In the mid-19th century, the Windham family occupied Felbrigg Hall in the county of Norfolk in the UK. The heir to the family fortune was William Frederick Windham, an eccentric who never fit into his family's high society lifestyle. He was kicked out of Eton and spent his time riding trains and impersonating police. What could the family do about this dissolute young man? Only a couple of weeks after his father died and he inherited the family's assets, he decided he wanted to marry Agnes Willoughby.

Willoughby was personally repelled by this unkempt, socially inept boor, and she never hesitated to say so in his presence.  However, she had no compunction about selling herself when the price was right, and she knew that in this dotty train-fancier she had hit the jackpot.  She agreed to marry him—in return for fifteen hundred pounds a year and nearly twenty thousand pounds’ worth of jewelry.  The happy couple wed on August 30, 1861.  Three weeks later, the new Mrs. Windham ran off to Ireland to join her lover, the famed opera singer Antonio Giuglini, leaving her husband with a pile of bills she had rung up that amounted to nineteen thousand pounds.

Windham and Willoughby's relationship grew even more complicated after that, and involved a famous court case to determine if Windham was a lunatic, which is the focus of Wikipedia's entry on him. But Strange Company goes into more detail about Windham's love life and how it affected his finances. It is a tale both tragic and entertaining.

Christmas is a time when family and friends gather together to share the joy of the season. Or at least that's what we would like to happen. But every year, Mom gets stressed out trying to make everything perfect, Grandma lets you know what's wrong with everything, and every family has that one guy who knows everything and is determined to explain it to you. You know who these folks are because the same stuff happens every year. It's a good thing we love them. Trey Kennedy acts out all the people you don't see often, but they are always the same when you meet up with them at your Christmas family gathering.

Every year, there are particular toys that every child seems to want for Christmas. Over time, you can track the evolution of our culture with them. Stacker has compiled a list of popular toys for every Christmas season since 1920, which gives us a century of toys. These are not necessarily the best-selling toys, since they don't have any repeats, but toys that give us a glimpse into those years. No matter your age, you will find a section that brings up memories. Maybe you played with these toys, or maybe you wanted but never got them.

I was surprised to realize that the toys I actually received as a child were "hot" 20 to 40 years earlier, like Tinker Toys and Raggedy Ann. That just tells us how iconic and universal these playthings are. I bought my own children a Radio Flyer wagon 80 years after they were "hot" (possibly because I wanted one but never got it). Now it occurs to me that my parents bought me toys that they coveted as children. And don't think that modern toys can't be iconic, as My Little Pony, Transformers, and Game Boys have been popular for decades now. -via Metafilter

By the way, one Mefite tells us that "every kid wants a Squishmallow this year."

(Image credit: The Strong National Museum of Play)

Humans have a long history of importing invasive species to places they shouldn't be, and then importing another species to eat them, after which the predatory species becomes an invasive pest. It's like that old children's rhyme that begins, "There was an old woman who swallowed a fly..." Tom Scott shows us how the Oregon Department of Agriculture is raising samurai wasps to help control the invasive brown marmorated stink bug. Is this really a good idea? Scientists struggled with the decision for so long that the wasps made their way to the US without being invited anyway, so they decided to just go with it. Will the parasitic wasps reduce the stink bugs? Will they run out of stink bugs and start eating beneficial insects? Will we have to come up with another predator to add to the chain? Only time will tell.

Despite the YouTube title, these wasps are not available to the general public just for asking.

We know some things about life in medieval times that squick us out pretty badly. Medical care was, shall we say, stuck in the Dark Ages, and people with a problem went to a barber to solve it. A growing population began to live in cities with no infrastructure for removing trash or sewage. People didn't eat with forks and rarely had adequate dishes. Everyone in the household slept in the same room and often the same bed. And how did they take care of their teeth without toothbrushes?

Some studies show that up to 90% of teeth in Western societies had some tooth decay at the turn of the 20th century, just 122 years ago. That figure is down to 30% today, which is still too high but does show the value of toothbrushes and modern dentistry. But get this- in the medieval period, archaeological evidence shows that only about 20% of teeth showed evidence of decay! Today I Found Out looks into why medieval teeth held up pretty well and how peasants cared for their choppers. They also go into the history of the overall hygiene of the period and the customs surrounding bathing and eating with one's hands.  

