We’ve all heard about the flat versus round earth debate, but what else can we learn about our planet? In the spirit of Earth Day being just around the corner, the solution to a mathematical question reveals a puzzling fact about the world we live in.

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A string around the earth

Could a smooth hot air-balloon ride or a good poodle-trimming job have once gotten you a gold medal in the Olympics? Since the first Olympic Games in 776 BC, the internationally known competition has undergone many changes. What started off with just nine events, now expects to have 33 sports in the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games. But how did we get here?

Unconventional Olympic events

Could the consumption of bread in the 1600s have turned you into a witch? According to a finding centuries after the 1690’s Salem Witch Trials, yes. It is now believed that the cause of “bewitchment” can be attributed to the growth of a fungus that structurally resembles LSD.

The Salem Witch Trials

What is the correlation between waffles and hurricanes? The Waffle House Index, a term coined in 2011, outlines a relationship between the two for their long-standing reputation of reliability. The Federal Emergency Management Agency relies on the breakfast chain for their informal barometer for weather damage.

The Waffle House Index

The 1900's 'marshmallow test' claimed to have found a direct correlation between a child's ability to delay gratification and their future success. A new study, released last summer however, proves otherwise. We now believe that a child's economic and social background play a bigger role in a child's long-term success.

Debunking the marshmallow test

Behind the infamous saying "fight on" and the hand symbol to go along with it, is an extensive history of war and victory. In the 8th century B.C., during Homer's Trojan war, Trojans would cut off the first two fingers of their opponents in an effort to instill terror and superiority. Today at USC, however, it has a very different meaning.

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