FYI January 19, 2020

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On This Day

1764 – Bolle Willum Luxdorph records in his diary that a mail bomb, possibly the world’s first, has severely injured the Danish Colonel Poulsen, residing at Børglum Abbey.[7]
A letter bomb, also called parcel bomb, mail bomb, package bomb, note bomb, message bomb, gift bomb, present bomb, delivery bomb, surprise bomb, postal bomb, or post bomb, is an explosive device sent via the postal service, and designed with the intention to injure or kill the recipient when opened. They have been used in Israeli assassinations and in terrorist attacks such as those of the Unabomber. Some countries have agencies whose duties include the interdiction of letter bombs and the investigation of letter bombings.[1] The letter bomb may have been in use for nearly as long as the common postal service has been in existence, as far back as 1764 (see Examples).

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Born On This Day

1813 – Henry Bessemer, English engineer and businessman (d. 1898)
Sir Henry Bessemer FRS (19 January 1813 – 15 March 1898) was an English inventor, whose steel-making process would become the most important technique for making steel in the nineteenth century for almost one hundred years from 1856 to 1950.[2][3] He also played a significant role in establishing the town of Sheffield as a major industrial centre.[4]

Bessemer had been trying to reduce the cost of steel-making for military ordnance, and developed his system for blowing air through molten pig iron to remove the impurities. This made steel easier, quicker and cheaper to manufacture, and revolutionized structural engineering. One of the most significant innovators of the Second Industrial Revolution, Bessemer also made over 100 other inventions in the fields of iron, steel and glass. Unlike most inventors, he managed to bring his own projects to fruition and profited financially from their success.

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FYI

Gizmodo Science: The Most and Least Physically Active U.S. States; 436-Million-Year-Old Scorpion Was Among the Planet’s First Air Breathers and more ->
 
 
 
 
Carol Tice, Make A Living Writing: Writing Headlines: 16 Wicked-Smart Ways to Attract More Readers
 
 
 
 
By Brian Gallagher, Nautilus: The Case for Professors of Stupidity Why aren’t there more people studying the science behind stupidity?
On this past International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I reread a bit of Bertrand Russell. In 1933, dismayed at the Nazification of Germany, the philosopher wrote “The Triumph of Stupidity,” attributing the rise of Adolf Hitler to the organized fervor of stupid and brutal people—two qualities, he noted, that “usually go together.” He went on to make one of his most famous observations, that the “fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.”
 
 
 
 
By Doug Horner, The Guardian: Bring up the bodies: the retired couple who find drowning victims Gene and Sandy Ralston are a married couple in their 70s, who also happen to be among North America’s leading experts at searching for the dead.
 
 
 
 

By Cassandra Jones, Scary Mommy: All Hail This Mom Of Twins Who Turns Off WiFi When Her Husband Is Pooping
 
 
 
 

By Zachary Crockett, The Hustle: Why it only costs $10k to ‘own’ a Chick-fil-A franchise The chicken chain is known for having the lowest entry cost of any major fast-food franchise — but there’s a catch.
 
 
 
 

Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings: What to do when the world gets you down; Mary Shelley’s father on parenting and how an early love of reading paves the path to happiness; and more
 
 
 
 

Atlas Obscura: Missing Grave; Witch Hunt Memorial and more ->
 
 
Atlas Obscura: The chef restoring Appalachia’s world-class cuisine and more ->
 
 
 
 
Kathryn’s Report: Beech B200 Super King Air, N547LM: Accident occurred January 16, 2020 near Unalaska Airport (PADU), Alaska
 
 
 
 
The Passive Voice: Elderhood; Why Book Reviewing Isn’t Going Anywhere and more ->
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

Ideas

By Penolopy Bulnick: Rainbow Ends Crochet Scarf
 
 
Perfectly DeStressed: Bread Box Charging Station
 
 

Recipes

Little House Big Alaska: Easy Grissini Breadstick Recipe
 
 
By agarkovahelena: Best Ever Coffee Beans Cookies
 
 
By Italianwikiblog: Make an Italian Coffee and Chocolate Extravaganza!
 
 
By YukonJulie: The Best Chocolate Shortbread Cookies Ever