The only known copy of the world's first telephone directory is set to fetch up to £20,000 at auction next month. The 20-page book containing the names and number of 391 subscribers around New Haven, Connecticut, was issued in 1878 - just two years after the invention of the telephone by Edinburgh-born Alexander Graham Bell. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

ESA’s orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has been used by a team of international astronomers to uncover part of the missing matter in the universe. 10 years ago, scientists predicted that about half of the missing ‘ordinary’ or normal matter made of atoms exists in the form of low-density gas, filling vast spaces between galaxies. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Wrath of the Lich King (is that pronounced lick) is the latest expansion pack for WoW. On sale from midnight UTC last night, enthusiastic crowds gathered to be the first to play.

Dressed as cows, apparently picked by pocksucket 1 year ago

A student wrote a 2-word expletive on an exam he was taking. It started with an 'F' and ended with "off".

He was given 2 points out of a possible 27 because he managed to spell both words correctly and they were correctly used in a sentence. picked by 2manyusernames 1 year ago

Even a government can't sell a yacht in these tough times. The 269-foot yacht that once belonged to Saddam Hussein has failed to sell. picked by Bornbad 10 months ago

Scientists have used human cells to grow new blood vessels in a mouse for the first time, a US journal reports. picked by deEPCHIll 1 year ago

Your mobile phone beeps, you have received a text message.
It begins: "I swear, I will make sure I give you HIV..."

But it's not an abusive threat, it's a "romantic" text message copied from a book on sale all over Nigeria that professes to give young people the words they need to court the woman or man of their dreams. picked by bingo 8 months ago

A food thickener used in yoghurts and jellies could be used to help make artificial muscle, say Australian researchers. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

He made a GamerTagPics profile that showed him standing in front of his alleged kidnapper's apartment.

Update of this. picked by TheBlueFrog 3 years ago

The famous sequence that shows the evolution of man from knuckle-dragging ape to an upright human may be flawed, a new study has revealed. Researchers who examined the wrist bones of several primate species believe our early human ancestors never used their knuckles to walk like gorillas. Instead they evolved from other apes who spent most of their time in trees and descended to the ground uprig... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

Paula Sunshine of Lawshall, Suffolk, UK, built an extension onto her 16th Century thatched house with hair. Cattle hair has been used as a traditional building material, but Sunshine is using primarily human and dog hair picked by Bingo 2 months ago

Despite constant reassurances that anti-terrorist laws would not be used in any circumstances other than to deal with terrorism, Gordon Brown has used the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 of freeze the British assets of Landsbanki, the collapsed Icelandic bank. picked by pocksucket 1 year ago

A puppy found hobbling in the Kuwait desert is fitted with a new kind of prosthetic leg that is grafted directly to the bone, a process that may one day be used on humans, too. picked by VooDooPeacock 2 years ago

This prow-shaped mask with built-in snorkel and compass holder was invented by Calvin Gongwer and used by him in a recent 22-mile swim from Catalina Island to San Pedro Calif. He claims that the “speed mask” cuts drag by 35 percent. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

A kilogram just isn't what it used to be. The 118-year-old cylinder that is the international prototype for the metric mass, kept tightly under lock and key outside Paris, is mysteriously losing weight — if ever so slightly. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

In a time when many families are cutting back on spending of automobiles and gas, Chrysler is offering an incentive to new car buyers: $2.99 a gallon gas.

The car manufacturer will provide purchasers of new Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep cars a $2.99 gas guarantee, starting on Wednesday and running through June 2. picked by ImNotBlue 2 years ago

New mint packets being sold by The Hershey Co. look nearly identical to the tiny heat-sealed bags used to sell illegal powdered drugs like crack, heroin and cocaine and glorify the drug trade, a Philadelphia police official said. picked by dollyllama 2 years ago

The Science of Marijuana, by Dr Leslie Iversen of Oxford University's department of pharmacology, found many "myths" surrounding marijuana use, such as extreme addictiveness, or links with mental illness or infertility are not supported by science. picked by iamamaniac 9 months ago

When it comes to selling cars and trucks, most people are familiar with usual bag of tricks: beautiful scenery, beautiful women and brawny vehicles. A recent commercial for Honda’s Pilot takes things in the exact opposite direction, and it’s a refreshing change. picked by MeMe 1 year ago

A cheeseburger and democracy to go? Not quite, but politically active Californians have been able to cast election ballots from the comfort of their cars at a one-off drive-thru voting booth. The innovative drive-thru voting system was opened late Monday in Santa Ana, southeast of Los Angeles, as part of a push to encourage eligible voters to register and vote ahead of the November 4 presidentia... read full post picked by ImNotBlue 1 year ago