I'll never forget the feeling I had on January 22, 2003, when I learned that Chinese scientists had found dinosaur fossils with four feathered wings. That feeling was: awesome.

Any time the miniscule amount of knowledge that I have managed to retain from elementary school is challenged or debunked, I get irrationally upset. When Pluto was downgraded to a star and I had to mentally change the acronym to: My Very Eager Mother Just Served us Nachos, I was just as devastated as when scientists "decided" that the Brontosaurus "never existed." Don't even get me started on all of those poor people who don't have Aspergers Syndrome anymore -- if you're going to face a struggle your whole life, the least they could do is let you keep the hilarious name.

This news was an important exception to that rule though, because it made the story even better than the original. Lesson learned: Not only were dinosaurs gigantic, terrifying, flesh-hungry beasts, but they were also ridiculous looking

This Day in History January 22
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Learning that dinosaurs were so closely related to birds also made birds a lot creepier -- it's sort of funny to imagine that the tiny sparrow sitting on the tree branch as you pass would love nothing more than to eviscerate you, if it weren't for his teeny, tiny beak.

 

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