On February 29, 1504, Christopher Columbus tricked Jamaicans out of supplies by using knowledge of an upcoming lunar eclipse.

Leap Day: The Story Behind This Quirky Calendar Event, Five Weird Facts About Leap Years and the messy math of Leap Years.

Bullet-proof chairs and sofas are coming.

Gallery of sexist vintage ads.

A 5,000-year-old Egyptian dress is the oldest woven garment on record.

15 of History’s Greatest Mad Scientists.

ICYMI, Friday’s links are here, and include fashion advice from a 1980s Stasi (East German secret police) disguise seminar, the accidental invention of the microwave, the next generation of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot, and a super slow motion video on the chemistry of matches.