#via the Smithsonian

What it's like growing up with a dad who smuggles cocaine

Back in 1984, when Erin was 13, her life seemed perfect. Her father, John H. McCann III, was successful, charming, and funny. Erin and her younger sister, Meredith, who was ten, lived in a Tudor-style…

When The Going Gets Weird·Jun 10·6 min read

Broke and unemployed man got $1.5 million for a family heirloom

Loren Krytzer walked into the California auction room broke and unemployed. Seventy-seven seconds later, he walked out a millionaire — all thanks to a blanket. His life changed forever when he discove…

When The Going Gets Weird·Jun 9·6 min read

via CNBC via 404 Media via Science.org through my Patreon

Having a fever seems to reduce the symptoms of autism

Scientists are catching up to what parents and other caregivers have been reporting for many years: When some people with autism spectrum disorders experience an infection that sparks a fever, their a…

When The Going Gets Weird·Jun 8·6 min read

via MIT via the WSJ via the Smithsonian through my Patreon

The US planned to use nuclear bombs for construction projects

The year was 1957. The Cold War was in full swing. The U.S. was seemingly lagging behind in the technological arms race and needed to make a show, a display of power and prowess. Project Plowshare was…

When The Going Gets Weird·May 19·6 min read

via The Smithsonian via the BBC via Quanta through my Patreon

Blobs of goo fell from the sky and we still don't know why

When police officer David Lacey was on patrol on August 7, 1994, and noticed drops hitting his windshield, he didn't think much of it. He turned on his wipers and kept on driving. But the wipers didn’…

When The Going Gets Weird·Mar 24·1 min read

via Now I Know via New Scientist via the Smithsonian through my Patreon

He woke up in the morgue but went on to win the horse race

Ralph Neves was understandably disoriented when he woke up in the morgue. The slab was cold and the tag around his toe pressing into the skin. His heart, declared stopped an hour before, was racing so…

When The Going Gets Weird·Feb 26·1 min read

via SFGate via La Brujula Verde via Mental Floss _through my Patreon_