(Morning of the Battle of Agincourt, a painting by Sir John Gilbert)

And for 600 years to follow, gentlemen in England then abed thought themselves accursed they were not there that day. On October 25, 1415--the Feast of St. Crispin--a small army led by King Henry V smashed a much larger but antiquated French army at Agincourt in northern France.

British novelist Bernard Cornwell explains at length in the Daily Telegraph how mud and the power of the Welsh longbow became the undoing of the heavily-armored French knights:

Some eight thousand French men-at-arms were advancing on foot. No one knows how long it took them to cover the two hundred or more paces which separated them from Henry’s men-at-arms, but it was not a quick approach. They were wading through mud made treacherous by deeply ploughed furrows and churned to quagmire by horses’ hooves. And they were being struck by arrows so that they were forced to close their helmets’ visors.

They can see very little through the tiny eye-slits, their breathing is stifled, and still the arrows come. The conventional verdict suggests that the French were cut down by those arrow-storms, but the chief effect of the arrows was to delay and, by forcing them to close their visors, half-blind the attackers.

When the French knights finally closed in on the archers, they found that their unarmored opponents were still at advantage, even in close quarters combat:

The bowmen wore little armour, and in the glutinous mud they were far more mobile than their plate-armoured opponents, and any man capable of hauling a war-bow’s string was hugely strong and a battle-axe in his hands would be a ghastly weapon. And so the archers joined the hand to hand fight and the tired French were killed in their hundreds.

(Video Link)

Agincourt has loomed large in British popular memory for the centuries that followed. It was well remembered by William Shakespeare, who made it the center of his play The Life of Henry the Fifth. His character of King Henry delivered the famous "Band of Brothers" speech, abbreviated in the 1989 Kenneth Branagh adaptation.

-via VA Viper, who points out that today is also the 71st anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in world history, as well as the 161st anniversary of the charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava.

If you live in a small home, it can be a challenge to find a place to park your bicycle inside. The design studio Chol1 responded to this need by designing a wide array of household furniture that has build-in bike stands. The options include bookcases, desks, couches, and cabinets. They're all notched to hold your favorite ride.

(Photo: Satrughna)

Throughout his work, Dutch artist Reinier Lagendijk often shows nature and humanity in conflict, bending toward each other's will or at least compromising. In this sculpture titled Villa Lisiduna, a magnolia tree has pushed its way through a brick building, which responds by bending rather than breaking under the pressure. It's located in a roundabout in Leusden, the Netherlands.

-via Khool

(Photo: Jazz Guy)

Don't break out your cocktail shakers yet, though.

Scientists using a radio telescope at the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique in Sierra Nevada, Spain found that Comet Lovejoy contains two basic building blocks of life: alcohol and sugar. Specifically, ethyl alcohol and glycolaldehyde.

Comets often contain the earliest identifiable materials from the formation of a solar system, so these findings give us important information about the early history of our solar system. Astrophysicist Dominique Bockelée-Morvan told the AFP:

"The presence of a major complex organic molecule in comet material is an essential step toward better understanding the conditions that prevailed at the moment when life emerged on our planet," she told AFP.

"These observations show a possible explanation for its (life's) origin on our planet," she added.

-via Marilyn Terrell

Now I've got a great business idea: hair salon services for people who are really in a hurry.

Rocket News 24 tells us that a viral video from Gaoshu, Pingtung County, Taiwan shows two men riding a scooter. The one in the back is shampooing the hair of the driver. Why? No one is sure. Perhaps it was a stunt or perhaps the driver was in a hurry to get to work.

The result of the spread of the video is that the two men got into trouble with the police. No, it wasn't because of the hair washing. Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is illegal.

There are snakes that can kill you with a single bite and scorpions that can take you out with just one sting. But none of them have venom with the killing power of a snail. The geography cone snail (Conus geographus) has a toxin so powerful that a lethal dose for a human is just 0.029-0.038 milligrams.

There have been only 36 recorded human fatalities from it since 1670. That's because the geography cone snail lives in the ocean. But its unique venom delivery system is capable of penetrating the wetsuits of any humans foolish enough to get too close. BBC Earth reports:

To take down their targets, cone snails have modified teeth called "radulae". They are sharp, hooked and hollow, like a cross between a harpoon and a hypodermic needle. The snail launches one at an unsuspecting fish, whereupon it delivers a cocktail of toxins that target the nervous system. Once the fish is paralysed, the cone snail can devour it.

