Secrecy, lawsuits, and technological advances are part of a news item some have called “the greatest achievement of the past 1,000 years.” This isn’t a recent story of spy satellites or computer programmes. It’s the story behind Johannes Guttenberg’s first ever printing press—in 1455.   Guttenberg had tried to keep his invention top secret until it…

When the great ocean liner Titanic sank in 1912 it was rumoured to have gone down with a fortune in jewels and gold. That longstanding myth was dispelled, however, by the discovery of the ship’s manifest, which showed that the ship was carrying raw feathers, linen, straw, hatter’s fur, tissue, auto parts, leather, rabbit hair,…

In an article for the San Francisco Chronicle, Herb Caen wrote, “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every day a lion wakes up. It knows it has to run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve…

The honeybee has one of the most highly developed social structures in the animal kingdom.At the heart of the hive, which may house as many as 80,000 bees, is the queen. Without her the colony has no future. But the 80,000 don’t just sit around watching their queen. Each bee has a specialized duty to…

All America waited anxiously. Many people prayed. Captain Scott O’Grady’s F-16 had been shot down as he was flying over Serbia. Had he been killed or captured? Was he seriously injured? The hours ticked by. Five days passed. On the 6th day another pilot picked up a faint message from O’Grady’s radio. He was alive,…

Years ago a tourist was being shown through one of the oldest castles in England. He admired the rich furnishings, the valuable art treasures and the ornate carvings. Then he noticed a strange tapestry that had a wild, irregular pattern of colour and knotted threads. The guide, seeing the man’s quizzical look said, “That’s actually…

Everywhere you turn today you see advertising. Billboards shout and T-shirts tout their messages. Radio spots, TV commercials and newspaper ads make urgent pitches. Of course, we know that the goods and services being advertised carry  a price tag. We have to pay for what is being offered. No one expects to get something for nothing.…

A few years ago, a 42-foot sailboat got caught in stormy seas off the east coast of the United States. Waves rose higher and higher until a giant wave flipped the boat upside down. The heavy keel righted the craft, but damage was significant.   A Coast Guard cutter quickly responded to the sailboat’s SOS. But…

Thought for the Day – Friday 7th August 2020 The airline had mangled Debbie’s luggage. Then her purse disappeared. Instead of entering the airport through an enclosed corridor she stumbled off the plane in pouring rain. She was drenched, far from home with no money, no identification and no dry clothes.    Under normal circumstances…

“Have you read about the instant cake mix that was a flop? The instructions said that all you had to do was add water and bake. The company couldn’t understand why it didn’t sell—until their research discovered that the buying public felt uneasy about a mix that required only water. Apparently people thought it was…