Happy Friday! This week we're taking a deep into what slang is and where it comes from.

Sources:

“Don’t Get Mixed Up By These Differences In US, UK, And Australian English.” Dictionary.com, 28 Jan. 2019, https://www.dictionary.com/e/s/differences-us-uk-aussie-english/#australia-confrontation. Accessed 16 July 2025.

Green, Rylin. “IYKYK: Unraveling the Secrets of Slang.” BYU, 25 Oct. 2023, https://hum.byu.edu/iykyk-unraveling-the-secrets-of-slang. Accessed 16 July 2025.

Perlman, Merrill. “Biting off more ‘informal language’ than you can chew.” Columbia Journalism Review, 11 Oct. 2016, https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/colloquial_slang_idiom_oh_my.php. Accessed 16 July 2025.

“Slang Goes Legit.” Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/slang-amelioration. Accessed 16 July 2025.

“The Power of Slang.” PBS, https://www.pbs.org/speak/words/sezwho/slang/. Accessed 16 July 2025.

Music: https://pixabay.com/users/lsmusic-46357977/

Happy Friday! This week we're taking a deep dive into where aspects of American fire safety originated inspired by the Netflix documentary about the Grenfell Tower fire in London.

Sources:

CertaSite Editor. “Fire History 101: History of Fire Safety Regulation.” CertaSite, 25 April 2024, https://www.certasitepro.com/news/fire-safety-history#:~:text=Fire%20Safety%20from%201600%2D1899,costliest%20fires%20in%20American%20history. Accessed 6 July 2025.

Engel, Rachel. “Sound the alarm: The history and evolution of fire drills.” Fire Rescue 1, 30 Oct. 2024, https://www.firerescue1.com/firefighting-history/sound-the-alarm-the-history-and-evolution-of-fire-drills. Accessed 6 July 2025.

Hoey, Iain. “Housing report exposes the reality of sprinkler retrofitting in UK high-rises.” International Fire & Safety Journal, 3 July 2023, https://internationalfireandsafetyjournal.com/sprinkler-retrofitting-in-uk-high-rises-falls-short/. Accessed 6 July 2025.

“Not Your Mother’s Stop Drop and Roll: Evolution of a Key Fire Safety Message.” National Fire Protection Association, 31 Mar. 2022, https://www.nfpa.org/news-blogs-and-articles/blogs/2022/03/31/not-your-mothers-stop-drop-and-roll-evolution-of-a-key-fire-safety-message. Accessed 6 July 2025.

“Protecting People Who Live or Work in High-Rises.” U.S. Fire Administration, 12 Jan. 2022, https://www.usfa.fema.gov/blog/protecting-people-who-live-or-work-in-high-rises/#header. Accessed 6 July 2025.

“Reality Check: Why don’t all high-rises have sprinklers?” BBC, 15 June 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-40293035. Accessed 6 July 2025.

Music: https://pixabay.com/users/lsmusic-46357977/

Happy Friday! This week we're taking a deep dive into the flu pandemic of 1918. Some of you may know it as the Spanish Flu, but scientists believe it actually originated in America and it ultimately killed roughly 20% of the world's population.

Sources:

History.com Editors. “Spanish Flu.” History, updated 28 May 2025, https://www.history.com/articles/1918-flu-pandemic. Accessed 2 July 2025.

Humphreys, Margaret. “The influenza of 1918: Evolutionary perspectives in a historical context.” Evolution, medicine, and public health vol. 2018,1 219-229. 31 Aug. 2018, doi:10.1093/emph/eoy024, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6218637/#abstract1. Accessed 30 June 2025.

World Health Organization 2023 data.who.int, WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard > Deaths [Dashboard]. https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/deaths. Accessed 30 June 2025.

“1918 Influenza Pandemic (Spanish Flu).” The Cleveland Clinic, 24 Oct. 2024, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21777-spanish-flu. Accessed 30 June 2025.

Music: https://pixabay.com/users/lsmusic-46357977/

Happy Friday! Today we're doing a deep dive into the first day of summer also known as the summer solstice and how it's celebrated throughout the world.

Sources:

“Celebrate Noche de San Juan in Puerto Rico.” Discover Puerto Rico, https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/info/noche-de-san-juan#!grid~~~date~1~~. Accessed 21 June 2025.

Dobrijevic, Daisy. “The summer solstice: What is it and when does it occur?” Space, 10 June 2025, https://www.space.com/summer-solstice-when-what. Accessed 21 June 2025.

Pope, Kristen. “Nine Ways People Celebrate the Summer Solstice Around the World.” Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2023, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/nine-ways-people-celebrate-the-summer-solstice-around-the-world-180982398/. Accessed 21 June 2025.

“Understanding Stonehenge.” English Heritage, https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history-and-stories/understanding-stonehenge/. Accessed 23 June 2025.

Music: https://pixabay.com/users/lsmusic-46357977/

Happy Friday! Today we're taking a deep dive into the placebo effect as well as what it means to try to positively impact your health with how you think.

Sources:

“All The World’s A Stage—Including The Doctor’s Office.” Hidden Brain from NPR, 11 May 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/05/11/853753307/all-the-worlds-a-stage-including-the-doctor-s-office. Accessed 15 June 2025.

Patterson, Elissa H. and Hans Schroder, Ph.D. “In studies and in real life, placebos have a powerful healing effect on the body and mind.” Michigan Medicine, 14 Mar. 2022, https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/studies-and-real-life-placebos-have-powerful-healing-effect-body-and-mind. Accessed 15 June 2025.

“The power of the placebo effect.” Harvard Health Publishing, 22 July 2024, https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/the-power-of-the-placebo-effect. Accessed 15 June 2025.

