J. R. R. Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892: some LOTR quotes, history, physics, and video (including dancing orcs and a Lego version of the battle of Helm’s Deep). Related: Tolkien wrote a translation of Beowulf and included some imagined history of the characters – it was published for the first time in 2014.
London’s oldest house has survived the English Civil War, the Great Fire and the Blitz.
Remembering West Point’s Eggnog Riot of 1826.
Yesterday (January 2) was Isaac Asimov’s birthday. Related: here’s his 1964 essay predicting life in 2014 and a paper on creativity he wrote in 1959 for DARPA.
Someone call the Nobel committee… Trader Joe’s just released shelf-stable French fries to satisfy all your snacking needs.
We’ve all seen this movie, and it doesn’t end well – Chinese Construction Workers Stumble Upon 30 Perfectly Preserved Dinosaur Eggs From Cretaceous Period.
ICYMI, Monday’s links are here, and consisted are of New Year related material: hangover science and cures, New Year’s Day in Paris in the 1800s, and Dave Barry’s 2017 Year in Review.