Interesting Things with JC #348: "Felix Nadar and the First Aerial Photograph" - In 1858, Felix Nadar, a French balloonist and photographer, took the first known photograph from the sky!

Interesting Things with JC #347: "The Tower of London's Famous Ravens" - The kingdom of England and the Tower of London are said to be doomed if the six ravens who live there ever leave. The Tower is currently inhabited by nine ravens.

Interesting Things with JC #346: "Fire Hydrants" - The true inventor of the fire hydrant is unknown, though. A fire destroyed the patents for the fire hydrants in Philadelphia.

Interesting Things with JC #345: "Regrow from Scraps" - Many common vegetables that you grow can re-grow from scraps, which may surprise you. This can be a great money saver, both for starting a new vegetable plot and for continuing your existing food growing efforts.

Interesting Things with JC #344: "Shizo Kanakuri" was a pioneer in Japanese marathon running and track and field. To the Japanese, he is the "father of the marathon." Interestingly, the world record marathon time he was most famous for was 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 200.379 seconds.

Interesting Things with JC #343: "Tecumseh" was founded in 1934 by Raymond Wesley Herrick and Charles Floyd Sage in Tecumseh, Michigan. Herrick & Sage were both tool and die maker-machinists at their own companies, which came together to create the Tecumseh Products Company.

Interesting Things with JC #342: "Phantom Towns" are places that exist solely on paper maps but have no physical presence in the real world. All of them are either blunders or deliberate attempts to break the law.

Interesting Things with JC #341: "Blueberries" - Native Americans in North America gave blueberries the name "star fruits" due to the star shape formed by the blossom end of the berry. In a given year, a single blueberry bush can yield up to six thousand berries. The highbush blueberry crop in British Columbia is the world's largest.

Interesting Things with JC #340: "Babe the Blue Ox" — Paul Bunyan took a stroll during the Blue Snow Winter. While he was up to his knees in icy blue snow, he heard a noise that sounded like a bleat snort. Looking down, he noticed a small blue bull snorting angrily and bouncing around in the snow.

Interesting Things with JC #339: "Paul Bunyan" - Once upon a time, a large man named Paul Bunyan existed. Bunyan was a lumberjack who traversed the country with his blue ox, Babe. Paul Bunyan's tales are legendary and an integral part of American folklore.

Interesting Things with JC #338: "More Dangerous than Shark Attacks" - An inquisitive short story podcast topic that was submitted by one of our loyal but yet anonymous listeners! (5min podcast)

Interesting Things with JC #337: "The Abbreviated History of Ice Cream" - President Ronald Reagan instituted National Ice Cream Day, which is observed annually on the third Sunday of July (July 17 this year). Let’s take a look at the history of this beloved treat!

Interesting Things with JC #336: "Room 307, Gilman Hall, UC Berkley" - The first chemical identification of element 94, took place here. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966 on the 25th anniversary of the discovery of plutonium. All of Gilman Hall was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark in 1997, followed by its listing in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Interesting Things with JC #335: "Point Bonita Lighthouse" sits near the end of Bonita Cove in the Marin Headlands, just 20 minutes from the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge. It's a historic location and the only lighthouse in the United States that is reached by a suspension bridge!

Interesting Things with JC #334: "Vicki Adams" - Vicki Adams' horsemanship, innovative flare, and horse-training expertise have enthralled rodeo fans worldwide for half a century. Vicki is one of the world's top “trick-riders” and has been recognized in countless halls of fame.

Interesting Things with JC #333: "Garden Joy" - Born from a one-acre plot on Main Street in Ripon, California, this volunteer organization provides thousands of pounds of organic vegetables for the community as well as offers classes, tours, and facilitates field trips for hundreds of local youth.

By encouraging home gardening and providing educational programs to promote positive social contact and recreation, they are making a long-lasting impact on the community's nutritional knowledge and the people's eating habits.

Please visit gardenjoyca.com for more information.

Interesting Things with JC #332: "Modesto" - The Central Pacific Railroad established the city of Modesto in the 1860s. William Chapman Ralston, a railway director, was meant to be honored by having the city bear his name, but he graciously rejected it. Workers who spoke Spanish and attended the naming ceremony for the city found this quite humble of him. The city was thus given the name Modesto.

Interesting Things with JC #331: "California Wine" - Join me as I take you on a journey through the history of this legendary region, beginning in 1769 and continuing to the present day.

Interesting Things with JC #330: "Orangemen's Day"-William of Orange and James II fought in Ireland in July 1690. It was the last fight between the crowned kings of England, Scotland, and Ireland. William of Orange won and dominated Ireland for years. It is a public holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador, so most schools and businesses are closed and most people have the day off. By the end of the 1800s, Orangemen's parades were a regular thing in many Newfoundland towns.

Interesting Things with JC #329: "Mt. Diablo” is one of the most prominent landforms in northern California, located in the San Francisco Bay Area to the east of Walnut Creek. In 1851, it was chosen as the starting point for the Mount Diablo Base Line and Meridian, which were used to measure land in two-thirds of California and all of Nevada. At the top of the mountain, there are amazing views in all directions.