Neatorama

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• Wrong About Wright
• Supercut: Fake Movies in Real Movies
• Defending Darwin
• 37 Absurd Kitchen Gadgets You Definitely Need in Your Life
• Hench 4 Life - The Monarch's Minions
• Ooh La La: Vintage Photos of Flight Attendants in their Uniforms
• Artist Creates Stunningly Detailed Images by Burning Holes in Paper with Incense Sticks
• Firehouse Cats
• Interesting Facts About Butterflies
• It's Book O'Clock
• Easter Egg Oreo Truffles
• Reporter Discovers Coat Hanger in His Suit on Live TV
• Henry Lizard Lover Lives Up To His Name
• <i>The Walking Dead</i> as <i>Zombieland</i>
• Dogs Who Have No Idea How Funny They Look With Their Toys
• LMO - It's Time For Fun...Whether You Like It Or Not!
• The Worlds First Drone Sheepdog
• Airlines Infuse Their Planes with Smells to Calm You Down

Wrong About Wright Posted: 30 Mar 2015 05:00 AM PDT The following is an article from Uncle John’s All-Purpose Extra Strength Bathroom Reader. Judging from what we’ve been told in history books, when the Wright Brothers invented powered flight, they were rewarded with parades, medals, and headlines. But that’s a lie. The truth is, the U.S. government insisted that one of the greatest technological achievements of all time simply hadn’t happened. Here’s the true story. CHANCE- THE UNINVITED GUEST On December 8, 1903, Samuel Langley, head of the Smithsonian Institution and America’s foremost expert on flight, was ready to make his most important attempt at manned flight. Since 1891 he’d been flying unmanned models powered by internal combustion engines; the U.S. government considered his experiments so promising that they’ve given him $50,000 to continue. Now he planned to fly his gasoline-powered, manned flight off of a houseboat in the Potomac River. The press was on hand, waiting expectantly. But it didn’t happen. Unfortunately, the launching device, which was supposed to hurl the plane into the air, snagged the plane at the last second instead… and it went into the water “like a handful of mortar.” The New York Times, scornful of attempts at powered flight anyway, heaped abuse on Langley. They editorialized: “The ridiculous fiasco… was not unexpected. The flying machine might be evolved by the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanics in from one to ten million years.” THE REAL THING It didn’t take that long. Only nine days later, on December 17, two bicycle makers from Dayton, Ohio -Wilbur and Orville Wright- achieved the goal of all the world’s would-be aviators: powered flight. It was a revolutionary development in the history of humankind …but few people even noticed. Only a few papers carried the Associated Press story of the flight. Most editors considered the whole thing a scam. When the Wrights set up the world’s first airstrip outside Dayton in 1904 and flew daily all summer, only a few reporters came to see. In fact, the first published eyewitness account of flight appears, amazingly enough, in a beekeeping journal called Gleanings in Bee Culture. And this almost a year after they started flying. The editor, A.I. Root, saw the Wrights make aviation’s first turn on September 20, 1904 and wrote: I have a wonderful story to tell you, a story that in some respects outrivals the Arabian Nights fables… It was my privilege, on the 20th day of September, 1904 to see the first successful trip of an airship, without a balloon to sustain it, that the world has ever made… These two brothers have probably not even a faint glimpse of what their discovery is going to bring to the children of men. The scientific press was also slow to acknowledge the Wrights’ accomplishment. As Sherwood Hayes writes in The First To Fly: Scientific American had been skeptical of reports about the Wright Brothers long flights, its editorial board feeling that if the reports were true, then certainly the enterprising American press would have given them great attention. When the reports persisted, the magazine finally obtained confirmation by letter from many reputable people who had witnessed the actual flights. In its December 15 [1906] issue, the magazine stated its complete acceptance of the Wrights. MILITARY INTELLIGENCE You’d think the U.S. government would leap to purchase one of the most revolutionary weapons ever. Not so. In 1904 after making flights of five minutes, the Wrights wrote their Congressman, Robert Nevin, offering to license their device to the government for military purposes. Their letter said they’d made 105 flights up to 3 miles long at 35 mph. The flying machine, they said, “lands without being wrecked” and “can be are of great practical use in scouting and carrying messages in time of war.” Interestingly enough, for many years the only use the Wrights could imagine for their creation was war.) The War Department, under future president William Howard Taft, responded that they weren’t interested. They’d gotten many requests for “financial assistance in the development of designs for flying machines” and would only consider a device that had been “brought to the stage