Root beer, which was named by Charles E. Hires, was originally made with sassafras and sarsaparilla roots, but in 1960 sassafras was labeled as a carcinogen.
The oldest predecessor of carousels was in 6th-century Byzantium. People rode in baskets that were tied to a pole in the center.
To avoid sharks, Hawaiian elders of yesteryear advised people not to swim at sunset or sunrise, nor when the wiliwili tree blooms, and to stay out of murky water such as where streams enter the sea.
In 2005, Yale University researchers taught seven capuchin monkeys how to use money to buy grapes, apples, and Jell-O. Unexpectedly, a monkey eventually learned he could exchange money for sex. And so, the first case of monkey prostitution was born.
A typical hummingbird beats its wings up to 80 times per second. But bees and wasps can beat their wings 200-250 times per second!
This article appears in Back to School 2022.