In the midst of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte rode his hubris straight into an emperorship, but he was fated to fail. Learn how he came to power twice, why Waterloo was his downfall, and why he actually wasn't that short in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/napoleon.htm; https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/battle-waterloo.htm; https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/napoleon-short.htm

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Alchemists may have never turned lead into gold, but they did create the field of chemistry. Learn how the study of alchemy worked in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/alchemy-to-chemistry.htm

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Sundown towns are places in the United States where, after the Civil War and Reconstruction, white communities kept Black Americans and other groups out for decades, on purpose. Learn how they came to be -- and how some sundown towns are in recovery -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/sundown-towns.htm. Check out Dr. James Loewen's database of sundown towns here: https://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundown-towns/using-the-sundown-towns-database/

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Science isn't entirely sure why humans and other animals yawn, let alone why yawning can be contagious -- but we've got some good hypotheses. Learn about them, from cooling the brain to spreading alertness, in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/question572.htm; https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/contagious-yawn.htm

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Rip currents are dangerous flows of water that can drag you away from the shore and out into the deep. Learn how they form, what to watch for, and how to escape one by swimming sideways or riding it out in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/rip-current.htm

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Remote islands are excellent laboratories for observing evolution at work -- and in the case of a flightless bird called the Aldabra rail, we can observe how its evolution happened twice. Learn about iterative evolution in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/iterative-evolution.htm

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The tomato originated in the Americas and spread during European colonization. But was it really thought to be poisonous (or cause lycanthropy) when it first came to Europe? Learn about the legends behind tomatoes -- and how we got the sturdy ones sold in stores -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/where-did-the-tomato-come-from.htm

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OK, that's a trick question. Aspirin goes everywhere in your body -- and wherever it goes, it works by preventing processes that amp up pain signals, encourage inflammation, cause fever, and more. Learn about the history and workings of aspirin (aka acetylsalicylic acid) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/aspirin.htm

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