of practical operation without expense to the U.S. government.” But, they added, do get in touch “as soon as it shall have been perfected.” In October 1905, the Wrights wrote that they’d built a better plane and made flights up to 39 minutes and over 20 miles. The War Department again declined in a letter with almost the same wording -a form letter! Obviously, either no one was reading their letters, or no one understood what they were saying. Showing incredible patience, the frustrated Wrights politely wrote back again. This time they said they’d build a flying machine to any specifications the government would name. The War Department, still clinging to the obvious impossibility of powered flight, wrote back saying it “does not care to formulate any requirements for the performance of a flying machine …until a machine is produced with by actual operation is shown to be able to produce horizontal flight and to carry an operator” -even though they had already produced it. They were so dejected that they didn’t fly again for two and half years. ACCEPTED AT LAST In 1907 a young balloon racer named Frank Lahm got a job with the Army Signal Corps office in Washington, DC. He knew all the early flight pioneers and had heard from them about the miracle achieved by the Wrights. That, finally, was the Wrights’ big break. Fred Howard writes in Wilbur and Orville: Lahn wrote a letter to the Board of Ordnance and Fortification (of the Army Signal Corps), urging that the brothers’ latest proposal for the sale of a Flyer receive favorable action. It would be unfortunate, he said, if the U.S. should not be the first to take advantage of [the] unquestioned military value of the Wright Flyer. Lahm’s letter had the desired effect… Wilbur decided a fair price for the Flyer would be $25,000. The Board only had $10,000… When Wilbur went to Washington to attend a formal meeting of the Board, his frankness of manner and self-confidence worked their usual magic and the Board assured him the entire $25,000 would be forthcoming by drawing on an emergency fund left over from the Spanish-American War. MORE BUREAUCRATIC INSANITY Apparently nothing much has changed: Even though the Wrights were the only ones in the world making practical airplanes, the U.S. government still had to put a letter out for bids. So on December 23, 1907, it issued an “Advertisement and specifications for a Heavier-Than-Air Flying Machine,” capable of carrying two men at 40 mph and staying up for at least an hour, then landing without serious damage. Critics howled. The American Magazine of Aquatics wrote, “There is not a known flying machine in the world which could fulfill those specifications.” Amazingly, the Signal Corps got 41 bids, with price tags ranging from $850 to $1 million. One was from a federal prisoner who would build a plane for his freedom. Another had plans written on wrapping paper and a third bidder offered to build planes by the pound. The Wrights, of course, got the contract. I SEE LONDON, I SEE FRANCE Still, it was the French and British who first acknowledged the Wright Brothers’ feats publicly. Shortly after winning the government contract (but before they’d proved themselves by building the U.S. a plane), Wilbur went to France to demonstrate their machine. The French were avid aviators, and welcomed him enthusiastically… at first. Then, as he rebuilt his plane (it had been damaged in shipping), working long hours and living simply in a nearby room, they became suspicious. Why wasn’t he more flamboyant? Why didn’t he attend the rounds of parties, like other celebrated French air pioneers? Eventually, the French and British press decided he was a charlatan. But on August 8, 1907, they changed their minds. “To make a long story short,” recalled an American named Ross Browne, who was there to see Wilbur’s first European flight, “he got into the machine that afternoon, got into the air and made a beautiful circular flight. You should have seen the crowd there. They threw hats and everything.” STILL DUMB Finally, four years after the first flight, the Wright Brothers were heroes. But there was one final insult: The Smithsonian Institution insisted that the first manned flight had been Langley’s slam dunk into the Potomac. They didn’t want the Wright Flyer, so it sat in a shed in Dayton until 1928… when Orville finally gave it to the London Museum of Science. Only in 1942 did the Smithsonian bow to common knowledge, reverse its position, and humbly asked for the plane. The Smithsonian restored it and dedicated it in 1948, on the 45th anniversary of flight. _______________________________ The article above is reprinted with permission from Uncle John's All-Purpose Extra Strength Bathroom Reader. The 13th book in the series by the Bathroom Reader's Institute has 504 pages crammed with fun facts, including articles on the biggest movie bombs ever, the origin and unintended use of I.Q. test, and more. Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts. If you like Neatorama, you'll love the Bathroom Reader Institute's books - go ahead and check 'em out!

