Earlier we learned that The New York Times opened up their archives for free. A thread was started where we could post interesting finds. The people at Mental_Floss magazine are showcasing the first time various famous places/names/things/ etc were mentioned in the Times. From simpsons, through Starbucks, Silicon Valley and more! picked by 2manyusernames 2 years ago

The first “anti-stab” knife is to go on sale in Britain, designed to work as normal in the kitchen but to be ineffective as a weapon. picked by bornbad 5 months ago

A team of researchers has found for the first time that tropical rainforests, a vital part of the Earth's ecosystem, rely on the rare trace element molybdenum to capture the nitrogen fertilizer needed to support their wildly productive growth. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago

Daylight Saving Time ends in most of the United States a 2AM on Sunday, November 1st (Hawaii and Arizona have been on standard time all summer). It makes you wonder how we ever got our clocks coordinated in the first place. Believe it or not, standard time and time zones were the railroad industry’s idea. picked by bingo 3 weeks ago

It took 18 months for her smile to come back completely, but doctors say the French woman who received the world's first partial face transplant is now doing well. Isabelle Dinoire, 40, was pictured without makeup for the first time today showing the extent of her scars. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Time has been studied by philosophers and scientists for 2,500 years. Astronomer Carl Sagan had it right when he said that time is “resistant to simple definition.” Lots of us think we know what time is, but it is hard to define. You can not literally see or touch time, but you can see its effects. The evidence that we are moving through time is found in everything – our bodies a... read full post picked by kakana 4 months ago

Britain gave the green light Thursday to four so-called "eco towns," claiming it is playing a leading role globally in promoting carbon neutral communities.

"The revolutionary concept of eco towns is a unique opportunity for us to confront two of the most urgent priorities" facing Britain, namely providing more cheaper housing and fighting climate change. picked by Bingo 4 months ago

Breaking up is hard to do. But lawyers, counselors, astrologists and lifestyle coaches at Britain's first divorce fair this weekend will aim to make the process easier. The fair — cheerily named the "Starting Over Show" — takes place Sunday at a cozy hotel in the seaside resort town of Brighton. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

Mathematical physicists at the Steklov Mathematical Institute in Moscow believe that the vast experiment at CERN, the European particle physics centre near Geneva in Switzerland, may turn out to be the world's first time machine picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

(lots of reading)

alternately theres HowStuffWorks on time travel picked by camro77 3 years ago

I'm not exactly sure what to make of this, but if the facts are correct, then this could eventually change the world. picked by Mershaullk 3 years ago

For the first time, direct evidence of lightning has been detected on Mars, say University of Michigan researchers who found signs of electrical discharges during dust storms on the Red Planet. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

Two-year-old British girl Dakota Clarke can see for the first time after undergoing pioneering stem cell treatment in China.

Dakota, who was born blind, is the first British patient to undergo the new type of therapy. picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

Ice circles are known to appear in the Arctic, Scandinavia and Canada, but this is thought to be the first seen in Britain. And now we know how they are formed - they occur at bends in the river where the accelerating water creates a force called 'rotational shear', which breaks off a chunk of ice and twists it around. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

Manga diary of the Japanese WWII prisoner in the USSR. Interestingly, descriptions in languages other than English are a lot more detailed. picked by MissWinkle 1 year ago

A woman is due to give birth next week to the first British child genetically designed to be free of the breast cancer gene. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

One of Britain's very first shopping centres has been unearthed by archeologists in a Welsh field. The 1,800-year-old row of narrow shop buildings shows that the Romans in Britain had their very own well-heeled fashionistas. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

The joint Japan-U.S. Suzaku mission is providing new insight into how assemblages of thousands of galaxies pull themselves together. For the first time, Suzaku has detected X-ray-emitting gas at a cluster's outskirts, where a billion-year plunge to the center begins. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

The first time Stu Rasmussen was elected mayor of Silverton, Ore., he wore shirts and pants. This time around, after a landslide victory, he will be stepping into office donning a dress and makeup. picked by muppet 1 year ago

A 13-foot totem pole fell over and struck a boy on the first day of Boy Scout camp, killing the 9-year-old, state police said Monday. picked by bevissimo 2 years ago