At the turn of the 20th century, steamships had fairly well replaced sailing ships. Copper baron Thomas W. Lawson was still a fan of sailing ships, and have one commissioned for the purpose of showing how magnificent and useful they could still be. It was certainly large, the largest ever, magnificent, too, and it was dubbed the Thomas W. Lawson.

Launched on July 10, 1902, Thomas W. Lawson was 475 feet long and contained seven masts of nearly two hundred feet tall each, carrying 25 sails with a cumulative canvas area of 43,000 square feet. She measured 5,218 gross register tons, boasted a carrying capacity of 11,000 tons, and was operated by a crew of only 18, when a similar-sized steamer would have required anything up to fifty. This was possible because the work of the sailors was facilitated by various mechanisms. The schooner, while it did not have an engine, was equipped with a steam steering engine, steam winches, an electrical system and even a telephone network.

When fully loaded, the Thomas W. Lawson's draft was 9 meters. Curiously, at that time there was only one port in the United States capable of receiving such deep-seated vessels—the Newport News, in Virginia. As a result, her capacity was reduced to 7,400 tons in order to accommodate her into more ports. Even with reduced cargo, Thomas W. Lawson was so large that she was difficult to maneuver and sluggish. She tended to yaw and needed a strong wind to be held on course. Sailors likened her to a bath tub or a beached whale.  

So what happened to the Thomas W. Lawson? You guessed it- it sank. Read the story of the world's largest sailing ship at Amusing Planet.

Ddangerous Ddave loves hard rides on his Norco Sight C7. Here he is on a forested mountain trail, going at high speeds through bone-breaking obstacles. He never falls, but he does have the sense to look at one jump and say, "That's not solo ride material." Yet, at another, seemingly more challenging jump, he takes his bike airborne.

Watch it all, if for nothing more than hearing his joyful laughter.

-via The Awesomer

We love to see pictures of cute cats and cute dogs, and when these worlds collide, they are even more adorable. Some dogs hang out with cats, some were raised by cats, and some might even think they are cats. What else would you think, when a dog climbs a cat tree, squeezes into a box, or leaps to feline heights?

See 50 dogs who are expressing their inner cat at Bored Panda.

(Upper image credit: MySoleM8isACat)  

In April of 1897, after being shipped across the continent, 16 seas lions arrived at their new home, Starin’s Glen Island summer resort on the Long Island Sound. By the end of the day, three of the sea lions had escaped, crossing a metal rail and going over, or perhaps under, a six-foot fence. But it wasn't long before the seals were seen again. Just the next day, 13-year-old Willie Grogan went for a sunset swim in the sound.  

According to The New York Times, Willie had just surfaced from a dive when he heard what sounded like a human cough. It was dusk, so he couldn’t see that well. He wasn’t supposed to be swimming there at that time, so he feared that a police officer had spotted him from the pier.

At first, Willie thought the cough was coming from a bald man with a long, droopy mustache. Thinking it was perhaps a local German saloon keeper taking a night swim, the boy yelled out, “Hello Dutchy!” The response was another cough.

Forgetting all of his fears of getting caught by the police, the young boy started to scream as he swam back toward the pier. All he could think of were sea serpents, sharks, and Jonah the whale.

The sighting set off a flurry of sea lion hunting, as the park had offered a reward for the escaped animals. Read the story of the great sea lion escape at The Hatching Cat. -via Strange Company 

If you've ever wondered where to put that boxy HEPA air filter so it doesn't look so out of place in the room, then this is for you: IKEA has made a new side air purifier called Starkvind. It's an indoor air purifier with a 3-filter system AND a functional side table. Genius!

Homes & Hues has more pics: STARKVIND: IKEA's New Air Purifier Doubles as a Side Table

More from Homes & Hues:

• Delicious and Edible Willly Wonka Hotel Room Complete with Lickable Wallpaper
• Shed of the Year 2021
• Keeping Boredom at Bay with the Outdoor Skateboard Swing
• Snuggle with Blossoms in the Hortensia Armchair

Freeskier, X-Games gold medalist and renowned parkour athlete Andri Ragettli got bored during the covid lockdown in 2020 so he combined parkour and human Rube Goldberg obstacle course into a DIY activity that you he can do at home (Note: Do NOT do this at home, kids!)

Watch more of Ragettli's human Rube Goldberg obstacle courses at Pictojam.

More from Pictojam:

• 3D Printing an Entire Rocket
• The Swish Machine: 70-Step Rube Goldberg Machine to Shoot a Basketball
• It'll Never Fly: When Gene Names Are TOO Fun
• Mammoth's Epic Travels Preserved in Tusk

Presentation is an essential part when it comes to selling food, as it gives customers a good picture on how the food will taste, and maybe how the food is prepared. With this in mind, these buns from WuPaoChun Bakery in Taiwan are clearly a product of hard work, sweat, and tears.

But does it taste good?

What do you think?

(Image from Manna Chu via Facebook)

Perhaps the most defining trait of the Shinto religion is its reverence for nature. This is why you’ll find Shinto shrines in places filled with trees and plants. Of course, when there’s flora, expect that there will also be fauna. It is normal to encounter them when you go to Shinto shrines. And, because fauna is also part of nature, the Shinto finds a way to co-exist with them in harmony. This Shinto shrine called Hitokotonushi, which is located in Ibaraki Prefecture, is a great example. When the shrine’s staff realized that bees went to the shrine to quench their thirst, they decided to make something for the latter.

