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Here’s a bit of beer advertising history that Molly and I left out of our St. Paddy’s Day podcast, courtesy of Stuff Mom Never Told You listener Erin. The old “Guinness Is Good for You” slogan fostered some medical myths about the beer’s supposedly healthful properties. For instance, pregnant women were thought to benefit from [...]
Beloved “Discworld” author Terry Pratchett is now officially Sir Terry Pratchett, and he has a lovely meteorite-infused sword to go with the title. Yep, according to this news item from Australia, he forged the blade himself with help from his friend Jake Keen, an expert sword smith. Pratchett had a chuckle over the inevitably magic qualities of a blade made from space rocks, but it’s important to point out that the use of meteoric iron in weapons is actually a very ancient practice.
The process of making a Japanese sword is fascinating for many reasons. The swords are legendary for their strength and sharpness. The process of making the traditional steel for the sword is interesting both from the metallurgical standpoint and the historical standpoint. And then there is the art/beauty of the swords.
This video shows how a smith fashions a sword from a chunk of metal using only heat and a hammer…
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