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Census Categories Reflect Cultural Shifts
- The US Census adds job categories when many people self-describe the same unusual occupation.
- This creates a quirky, evolving taxonomy that reveals social and cultural change over time.
Tony Iommi’s Accident Shaped Heavy Metal
- Tony Iommi lost finger tips in a factory accident and adapted by crafting finger caps to play guitar again.
- That change led him to lower strings and helped create the early heavy metal sound with Black Sabbath.
Shadow-Selling In 19th‑Century Romania
- In 19th-century Romania builders used people's shadows in foundations, and superstition said the shadow's owner would die within a year.
- Traders measured strangers' shadows to sell those measurements to builders and avoid sacrificing locals.