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Barbara Mikkelson
Manufacturing standards vary from country to country, so it should not be assumed all cell phones are built to the same specifications no matter where they come from, or that the quality of workmanship is consistent across the board.

Does Using a Recharging Cell Phone Pose a Serious Threat of Electrocution?

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson Jessica Lee
Oct. 7, 2014 (Updated: Aug. 18, 2022) A viral TikTok video claimed "electric waves" from the outlet "will come through your body." Tha ...
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Facebook Outage Prompts 911 Calls

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
Aug. 7, 2014 Did a brief Facebook outage prompt social media users to call 911?
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Who Wrote the Serenity Prayer?

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
June 17, 2014 Who wrote the Serenity Prayer? Was it St. Augustine, or someone else?
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Court Notice Scam

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
March 28, 2014 Scam: Malicious code is loaded onto computers via the e-mailing of fraudulent court appearance n ...
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cold turkey etymology

Etymology of 'Cold Turkey'

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson David Mikkelson
March 25, 2014 Did the slang phrase for kicking a habit all at once originate with a literal reference to a plu ...
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The Hello Girl

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
March 14, 2014 Did greeting 'Hello' enter the language because it was the surname of Alexander Graham Bell's gi ...
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Did a Family Die After Drinking From a Tea Kettle Poisoned By a Deadly Spider?

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
March 11, 2014 Milk, sugar, and poison is not how one typically takes their tea.
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Tinfoil Defeats Scans

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
Feb. 22, 2014 Does wrapping bills in tinfoil keep them from being detected by scanning devices?
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Concrete Arrows Across the U.S.

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
Aug. 29, 2013 The U.S. landscape is still dotted with enormous concrete arrows that guided early airmail pilot ...
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coins on military graves headstones cemetery cemeteries funeral coin

Why Are Coins Left on Gravestones in Cemeteries?

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
Aug. 20, 2013 Modern tradition holds that leaving coins on military graves denotes visits from living soldiers.
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Are Door-to-Door Booksellers Actually Sex Traffickers?

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
Aug. 6, 2013 Online messages warn about door-to-door booksellers with Slavic accents targeting young girls fo ...
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Giant Hogweed Toxicity Warning

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
Aug. 5, 2013 The sap of the giant hogweed plant can cause severe skin and eye irritation.
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speeding ticket frenzy

About Those 'Speeding Ticket Frenzy' Alerts

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson David Mikkelson
July 24, 2013 (Updated: Sept. 14, 2022) Are state police about to launch a 30-day speeding ticket blitz?
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Burglar Discovers Suicide

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
June 23, 2013 A burglar discovered a suicide in the home he'd broken into.
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Killer's Reflection

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
June 11, 2013 Wet footprints behind the sofa prove that a teen babysitter barely escaped from a knife-wielding ...
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Here’s my two cents” in the sense of airing an unsolicited opinion dates only to the mid-1920s, and likely began in the U.S.

The Etymology of 'Two Cents'

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson David Mikkelson
June 1, 2013 (Updated: Aug. 11, 2022) Here's our two cents on why people use the phrase, and what some people believe are its origins.
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Cricket Chirp Thermometer

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
May 21, 2013 Can outdoor temperature be determined by counting the chirps made by crickets?
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Novocaine in Baby Shampoo

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
May 20, 2013 Do 'No tears' baby shampoos work because they include anesthetics such as novocaine?
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Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
May 9, 2013 Common usage of the phrase "Always a bridesmaid but never a bride" originated with an advertisin ...
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Italian Wedding Soup Origins

Written by:
Barbara Mikkelson
April 16, 2013 Did Italian wedding soup gain its name from being traditionally served at weddings?
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