Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in FYI.

Let's Focus on Failure
I remember taking a state practice test when I was in high school. The portion I recall was a critical thinking section and judged your analytical skills in reference to reading. I can’t tell you how well I did or what questions were asked afterward, but I can tell you what information and story I absorbed in that process. It is a seemingly insignificant story or factoid that has influenced me even today.
By E.L. Martin5 years ago in FYI
Creepy West African Urban Legends, Myths & Secrets
All over the world urban legends, myths, and conspiracies play a big part in any society's culture. In the western world, urban legends like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and myths about haunted locations play an interesting role in our social lives. In the motherland of civilization, this is no different. Just like in the west, on the continent of Africa myths, urban legends, and societal secrets have been passed down through oral traditions, literature, and entertainment.
By C.R. Hughes5 years ago in FYI
The Face of Waste Management
Lagos. The largest city in Nigeria. A city riddled with violence and crime. A city that is deemed incredibly dangerous after dark. A city with a high unemployment rate and a huge environmental issue. A city that one young, black woman found great potential in.
By Nicky5 years ago in FYI
Crazy Eight
Random things I learned while living my life. Because Vocal created this really cool contest and I can't resist... I’ve chosen to describe eight random things because eight (Ba in Chinese) has the similar pronunciation with 发 (Fa, meaning wealth or fortune). And I am told that this number is very welcome among Chinese people.
By Christy Munson5 years ago in FYI
Queen Victoria's underwear stolen at Buckingham Palace... three times.
Queen Victoria had an unusually determined visitor. And since it happened in the late 1800s, we can confirm this is the story of the original royal celebrity stalker.
By Jake Murphy5 years ago in FYI
The Professor and the Madman
What a minute! Why did no one tell me about The Professor and the Madman on Netflix? We have been binge watching shows like Radioactive and The Trial of the Chicago 7, but we forgot to mention this movie? I am shocked. I am stunned. I am going to watch the movie again!
By Rose Loren Geer-Robbins5 years ago in FYI
Real Dinosaurs are Better Than the Movie
Note: This story was originally published in Illumination. I retain the rights. When my cockatiel, Ziggy, falls flat on her face, I ask, “How did your ancestors survive the asteroid?”
By Alexa Baczak5 years ago in FYI
A Simple Question That Confused Newton
Newton was born premature, about 3 months early. His mother said he could fit in a quart-sized cup upon birth. You probably know from childhood that Newton was sitting under an apple tree and the apple fell over him, then he questioned the scenario and then discovered Gravity, but the real story is way different than this one. Newton was merely looking out the window when he happened to see an apple drop.
By Uday Pawar5 years ago in FYI
Who invented the N95 mask filter?
We never thanked the man behind the great invention i.e., the N95 mask filter. Have you ever thought about who invented the N95 mask filter? Was it an accidental discovery? or Was it decades of hard work of anyone?
By Zeeshan Mushtaq Lone5 years ago in FYI
Unknown World
Ahh, San Diego has great weather, palm trees, tasty Mexican cuisine, and baby mammoths and mastodons. You read that right, I've lived in San Diego, CA, all of my life, and I've never heard of a baby mammoth discovered until 2009; while I was watching the news, the Colombian baby remains mammoth were found in Downtown San Diego. The 8-foot tusk, skull, and bones were found at a construction site. During that time, they were building the Thomas Jefferson School of Law; as the construction workers were digging, they saw skulls and bones. They reached out to the San Diego Natural History Museum immediately. I watched this news clip in awe because I didn't expect the remains of an extinct animal to exist still. The first mammoth was discovered in January 1987 at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park located in Borrego Springs.
By teisha leshea5 years ago in FYI
Musical Vibrations as Medicine
In today’s society, we are all familiar with the mainstream modern medicine used today. When we’re sick we take drugs produced by pharmaceutical companies. In more drastic cases we need a surgeon to cut through our skin and fix us from the inside. We do these things because we have been taught that these are the best ways to fix a person who is unwell. What if I told you that sound and vibrations at the right frequency could also be used to help heal the body? It sounds absolutely crazy right? This idea wasn’t so crazy to great minds like Pythagoras and Nikola Tesla.
By Scarwled Writing5 years ago in FYI
The 17th Century British Colonial Blitzkrieg
The British Empire reached its venerable peak during the Victorian Age. There were British colonies and protectorates spanning the globe from the southern tip of Africa to India, from Hong Kong to Gibraltar, and beyond. It was fashionable to say that the sun never set on the British Empire, both in fortunes and in the very literal sense. However, this empire did not spring from nothing. The seeds for England's eventual greatness and global domination were planted in a century that gets very little attention.
By Grant Piper5 years ago in FYI