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The Dare That Led to the First Hurricane Hunter

On the morning of July 27, 1943, U.S. Army Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Duckworth sat down to breakfast at Bryan Field near Galveston, Texas. Outside the wind howled as a category 2 hurricane bore down upon the coast. The storm had come as a complete surprise; as a precaution against U-boat attacks a radio blackout had been ordered for [...] The post The Dare That Led to the First Hurricane Hunter appeared first on Today I Found Out .

Today I Found Out · EN

The Incredible Soviet Probe Space Heist

Just before we get into today’s topic on America’s attempt to steal a Soviet spacecraft, wanted to shout out the author of this script, Gilles Messier, also made a phenomenal shirt related to this topic. For those interested, you can check it out here. Now let’s get into it. On October 4, 1957 at 7:28 PM Greenwich Mean Time, a [...] The post The Incredible Soviet Probe Space Heist appeared first on Today I Found Out .

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Zoology

Description of the Lyon in Edward Topsell’s 1607 bestiary The History of Four-Footed Beasts: Lyons bones have no marrow in them and are so hard that they will strike fire. Their neck is made of one stiffe bone, without any vertebras. They have five claws on the hinder feet and the balls of their eyes are black. Lyons eat but once in two days, and drink in like manner. Formerly in England a Lyon could tell noble blood from base. There is a variety of Lyon with human faces. As for the rest, the taile of a Lyon is very...

Futility Closet · EN

Turnabout

An “enigma in praise of women,” from an 1820 miscellany: Happy that man may pass his life, Who’s free from matrimonial chains; Who is directed by a wife, Is sure to suffer for his pains. What tongue is able to unfold The falsehood which in women dwell? The worth in women you behold Is almost imperceptible. Adam could find no solid peace When Eve was given him for a mate; Till he beheld a woman’s face, Adam was in a happy state. See, in the female race appear Hypocrisy, deceit, and pride; Truth, darling of a heart sincere, In women...

Futility Closet · EN

“Curious Address”

I send you a post-card which I received in the ordinary way by post from my brother, who lives at Sutton Scarsdale, a scattered village near Chesterfield. You will notice that the card was posted at 7.15 p.m. on the 5th October, and it was delivered during the evening of the following day. The address looks a mixture of Greek and German, but on inspection it will be found that each letter is spelled out in full. The pencilled words were inserted by the Post Office officials. The Post Office is often the object of complaints for tardiness in delivery,...

Futility Closet · EN

Unquote

“He who lives to see two or three generations is like a man who sits some time in the conjurer’s booth at a fair, and witnesses the performance twice or thrice in succession. The tricks were meant to be seen only once; and when they are no longer a novelty and cease to deceive, their effect is gone.” — Schopenhauer

Futility Closet · EN

Poles Apart

A problem by Russian mathematician Viktor Prasolov: A circle is divided by points into 3k arcs such that there are k arcs each of length 1, 2, and 3. Prove that two of the division points are diametrically opposite one another.

Futility Closet · EN

Plagiarism

In a randomly infinite Universe, any event occurring here and now with finite probability must be occurring simultaneously at an infinite number of other sites in the Universe. It is hard to evaluate this idea any further, but one thing is certain: if it is true then it is certainly not original! — John Barrow and Frank Tipler, The Anthropic Cosmological Principle, 1986

Futility Closet · EN

A Pearl

Writing to Robert Gathorne-Hardy in 1929, Logan Pearsall Smith referred to an account in the London Times of a solar eclipse as seen from Manila: The weather was cloudless, the conditions were perfect. Acacia trees closed their leaves as for the night; dew fell, chickens roosted, and the peasants in outlying villages, terrified by the awful phenomenon, supplicated the Saints. Smith wrote, “Could this sentence, which Flaubert might have written with the help of Gibbon, be the chance product of a journalist’s pen? I cannot think so.” For the record, a Times archivist attributed the passage to Wi

Futility Closet · EN

In a Word

polyhistor n. a person of great and varied learning edacious adj. greedy, eager perlegate v. to read through defatigate v. to tire out, exhaust, fatigue In his Recollections of the Last Days of Shelley and Byron, Edward John Trelawny describes Shelley’s thirst for knowledge as “unquenchable”: I called on him one morning at ten, he was in his study with a German folio open, resting on the broad marble mantel-piece, over an old-fashioned fire-place, and with a dictionary in his hand. He always read standing if possible. He had promised over night to go with me, but now begged me...

Futility Closet · EN

The People, Counted: Browse Raw Census Records at the Internet Archive

The U.S. Census has been in the headlines lately, as proposed changes to the 2030 count have sparked debate over who gets counted and what information should be recorded as […] The post The People, Counted: Browse Raw Census Records at the Internet Archive first appeared on Internet Archive Blogs .

Internet Archive Blog · EN

Building the Hero Award: The Story Behind Taekyeom Lee’s 3D-Printed Model of the Internet Archive

Taekyeom Lee is an educator, designer, maker, and researcher. The associate professor of graphic design at Indiana University Bloomington is not only committed to teaching his students, Lee believes in […] The post Building the Hero Award: The Story Behind Taekyeom Lee’s 3D-Printed Model of the Internet Archive first appeared on Internet Archive Blogs .

