Using a treadmill, the constant walking, maybe even up at an angle, can seem like torture. It was designed for use by prisoners, providing useful labor. Originally called a treadwheel, up to 40 prisoners at a time were forced to walk on planks, rotating a giant wheel for up to eight hours a day. The […]
The headquarters of Asahi Breweries in Tokyo is the Asahi Beer Tower. It is a golden office building designed to look like a glass of beer, complete with a foaming head on top. Next to it is the Asahi Beer Hall, a three-story restaurant topped with the Asahi Flame, the official name of which is […]
The brightest star in the night sky, and in the constellation Canis Major (greater dog), is Sirius. During the summer, it rises in the pre-dawn sky in the same area as the sun. The ancient Greeks believed that Sirius, which translates as “the scorcher,” enhanced the heat of the sun. Sirius is sometimes referred […]
A common explanation of pruney digits has the outer layer of skin absorbing water. The outer layer swells, causing wrinkles. Another theory posits that wrinkling is caused by the narrowing of blood vessels: when exposed to water, nerve fibers shrink, and this causes the skin to prune. But to what purpose? One hypothesis suggests these […]
In 1896, engineer Jesse W. Reno brought his patented “Endless Conveyor Elevator” (he called it the “inclined elevator”) to the Old Iron Pier at Coney Island. Reno’s invention stretched a mere seven feet angled at 25-degrees, and instead of steps, it used a conveyor-like belt. The Coney Island installation is said to have carried more […]
Play-Doh and Verizon: one you squeeze into shape and the other squeezes your wallet? Nope. They both have trademarked smells. Chances are you’d immediately recognize the scent of Play-Doh. In 2018, the patent office formalized their ownership of that aroma. But Verizon Wireless? They own Reg. No. 4,618,936 for the “flowery musk scent” that consumers […]
On a tour of the Vatican, they said that the Pontifical Swiss Guard, established in 1506 under Pope Julius II, is the oldest military unit in continuous operation. They have great uniforms, but they are not the oldest. The record goes to Infantry Regiment “Inmemorial del Rey” No. 1, which is part of the Spanish […]
The popular story is that 6-year-old prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote that little ditty. He wrote variations on it in the 1780s, which were probably exercises for his music students. They were described as being based on a French folk melody. It was popularized as a song about candy: Ah! Vous Dirai-Je, Maman. So who […]
In 1995, Pierre Omidyar wrote code for AuctionWeb as a personal project in a spare bedroom in his Silicon Valley town house. He had bought a $30 laser pointer for making flashy presentations, but ended up using it to make his cat chase the red dot. It broke after two weeks, so he listed it […]
Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County – UUCDC
Email: churchoffice@uucdc.org
Contact: Webmaster
Tel: (610) 566-4853
Mailing Address:
145 W. Rose Tree Road
Media, PA 19063
