RC Cola Almost Ruled The World And Other Facts
Welcome to What We Learned This Week, a digest of the most curiously important facts from the past few days. This week: RC Cola's tragic history, the Aurora Borealis as seen from space and a peek at our VR future.
THE HARD WORLD OF SOFT DRINKS
RC Cola Was A Spectacularly Unlucky Company
Not every underdog story ends well. In the case of Royal Crown Cola, every sign pointed towards an eventual victory over Coca-Cola. RC Cola started in the basement of a grocery store. They won a crucial lawsuit that kept Coca-Cola from having a monopoly on the word "cola." They were the first to introduce the public taste-test, canned soda, and crucially, diet soda. But one study, largely funded by the sugar industry, cast a false pallor over RC's artificial sweetener of choice: cyclamate. The controversy led to RC changing their formula, which fell flat with the public. RC then made a serious of bad business deals — buying furniture companies? — and now they've since become the proto-PBR of the soft drink industry.
MIDDLE AMERICA NEEDS SAVINGS
The Middle-Class Really Isn't Doing That Well
In Neal Gabler's excellent examination of the financial desperation of the American middle-class, one figure stands out: $400. A Fed survey from two years ago found that 47 percent of Americans could not afford a $400 emergency expense. For the full answer as just why this is, it's definitely worth reading Gabler's full story. But in short: families have saved less and relied on credit to cover emergency expenses — leaving many that appear to be financially secure, but are quietly braving financial thin ice.
YOU MIGHT SAY IT'S OUT OF THIS WORLD
Shockingly, The Aurora Borealis Looks Very Cool From Space
Hopefully, most of us did our civic duty and filed our income taxes. It, probably, was not the most enjoyable experience. But taxpayer-funded 4K footage of the Aurora Borealis, shot from the International Space Station, might take the sting out of that.
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LITERALLY OFF THE CHARTS
A Single Chart Demonstrates How Good Steph Curry Is At Three-Pointers
It's easy to look at highlight after highlight after highlight of Steph Curry and point to his greatness. But if you want to really prove just how dominant of a jump shooter he is, look no further than this chart from the New York Times. No one has hit more threes than Curry and it's not even close. Let's say that again: It's not close, not even a little bit. The Times draw's a very apt comparison: "It is the equivalent of hitting 103 home runs in a Major League Baseball season."
A VIRTUAL CERTAINTY
Virtual Reality Will Not Rule Our World, Mixed Reality Will
It is very easy to read Kevin Kelly's profile of Magic Leap and the world of mixed reality (a fancy new term for augmented reality) and get excited. While details of how Magic Leap's actual device are scarce in the piece, the future the company presents — one where a pair of glasses lets virtual objects seamlessly integrate in with the physical world — seems very plausible, and even useful! Imagine, a world where everything we could ever want or need is magically projected in front of our very eyes. This is a world we would all want to live in. When will it happen? Well, to answer that would spoil the illusion.
[WIRED]
WE CAN SEE WHY IT CAN MELT STEEL BEAMS
Jet Engines Are Very Thirsty
If you are curious about why plane tickets are so expensive, please watch this video. Just look at that fuel pump go. It is a literal fire hose of jet fuel, just pissing away while you watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives from the mild discomfort of your seat. And if you really want something to knock your socks off, just watch this informative video on how a turbojet works.
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Previously on What We Learned This Week
People Are Very Upset Over A Cooler
Drinking A Gallon Of Water A Day Is Fine
Startup Culture Is Not For Middle-Aged Men
For more Internet distillations like this, check out our back catalog of Digg Roundups. And for more stuff from Digg, check out our Originals archive.