...the shrine has installed a gorgeous miniature drinking fountain especially for them.

...the bees no longer have to cling precariously to the edge of the large water trough to get a sip of water — they can now quench their thirst in a more secure position, atop two mounds of wet moss.

... [the] staff have added a sign to let visitors know the bees are gentle and rarely sting unless provoked.

Now that’s wholesome.

(Image Credit: @hitokoto0913/Twitter via SoraNews24)

The sticky hairs found in the Triantha occidentalis (common name: western false asphodel) is a detail that has been overlooked, as there are also other plant species with similar features. These sticky hairs are usually used by plants as a defense mechanism to ward off insects that are harmful to the plants. And so when scientists took a closer look at the plant, they found something rather interesting.

… the hairs [of the T. occidentalis] attract the bugs, and then keep the ones unfortunate enough to wander too close stuck to the stem. Slowly, the plant releases an enzyme which breaks down the prey into liquified food that can easily be absorbed through the stem.

This only happens during the flowering process, however.

It is also worth noting that the bug trapping mechanism found in the T. occidentalis is located directly underneath its flower, which is very different from most carnivorous plants, like the venus flytrap, which has its trapping mechanism found further away from its snare. In other words, only insects unlucky enough to go too far before the flower will be trapped. Fortunately, the plant is considerate enough for insects such as bees and butterflies.

Instead of using force strong enough to hold down every single insect that enters it, the hairs are only mildly sticky, and will effectively only ensnare smaller insects while allowing the stronger ones to escape.

The question is, why would a plant who needs bugs for pollination also eat bugs? Scientists theorize that the plant needs bugs to make up for the fact that it grows in nutrient-poor locations.

More about this intriguing plant over at Mashable.

Nature sure is weird.

(Image Credit: University of Wisconsin-Madison)

The blog Abecedarian has a section dedicated to rhetorical questions, which the author kindly answers for us.

Q: Tired of totin' coffee pots from home?
A: Yes!  We can hardly get through our front door, what with all the coffee pots.

Some of the answers even have quotes or links for research purposes. You'll find page after page of answers to questions that no one ever expected to be answered. Don't get too hung up on the dates listed for the posts, because no one is going to explain it. There's also a section called Rhetorical Answers, Questioned. It's a little different but just as entertaining. -via Nag on the Lake

This popular arts-and-crafts chain is no stranger to controversy - including dealing in stolen artifacts. They have a history of buying priceless ancient artifacts through shady auctions. They have faced hefty fines for this practice, and have had to return many of them, including a 3500-year-old tablet that featured part of the Epic of Gilgamesh; but they never seem to learn their lesson.

A 3500 year old cuneiform tablet that Hobby Lobby had to forfeit.

The Bank of England takes pride in the fact that no gold has ever been stolen from their vaults. However, they also admit that it might have been because of extreme luck.

In 1836, during the Victorian period, the directors of the bank received anonymous letters from a man claiming to have access to the bank’s gold. The man even offered to meet the directors inside the vault at their chosen time. Convinced, the directors accepted the offer, and they assembled a meeting at the vault.

At the agreed hour a noise was heard from beneath the floor and a man popped up through some of the floor boards.

The man was a sewerman who, during repair work, had discovered an old drain that ran immediately under the gold vault.

Despite his opportunity, the sewerman did not take any of the bank’s gold, as confirmed by a stock take. The Bank of England then rewarded the man with £800 (worth £90,000 today) for his honesty.

Via Reddit

(Image Credit: Bank of England)

Why does your voice sound instantly better once you step inside the shower? And why do you suddenly feel the desire to sing when you feel the gush of warm water? If you’ve ever wondered about these things, then you’re in luck. Classic FM provides us with answers for both questions, and they’re completely scientific. They state that the key ingredients that make up the perfect acoustic, namely, the materials in which the wall is made up of, the size of the hall, and the reverb, are all found inside the shower.

Meanwhile, our tendency to sing in the shower might be due to the relaxing effect brought about by the warm water, which could trigger our brain to release dopamine, which could, in turn, trigger us to sing.

Learn more about this over at the site.

Good to know!

(Image Credit: tookapic/ Pixabay)

Animaniacs, a beloved kids' show that aired on TV from 1993 to '98, was revived for streaming in 2020. In a zany yet metaphysical moment of self-awareness, the characters sing a song to explain their own return as a part of the general trend in Hollywood for the 21st century. The second season of Animaniacs will premiere on Hulu on November 5. -via Geeks Are Sexy

One the one hand, charging people to answer nature's call seems cruel. On the other hand, building and maintaining public restrooms isn't cheap. And so came the concept of the pay toilet, which goes back at least to the Roman Empire. But the number of pay toilets reached its peak in the mid-20th century.

There was a perceived safety aspect to toilet locks, as the barrier of payment was thought to discourage drug use, sexual activity, thefts, or “hippies” from loitering, though it’s not clear why any persons using the toilet for nefarious purposes couldn’t just pay their dime and get on with it.

But there was a larger, more glaring issue: While toilets were subject to a fee, urinals were not. That meant men had the freedom to empty their bladders without being charged, while women looking to use a stall had to pay.

It was a subtle form of gender discrimination, but it didn’t go unnoticed. In 1969, California State Assemblywoman March Fong Eu took to the steps of the California State Capitol building and smashed a porcelain toilet with a sledgehammer to protest the inequality promoted by the locked stalls. It was the beginning of a revolution.

Read what it took to turn the tide on pay toilets, even though they aren't completely gone even today, at Mental Floss.