New York Daily News, 1950: Five ironworkers on top of the Empire State Building, 1250ft (382m) above the ground, fled when they were struck by a barley storm. They were at a loss to explain the strange occurrence. Bill Dunn, 30, of New Haven, feltsomething strike his face. Then pellets started to bounce off the metal flooring. "I think it's starting to hail," shouted Dunn. Within a couple of minutes the platform was carpeted with barley – actual grains. The fall lasted five minutes. It ended as suddenly as it started. The US Weather Bureau said that there were slight winds prevailing at that time. At 20,000ft, however, were winds of gale force, blowing from the direction of the Great Plains. The control tower at the field said that at the time of the barley downpour, air traffic was shut down. Local breweries using barley could not be blamed. While barley is blown into the air during processing at the breweries, it is always in the form of dust not whole grains.
Making life easier: The can opener
Bully Beef can opener.
When preserving food in cans was invented in the early 1800s, eating nutritious meals on long journeys or during hard winters became more feasible. But the can opener came nearly five decades after the first metal cans. Before that, people literally had to chisel away at their containers to get dinner. American inventor Ezra J Warner patented his design for an early can opener in 1858. It featured a blade sharp enough to penetrate the lid and a guard to protect the outside of the can. By sawing the tool in a circle, users could remove the lid without a hammer and chisel and it was used by soldiers during the American Civil War.
1. "I pretend I don't understand computers and online banking, so I can call my son; just so I can make sure he visits and that he's doing ok."
2. "My wife doesn't open bread using the little bit of tape, instead she rips into the bag like a Neanderthal. I love her so much but may divorce her one day for this reason alone. I genuinely can't understand why anyone would even consider opening bread like this."
3. "I work for BP at petrol stations. If people don't scan points, I scan my own card. I haven't paid for fuel in about eight months."
4. "I've just told my 16-year-old son that I've received a detailed report of every website he's ever visited from our internet service provider. The look on his face was amazing."
A new documentary fronted by Herald journalist Jared Savage goes into the dark world of child sex abuse material with the Customs investigations team. Video / Greenstone TV
