Engineers are one of the most important behind-the-scenes groups of people, and most of us just take them and their work for granted. The truth is that there can only be so many designers, and the vast majority of engineers do the unglamorous, but no less important work, of building, testing, and improving things for…
Author: Gregory Myers
People often misunderstand scientific theories — partly because science can be complicated, but also because many people are confused about what a scientific theory actually is. A theory, in science terms, is not just an extremely good educated guess, nor is it expected to ever reach a higher burden of proof. It is, in fact,…
In 1975, the communist revolutionary group Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, had taken over Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. Soon they had control of the entire country and declared its new name as “Democratic Kampuchea.” They wanted to create an idealized communist agrarian society, and started making radical changes. While their reign…
Logical fallacies are something we all learned about in high school at least a little bit, and we have all heard teenagers throw them around (often wrongly) in internet arguments in a vain attempt to “win” something — they of course haven’t yet learned the crucial lesson that no one ever wins an argument on…
Many people like to think of big corporations as their friends, and the corporations certainly don’t try too hard to convince people otherwise. In fact, recent efforts on social media by large companies have taken advantage of this by using a personal touch, and often turning their company into a loveable character, run by a…
Throughout history there have been a lot of amazing leaders. Some of them led from the front, even charging into battle, and others simply made incredible decisions that saved countless lives and led to a prosperous kingdom. Some did both. However, there have also been leaders who are known more for their blunders, and even…
When learning about history you often assume you are learning about the most important people in any given situation. But often, you learn either of those who took the credit, or even more commonly, those that history happened to credit more because their role, or just their personality, was more glamorous. Those easily identifiable figures…
Everyone who has ever watched a movie has an idea in their head of the stereotypical angry mob with torches and pitchforks, and most of us have a lot of preconceived notions about how crowds will behave. People tend to think, in general, that crowds are relatively easy to manipulate, and that oftentimes people will…
Many people have their ideas of Japan during World War II based mostly off movies about the war and an HBO miniseries or two, as well as a lot of folk legend passed down over the years. However, some of this has given us a slightly confused picture of how things actually were. A lot…
Sweden is a well known country today, but they are not particularly well known for their military prowess. Most people today known Sweden for Ikea, pop music, and for being a very successful and rich, but relatively small country. However, many people outside of Sweden and the nearby countries do not realize that just a…
Today, climate change is seen by many scientists and world leaders as the biggest issue facing the globe. Whether you believe that it’s caused by man, natural cycles, or some combination of both, more and more people have accepted at this point that the environment is continuing on a path that is going to make…
Today, Americans have a view of the Founding Fathers, and of the founding and evolution of young America, that is highly idealized and mythologized. The Founding Fathers themselves have reached an almost deified status and many people think of changing anything regarding the structure of our government as tantamount to blasphemy. However, much of what…
World War I is one of the most famous wars in history, but despite its significance, it often gets overlooked in favor of its more recent cousin, World War II. The Great War is especially less remembered as clearly by Americans, even though they played a large enough role that they should have felt more…
Not many people today know a lot about the Incas, which is unfortunate. They had one of the most incredible ancient societies in human history. Their kingdom was based in the city of Cusco, which is now in modern day Peru. While the Inca society started quite small, they managed to amass an empire that…
In the United States, Christmas is celebrated in ways that are, at least to Americans, fairly banal by now. America and a lot of Western countries with extremely similar traditions (many of which are provide the origin of US traditions) have a Santa Claus figure who brings gifts to the good children, many people go…
Maybe it’s because people watch too many superhero movies, or just want to spice up their lives, but some like to imagine they have all kinds of powers. Powers that others–or at least most–simply lack. Whether it’s a 9 to 5 commuter who thinks they’re far better than most drivers who have ever lived, a…
The 18th century — the Colonial era of America — was a fascinating time for cooking. While most people didn’t yet have their own ovens, and often had to improvise, many people actually had a pretty decent knowledge of various cooking methods and would use as complicated a spicing regimen as their means would allow.…
Popular culture is one of those subjects, much like politics, that everyone thinks they’re an expert in. After all, most people consume a lot of popular culture on a regular basis, so they assume that they have a good understanding of it. However, unless you’re a really big fan of one small piece of popular…
Back in the day, it was fashionable and considered perfectly normal to believe a theory or two about the JFK assassination. It could be said the initial investigation was a bit botched, and naturally, imaginations went wild. However, since those days, theories like 9/11 “truths” have created a sense of paranoia, fear and far-reaching power…
While scientists aren’t quite sure how the moon got here, most theories they have are pretty vanilla in terms of what we know of the formation of celestial bodies. However, theorists who have always been fascinated by the moon think that such explanations are far too boring. As far as they’re concerned, something absolutely crazy…
Today, Teddy Roosevelt is one of the least criticized presidents in US history. In fact, many people have lionized him and made him an ideal of what a good politician and a leader should be. They talk about Teddy as the trustbuster, the humanitarian, the nature lover, and the incredibly charismatic orator, whose speeches could…
Today, climate change is seen by many scientists and world leaders as the biggest issue facing the globe. Whether you believe that it’s caused by man, natural cycles, or some combination of both, more and more people have accepted at this point that the environment is continuing on a path that is going to make…
We all know about the Fukushima disaster that occurred in 2011, but many people today have forgotten about it, and don’t consider it much more than a footnote at this point — just another Chernobyl or Three Mile Island. Unfortunately, this viewpoint belies the real truth — particularly when it comes to the water around…
Today, Russia is arguably one of the most controversial countries on the planet. Much is said about them one way or the other (primarily due to Vladimir Putin), and very few countries have as many stereotypes (especially negative ones) floating around about them. While it’s understandable for many Westerners to be worried about Russian influence…