Today in 1944, D-Day, the largest invasion force ever. There were hundreds of thousands of troops, tens of thousands of vehicles, over 100,000 tons of equipment, and at least one guy playing bagpipes. Plus: today in Franklin, Indiana, it’s the Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival.

Bill Millin (The Economist via Archive.org)

Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival

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On any given day, anybody can defeat anybody else. Today in 1989, a not very well known American tennis player proved it with an upset for the ages against one of the top names in the sport. Plus: starting Saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska, it’s the Flatland Juggling Festival.

How Michael Chang defeated Ivan Lendl at the French Open in 1989 (The Guardian)

Flatland Juggling Festival

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National Cheese Day, and while cheese is one of the world’s most influential foods, that's not the whole story. Some people claim that they can tell the future… through cheese. Plus: for athletes who get tired just thinking about triathlons now have a race of their own: the Nice Tri.

The Un-Brie-Lievable History of Tyromancy (Saveur)

The Nice Tri

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Researchers in Austria and Slovenia have been developing a set of living surfaces to apply to the sides of buildings, that can filter pollutants and capture carbon from the air, and maybe even repair cracks to the buildings' exteriors. Plus: this Friday in Indiana, it’s the Strawberry Festival in downtown Kokomo.

Living tattoos for buildings could turn city walls into pollution-fighting surfaces (Interesting Engineering)

Strawberry Festival in downtown Kokomo!

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A lot of people are trying to do something to help coral reefs these days. Now, those people can some help themselves from a robot. Plus: Texas-based artist Montrel Beverly is winning lots of attention for eye-catching recreations of famous artworks made of pipe cleaners.

Robots that can climb trees or restore coral reefs (ETH Zurich)

Montrel Beverly recreates the biblical and art history with pipe cleaners (It’s Nice That)

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This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about houses and the people who live in them. In this episode from September 2022, La maison dans la Loire, or “The House In The Loire,” which was a house built for an art installation. Plus: Baltimore is home to the Big Dill, otherwise known as the “World’s Largest Pickle Party.”

The Famous House in the Middle of the Loire River (Oddity Central)

The Big Dill

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This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about houses and the people who live in them. In this episode from April 2022, beer magnate Alfred Heineken and architect John Habraken designed a house that could be built out of used Heineken bottles. Plus: it’s beer day every day at a spot in Taunton, Massachusetts.

100,000 Bottles of Beer in the Wall (Cabinet Magazine)

Did Alfred Heineken Invent Bottle To Function as a Brick To Build Houses? (Snopes)

Beer Can Museum & Beer Can Hall of Fame

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This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about houses and the people who live in them. In this episode from September 2021, a look at spite houses, structures that have been built to block other coveted views or for maybe even more ice cold reasons. Plus: an interesting fact about Michelangelo's David.

Five Spite Houses in New England (Boston Magazine)

10 Fun Facts About Michelangelo’s David (The Florence Insider)

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