LatestCuriosities
The Belgian Cat Post: How Satire Became Postal History
Trace the Belgian mail-cat story to an 1876 satire, compare its later retellings and meet the real cats that protected postal buildings from rodents.
Read the story →Curiosities — Featured
All posts →LatestCuriosities
Showing 5 of 45 posts
CuriositiesScientists Found a Termite That Looks Like a Sperm Whale. They Named It Moby Dick.
Cryptotermes mobydicki has a whale-like profile and a wonderfully appropriate name. A tiny termite with a surprisingly literary…
CuriositiesThe Dancing Plague of 1518: When Strasbourg Tried Hiring a Band
The strange history of Strasbourgās dancing plague, the authoritiesā musical response, and what remains uncertain about its causes…
CuriositiesLongyearbyen: Where the āIllegal to Dieā Story Meets Reality
Dying is not illegal in Longyearbyen. The real rules on burials, cats, polar-bear protection and taxes are unusual…
CuriositiesThe Great Boston Molasses Flood: When a Kitchen Ingredient Became a Disaster
The 1919 Boston molasses flood, its devastating scale, the physics behind the danger and the negligence established after…
Showing 5 of 45 posts