Today in 2019 a runner in the London Marathon set a world record, though it wasn’t recognized as such right away. Here's the story of Jessica Anderson, who was looking to break the world record for fastest marathon run in a nurse’s uniform. Plus: NoseID lets people scan their dogs' one-of-a-kind nose prints into their system, and if the dogs get away, someone else can scan their noses to figure out who they are and reunite them with their people. 

Woman Denied 'Fastest Nurse' Record Because She Didn't Wear a Dress, Later Awarded Title (Sports Illustrated)

NoseID can scan your dog’s unique nose print to help find them if they get lost (It's Nice That)

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It's the birthday of Ulysses S. Grant, hero of the Civil War and the only sitting president to have been arrested. Here's the story of how Grant was out speeding through Washington DC and ended up in trouble with the law. It's also the birthday of telegraph pioneer Samuel Morse, so we'll have the story of one of the cleverest uses of Morse Code in the world. 

That Time A President Got In Trouble With The Police (NPR)

Capitol Records Building Morse Code (Atlas Obscura)

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It's National Pretzel Day, so of course we're going to take a deep dive into the history of this near-perfect snack. Plus: if you're hungry for pretzels, we'll tell you about a pretzel-themed restaurant in Maryland. 

The Religious History of Pretzels (Food and Wine)

History of Pretzels (The Spruce Eats)

The Pretzel: A Twisted History (History.com)

The Pretzel-Themed Restaurant In Maryland Where All Of Your Carby Dreams Come True (Only in Maryland)

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This week we're replaying some of our favorite shows about our favorite games. In this episode from September 2020, a research project builds a handheld device modeled on Nintendo's Game Boy that gets its power from solar panels and the energy created by pushing buttons - no batteries necessary. Plus: a programmer recreates the classic video game Doom inside an electronic pregnancy test. Technology is pretty versatile, isn't it?

Battery-free Game Boy runs forever (Northwestern University)

Programmer makes original Doom playable on pregnancy test (CNet)

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This week we're replaying some of our favorite shows about our favorite games. In this episode from July 2020, we look at how, in the 1980s, gamers without the Internet (such as it was) had to buy or borrow their games. But a few could download programs off the radio. Plus: the arrival of a comet that made some great viewing. If you missed it, you'll get another chance 6,000 years from now. 

You Could Download Video Games From the Radio in the 1980s (Interesting Engineering)

Comet NEOWISE could give skywatchers a dazzling show this month. Here's what to know. (Space.com)

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This week we're replaying some of our favorite shows about our favorite games. In this episode from June 2020, the FDA approves a video game-based treatment for ADHD. Plus: a school librarian in western Virginia finds a clever way to get books to her students while schools and libraries are closed.

Children with ADHD can now be prescribed a video game, FDA says (CNN)

Google-backed drones will drop library books so kids in Virginia can do their summer reading (Washington Post)

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This week we're replaying some of our favorite shows about our favorite games. In this episode from May 2019, we pay tribute to Ralph Baer, who invented home video games from his workshop in Manchester, New  Hampshire. The city has honored its gaming pioneer with a "Baer Square," complete with a statue, in a city park. Plus: a place called the Maritime Republic of Eastport in Annapolis holds "the least challenging athletic event ever conceived." It's a race that's one-twentieth of a kilometer long.

The Father of the Video Game: The Ralph Baer Prototypes and Electronic Games (Smithsonian Museum of American History)

Tomorrow Ralph Baer gets his own park in Manchester NH (GraniteGeek)

World’s Least Challenging Athletic Event Ever (The Travel 100)

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This week we're replaying some of our favorite shows about our favorite games. In this episode from December 2019, we look at the history of Oregon Trail, the invention of three student teachers from Minnesota who ended up changing video game history without realizing it. Plus: a hospital in San Antonio, Texas marks the holiday season by sending all its December newborns home in  red and white hats… and stockings!

Oregon Trail: How three Minnesotans forged its path (City Pages)

This Hospital Wins Christmas By Sending Newborns Home In Christmas Stockings For Over 50 Years Now (Bored Panda)

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As automakers move toward all-electric vehicles, we're going to need a lot more batteries, only there are difficulties in getting some of the key elements. A startup called Nth cycle may have a way to help. Plus: meet a young reader who really knows how to multitask. 

This new tech mines old batteries to find critical ingredients for electric vehicles (Fast Company)

5-Year-Old Indian-American Sets World Record for Reading 36 Books in under Two Hours (News18)

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