Internet Archive Blog · EN

Celebrating 2026 Internet Archive Artist in Residence: Christopher Burch

Written by VITA HEWITT “Echoes of Absence and Mythos: The Un-Archivists of Shitocracy” comes straight from the hands of artist Christopher Burch and opens on October 17 at Incline Gallery. […] The post Celebrating 2026 Internet Archive Artist in Residence: Christopher Burch first appeared on Internet Archive Blogs .

Internet Archive Blog · EN

Annual Celebration 2026: Street Fair to Showcase Internet Archive’s Projects and Allies

Every year, the Internet Archive throws a party at our headquarters, celebrating a different facet of our ongoing preservation work. The theme for 2026 is “Democracy’s Library: Tools for Participation” […] The post Annual Celebration 2026: Street Fair to Showcase Internet Archive’s Projects and Allies first appeared on Internet Archive Blogs .

Internet Archive Blog · EN

Internet Archive Honors Poynter and IRE for Preserving Local News Online

As newsrooms across the United States close, years of reporting are at risk of disappearing. Stories documenting local elections, holding public officials accountable, investigating community problems and recording everyday life […] The post Internet Archive Honors Poynter and IRE for Preserving Local News Online first appeared on Internet Archive Blogs .

Internet Archive Blog · EN

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Physical Archive

Visitors who came to the open house at the Physical Archive in Richmond, California, on October 20 were curious. They wanted to learn about the range of items collected, the […] The post A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Physical Archive first appeared on Internet Archive Blogs .

Internet Archive Blog · EN

From Main Street to Capitol Hill, the Case for Democracy’s Library

At a time when free speech is under attack and the public record is fragile, supporters gathered in San Francisco on October 21 to celebrate the Internet Archive’s work to […] The post From Main Street to Capitol Hill, the Case for Democracy’s Library first appeared on Internet Archive Blogs .

Internet Archive Blog · EN

Weaving ‘Tapestries’: Introducing A New Tool for Digital Storytelling and Archiving

Between text, images, audio clips and videos, there are so many elements at your fingertips to tell a story in the digital era. A new expressive tool is now available […] The post Weaving ‘Tapestries’: Introducing A New Tool for Digital Storytelling and Archiving first appeared on Internet Archive Blogs .

Internet Archive Blog · EN

From skills to degrees: New ACE data shows how job-relevant learning can help reduce the cost of college

Since launching our first Professional Certificates, one of Coursera’s goals has been to make high-quality education more accessible by helping learners build job-ready skills while creating flexible pathways to a degree. Today I’m excited to share new insights from our partnership with the American Council on Education (ACE) that shows career-focused learning on Coursera has […] The post From skills to degrees: New ACE data shows how job-relevant learning can help reduce the cost of college appeared first on Coursera Blog .

Coursera Blog · EN

Welcoming Karthik Chakkarapani as Coursera’s new Chief Information Officer

I’m excited to welcome Karthik Chakkarapani to Coursera as our new SVP & Chief Information Officer. The post Welcoming Karthik Chakkarapani as Coursera’s new Chief Information Officer appeared first on Coursera Blog .

Coursera Blog · EN

Welcoming Tom Savage as Coursera’s New Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

I’m excited to announce that Tom Savage has joined Coursera as our new Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, effective September 21, 2026. The post Welcoming Tom Savage as Coursera’s New Chief Legal Officer and Secretary appeared first on Coursera Blog .

Coursera Blog · EN

Presenting Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2026, and our new AI-Human Skills Synergy Index—the first of its kind in the world

By Anthony Salcito, SVP & President, Enterprise, Coursera The rate of AI deployment is outpacing the rate at which people are gaining the skills needed to use it effectively. According to Deloitte, 43% of leaders say their organization is highly prepared when it comes to their technology infrastructure, yet only 20% express the same level […] The post Presenting Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2026, and our new AI-Human Skills Synergy Index—the first of its kind in the world appeared first on Coursera Blog .

Coursera Blog · EN

10 free Anthropic AI courses launch today on Coursera, with more coming each month to help learners stay current

Today, Anthropic, an AI safety and research company that built Claude, is launching 10 courses on Coursera that are available for free to learners around the world. The post 10 free Anthropic AI courses launch today on Coursera, with more coming each month to help learners stay current appeared first on Coursera Blog .

Coursera Blog · EN

Announcing 30+ new programs across Coursera and Udemy to help learners build AI and human skills

Today, on the sidelines of our first Coursera + Udemy Partner & Instructor Forum in Madrid, we announced more than 30 new programs and several exciting platform updates — all designed to help learners and creators better navigate the changing skills landscape. Held in partnership with Real Madrid at their Bernabéu Stadium, we brought together […] The post Announcing 30+ new programs across Coursera and Udemy to help learners build AI and human skills appeared first on Coursera Blog .

Coursera Blog · EN