Astronaut Bruce McCandless II Floats Free in Space

On Feb. 7, 1984, during the Space Shuttle Challenger’s STS-41B mission, NASA Astronaut Bruce McCandless II makes the first, untethered, free flight spacewalk in the Manned Maneuvering Unit.

Remembering Colo, The world's first gorilla born in captivity 1956–2017

December 22 is a very special day. It was the day the first gorilla was born in a zoo in 1956. I have worked in the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s Congo Expedition region since 2001 and have celebrated many birthdays with Colo. It was always a very exciting day with much anticipation. Over the years, the party grew bigger and bigger with lots of colorful paper chains and presents—not a lot of presents, but enough to open and then toss aside if nothing of interest was inside. Some of her favorite items were tomatoes, heads of iceberg lettuce and clementines that she would carefully and gently stand on to squish open. And, of course, a coconut—always a coconut. Colo lived to pass the milestone of celebrating her 60th birthday, which also earned her the distinction of being the oldest gorilla in human care. While we continue to miss her, today we honor Colo and her legacy that lives on through her daughter, grandkids and great grandkids. – Mandi, Congo Expedition Keeper

How a Fluorescent Lamp Turns On

I was always vague on how a fluorescent lamp worked, so I did some research!

Sharpening a $1 knife with $300 Whetstone

Sharpening a $1 knife with $300 Whetstone

Keep your eyes on the pen... | Steven Bridges

Keep your eyes on the pen... (the sequel!)

25 Years of Christmas

Every year, our dad would tape us coming down the stairs. This is a compilation of all the videos I could find. Relatives and pets grow up and disappear, and new extended family members appear in their place.

Bird Imitates Zipper Noise

Budgies are masters of mimicry. Not only do they imitate human voices, but they also imitate household sounds. For the first couple of years we had Kiwi, his cage was near a coat closet, so he heard coats zipping up every morning. It wasn't until a couple years later that we realized the noise he was making was actually a zipper noise! Now, you can make a zipper noise and he will repeat it back. It's incredible!