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1795 Time Capsule of Samuel Adams and Paul Revere

January 7, 2015 – A time capsule placed in the cornerstone of the Massachusetts State House in 1795 by Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and others has been opened.  The contents included five tightly folded newspapers, a medal depicting George Washington, a silver plaque, and two dozen coins, the oldest dating to the year 1652. Link: […]

Hubble Space Telescope Revisits “Pillars of Creation”

January 5, 2015 – NASA has released new, sharper images taken last year of a cosmic landscape first captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995.  Nicknamed the “Pillars of Creation,” the three giant columns of cold gas are lighted by a cluster of massive young stars 6,500 light years away in the Eagle Nebula.  The […]

NYC Tenement Museum Lifts Photo Ban

January 3, 2015 – The Tenement Museum on New York’s Lower East Side lifted its photography ban last month.  Housed in a building constructed in 1863, the museum offers a unique look into the life of working-class immigrants up to 1935.  The first restored apartment opened to the public in 1992. Additional Photos  (click thumbnails […]

Photographer Captures Vanishing Roadside Rest Stops

December 19, 2014 – Photographer Ryann Ford has spent the last five years documenting the most unique roadside rest stops in the U.S., a part of Americana that is quickly vanishing. Additional Photos  (click thumbnails to enlarge) [divider]

Rare 1927 Disney Film Found in Norway

December 13, 2014 – A 1927 Walt Disney film not previously known to exist has been found in Norway in a national film archive near the Arctic circle.  “Empty Socks” stars Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a precursor to Mickey Mouse.  The two reels containing the five-minute film were discovered during a routine inventory conducted at […]

U.S. Birth Rate Hits All-Time Low

December 4, 2014 – The birth rate in the United States dipped to an all-time low in 2013, according to a report released this week by the Centers for Disease Control.  The 3.93 million babies born represent a rate of 62.5 births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44.  By contrast, when […]

Smithsonian Magazine Selects Top 100 Americans in History

November 23, 2014 – Smithsonian magazine used complex computer analysis to compile their latest list of the most significant figures in American history.  The ranking algorithm was applied to a data set of 15 million scanned books and more than 840,000 Wikipedia pages devoted to individuals.  The magazine organized the results into 10 categories. Developers […]

Endearing Canadian Hockey Fans

November 22, 2014 – Last Tuesday night the Nashville Predators hockey team was in Toronto to play the Maple Leafs.  As is customary in international games, both national anthems were sung before the game.  In the middle of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the singer’s microphone malfunctioned.  Watch how Canadian fans responded. Link: Time   [divider]