expectedwilln’t . In the ever - changing landscape painting that is English , willwon the conflict of thewoles / wulles . But for the negative contraction , wonnotsimply succeed out , and contract further to thewon’twe use today .
26. Why do we laugh?
Laughter , like crying , may have develop as a social tool . laugh does n’t appear to be a uniquely human behaviour , and it may not even be limited to primates . Rats produce laughter when tickled , for example . Many other social animals , such as dolphinfish , make specific sounds associated with play - fighting that have also been likened to laughter .
A leading hypothesis for why we express joy is that laugh promotes pro - social behavior by letting playfellow bed that the fight is just a secret plan . But even if our reading of these behavior are correct , it ’s potential that humans germinate unlike use for laughter after our evolutionary split with other fauna species , making the reason for human laughter another open question .
27. How does general anesthesia work?
Rolling into surgery , you in all probability acquire that your physician know how to perform the function , and sympathise how the drug that pink you out actually work . incorrect . Scientists have intercourse that local anesthetics like Novocain occlusion pain sensation signals before they reach the central nervous system by altering the function of specific proteins on nerve cells . But the molecular basis of general anesthesia is more of a enigma . These drug seem to interfere with the function of a multifariousness of proteins on nerve cell in the central nervous system , but how they accomplish this is not well understood . General anesthetic add up in a variety of type , and likely do n’t all work the same path . formulate models of how the compounds work on the molecular grade may proceed to be a challenge .
28. How can I get rid of hiccups?
Maybe you hold your breath . Maybe you chug water . regrettably , nothing has been found to reliably eliminate hiccups , despite the overwhelming number of folk remedy on the internet . This lamentable country of personal business is probable due to insufficient enquiry : Serious grammatical case of the singultus are rare , and the mild cases are abbreviated and do n’t unremarkably cause major job . Most of the treatment for severe cases of hiccups — doses of sedating antipsychotics like haloperidol , vagus mettle stimulation , digital rectal massage — aren’t exactly thing you could stress on your own . For now , you ’ll have to endure singultus or stick with unproven , but usually harmless , solutions . At least they give you an apology to use up peanut vine butter by the spoonful .
29. What are sea-monkeys, anyway?
No , they ’re not monkeys of the ocean . These starter pets are brine prawn , which go into cryptobiosis — a country of suspended vivification — when not in H2O . In the 1960s , inventor Harold von Braunhut reckon out a elbow room to treat tap water with a mix of nutrients ( which he called “ magical crystallization ” ) to resuscitate the half-pint in a armored combat vehicle at home . With marine biologist and microcrustacean expert Anthony D ’ Agostino , he hybridise peewee from the genusArtemiato make a heartier species , which they namedArtemia NYOS , after the Long Island lab ( New York Oceanic Society ) where they were created . As for why von Braunhut call them sea - monkeys ? He was reportedly inspired by the runt ' long tails .
30. Why are some men’s beards a different color than their hair?
While age can certainly influence hair and beard color , it does n’t explain why a younger man can sport a decidedly different beard flavor than what ’s on the sleep of his school principal . Other follicular force are at employment .
By default option , scalp hair is white . It gets its color from melanin , with different types of melanin produce dissimilar haircloth colors . Pheomelanininfuses hair with red and chickenhearted pigmentation;eumelanininfluences brown and calamitous . The two can mix within the same hairsbreadth peter . ( Melanin production fall as we age , which is why hairs begin to appear grey . ) But not all follicles get the same dose in the same combination . While you might have a idle brown top , your whiskers could be preponderantly dark brown , or play patch of light hairs in spots . Eyebrow hair will often appear darker because those follicle incline to produce more eumelanin .
31. Why do people hate the wordmoist?
In 2014 , researchers from Oberlin College and Trinity University incline three experiments to see out whether people truly hate the wordmoist , and why . They found that more than 20 percent of the participants were averse to the watchword , but not because of the way it sounds . Rather , it ’s the tie-up with bodily functions that seems to flex most people off .
They found the wordmoistmost yucky when it was accompany by unrelated , confident words likeparadise , or when it was accompanied by sexual words . By demarcation , when it accompanied intellectual nourishment words ( like cake ) , masses were n’t as bothered by it . The younger and more neurotic the study player were , the more potential they were to dislike the Good Book — and the more disgust they associated with bodily social occasion , the less they likedmoist .
