Today in 1944, the birthday of Pat Martino, a jazz guitar great who once had to relearn the instrument that had won him so much acclaim. Plus: Today in Deming, New Mexico, it’s the 43rd Annual Great American Duck Race. 

Pat Martino discusses relearning to play guitar after a near-fatal brain aneurysm left him with amnesia (Lehigh Valley Live)

Jazz Guitar After Brain Damage (Discover Magazine)

43rd Annual Great American Duck Race August 25-28, 2022

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Today in 1919, one of the strangest moments in the history of baseball: a pitcher won a game in which he was struck by lightning! Plus: today in 2006, the International Astronomical Union redefined what a planet was, leaving poor cold little Pluto in the lurch and leading to a new verb. 

A lightning strike fueled baseball's most electrifying performance (Accuweather)

Aug. 24, 2006: Pluto Deplanetized (WIRED)

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Today in 2021, a very long wait was over. Researchers harvested three bunches of dates from trees that had sprouted from seeds over two thousand years old. Plus: today in 1989, the biggest human chain of all time, stretching hundreds of miles through three countries. 

After 2,000 Years, These Seeds Have Finally Sprouted (The Atlantic)

A Chain of Friendship: Reflections on the Baltic Way and Inspiration for Belarus (Foreign Policy Research Institute)

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Today in 1893, writer Dorothy Parker was born. Those who knew her say nobody had a sharper wit - and we have the one-liners to prove it. Plus: a design studio in Tokyo may have a solution for all the waste styrofoam out there. 

10 Things You Might Not Know About Dorothy Parker (Mental Floss)

we+ recycles styrofoam waste into dark, monolithic furniture collection (designboom)

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For National Photography Day, here’s a remarkable photographic story from the 1890s: a guy in Norway made his own candid camera. Plus: today in 1935, the birthday of Story Musgrave, the only astronaut to serve on missions on all five space shuttles.

19-Year-Old Student Hides Spy Camera In His Clothing To Take Secret Street Photos In The 1890s (Bored Panda)

Veteran Astronaut Story Musgrave (Smithsonian)

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Scientists once thought stingrays were silent, but a recent recording project found out they make noise after all. Now they want to know why they make noises - and for who? Plus: today in 2018, Jessie the parrot may have said way too much. 

Stingrays recorded making sounds for the first time—but why is a mystery (MSN for Kids)

Parrot swears at London firefighter trying to rescue it from roof (BBC)

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The new 3D printing project called To Grow A Building is working on a method to 3D print the components of structures out of dirt, with the goal of reducing the significant amount of emissions that come from using standard building materials. Plus: if you want to take a unique spin through geography, try the website Notable People.

These 3D-printed dirt walls grow a garden when you water them (Fast Company)

Notable people 

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For mountaineers, success and safety can depend on good communication. A piece in Outside magazine featured two Deaf climbers who have their own system when they’re climbing, and they plan to use that system in climbing the highest peaks on each continent. Plus: if you like vacations in remote locales, this island in the south Atlantic Ocean is about as remote as it gets. 

How Two Deaf Mountaineers Thrive on High Peaks (Outside)

The Questionable Rewards of a Visit to Inaccessible Island (Atlas Obscura)

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It was around this time in 1975 that Gary Dahl dropped by a gift show in San Francisco with the idea for the pet rock. It would make him a millionaire. Plus: on Liechtenstein National Day, we have a few small facts about this small European nation. 

The story of Gary Dahl and the pet rock: From the archives (Mercury News)

Hard Sell: A History of the Pet Rock (Mental Floss)

LITTLE LIECHTENSTEIN ACHIEVE BIG (FIFA)

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If you’re a Jetsons fan on the internet these days, you’re probably living the dream right now. Because, if you look really closely at the futuristic cartoon show’s backstory, the main character, George Jetson, may have just had his birthday. Plus: for World Elephant Day, a visit to Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 

Fine, let's think too damn hard about whether George Jetson will actually be born tomorrow (AV Club)

George Jetson Is Almost Here (Know Your Meme)

You’ve Never Seen Anything Like This Bizarre Attraction In Pennsylvania (Only In Your State)

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