Showing results by author "Dan Lewis" in All Categories

Taste test: Does a $17 burger always taste better than a $4 one? Find out on this episode of Now I Know. A hamburger that costs $17 probably tastes good. No, it has to – who would pay $17 for a burger and fries that didn’t? No one – at least not twice. That makes sense: in order to stay in business with an expensive menu, whatever you’re selling better make for a good dining experience. But at some point, our palates can’t really discern between foods.

Werewolves aren't real. But if they were real, they'd be scary, considering they are man-beast hybrids with enormous strength, no judgment or compassion, and a vicious case of blood lust.

In 1984, a Michigan man named Donald Magett won the big one – the Michigan Lottery's $1,000 Cash for Life scratch off game. He was 41 or 42 years old at the time, and while the monthly prize (paid in $12,000 annual chunks) wasn't quite "quit your job" money, it certainly sounded like he was on his way to financial security. Alas, that was not the case. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Labor sued Magett.

It's common knowledge that rubbing alcohol makes cuts burn. But, why? Find out the answer to this burning question on this episode of Now I Know. Get a scrape or a cut and your first step – after the subtle facial expression you make from the pain – may be to grab some rubbing alcohol. Your goal is to clean off the wound before applying a bandage, as you want to shield the scrape from the elements, and prevent trapping bacteria or other stuff within the injured area.

When Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known as Vladimir Lenin, died in January 1924, Winston Churchill summed up his life aptly: "[The] worst misfortune [of the Russian people] was his birth: their next worst his death." Lenin's death was a dangerous moment in history, Churchill aptly observed.

In 1952, the owner of a chicken restaurant named Harlan Sanders began franchising out his brand to other restaurateurs throughout the country. Colonel Sanders's chain, then known as Kentucky Fried Chicken (and now KFC), spread quickly, and Sanders became a very wealthy man.

Crying, many people believe, can be cathartic – a good way to relieve stress and let other emotions out. But in many cultures, crying – especially in public – is socially frowned upon.

On the southern shore of eastern Cuba is Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a small outcrop of land and sea controlled by the United States. The almost-rectangular 45-square-mile zone has been home to US troops since the summer of 1898, when Marines landed there during the Spanish-American War.

The Mexican state of Chiapas (officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas) is located in the nation's south, bordering Guatemala and the Pacific Ocean. Among the many indigenous people of the area are the Tzotzil, who are about 300,000 strong and live primarily in a municipality known as San Juan de Chamula (known simply as Chamula).

For many people around the world, the day starts with a cup of coffee. This has been true for centuries, but the origins of the drink aren't quite clear.

On April 15, 2014, the moon wasn't nearly as bright as the moon typically is, and appeared to take on a reddish color (from Earth, of course) – the result of a lunar eclipse, which occurs when the sun, earth and moon are aligned. The earth blocks most (but not all) of the sunlight that would have otherwise reflected off the moon's surface, leading to a dull, red sphere in the sky.

Yves Rossy is a pilot. Like most other pilots, he flies things. But unlike any other pilot, the thing he flies is himself.

Take out a loan and you may have to offer up something as collateral – an item of value that, if you fail to pay back the money owed, your creditor gets to take from you.

The USS O'Bannon was a warship used by the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War. The destroyer's armament was impressive by any measure – depth charges for submarines, 17 anti-aircraft guns, torpedo tubes for ships and subs alike, and five 5"/38 caliber guns for surface targets.

From the end of World War II until the fall of the Soviet Union nearly fifty years later, the happenings of those nations behind the Iron Curtain were hidden in the shroud of communism. Many of the goings-on came to light in subsequent years, with most being stories of abuses under communist dictators. But some of the revelations unveiled in the 1990s were secrets about the Nazis. For example, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, someone discovered a swastika made of trees.

There's a grim, dark side to the honey bun biz. Get the un-sugarcoated story on this episode of Now I Know. A honey bun is a cake-y dessert that sells for about $1 at your deli. It’s nothing special, as pre-packaged desserts go, except perhaps for the fact that it’s pretty bad for you. The small version of the treat weighs three ounces and runs 340 calories, 15 grams of fat, and 210 milligrams of sodium – roughly the same nutritional value as one and a half Snickers bars.

In 2011, a total of 81,000 people were adopted by Japanese families. If you think that's a lot of babies changing families, though, you're wrong – but not because 81,000 is a small number.

The name Edward Martin is hardly a household one. At the pinnacle of his career – at least, the part that's relevant to this story – he competed in his hobby's world tournament three times.

Penicillin was discovered by a scientist named Alexander Fleming in September 1928. Two years later, it was used for the first time to cure an infection – on November 25, 1930, British Doctor Cecil George Paine used penicillin to help an infant suffering from neonatal conjunctivitis.

Money does not grow on trees. Neither do pineapples, for that matter. Spaghetti? Nope, that doesn't grow on trees either. …Or does it?