Fried dough cakes have been around seemingly forever, but for National Doughnut Day, we have the story of an innovation that helped make this treat the icon that it is today: the invention of the doughnut hole. Plus: this weekend in Chittenango, New York, east of Syracuse, it’s Oz-stravaganza, a celebration of the Wizard of Oz in the town where author L. Frank Baum was born. 

The Maine Ship Captain Who Invented the Modern Donut (New England Historical Society)

Oz-stravaganza

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The Paper House of Rockport, Massachusetts has a wood frame, but otherwise owner Elis Stenman made the place almost entirely out of old newspapers. And you can still read the stories in the walls today. Plus: this weekend in northern Indiana, it’s the Mentone Egg Festival, celebrating an area that’s been called the “Egg Basket of the Midwest.”

The Paper House—made of 100,000 newspapers—has a working fireplace, electricity, and running water (Roadtrippers)

Mentone Egg Festival (Visit Indiana)

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Today in 2012, the birthday of Amy Jones-Elliott of Glenmore, County Kilkenny, Ireland. But it wasn't the birthday of her twin sister, Katie. The two hold the world record for twins with the largest amount of time between their births: 87 days. Plus: ExitReviews can tell you not just whether a product works well, but how long it'll last and what parts might break on it first. 

First day at school for the record-breaking miracle twin sisters born 87 days apart (Irish Mirror)

ExitReviews (The Awesomer)

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Washington State University has developed a high-tech wearable (I guess you call it a wearable?) to make it easier to take care of a very important test for some babies: a smart pacifier. Plus: the Doomsday Alarm Clock app will scare you out of bed with one of several end of the world scenarios.

Smart pacifier developed to monitor infant health in hospitals (Washington State University)

The Doomsday Alarm Clock Will Help You Wake Up and Stay Up (UrbanDaddy)

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For Memorial Day, we look at what's become an annual tradition at this time of year: an exhausting CrossFit workout in honor of a Medal of Honor winner and Navy SEAL who gave his life while serving in Afghanistan. His full name was Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, but he's also known far and wide today as Murph, the namesake of the "Murph Challenge." 

How Murph Became the Most Legendary Fitness Challenge Ever (Men's Health)

Medal of Honor Recipient Michael P. Murphy (US Navy)

When there's road work to be done, crews put up cones, barrels and fences to keep workers safe. Now a "smart work" zone system being tested in Virginia could make those spaces even safer. Plus: if you need a road trip destination, how about a New Mexico museum about a key part of many of those road trips? 

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute researchers to deploy smart work zone in Wise, Virginia (Virginia Tech)

The Classical Gas Museum Is One Of The Strangest Places You Can Go In New Mexico (Only in New Mexico)

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We now have some 750,000 miles of internet cable on ocean and seafloors. A research team found a way to use those cables to measure seismic activity, without installing anything extra. Plus: “London’s Invisible House” got its name because nearly all of its exterior is covered in mirrors.

A breakthrough in fiber optics turned an undersea cable into 12 seismographs (Interesting Engineering)

Richmond's 'invisible' house is essentially a giant mirror that makes it hard to even notice (MyLondon)

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It's the day in 1977 that Star Wars first showed in movie theaters. Props and costumes from the Star Wars movies have shown up in museums, and a few have had stranger afterlives, including an original model of the Death Star. Plus: a statue first put up in the old Soviet Union was repurposed in more recent times to join the Star Wars universe. 

SAVING THE DEATH STAR: HOW THE ORIGINAL MODEL WAS LOST AND FOUND (StarWars.com via Archive.org)

How the Death Star from Star Wars ended up as a Missouri trash can (FOX 2)

Darth Vader Statue (Atlas Obscura)

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Today in 1854, the first sitting of the parliament of New Zealand. And there’s an interesting story about that lawmaking body that involves a very special biscuit tin. Plus: for those still working remotely, the YouTube channel Everything Is Hacked presents the Zoom Pants Filter!

Biscuit tin democracy: the humble start of New Zealand's most progressive laws (The Guardian)

Zoom Pants Filter (The Awesomer)

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Today in 1921, Green and Green cracker company of Dayton, Ohio trademarked the name of a new product that is still doing quite well: it’s the birthday of the Cheez-It. Plus: Today in Pennsylvania, it’s 143 Day, celebrating the one and only Mister Rogers. 

Were Cheez-Its really invented in Dayton? Yes, and here's the story (Dayton.com)

143 Day in PA in honor of Fred Rogers (Philly Voice)

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