Almost every day I stumble across a news item/article/blog post that causes me to say, “I did not know that.” Here are ten of them that you (probably) didn’t know either.
1. Moammar Gadhafi might have been the richest man in the world. [ source ]
2. Hope uniquely predicts objective academic achievement above intelligence, personality, and previous academic achievement [ source ]
3. Works of art can give as much joy as being head over heels in love. [ source ]
4. Only 15 percent of scientists at major research universities see religion and science always in conflict. [ source ]
5. The average American employee works with 100 coworkers; the average Indian employee works with 4 coworkers. The difference in wealth and income between nations is closely related to the ability of firms to take on complex tasks. [ source ]
6. A secret Clinton-era government report outlined what once looked like a potential crisis: The possibility that the U.S. government might pay off its entire debt. [ source ]
7. Genealogies are just social constructs. [ source ]
8. Between 1996 and 2010 the number of teenagers aged 13-19 having elective cosmetic surgery has increased by 548%. [ source ]
9. Kabul, Afghanistan is the fifth fastest growing city in the world. [ source ]
10. Eating too much licorice can cause arrhythmia, a rise in blood pressure, swelling, and even congestive heart failure. [ source ]
You have a decision to make: double or nothing.
For this week only, a generous supporter has offered to fully match all new and increased donations to First Things up to $60,000.
In other words, your gift of $50 unlocks $100 for First Things, your gift of $100 unlocks $200, and so on, up to a total of $120,000. But if you don’t give, nothing.
So what will it be, dear reader: double, or nothing?
Make your year-end gift go twice as far for First Things by giving now.