Weird History looks back at some of the midcentury Christmas recipes invented by food manufacturers in order to push their products, namely, Jell-O, Campbell's Soup, and mayonnaise. Not only did they sell a lot of processed convenience foods, the overcomplicated recipes gave suburban housewives something to do while their kids were at school that they could be proud of. Some of these sound like they might be tasty, if you reduce or remove the exact product they are pushing. And you'd probably want to simplify the presentation. And not serve it to people you don't know well. In fact, let's just simplify them all by using real ingredients instead of ultra-processed food products. I believe that's pretty much what we did as the 20th century slipped into the 21st century.

You'll still find food like this being served at holiday feasts, because they are the comfort foods your grandparents ate when they were kids. If you ask me, the only thing worth keeping from the era of processed convenience food recipes is Rice Krispies marshmallow treats. And I don't even make that anymore because I'd have to eat the whole batch myself. -via Digg

Since 1975, Saturday Night Live has soldiered on as the premiere sketch comedy television show. It's shifting cast members have gone on to become legendary actors, comics, TV hosts, writers, and even politicians, or else faded into obscurity. By the 1980s, we saw the phenomenon of feature-length films based on or inspired by SNL's live TV sketches, which was confounding. How could a three-minute comedy bit be expanded to two hours and remain funny? It comes down to the writing and the commitment to the characters.

An article at Entertainment Weekly looks at the nine movies that were "officially" based on SNL sketches plus a few that were related in one way or another. After 47 years on the air, those who haven't been there the whole time might confuse movies inspired by SNL with SNL parodies of existing movies, or else you've never seen the original skit. They aren't listed and ranked; rather, the best movies and worst movies are presented first for your convenience. Then they go back and explain the rest that fall in the middle and how they came to be. -via Fark

Brazilian soccer fan created this costume out of supersized sequins. pic.twitter.com/4JsD6DS7u0

— SixBrownChicks (@SixBrownChicks) December 10, 2022

This guy may look like he's computer-generated, but he's all real. He was spotted at the World Cup game between Brazil and Croatia in a full pixelated mirror costume! His entire body is covered in shiny tiles, most likely attached to a body suit underneath his mirrored Brazil soccer uniform. It looks like his "hair" is a bicycle helmet underneath the body suit. He didn't say a word, and we don't yet know who he is, but he was happy to mingle with fans and have his picture taken. He even made a mirror-tiled World Cup!

That was not to be. Brazil was eliminated by Croatia. But fans will take home the memories of a creative cosplayer and his brilliant costume. -via Everlasting Blort

The office of the US presidency comes with a salary of $400,000 a year and some nice benefits, but that is far less than these accomplished folks could make in the private sector. We also know that running for office can really drain one's finances, as some congresspeople learn along the way. It's much easier to start out rich.  

In the early days of the US, a man did not become prominent among the Founding Fathers unless he had land and wealth. However, most of the wealth they had came from inherited land and by marrying up. In the middle part of our string of presidents, some initially poor men rose to the presidency. They amassed small fortunes by their work as lawyers, which paid well even when expenses were relatively low. In the more modern era, presidents could be rich or not all that rich going into office, but they will make tons of money in book deals and speaking engagements either before or after their term in office.

Buzzfeed made a list of the net worth of all 46 US presidents, and tells us where that money came from. The amounts are all converted to 2022 dollars for the ease of comparison.

(Image cedit: Pete Souza)

A throwaway pickup line goes completely off the rails in this video from Viva La Dirt League. She works in a video game store; he assumes she's into video games. So he tries a cheesy pickup line from a video game world. She doesn't seem the least bit interested, but her snappy comeback forces him into creative mode. His epic story stays true to canon even though he's making it up as he goes along. She soon determines that he is a genuine fantasy video game aficionado instead of a poser, and he's fast on his feet. But is that enough? Is she even attracted to genuine fantasy video game aficionados? His pride won't let him stop, or back down. If she doesn't find true love, at least she gets a great story. Notice that when it's all over, he still hasn't paid for his purchase.  -via Geeks Are Sexy

In 1950, Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters recorded the song "Mele Kalikimaka," which tells us about Christmas in Hawaii. The song instructs us to say the phrase as a Christmas greeting. The term first appeared in print in 1904, several years after the US annexed Hawaii. It grew in popularity as tourists from the mainland flooded into Hawaii for a tropical holiday. Hawaiians, then as now, were torn between welcoming those tourist dollars and mourning the loss of their kingdom. Today, some Hawaiians will sing along with the familiar Crosby song, while others hate the phrase. University of Hawaii linguistics professor Gary Holton tells us about Mele Kalikimaka.

