Da Vinci took his time with the painting. According to legend, he spent four years on the portrait of Francesco del Giocondo's third wife, Lisa Gherardini, and still wasn't done. Supposedly, Giocondo was so sick of waiting...Read More

A cat's arching back is part of a complex body language system, usually associated with feeling threatened. The arch is able to get so high because the cat's spine contains nearly 60 vertebrae which fit loosely together. ...Read More

Members of all branches of the U.S. military are eligible to receive the medal, and each service has a unique design (although the Marine Corps uses the Navy's medal and the Coast Guard's design has never been awarded). ...Read More

Popcorn purchases went into a slump during the early 1950s, when television became popular. Attendance at movie theaters dropped and, with it, popcorn consumption. When the public eventually began eating popcorn at home, ...Read More

Nobel Prizes are awarded in five categories: The first three of these prizes are for eminence in physical science, in chemistry and in medical science or physiology; the fourth is for the most remarkable literary work "in ...Read More

"Hot cockles" was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. It was a game in which the other players took turns striking the blindfolded player, who had to guess the name of the person delivering each blow. "Hot ...Read More