Supercut: Fake Movies in Real Movies Posted: 30 Mar 2015 04:00 AM PDT (Video Link) Movies sometimes show characters watching other movies--often completely fake. Some of these are clearly worthy of becoming feature films themselves, as illustrated by this supercut made by Screen Junkies. The editors show the best movies-in-movies from South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut, Scary Movie, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, For Your Consideration, Matinee, Singin' in the Rain, Inglourious Basterds, Home Alone, The Last Action Hero, Grindhouse, UHF, Tropic Thunder, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Simpsons Movie, Funny People, and Scrooged. -via Daily of the Day

Defending Darwin Posted: 30 Mar 2015 03:00 AM PDT James Krupa teaches evolution for non-biology majors at the University of Kentucky. This is more difficult than you might expect, he says, because so many of his students were taught that evolution is in direct opposition to Christian belief, and others don’t have much background knowledge because Kwntucky schools try to avoid the subject if at all possible. That was a surprise to me because my Kentucky daughters were taught about evolution in both parochial and public school. We live in a nation where public acceptance of evolution is the second lowest of thirty-four developed countries, just ahead of Turkey. Roughly half of Americans reject some aspect of evolution, believe the earth is less than ten thousand years old, and that humans coexisted with dinosaurs. Where I live, many believe evolution to be synonymous with atheism, and there are those who strongly feel I am teaching heresy to thousands of students. A local pastor, whom I’ve never met, wrote an article in The University Christian complaining that, not only was I teaching evolution and ignoring creationism, I was teaching it as a non-Christian, alternative religion. There are students who enroll in my courses and already accept evolution. Although not yet particularly knowledgeable on the subject, they are eager to learn more. Then there are the students whose minds are already sealed shut to the possibility that evolution exists, but need to take my class to fulfill a college requirement. And then there are the students who have no opinion one way or the other but are open-minded. These are the students I most hope to reach by presenting them with convincing and overwhelming evidence without offending or alienating them. Krupa wrote about the challenges his job entails and the reasons he keeps doing it, at Orion magazine. -via Boing Boing

37 Absurd Kitchen Gadgets You Definitely Need in Your Life Posted: 30 Mar 2015 02:00 AM PDT It is inevitable that one day, you will need to produce and serve caramel-covered apples on such a large scale that it will be efficient if not necessary for you to purchase a machine built for that sole purpose. It will not be enough to simply have a pot for melted caramel and bowls for toppings. Those implements could have other uses around the kitchen, too. No, you need Nostalgia Electrics's Caramel and Apple Candy Maker. It's one of 37 ridiculously specific kitchen gadgets rounded up by BuzzFeed. Most of them have some utility, such as a s'more-making machine and an outdoor espresso set. But it's hard to imagine needing them so often as to justify the purchase, let alone the counter space. -via Home Geekonomics

Hench 4 Life - The Monarch's Minions Posted: 30 Mar 2015 01:00 AM PDT Hench 4 Life by Kgullholmen Some people shoot for the moon, meaning they decide to blow up the moon and become the greatest super villain in the world, but for some there's nothing better than the life of a henchman. Aside from the occasional atomic accident or beheading by Brock Samson the life of a henchman is a pretty cushy one, and you get to wear a fun costume to work every day! But before you decide to go hench heed this warning- those bros Hank and Dean are not what they seem... Declare your allegiance to geekdom with this Hench 4 Life t-shirt by Kgullholmen, I venture it'll make your fellow fans grin with delight! Visit Kgullholmen's Facebook fan page, official website, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more action packed designs: Burgergrill Kids Romani Ite Domum For The Shire Vitruvian Wizard View more designs by Kgullholmen | More Funny T-shirts | New T-Shirts Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

Ooh La La: Vintage Photos of Flight Attendants in their Uniforms Posted: 30 Mar 2015 01:00 AM PDT These days, they're called flight attendants, they wear buttoned up, full coverage outfits like suits and they're the mouthpiece of The People With the Cuffs on Terra Firma. But way back when, they were breezy, done up and scantily clad to lure passengers aboard with the tantalizing promise of deep dips, exotic hors-d'oeuvres and umbrella drinks. This collection of flight attendant uniforms in the days of old show that the ladies of the sky have come a Long Way, Baby from the days when they puffed Virginia Slims in the cabin and served caviar.