32. Where are all the baby pigeons?
Rest assured , babe pigeons , or squabs , do exist — and there ’s a sound reason you ’re not seeing them . It ’s partly because pigeon work up nest in places that mime the cave and cliffs their ancestors used . In New York City , for example , you might line up nests in any partially protected place , like on a rooftop , keeping them largely out of sight of passersby .
The other reason why squab are rarely seen is because of how long they stay in the nest — for about a month to six week , which is about how long it takes them to grow to an adult size .
33. Why are public toilets U-shaped?
There ’s a deviation between a public toilet and the one in your sign of the zodiac , and it ’s not necessarily the level of cleanliness : Their buns are shaped differently . While most private bathrooms have ellipse or round toilet tail that roll all the room around the toilet , almost all public restrooms have what are called unfastened - front toilet stern , which are influence like the alphabetic character U and have an opening at the front .
The two - prong , overt - front ass is take by the plumbing codes adopt by most public bureau in the U.S. This is largely a subject of hygiene : No matter what kind of junk you ’re packing , U - shaped rear end give you a lilliputian ventilation room to obviate touching the buttocks with your genitals , and provide one less place for urine to sprinkle . ( They also admit women to more handily wipe after going to the bathroom . )
34. How can I beat a claw machine?
conquer a nipper machine — especially one manipulate in the owner ’s favor — requires a little portion and a fair amount of acquirement .
35. What’s that small pocket in your jeans for?
You ’ve credibly noticed that some of your jeans have a low pocket located in one of the front pockets . Many people retrieve it ’s meant to hold coin , but according to Levi ’s , they created it to provide extra auspices for pocket watches .
36. What’s that hole in a pan’s handle for?
Most pots and pans are plan with a small muddle at the end of the handle . While they make for an easy way to give ear your pans when they ’re not in use , they also have another use : as a room to hold your spoonful or spatula in place over the grass itself .
37. How long should I dunk an Oreo?
In 2016 , member of Utah State University ’s Splash Lab — an donnish group contemplate the behaviors of fluid — put Oreos ( and a few other cookie ) to the examination . They souse the cookies halfway in 2 percent Milk River for half a second to seven irregular . After dunking , the team count the treat and appraise how much milk had been absorbed . The outcome : Oreos absorbed 50 percent of their likely liquid system of weights in just one second . After two second base , they absorbed 80 percent . The number flatlined briefly for a second . After four instant , the cookie absorbed all its possible milk .
" This data indicates that for the screen cookie , keeping your cookie in the glass any longer than five seconds does not contribute to any additional Milk River entering the cookies , " their study suggested . The takeaway : Three seconds is enough clock time to saturate most of an Oreo . There ’s no benefit to dunking longer than four seconds — unless you want to watch your delicious cooky crumble into the Milk River .
38. What’s that loop on some dress shirts?
If you look below the collar and between the shoulder on the back of many work force ’s frock shirt , you may spot a little loop . It ’s there to supply a commodious way to attend up the shirt when a hanger is unavailable .
39. Do realtors have to disclose that a home is supposedly haunted?
While Realtor are in general oblige to disclose material defect like black cast and talebearing roofs , the natural law get fuzzy when it comes to alleged ghosts living in the attic . Haunted houses are officially classified as " stigmatized , " which means that though there may be nothing wrong with the physical structure itself , something about a house ’s background could plow off potential buyers . ( Homes that have hosted murders or other condemnable activity fall under this family . )
The police surround belongings stigma changes depending on which state you ’re in . In Massachusetts , for example , Realtor are n’t required to inform clients of a house ’s potentially disturb history unless they demand about it . harmonize to California jurisprudence , sellers must divulge any demise that have happened on the property in the past three age .
What constitute a " obsessed " house has prove sly to legally define . In the 1991 slip ofStambovsky v. Ackley(also known as the " Ghostbusters opinion " ) , New York State adjudge that sellers must give away to buyers that they think a menage is haunted only if they ’ve already shared this opinion to " the public at bombastic . " But as long as they keep their extrasensory encounters to themselves , they ’re under no duty to speak up when it ’s time to sell the home .
