You gained’t discover this in Cortina d’Ampezzo over the subsequent few weeks, however for a number of a long time of the Olympics’ historical past, the competition awarded medals not only for sport however for artwork too.
Within the Summer season Video games from 1912 to 1948, musicians, painters, and loads of different aesthetes went brain-to-brain in occasions akin to lyric poetry and chamber music. “City planning” was even contested one yr underneath the umbrella of the structure competitors.
Lest you assume the humanities’ inclusion odd—one wonders what muscle mass want stretching earlier than going for gold in watercolor—the submissions needed to be at the least about sports activities.
The Olympic committee should deliver these occasions again. Properly, perhaps not city planning—however add trivia to the combo as an alternative. Organizers can throw in a number of sports activities questions for good measure, however with trivia, in case you’re not working up a sweat considering, you’re not doing it proper.
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Monday, February 9, 2026
- What’s the identify—all too acquainted to athletes—of the knee ligament between the femur and tibia that acts as a stabilizer for pivoting motions?
— From Sally Jenkins’s essay on Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic spill on the ski slopes - The custom of crotch-related controversies on the Tremendous Bowl halftime present could be traced to the 2007 efficiency by what artist (or “the artist previously often known as” what)?
— From Spencer Kornhaber’s article on Dangerous Bunny’s buoyant efficiency - Regardless of its identify, what beverage truly accommodates solely 3.25 p.c fats, fairly than the total 4 p.c or extra that naturally happens?
— From Sarah Zhang’s article on what occurs to all that further fats
And by the best way, do you know that people have a bone that doesn’t hook up with some other? We consider the skeleton as fairly contiguous, however in the midst of the neck, the hyoid bone, which helps the bottom of the tongue, is articulated solely distantly to the remainder of the skeleton by muscle mass and ligaments. It’s, as scientists name it, a “floating bone.”
As a result of it’s not readily attachable, the hyoid is usually left off of mannequin skeletons. Excessive-end ones hold it with string or wire.
You know the way to pick out a great avocado (squeeze) or watermelon (slap); now, subsequent time you’re skeleton purchasing, you’ll be capable of choose a winner.
Solutions:
- ACL. Vonn, the American favourite on this Olympics’ downhill-skiing competitors, tore her left ACL simply greater than every week earlier than competing. However, as Sally writes, the 41-year-old who had spent a long time pushing her physique to the restrict was by no means going to bow out fairly than danger additional harm. Learn extra.
- Prince. Spencer writes that the sight of (and scattered pearl clutching over) Dangerous Bunny’s crotch grabs is definitely refreshing—that amid the suffocating “fascism discourse” elsewhere, some horny gyrating feels “subtly throwback-y and weirdly healthful.” Learn extra.
- Entire milk. As Sarah studies, the milk that cows produce hovered for many years round 3.65 p.c fats by weight, however selective breeding in recent times has pushed it as excessive as 4.24 p.c. This has led to an awesome butterfat glut; cheese makers discover the milk too wealthy to work with, and dairy farmers promoting complete milk at 3.25 p.c fats have to determine the place to place all the surplus. Learn extra.
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