August 23rd is Gene Kelly’s birthday: here’s a brief bio and the famous Singin’ In The Rain dance. Related, this excellent compilation of Rita Hayworth’s dancing, set to Stayin’ Alive

8 Unexpected Signs You’re Smarter Than Average.

Why We Pour Milk on our Cereal.

August 24th is St. Bartholomew’s Day — some history, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, a brief documentary, and Monty Python. Also this weekend, it’s the anniversary of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and destruction of Pompeii in A.D. 79.


How a French Truck Manufacturer Sabotaged Nazi War Production.

The Afterlife of Royal Hair.

ICYMI, most recent links are here, and include the wild camels of the American west, comics published by the federal government, the weird journey of Dorothy Parker’s ashes, and 50’s and 60’s visions of the everyday uses of nuclear explosions and radioactive isotopes.