Science & Industry
Why Do We Dial 911 for Emergencies?
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Article
When Americans find themselves faced with an emergency situation, they instinctively reach for their phones to dial 911. These three digits are ingrained in the collective consciousness. Even toddlers know the number — take, for example, the case of little A.J. Hayes, a 3-year-old who made a lifesaving 911 call after his father accidentally stabbed himself with a chisel. Today, it’s hard to imagine any other number being used in times of crisis. But not all that long ago, no universal emergency number existed in the United States. Instead, people had to call their local ...Read More
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Science & IndustryFact8Until the 1980s, most households rented rather than owned their phones.
Home phones really took off in the 1940s, but for the next several decades, almost nobody who used a telephone actually owned one. Instead, most customers rented the phones in…
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Science & IndustryFact5Nostalgia was once considered a disease (and it could be fatal).
Today, nostalgia means getting sentimental about childhood snacks or reruns of TV shows we only half remember. But in centuries past, it was treated as a deadly medical disorder —…
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Science & IndustryFact11There’s a new medieval castle being built.
Within a quarry nestled in the heart of northern France’s Guédelon Forest, masons carve out sandstone blocks, blacksmiths hammer out iron nails, and carpenters forge window frames to fit the…
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Science & IndustryArticle84Listen to the Oldest Recording of a Human Voice
Whether you grew up with 8-tracks and cassette tapes or digital playlists and podcasts, recorded sound probably feels like an ordinary part of everyday life. Today, it’s possible to capture…
