Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, me hearties! Instructions, translators, and the Dave Barry column that started it.

Is there a single food that you can survive on forever?

How Grand Pianos are Made.

Why Blue Is the World’s Favorite Color.

The devastating 1889 Johnstown Flood killed over 2,000 people in minutes.

Bacteria from elite athletes’ poop might boost sports performance.

ICYMI, Monday’s links are here, and include the blue-skinned family, Dr. Samuel Johnson’s birthday, the now-abandoned Russian town that was aiming nuclear missiles at America from 125 miles away, and the Illinois Pre-Columbian settlement of Cahokia.