So, what does it mean? “Nothing,” says Holton. “It’s basically gibberish.” Technically, it’s a borrowed phrase: a term in a foreign language, in this case English, transferred into Hawaiian using what linguists call the rules of phonotactics, or sounds available in that language, Holton explains.

Wikipedia breaks down how the term was coined.

The phrase is derived from English as follows:

Merry Christmas
    ↓ Every consonant must be followed by a vowel in Hawaiian. The T is removed, since it is already silent in English.
Mery Carisimasa
    ↓ C is not a letter in Hawaiian; the closest phonetic equivalent is K.
Mery Karisimasa
    ↓ R is not a letter in Hawaiian; it is equivalent to L. Y is replaced by E, the sound it already denotes in English.
Mele Kalisimasa
    ↓ S is not a letter in Hawaiian; the closest phonetic equivalent is K.
Mele Kalikimaka

Atlas Obscura has the story of Mele Kalikimaka, and a suggestion for a better way to say Merry Christmas in the Hawaiian language.

Some years ago, we introduced you to Whittier, an isolated town in Alaska in which almost all the population lives in one 14-story building, originally built as an army barracks. Margaret and Dom Varlamos were looking for a business opportunity in 1997, and found the Swiftwater Seafood Cafe for sale in Whittier, which in 2020 had a population of 272 people. The only way to reach Whittier was by boat, plane, or train. It couldn't be all that hard to feed a couple of hundred people, right? The Varlamos' freshly made fish and chips were a hit with the community. Then in 2000, the railroad tunnel was opened to automobile traffic, and tourists started to arrive. Word got around the state, and the cafe had lines out the door. This video tells their story, plus that of the town and what it's like to live with all your neighbors. -via Nag on the Lake

If you're not an angler, you might be surprised to see this kind of gruesome sign near fishing piers. When this one was posted at Reddit, it sparked a bunch of Three Stooges jokes. But a few folks helpfully explained why you need to poke the eyes out of a fish before throwing its dead body in the water.

An intact fish carcass will float. Even a fish that has been filleted will float when the head is intact. Poking the eyes out will release that buildup of gasses inside so the fish carcass will sink to the bottom. In the natural world, a dead fish will be consumed by other creatures pretty quick. One that floats will be food for birds, and one that sinks will be food for bottom feeders, like crabs. But in the natural world, a dead fish is in itself rare, as they more often are consumed before dying of other causes.

So this is only a problem when humans are involved, throwing away fish or partial fish they have caught. Floating fish either draw too many seagulls to populated areas, or else the floating decomposing fish cause a mighty stink. Now you know.

(Image credit: u/Bryllant)

When you flush a toilet, the violence of the water rushing through expels water droplets into the air that are so tiny we can't see them. But a new study from University of Colorado Boulder shines a light on the phenomenon- literally. Using laser lights and high-resolution cameras, they bring us a visualization of the kind of flush you get in a public toilet. This video involves a new toilet with only tap water in it.

The study found that these airborne particles shoot out quickly, at speeds of 6.6 feet (2 meters) per second, reaching 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) above the toilet within 8 seconds. While the largest droplets tend to settle onto surfaces within seconds, the smaller particles (aerosols less than 5 microns, or one-millionth of a meter) can remain suspended in the air for minutes or longer.

These measurements came from the use of an optical particle counter. Toilets in most homes don't flush quite so powerfully, but they do expel particles. Closing the lid while flushing helps somewhat, but lids are rare in public toilets. And this is why I moved my toothbrushes inside a cabinet years ago. -via Boing Boing

Merle Oberon starred in many Hollywood films in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, and was the only Asian actress to have ever been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. But Hollywood didn't know she was Asian. Oberon was born in Bombay in 1911, when India was under British rule. When she broke into show business, Oberon let it be known that she was born in Australia to white parents and moved to India as a child. She wouldn't have been accepted as a leading lady if it were known she was mixed race (if you consider the British and Indians to be different races- this was really about color).

Oberon was an avid user of skin lightening creams, which contain what the FDA considers dangerous amounts of mercury. This could have contributed to her later skin and health problems. Oberon kept up the ruse about her origins almost all her life. She was invited to Hobart, Tasmania, and celebrated as a hometown girl, which caused her to almost have a breakdown. Even those closest to her didn't know she was born in India. They didn't know who her parents really were until after her death. It's possible that Oberon herself didn't know the full story. Read about Merle Oberon and the secrets she kept at Messy Nessy Chic.