
We can zoom in and we can zoom out, but we can’t zoom infinitely because these are videos instead of loops. But you can get the idea with a few minutes of each of these videos I posted at mental_floss. Cosmic.
Take me back to Constantinople
No, you can’t go back to Constantinople
Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That’s nobody’s business but the Turks’
Constantinople isn’t the only city to change its name. I grew up learning about Bombay, Canton, Leningrad, and Saigon (especially Saigon), but those names aren’t used much anymore. Here are the stories of a few city names, new and old, in this article I wrote for mental_floss.
This short film was a test for Edison's "Kinetophone" project, the first attempt in history to record sound and moving image in synchronization. This was an experiment by William Dickson to put sound and film together either in 1894 or 1895. Unfortunately, this experiment failed because they didn't understand synchronization of sound and film.(via Metafilter)
Western Spaghetti is wonderful stop-motion short from the geniuses at PES. You really should look through their entire portfolio. (Thanks, Jon Jason!)
5 Forgotten Founding Fathers. No school teaches you about all 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, but we can help close the gap. Also see 4 More Forgotten Founding Fathers.
Slate challenged readers to rewrite the Declaration of Independence as one Tweet. The top three selected are here. Read the other entries in the comments here.
10 Big Uncle Sams. Larger than life, and big enough for us all to look up to!
The History of Fourth of July Fireworks. It's how we celebrate out independence, with "Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."
How to take better photographs of your fireworks.
10 Fireworks Effects To Watch For. Armed with this information, you'll be able to describe them much better than “The Ones That Do That Shooty Thing”.
The 13 Most Horrible Firework Accidents.