-via Ace of Spades HQ | Photo: Kerry Matz/National Institute of General Medical Services

(Photo: Tablet)

The Shabbos Project was a plan to conduct a single, simultaneously celebrated Sabbath meal on Friday, October 23. Jews from around the world participated. To create a symbol for this massive event, project leaders conceived of baking the longest challah in the world. 

After locating a 20-foot long oven in Brooklyn, volunteers prepared a six-stranded loaf, which has earned a Guinness World Record as the longest braided bread in the world. Tess Cutler writes for Tablet magazine:

Before the official unveiling, the massive challah (the belle of the ball) was covered with a sheet like a veiled bride. At the end of the night, the challah was officially presented, accompanied by a room full of “oohs” and “aahs.”

It took two bakeries, two attempts (the first challah broke), 40 pounds of flour, five gallons of water, and a year of planning to get this baby baking, which was no easy feat. Supplying the dough was Eli Berman of Brooklyn’s Strauss Kosher Bakery while Edward Mafoud of Damascus Bakery generously offered his kosher oven (since apparently no heimishe bakery had an oven big enough).

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Rep. Adam Schiff of California roots for the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. His colleague, Rep. Steve Israel of New York supports the New York Mets. They had a wager over the outcome of a game between their two teams. The Mets won 3-2 and, as a result, Schiff had to sing the song "Meet the Mets" on the floor of the House of Representatives.

My favorite line: "Mr. Speaker, please tell me my time has expired."

Rep. Schiff must also send a supply of gourmet popcorn to Rep. Israel as a result of his defeat.

-via Dan Lewis

(Photo: VG)

For decades, a statue of Soviet dictator Vladimir Lenin stood in Odessa, Ukraine. But now it has been replaced with the image of Darth Vader, a Ukrainian politician. It was made of gypsum, which had been decaying for a while.

Lord Vader replaced the head and added decorative flourishes to the original, as well as a titanium cover to strengthen the structure. It's invulnerable, except for an insignificantly small exhaust port. The head is a WiFi hotspot, which Lord Vader hopes will attract visitors to his statue and his cause.

-via Klaas Meijer

Freddy Fabris, a photographer, has long wanted to pay homage to the Renaissance masters. But until recently, he was unable to find the right way to do it. When he visited an old auto repair shop in the Midwest, inspiration suddenly hit him: he would cast mechanics in their workspace as the figures in great works of Renaissance art, such as Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam.

(Image: Shannon Molloy)

In the Simpsons episode "Bart vs. Australia," we briefly see a scene (embedded below) in which an Australian father berates his son for accruing a long distance phone charge of 900 dollarydoos. This is not the actual currency of Australia, which is crocodile teeth of different sizes.

But there is now a petition of concerned citizens who wish to rename that nation's currency the dollarydoo in order to stimulate the Australian economy. That's a smart monetary policy. So far, more than 60,000 Australians, which is roughly half the population, has signed the petition. If it reaches the goal of 75,000 signers, then a letter that effect will be sent to the Prime Minister.

(Video Link)

-via Lost at E Minor

(Photo: Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary)

This is Estella, a guinea pig that lives at the Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary in French Camp, California. She's lived there since she and her mate Pip were found abandoned by the side of a road.

Estella can't move the back end of her body. So after a successful fundraiser for the project, the staff built a custom wheelchair that permits her to walk around. You can see more photos of her and Pip at the Huffington Post.

I'll bet that if these tourists ever go out on the water again, it'll be in a steel-hulled ship!

They were just offshore at Mossel Bay, South Africa, looking at seals that live in the area. A 12-foot Great White Shark approached their boat--then bit into it! His teeth easily punctured the rubber pontoon, deflating it. The boat operator prudently headed to shore immediately.

(Video Link)

-via Gifsboom

Ukranian artist Nikita Drachuk uses the lampworking glass technique, which involves only colored glass rods, a torch, and hand tools, to shape images of animals. They have the same vibrant colors that nature provides and remarkable precision, considering the fragility of the material.

When Rich McCor travels, he cuts paper silhouettes and holds them up in front of famous landmarks. He then takes photos at just the right angles to show the landmarks doing unusual things, such as the Eiffel Tower launching into space or Big Ben becoming a wristwatch. He tells the Daily Mail:

I would love to somehow make this hobby into a career, and if it involves travelling to places to shoot these images then that would be a dream come true.