Artist Creates Stunningly Detailed Images by Burning Holes in Paper with Incense Sticks Posted: 30 Mar 2015 12:00 AM PDT Jihyun Park, an artist from South Korea, has a novel approach to pointillism. He burns holes in rice paper with lit incense sticks. When backlit, his works display amazingly rich images of clouds, landscapes, and trees. Park explains: After reading the books Gulliver’s Travels, Utopia, and Erewhon and seeing the Japanese animated movie Castle in the Sky, I became inspired to develop a relationship between the concept of utopia and the materials that I use in my work. My recent work, Incense Series, focuses on this relationship while searching for the promised harmonic balance that utopia brings. You can see more examples of his work at the Drawing Center. -via Visual News

Firehouse Cats Posted: 29 Mar 2015 10:00 PM PDT But you got to force the last door, let MEow do this one!! #forcingdoors #teamwork #letMEowdoit A photo posted by Boogie (@midtownboogiefdny) on Jan 21, 2015 at 6:43pm PST You might associate Dalmatian dogs with fire departments, and indeed they are traditional. But if a pet is going to actually live in a firehouse, a cat will keep the mice away and doesn’t need to be walked. A couple of cats who live in New York City firehouses have their own Instagram accounts. Boogie, shown above, is in Manhattan at Ladder 24. Carlow, below, lives at Tower Ladder 13 in Yorkville. Sexy Saturday! #damnimgoodlooking #sexyandiknowit #yourewelcomeladies A photo posted by Carlow (@carlow_fdny_cat) on Jan 24, 2015 at 6:22pm PST Both cats have avid followings, and even cross-post each other’s pictures sometimes. They are both loyal FDNY employees who are treated well -spoiled, even! -via Laughing Squid

Interesting Facts About Butterflies Posted: 29 Mar 2015 08:00 PM PDT We all know butterflies are beautiful, but they're also totally fascinating. To celebrate their butterfly exhibit, the San Diego Zoo has created a great list of 19 cool butterfly facts all accompanied by beautiful pictures of the amazing insects. For example, did you know that butterflies taste with their feet? Or that a group of butterflies is a "flutter?" Find out more at the link!

It's Book O'Clock Posted: 29 Mar 2015 06:00 PM PDT Redditor Anotrey built this wall clock that makes clever use of book titles to show the hours. You can see process photos here. Are you curious about why Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has the 7 o'clock position? Anotrey explains his rationale: Harry Potter is important to my wife and me; we even used some HP elements in our wedding, so it had to make the clock somehow! The number 7 is featured prominently in the series, and the way his arm reaches for the title makes a 7. But that's a stretch ;) What other titles would you suggest for the hours on the clock? -via Steven Ross

Easter Egg Oreo Truffles Posted: 29 Mar 2015 04:00 PM PDT Chocolate lovers, check this out- these Easter eggs were made with only four ingredients, none of them eggs. Ali at Gimme Some Oven and her friend Meg made them out of Oreo cookies, cream cheese, and two colors of chocolate. That’s all, but that’s enough to make your mouth water! You can alter the recipe for Easter Egg Oreo Truffles with food coloring or different-flavored Oreo cookies if you want different colors, or add sprinkles or other decorations. THe recipe page has pictures of the process and a peek at the pastel-colored version, too. This is one of the 19 DIY Easter Eggs That Don’t Require Actual Eggs.

