As sea levels rise, small island nations like Kiribati face some tough choices. A European design studio has an idea that might help: sustainable buildings that can collect rainwater, generate electricity, and help grow food. And they float. Plus: Boston's Museum of Science joins with Leonard Nimoy's family to mark his 90th birthday in a fascinating way. 

Kiribati Floating Houses address rising waters and land limitations (Inhabitat)

Nimoy Family and Boston's Museum of Science Announce Vulcan Salute Monument (Star Trek)

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Today in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was dedicated and opened, but it was only one of hundreds of ideas for what should be built there. And some of the other proposed designs were wild. Plus: a new device would be able to extract water from the air wherever the user already is. 

The Story Behind The Eiffel Tower's Forgotten Competitors (Ozy)

The Eiffel Tower’s Long-Lost Competition: A Granite Lighthouse (Frenchly)

GE researchers are developing a portable device that produces water out of thin air (designboom)

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Babies born ahead of schedule can benefit from close contact with parents and caregivers - and for the times they're not available, there's a new hospital bed called Calmer that can simulate the rocking motion they feel when they're being held up close. Plus: anybody need a fancy door that can fold down into a ping pong table? Cause that exists now. 

Pulsating bed could prevent brain damage in premature babies (New Atlas)

Ping Pong Door (Nag on the Lake)

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On this day in 1849, Henry Brown escaped slavery from a Virginia plantation in a very unusual way: he arranged it so he could hide in a small wooden box that was sent to Pennsylvania. Here's some of his story. Plus: it was on this day in 2011 that a paramedic rescued a doctor from a fiery car crash, 30 years after that same doctor had helped the paramedic survive as a newborn. 

Slavery cost him his family. That’s when Henry ‘Box’ Brown mailed himself to freedom. (Washington Post)

Little Known Black History Fact: Henry ‘Box’ Brown (Black America Web)

OC Paramedic Helps Rescue Doctor Who Saved His Life as Baby; Pair Reunited (KTLA)

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Today in 1804, the US Senate held a party featuring something called the “Mammoth Loaf.” To explain, we have to first tell you about Thomas Jefferson, an enormous block of cheese and an archeology project. Plus: a very cold town in Siberia has some very cool music, thanks to spring ice drums. 

Jefferson presented with a “mammoth loaf” of bread (History.com)

Thomas Jefferson and the "mammoth loaf of bread" (part 1) (The New York Evening Post via Newspapers.com) 

Spring ice drums in the village of Oymyakon, Yakutia (Siberian Times)

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It's a state holiday today known as Maryland Day, so it's a good time to talk about how in 1962 Maryland named jousting its official state sport. Plus: in New York City there's a "space clearer" who removes the negative energy from homes that won't sell and apartments with unsettling or tragic histories. 

A look into Maryland’s curious state sport: Jousting (Shore Monthly)

Mary Lou Bartram (Maryland Jousting Tournament Association)

The Healer That Real-Estate Agents Call to Clear Their Cursed Apartments (Curbed)

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An engineer and beekeeper in New England has developed a system using radar and vibrational sensors to detect when a hive is being robbed by a rival colony, or when some of the bees are about to leave and start their own colony. That should create a buzz among beekepers! Plus: IKEA has just published a digital "scrapsbook" intended to help people turn leftovers into new meals and not into food waste. 

Radar-Piezoelectric Tech Tracks Hive Mind—of Bees (IEEE Spectrum)

IKEA's Free Scrapsbook Cookbook For Food Waste (Cool Hunting)

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It was on this day in 1857 that the first commercial elevator began operating at a department store in New York City. And once elevators took off, they started shaping the world around us in some pretty big ways. Plus: a city in Oregon is home to an elevator that is technically a street!

March 23, 1857: Mr. Otis Gives You a Lift (Wired)

Oregon City is home of America's steepest street (Offbeat Oregon)

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In northeast Georgia, there are giant stone slabs inscribed with ten rules to lead the world toward "an Age of Reason." But the reason for the rules - and who had them installed there - remain a secret. Plus: a new exhibition features works by acclaimed artist Jackson Pollock and his brother and fellow painter Charles Pollock, the first time their art has been shown together. 

Nobody Knows How to Interpret This Doomsday Stonehenge in Georgia (Smithsonian)

Jackson Pollock’s Older Brother Charles Was the Family’s First Artist. Now, an Exhibition Brings Their Work Together for the First Time (Artnet)

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This was a bonus episode for our Patreon backers, who make the show possible! It was exclusively available to them on Patreon for one year.

Today we tell the story of a man who was all about getting people together. Over 40+ years, Jim Haynes brought thousands and thousands of people to his place in Paris to have Sunday dinner and mingle together. 

Jim Haynes: A man who invited the world over for dinner (BBC)

Inviting The World To Dinner (NPR)