Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in FYI.

Hello, my name is...
What’s in a name, a reference, a social identification that influences the way you see yourself, how others see you, your destiny?
By M. Moore5 years ago in FYI
The Voynich Manuscript
The Voynich Manuscript is one of the stranger items held by the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts library of Yale University. Physically, it is a tiny notebook comprising pages of text and illustrations, mainly of plants, but also including astronomical and astrological charts, recipes, and pictures of naked women. However, the text is in a language that nobody has ever been able to translate or decipher, which means that the origin and purpose of the manuscript are still shrouded in mystery ever since it first came to public attention before World War I.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
Beavers, Hippos, and Capybaras, oh my!
As we may know, Catholics are not supposed to eat meat on Fridays during Lent (or other holy days). There were a variety of reasons to abstain from meat—meat was inaccessible to many poor worshippers, the flesh of beasts and birds is reminiscent of Jesus' flesh, et cetera. Fish is exempt from this meat-free fast because it was affordable to poor worshippers and does not remind one of Jesus' flesh.
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in FYI
Le Pétomane
If you enjoy fart humor, I mean seriously enjoy all the hilarity of a good anal rip, then you have likely heard of Le Pétomane, the French “flatulist” (artistic farter) who was the most popular and highest paid performer at the Moulin Rouge in the early 1890’s.
By L J Purves5 years ago in FYI
The Diamond Ring: Eternal Love or Enduring Sexism?
1947: A boardroom, probably in New York “So, we have these diamonds. How do we sell them?” “Well, they are pretty. And they more or less last forever. Come to think of it, they’d make a great symbol of love. I mean, look how popular they are in Europe.”
By Lilia5 years ago in FYI
The reasons for the extinction of the dinosaurs from the earth
It is rare to think that someone who doesn’t know about the dinosaurs in his or her lifetime. But overall, you can find someone who already knows about the existence of dinosaurs. From our non-sanguine conviction, we can expect that the dinosaurs have extinct because of the outer space intervention. But in the reality, we not still know what is the genuine cause for the massive extinction from our planet. You never conclude that this enormous giant could not vanish immediately with an outer space influence.
By Manik Roy5 years ago in FYI
Engineers of the forest
I was born in a country where beavers are not a native animal and aren’t given a lot of airtime at school, at home, or in the media. If I remember correctly, my first introduction to anything remotely similar to beavers was through watching The Princess Bride as a child. While making their way through the Fire Swamp, Westley and Princess Buttercup encounter a terrifying R.O.U.S (Rodent of Unusual Size), engage in combat with said R.O.U.S, and eventually defeat him by rolling him onto nearby flames. At the time, this sinister looking creature was described to me as a fictitious mix of a large rat and a beaver, and thus, my (erroneous) perception of the beaver was formed.
By Sa5 years ago in FYI
White Wedding Dresses Do NOT Signify Virginity
"She shouldn't be wearing white to her wedding" is something a rude person might say about a non-virgin bride. Some women even joke about how they themselves shouldn't being wearing white. However, while many women today wear the color merely out of tradition, it is a myth that the color white has always meant virginity. It was originally meant to showcase wealth, but has transformed into the misconception of a long tradition of "purity". In reality, the reason people wear white gowns began with a queen who lived almost two centuries ago.
By Shelby Brengle5 years ago in FYI
John Wayne vs Joseph Stalin
*Disclaimer, this is partly a work of parody, but is based on the true story of Joseph Stalin's order to have John Wayne killed. No part of this entry is meant as an endorsement of communism or any particular ideology. It just comes across as being one of the most absurd pieces of history I have ever heard. Please enjoy.*
By H. R. Nelson5 years ago in FYI
The Man who Saved the World!
Moscow, September 26, 1983 Shadows ebbed and flowed from the greenish light that reflected from the instrument panel to Lt. Colonel Petrov's face. The jade drop out light gave him the appearance of a headless ghoul suspended in space. He sipped steaming tea from his mug and wished he could accelerate the clock to 2400 hours, only twenty-three minutes away.
By J. S. Wade5 years ago in FYI
The Woman Who Came Back From the Dead
British Egyptologist or Ancient Egyptian priestess? What happens when you wake up one day with the memories of somebody else? When you are consumed by the need to return home; you don’t know where home is, but you know that it’s not where you are… Historical mysteries are a dime a dozen, but none are quite as intriguing or as well documented than that of the case of Dorothy Eady.
By Outrageous Optimism 5 years ago in FYI
More (Un)Common Knowledge About TSA
Before we begin, I would like to let you know this is not the first submission I have made that covers this topic. But instead of making you scroll around looking for it, I added Part One (after fixing a couple of grammar oopsies and punctuation whoopsies) at the bottom of this submission. So, if you want to read them in order (it won’t make too much of a difference either way) then you can scroll on down there first and come back to see what other juicy tidbits I wanted to cover about the nation’s most despised government agency.
By Kat MayKnow5 years ago in FYI