According to The Economist, Japanese police have killed just one person in the past six years.
For the last 2,000 years, it has been inappropriate to eat with your elbows on the table. The rule comes from the Wisdom of Sirach.
The mineral bridgmanite makes up about 38% of the planet. Most people have never heard of it because it wasn’t given a name until late in 2014 – and that’s partly because it exists deep in the Earth’s lower mantle under extreme pressure.
A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was a pig’s head prepared with mustard.
Girding your loins was needed because tunics wouldn’t let you do heavy labor or go into battle. First, hoist up your tunic so that all the fabric is above your knees. Next, gather all the extra material in front of you, then pull it between your legs like a diaper. Then, gather half the material in each hand and bring it around front of your waist. Then, tie together in a knot. You’re girded!
This article appears in December 26 • 2014.