Reporter Discovers Coat Hanger in His Suit on Live TV Posted: 29 Mar 2015 02:00 PM PDT (Video Link) It was time for Steve Frazier, the meteorologist for Fox 9 News in Minneapolis, Minnesota to give his report. But something was itching at him. Had he forgotten something? Yes. When he put on his suit coat, he forgot to take the coat hanger out. Frazier had to remove it on live television. Then he had to stop the weather report to explain how he ended up in this predicament. -via Tastefully Offensive

Henry Lizard Lover Lives Up To His Name Posted: 29 Mar 2015 12:00 PM PDT A lot of people like Lizards, but few people love them as much as Henry Lizardlover -who loves them enough to even change his last name to reflect that fact.  Henry has quite a way with the reptiles and can even get them to relax in lounge chairs and mini beds, which makes Henry quite the lizard photographer. Henry even lives with the lizards loose in his home -refusing to cage his great friends. But hey, if we all saw lizards through Henry's eyes, we might just do the same.  For more great photos from Henry Lizardlover, be sure to follow his Flickr stream or his website.

<i>The Walking Dead</i> as <i>Zombieland</i> Posted: 29 Mar 2015 10:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) If The WalkingDead were a comedy, it would be the 2009 film Zombieland. This mashup trailer tries to make that a reality, although they had to look really hard to find a few smiles and quasi-lighthearted moments from five years of The Walking Dead clips. Contains lots of gore. (via Uproxx) The 90-minute season five finale of The Walking Dead is tonight. The death watch poll is still open for your votes and opinions.

Dogs Who Have No Idea How Funny They Look With Their Toys Posted: 29 Mar 2015 08:00 AM PDT Source: amazon.com When it comes to the chew toys shown here, the joke is on these dogs. They're running around blissfully enjoying their new chew, totally unaware it's giving them a bad case of buck teeth. Some self-respecting guy dogs might not be walking with so much swagger if they knew they had a lipstick mouth with a red pucker rivaling that on any Rolling Stones album.  I bought my dog the toy with the big tongue sticking out (shown in the article linked below) and the joke was on me — he never once played with it. Perhaps he sensed shenanigans and said no dice.  See more dogs who look silly with their toys in their mouths here.  Source: goldenretrieverworld.tumblr.com Source: Trorrepup

LMO - It's Time For Fun...Whether You Like It Or Not! Posted: 29 Mar 2015 07:00 AM PDT LMO by Minilla Jake uncovered a portable gaming unit one day while digging around in a particularly stinky cheese sinkhole, and since he'd always wanted a little BMO of his own he decided to take it home and see if it still worked. He took his time and cleaned it up then popped in a few batteries, and the LMO unit sprang to life. At first Finn and Jake thought little LMO might be a good addition to their adventure family, but after hearing the ABC song for the thousandth time they realized bringing him home had been a huge mistake. And then they discovered that LMO had been built without a power switch... Bring some annoyingly cute animated color to your geeky wardrobe with this LMO t-shirt by Minilla, it's sure to tickle your fellow cartoon fans! Visit Minilla's Facebook fan page, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more geek-tastic designs: Hoop Dreams The Adventures Of Mario- The Power Star Impossible Blocks Warp Pipe Shadow Illusion View more designs by Minilla | More Funny T-shirts | New T-Shirts Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

The Worlds First Drone Sheepdog Posted: 29 Mar 2015 07:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) Paul Brennan is a sheep farmer in Carlow, Ireland. He has embraced modern techniques for managing an old profession. Instead of a sheepdog, Brennan uses a quadcopter named Shep (of course) to herd his sheep! You can see it works rather well. Bonus: music. -via Tastefully Offensive

Airlines Infuse Their Planes with Smells to Calm You Down Posted: 29 Mar 2015 06:00 AM PDT (Photo: Frankie Roberto) Major airlines have developed branded scents to appeal to customers' olfactory tastes and make the travel experience more enjoyable. For example, United Airlines developed a scent called Landing, which it pumps into lounges and jet bridges and infuses into hot towels. It smells like fir trees and orange peels. Suzy Strutner of the Huffington Post reports: "(The scent) is noticeable, but not in any way overpowering," Krolick told The Huffington Post. "We want to catch someone at a positive part of their experience, and then (they'll) smell this smell and think of United." It's all part of a United branding initiative to boost the flight experience with all five senses. The airline is also testing a more "modern" style of boarding music and playing with "mood lighting" in plane cabins, Krolick said.

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