Earlier we learned that The New York Times opened up their archives for free. A thread was started where we could post interesting finds. The people at Mental_Floss magazine are showcasing the first time various famous places/names/things/ etc were mentioned in the Times. From simpsons, through Starbucks, Silicon Valley and more! picked by 2manyusernames 1 year ago

Oil prices dipped below $75 a barrel Wednesday, a new 13-month low, as OPEC reduced its 2009 petroleum demand forecast amid signs that the global economy is headed for a severe downturn.
Light, sweet crude for November delivery fell $2.95 to $75.68 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after earlier sliding to $74.57, the lowest trading level since Sept. 5, 2007. picked by ImNotBlue 3 hours ago

I'm not exactly sure what to make of this, but if the facts are correct, then this could eventually change the world. picked by Mershaullk 2 years ago

(lots of reading)

alternately theres HowStuffWorks on time travel picked by camro77 2 years ago

"a large number of the self-described "above average" individuals are actually below average in those areas, and they are simply unaware of their incompetence."

This would explain president Bush. picked by Queenofhearts 2 years ago

Sometimes they swing, sometimes they miss. The best, and worst Time covers reveal how we looked at news and ourselves in peacetime, war, depression and boom. picked by mobase 7 months ago

For the first time, astronomers have observed the initial phase in the formation of an earth-like planet. What astronomers observed was that a protoplanetary disk, or ring, around the binary star known as KH 15D, is composed of solid particles larger than what is usually observed in space. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

Like a cosmic Grim Reaper, a blast of ultraviolet light signals the violent death of the universe's most massive stars. Now astronomers have viewed this heavenly harbinger for the first time. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

Traces of a distant extrasolar planet's hazy red sunset have been detected for the first time. Astronomers pointed the Hubble Space Telescope at HD 189733b, a gaseous Jupiter-like world about 63 light-years from Earth, as it passed in front of its parent star to catch a glimpse of the planet's atmosphere. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

Time is no longer a simple line from the past to the future, in a four dimensional world consisting of three dimensions of space and one of time. Instead, Roger Highfield envisages the passage of history as curves embedded in a six dimensionals, with four of space and two of time. picked by DrNothing 1 year ago

Mathematical physicists at the Steklov Mathematical Institute in Moscow believe that the vast experiment at CERN, the European particle physics centre near Geneva in Switzerland, may turn out to be the world's first time machine picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

According to Professor Paul Davies "Scientists have no doubt whatever that it is possible to build a time machine to visit the future". Since the publication of Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity in 1905, few, if any, scientists would dispute that time travel to the future is perfectly possible. picked by shredtone 2 years ago

The perfect storm that has swept oil prices to $132 a barrel may subside over the coming months as rising crude supply from unexpected corners of the world finally comes on stream, just as the global economic downturn begins to bite. picked by 2manyusernames 5 months ago

An African creature so secretive and rarely spotted that it once had a similar status to the mythical unicorn has been caught on camera in the wild for the first time. Sporting a bump in the centre of its head which resembles a tiny horn, the elusive okapi was photographed living in the jungle of the Democratic Republic of Congo. picked by AutumnLotus 1 month ago

People who procrastinate tend to be less healthy, less wealthy and less happy. picked by civicracer18c1 2 years ago

It was the first time in a decade that Congress has passed a bill over a presidential veto. picked by T420 11 months ago

It took 18 months for her smile to come back completely, but doctors say the French woman who received the world's first partial face transplant is now doing well. Isabelle Dinoire, 40, was pictured without makeup for the first time today showing the extent of her scars. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

For the first time in modern history, Muslims now outnumber Catholics, with the Vatican today releasing statistics showing their share of religious followers has dropped. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

Organic molecules – in the form of methane – have been detected on a planet outside our solar system for the first time. The giant planet lies too close to its parent star for the methane to signal life, but the detection offers hope that astronomers will one day be able to analyse the atmospheres of Earth-like worlds. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

Amusing article, although the page is wayyy too busy. I'm pretty sure witty Plimates could add more to the list. picked by gnikgnok 2 years ago