40. What do stink bugs smell like?
shutout . one-time sock . Cilantro . These are just some of the things the smelling of the dark-brown marmorated malodor germ has been compare to . The two main chemical substance responsible for for the bug ’s stinky spray are trans-2 - octenal and trans-2 - decenal — with the latter being what gives cilantro its singular olfactory sensation . The chemical in the nebulizer might have a function besides scaring away predators : According to a 2016 study , they " inhibit the increment of bacteria " ; the resolution of the study " hint that brown marmorated stink bug aldehyde are indeed antibacterial agents and dish out a multifunctional use for this louse . "
41. What is Mercury Retrograde and why do we blame things on it?
" We do n’t lie with of any forcible mechanism that would make things like top executive outage or personality changes in people , ” Mark Hammergren , Ph.D. , an stargazer at Chicago ’s Adler Planetarium , say .
Even the slight explanations , like the theme that the gravitative puff from Mercury influences the water in our bodies in the same way that the lunar month controls the lunar time period , are easy deflated by scientific discipline . “ A car 20 invertebrate foot away from you will exert a stronger pull of gravity than the planet Mercury does , ” Hammergren says .
He blames the superstition attached to Mercury , and astrology as a whole , on confirmation bias : “ [ Believers ] will say , ' Aha ! See , there ’s a shake - up in my workplace because Mercury ’s in retrograde . ' " He urges the great unwashed to reexamine the retiring year and see if the periods of their life when Mercury was retrograde were peculiarly ruinous . They ’ll in all probability find that there ’s no correlation . But as Hammergren says , when things go wrong and Mercury is n’t in retrograde , " We do n’t get that hashtag . It ’s call Monday . "
42. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
The world may never have sex . But on average , a " lacing machine " designed at Purdue University needed 364 .
43. What happened to Bob Ross’s paintings?
Iconic painter Bob Ross aver he created over 30,000 paintings in his lifetime . If he did n’t sell them , where did all those felicitous little clouds go ? " Most of these picture are donated to PBS post across the land , " Ross once explain . " They auction them off , and they make a well-chosen buck with ‘em . "
If that ’s truthful , Ross probably donate around 1200 paintings . Ross shot 403 installment ofThe Joy of Paintingand made three copies of each house painting per instalment . As for the 28,800 paintings Ross made outside of television ? We have only a wispy idea of where they might be .
Before becoming a TV star , Ross was an Air Force overlord - sergeant-at-law in Alaska . There , he painted and trade gold pans . after on , Ross taught lesson class - round , and regularly ease up paintings to his students .
Sometimes Ross donated his work to charity . A duet of his pieces even found their way onto the black market : In 1983 , a burglar stole 13 character reference house painting from his van .
44. Who invented the cardboard box?
In the 1st and 2nd hundred BCE , sheets of bark from the mulberry tree tree were used to wrap and protect food , an early example of a sturdy wood - based product being repurposed for packaging . But what we ’d recognise as a cardboard boxful did n’t appear until the early 19th century , with an open box that hold the 1817 German board gameThe Game of Besieging . company used the boxes to store and transport goodness , but an additional twist — or pleat — to make the flaps was needed . In 1856 , tall - hat hawker Edward Allen and Edward Healey used firm paper made with a flute tabloid in the heart of two stratum to produce a precursor to corrugate cardboard .
The real breakthrough came in 1879 thanks to Robert Gair , owner of a Brooklyn newspaper publisher manufactory , who figured out he could both seduce a undivided sheet of cardboard and then have his publish crush trim down it at the same prison term , eliminating laborious hand - cutting . With the flat pieces folded together , the cardboard box as we know it was bear . Gair pitch companies on this ready to hand new form of storage and score a 2 million - piece edict from the redneck czar at Nabisco . Snack foods could now go without danger of being crushed , and shortly , the cardboard box was migrate from kitchen cupboards to anywhere a brassy , in effect form of publicity was needed . In the 1930s , the Finnish government even adopted the box as part of a take - home maternity computer software for new mother who may not have been capable to afford pony . Babies took their first naps in the confines of the mattress - lined box , a exercise that continues today .
By Kathy Benjamin , April Daley , Michele Debczak , Kirstin Fawcett , Shaunacy Ferro , Nick Greene , Nicole Haloupek , Sean Hutchinson , Erin McCarthy , Arika Okrent , Emily Petsko , Madeline Raynor , Lucas Reilly , Jake Rossen , Matt Soniak .
