Life's Little Mysteries Culture Archives
Why is the Great Pyramid So Sloppy?
March 25, 2010, Heather Whipps
Khufu's Great Pyramid at Giza has long been pillaged by locals for its valuable stone.
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Why Is It Called Labor Day?
March 25, 2010, Heather Whipps, Life’s Little Mysteries Contributor
The first Labor Day took place in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882, with picnics organized by the city's Central Labor Union.
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Why is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky?
March 25, 2010, Heather Whipps
Folklorists think the dread goes back at least a few centuries.
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Who is the Antichrist?
March 25, 2010, Denise Chow, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
There's Jesus Christ, but there's another equally intriguing religious figure.
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Why Does Mona Lisa's Smile Change?
March 25, 2010, Michelle Bryner
Among the top questions baffling art enthusiasts is the elusive grin. Did da Vinci intentionally create the ambiguous appearance?
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Why Do We Need Leap Year?
March 24, 2010, Robert Roy Britt
Those of you who get paid every other Friday might get three paychecks this month.
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Why Do They Call It Black Friday?
March 24, 2010, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
The term Black Friday was first used to describe Sept. 24, 1869, when several financiers tried to corner the gold market.
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Why Do We Carve Pumpkins at Halloween?
March 24, 2010, Heather Whipps
Carving vegetables into scary faces then lighting them is an odd kind of custom that just must have interesting roots.
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What's Palm Sunday?
March 24, 2010, Michelle Bryner, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus entering Jerusalem for his anointment as King.
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Who Are the Tea Party Patriots?
March 24, 2010, Denise Chow, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
The Tea Party Patriots are comprised of individuals who believe in fiscal responsibility, free markets and a constitutionally-limited government.
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Why Do Doctors Wear Green Or Blue Scrubs?
March 24, 2010, Susannah F. Locke, Scienceline
Green may be well-suited to help doctors see better in the operating room.
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Who Was the First Person to Fly?
March 24, 2010, Robert Roy Britt
Orville and Wilbur might jump to mind. But the Wright Brothers were half a century late.
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Where Did the Purple Heart Come From?
March 24, 2010, Robert Roy Britt
Back on an August day in 1782, General George Washington ordered a Badge of Military Merit created.
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Who Invented Scotch Tape?
March 24, 2010, Tuan C. Nguyen
The inventor tried many different things before it finally stuck.
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Who Discovered America?
March 24, 2010, Robert Roy Britt
Columbus thought he'd found the East Indies. Truth was, he was in the Bahamas.
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Who Created Uncle Sam?
March 24, 2010, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
James Montgomery Flagg created the iconic illustration of Uncle Sam.
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Great Moments in History: How Thanksgiving Inspired the TV Dinner
March 24, 2010, Robert Roy Britt
Today, more than one-third of U.S. homes have a separate freezer in addition to the one that's part of the fridge, allowing for storage of plenty of TV dinners to gobble on demand. Who came up with the...
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When Was Beer Invented?
March 23, 2010, Ben Mauk
Beer likely dates back to the dawn of cereal agriculture.
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Where Did Chalkboards Come From?
March 23, 2010, Heather Whipps
Chalkboards, sometimes just pieces of wood painted with black, liquid slate, hit the wall in the early 19th century.
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What's the Significance of 11/11?
March 23, 2010, Heather Whipps
Some people feel haunted by the number everywhere they go, claiming it's a nod from angels or a mystical sign of eleven's importance in math and science.
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What Was the First Museum?
March 23, 2010, Ben Mauk
The history of the public museum.
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What Was the Deadliest Day in American History?
March 23, 2010, U.S. Census Bureau
On Sept. 17, 1862, the battle of Antietam took thousands of lives.
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What is a Theory?
March 23, 2010, Monica Heger
The word theory is frequently misused and misunderstood when applied to a range of ideas from evolution to gravity.
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Why Do Humans Dance?
March 22, 2010, Denise Chow, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Dancing is in our genes, scientists say: It may have even helped our ancient ancestors survive.
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What Do the Olympic Rings Symbolize?
March 22, 2010, Greg Soltis
The meaning of the Olympic Games' five interlocking rings is not at all black-and-white.
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