Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in FYI.
Agatha Christie's Vanishing: Revenge Against Her Husband?
Agatha Christie, the Queen of Mystery, the creator of the famous Hercule Poirot, vanished herself in 1926. This is no silly rumor like I thought. Oh no, it is very much true. And quite badass if you ask me! I'll tell you why later on.
By Lizzy Heartwood5 years ago in FYI
Love & War: The Gay Army who Destroyed the Spartans!🏳️🌈. First place in (Un)Common Knowledge Challenge. Top Story - March 2021.
When Gerard Butler King Leonidas led his 300 warriors into one of the most notorious battles in history, The Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, his army became the ultimate symbol of strength, bravery and peak masculinity. This three-day bloody battle spawned countless iterations; paintings, statues, essays, novels, comic books, movies, memes and the fancy dress costume of choice for buff dudes.
By Kate Holderness5 years ago in FYI
Talking Trees?
I once read in a biographical essay of J.R.R Tolkien that he was a lover of trees. He would often go on walks and stare at the them for long periods of time, sometimes even talking to them. It's no wonder, then, how the great, talking tree giants, known as Ents, ended up in his stories.
By Rebecca James5 years ago in FYI
For the Love of Mustard!
Origin Mustard is believed to be the very first condiment that humans ever put on food. Stretching back to ancient Egypt, mustard seeds were found in the tombs of many pharaohs. Romans would grind the spicy seeds into a spreadable paste that went with many meals. French monks would mix the ground seeds with a ‘must’ such as unfermented wine, inspiring the word mustard. Which stems from the Latin mustum ardens, roughly translating to ‘burning wine.’ King Louis XI refused to travel without mustard, keeping a pot with him at all times to ensure he would never have to face a meal without it.
By M.R. Cameo5 years ago in FYI
Cracking the Ginger Gene
Red Hair. It has been mystified, vilified and sometimes revered over the centuries. It's rarity and charm almost always makes people turn around and catch another glimpse of someone with red hair passing by. They say red haired people only make up about 2% of the population, which makes me lucky, because I have two red haired sons. Many people forget that although rare, there are many different shades of red from many different places on our planet. Being red haired doesn't necessarily mean the lightest shade of pale skin. My oldest son has deep brown eyes and copper colored hair with skin that tans easily. My youngest has strawberry red hair with light brown eyes and slightly lighter skin that burns easier in the sun. There are black people, east Asian, southeast Asian, and Middle eastern, Mediterranean people with red hair. Very often, people see my children and tell us they also had red hair when they were young or that they know someone who has a child with red hair when neither parent does. They always ask us where the red hair comes from.
By Isabelle Dumais5 years ago in FYI
The mystery behind milk in Canada
Canadians have heard many jokes and stereotypes about our beloved country, like our bills look like Monopoly money, and we say 'aboot' instead of 'about' (which we don't). Every Canadian is born with hockey skates, and the list goes on.
By Rachelle Baird5 years ago in FYI
How Immunization Won the Revolutionary War
Living through a pandemic has been a strange and difficult affair for everyone, especially for those who have been lost to us, those who have lost loved ones, and those still dealing with long-term affects of Covid. Thankfully, we can see a light at the end of this dark tunnel with the introduction of vaccines. I am currently a stay-at-home mom, but worked as a registered nurse for several years beforehand. Something I keep hearing when it comes to fears about the new vaccines concerns how quickly they were made. These fears can be put to rest when faced with the fact that vaccines have been studied and made for well over a century and while this particular vaccine is new, the creation of vaccines is not. It is not my purpose to persuade anyone, however, but to delve into how inoculation, an earlier form of immunization, came to be such a necessary practice and how it actually helped America gain its independence.
By Rebecca James5 years ago in FYI
For a Happier Life, Reframe Your Emotions
Many of us go through our days riding emotional waves – driving along feeling carefree, then flooded with frustration about a traffic jam ahead, and suddenly rocked by anxiety at the thought of arriving late for work – often believing that our feelings at any given moment are beyond our control. But a classic psychological theory suggests we may have more command of our emotions than we realize.
By Debbie Doyle Belknap5 years ago in FYI
