I scanned the room, and my eyes locked on three women whose eyes were already locked on me. The three women were Midwestern and white, and I am Southern and Black. I intended to tell them some information that I had only recently learned in detail — that our grandfathers had been together in the 1910s as children at the Lafon Orphan Asylum for Colored Boys in New Orleans. They were brothers: George and Edward DeGrange. In photos, they bear the resemblance of siblings, but they grew to be a few shades apart in skin tone. This slight contrast would make a world of difference as they aged out of the orphanage into the reality of segregation. Edward boarded a train to Chicago. Upon arrival, he presented himself as white. He eventually married and had children in Chicago — white children — who had children. George, too dark to pass even if he had wanted to, chose to stay behind in New Orleans. (via the New York Times)
A Norwegian watchmaker found a perfectly preserved 18th-century shipwreck
Espen Saastad makes watches for a living. He also runs a small underwater survey and salvage operation, which is how he found himself looking at an 18th-century merchant ship sitting almost perfectly upright on the floor of the Skagerrak strait, about 1,900 feet (600 meters) below the surface, with much of its cargo still inside. The ship had rested there for roughly 275 years. Large amounts of Chinese porcelain remained within the hull, along with rows of cargo that had barely moved. A fishing net had shifted objects in a few places, but most of the wreck appeared undisturbed. Archaeologists still do not know where the vessel began its journey or where it was headed. The Norwegian Maritime Museum announced the discovery in June 2026, describing it as the best-preserved cargo of its kind ever found in Northern Europe. (via Discover)
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The ubiquitous Kong dog-chew toy shaped like a snowman has an unusual history
The red, rubbery snowman shape may appear unfamiliar to many of you, but there are two types of people for whom it is instantly recognizable: dog owners, and Volkswagen Bus owners. In 1970, a guy named Joe Markham was operating a garage in downtown Denver, which at the time was plagued by burglaries. The local police were unable to provide much in the way of protection except for a bit of advice: Every good junkyard has a dog. Turns out Joe knew of a dog in need of a home who might fit the bill — a German shepherd named Fritz, who was originally destined to become a K9 officer with the Denver Police Department, except for one problem — Fritz could not stop chewing. Fritz would chew anything — dog bones, radiator hoses, even rocks. Then one day, as the legend goes, Joe was tearing down the suspension of a customer’s late 60’s VW Type 2 Bus (the hippie kind) when he heard Fritz going crazy: The dog was chewing on a bulbous rubber axle stop that had been laid aside during the repair. (via Why Is This Interesting?)
Hi everyone! Mathew Ingram here. I am able to continue writing this newsletter in part because of your financial help and support, which you can do either through my Patreon or by upgrading your subscription to a monthly contribution. I enjoy gathering all of these links and sharing them with you, but it does take time, and your support makes it possible for me to do that. I also write a weekly newsletter of technology analysis called The Torment Nexus.
Scientists say they’ve solved the mystery of the radioactive boars in Bavaria
Deep in the Bavarian woods of Southeast Germany roam scores of wild boars—prized game in a country where hunting is akin to a national tradition. But most hunters would think twice before venturing into the woods to chase these fat and fleshy pigs. Even if they track one and take it down, chances are they won’t be able to enjoy the meat. The boars are too dangerous to eat. They are radioactive. In some cases, the Bavarian boars are several hundred times more radioactive than what’s considered safe for human consumption. The hunters are well aware of this phenomenon, typically attributed to the 1986 Chornobyl accident, during which radioactive fallout drifted over to Europe. For a few years after the Chornobyl accident, all forest animals—including deer, hares, and pheasants—were highly radioactive. But eventually these levels waned in most game. Curiously, the wild boars remained radioactive. (via Nautilus)
Behind almost every global conflict you will find one thing: fertilizer
Time and again, the supply of usable nitrogen has shaped wars, driven technological breakthroughs, and influenced the map of geopolitical power. At the beginning of the 19th century, Alexander von Humboldt recognised the value of seabird guano for European farmers who couldn’t maintain soil fertility and feed the local populations. Plants need nitrogen to grow, but agriculture depletes soil nitrogen because it disrupts the natural cycle whereby plants return nutrients to the soil when they die. As guano was found to be a highly effective fertiliser due to its nitrogen content, its exports from South America – specifically Peru – towards Europe and North America boosted yields. In 1864, a conflict over guano resources broke out in Peru’s Chincha Islands, as Spanish troops occupied the Peruvian Islands in what is now termed the Guano War. The Spaniards were subsequently defeated and retreated, but this marked a first step towards more regional hostilities over this kind of resource. (via Engelsberg Ideas)
This British artist creates portraits from a single, uncut length of sheer fabric
Acknowledgements: I find a lot of these links myself, but I also get some from other places that I rely on as “serendipity engines,” such as The Morning News from Rosecrans Baldwin and Andrew Womack, Jodi Ettenberg’s Curious About Everything, Dan Lewis’s Now I Know, Robert Cottrell and Caroline Crampton’s The Browser, Clive Thompson’s Linkfest and Why Is This Interesting by Noah Brier and Colin Nagy. If you come across something you think should be included here, feel free to email me at mathew @ mathewingram dot com