Music: https://pixabay.com/users/lsmusic-46357977/

Happy Friday! Today we're taking a deep dive into how lightning is formed, where it strikes, and common myths surrounding it.

Sources:

Biswas, Joyeeta. “Experts debunk 5 common myths about getting struck by lightning.” ABC News, 5 Sept. 2018, https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/experts-debunk-common-myths-struck-lightning/story?id=57475177. Accessed 10 June 2025.

CDC. “Lightning Strike Victim Data.” CDC, 15 Apr. 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/lightning/data-research/index.html#:~:text=At%20a%20glance,of%20being%20struck%20by%20lightning. Accessed 10 June 2025.

Moster, Oliver. “What happens when lightning strikes a plane?” ABC57, 21 May 2025, https://www.abc57.com/news/what-happens-when-lightning-strikes-a-plane-052125. Accessed 10 June 2025.

NOAA. “Lightning and Planes.” NOAA, https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-planes. Accessed 10 June 2025.

NOAA. “Severe Weather 101.” NOAA, https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/. Accessed 10 June 2025.

NOAA. “Understanding Lightning Science.” NOAA, https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-science-overview. Accessed 10 June 2025.

Music: https://pixabay.com/users/lsmusic-46357977/

Happy Friday and Happy Pride Month! This week we are taking a deep dive into the uprising that sparked the rise of the mainstream Pride movement and the creation of Pride Month.

Sources:

Cabrera-Lomeli, Carlos. “San Francisco Pride Parade loses several corporate sponsors, organizers say.” NPR Morning Edition, 24 Mar. 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/03/24/nx-s1-5334685/san-francisco-pride-parade-loses-several-corporate-sponsors-organizers-say. Accessed 31 May 2025.

Kim, Juliana. “Word of the Week: How ‘pride’ shifted from vice to a symbol of LGBTQ empowerment.” NPR, 28 May 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/05/28/g-s1-68722/pride-month-lgbtq-history-etymology. Accessed 31 May 2025.

“Pride Month: A History of Resistance.” National LGBTQ Task Force, 14 June 2024, https://www.thetaskforce.org/news/pride-month-a-history-of-resistance/. Accessed 31 May 2025.

Walsh, Colleen. “Stonewall then and now.” The Harvard Gazette, 27 June 2019, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/06/harvard-scholars-reflect-on-the-history-and-legacy-of-the-stonewall-riots/. Accessed 31 May 2025.

Music: https://pixabay.com/users/lsmusic-46357977/

Happy Friday! This week we're taking a deep dive into some of the scarier bridges, both in America and abroad.

Sources:

Adams, Lee. “People Are So Terrified Of This US Bridge That There Are Services To Drive Your Car Across It.” Explore, 1 May 2024, https://www.explore.com/1571835/chesapeake-bay-bridge-maryland-dangerous-services-offered-drive-car-across/. Accessed 25 May 2025.

History.com Editors. “Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapses.” History, 13 Nov. 2009, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/november-7/tacoma-narrows-bridge-collapses. Accessed 25 May 2025.

“Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge.” American Society of Civil Engineers, https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/historic-landmarks/lake-pontchartrain-causeway-bridge. Accessed 25 May 2025.

Mahmood, Yasir. “8 Facts about Japan’s Eshima Ohashi Bridge.” Interesting Engineering, 2 Feb. 2024, https://interestingengineering.com/lists/8-facts-japans-eshima-ohashi-bridge. Accessed 25 May 2025.

Volle, Adam. “Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.” Britannica, 3 May 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lake-Pontchartrain-Causeway. Accessed 25 May 2025.

“10 Amazing Facts about the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park.” Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, 9 March 2022, https://royalgorgebridge.com/10-amazing-facts-about-the-royal-gorge-bridge-and-park/. Accessed 25 May 2025.

Music: https://pixabay.com/users/lsmusic-46357977/

Happy Friday! This week we're taking a deep dive into the origins of western astrology. From Babylonian priests in Mesopotamia all the way to modern personal astrology readings.

Sources:

“Astrology Summary.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/summary/astrology. Accessed 17 May 2025.

Caruso, Catherine. “What are the ancient origins of your zodiac sign?” National Geographic, 3 July 2024, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-horoscopes. Accessed 17 May 2025.

Karasavvas, Theodoros. “The 4,000 Year History of Horoscopes: How Astrology Has Been Shaped Throughout the Millenia.” Ancient Origins, 9 April 2017, https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/4000-year-history-horoscopes-how-astrology-has-been-shaped-throughout-021321. Accessed 17 May 2025.

Roberts, Sarah. “Babylonian Astrology: How Mesopotamian Priests Influenced Your Horoscope.” Ancient Origins, 7 Oct. 2018, https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/babylonian-astrology-0010806. Accessed 17 May 2025.

Music: https://pixabay.com/users/lsmusic-46357977/

Happy Friday! I know that we're a few days late, but here is the surprising history of May 1st and all of the holidays that fall on it today. This holiday weaves together ancient agricultural festivals, spring customs, and labor rights protests...there's a lot to unpack here.

Sources:

Bowman, Emma. “What is May Day? For the most part, the opposite of capitalism.” NPR, 1 May 2024, https://www.npr.org/2022/04/30/1095729592/what-is-may-day-history. Accessed 2 May 2025.

Elding, Ash. “Beltane: The Festival of Fire and Fertility.” The Pagan Grimoire, 8 April 2025, https://www.pagangrimoire.com/what-is-beltane-celebrate/. Accessed 2 May 2025.

History.com Editors. “May Day.” History, 1 May 2017, https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-may-day. Accessed 2 May 2025.

Music:https://pixabay.com/users/lsmusic-46357977/