Today I learned about the discovery of phosphorous. Apparently there was a scientist (or maybe more accurately an alchemist) who believed you could produce gold from human urine. So he gathered up 50 bucketfuls of people’s pee in his basement and did some stuff to it until eventually it became this gummy paste that to his surprise had a curious glow to it. Not only that, but in sunlight, it actually caught fire! Businesspeople were thrilled with the discovery, but it was (clearly) quite difficult to produce. This actually ended up working well for the scientist, though, because that meant its value was actually HIGHER than gold. So just think about that the next time someone tells you you’re pissing your life away.
Year in Photos 