Interesting Finds: Issue #17
Body Armor, Holiday Balls, Bombing SNL and The Best Drinking Glasses
Each week, I curate and spotlight the most curious content I find. I’m a day late in publishing, as quarantine life has been a doozy this week in particular.
This week is about the invention of modern day body armor, holiday balls, Zach Galifianakis bombing SNL, and the best drinking glasses.
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Holiday Balls
I realize this is tad crude, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say this kid’s holiday assignment didn’t get me to literally laughed out loud 😂🎄

Double Pepperoni and Kevlar Please
After serving in the Marine Corp, Richard Davis opened a pizza joint in Detroit. After being held up by gun point during a pizza delivery, he went on to invent to create modern day body armor in the early 1970s.
One night, a delivery took him through a back alley and he was held up at gunpoint. Weeks later, another order came in for the same address (it was even the same order of two pepperoni and ham pizzas). This time, however, he came prepared with a .22 revolver hidden under the pies.
The same robbers tried the same stunt, but he was ready. A gunfight broke out. Davis took one round to the back of the leg and another grazed his temple. He managed to get four shots off at his attackers, leaving two of his three attackers wounded. In the weeks he spent recovering, his pizzeria was burnt to the ground.
[…]
Meanwhile, over at DuPont Co. Labs, they had just made a breakthrough in tire technology. They were using a new, lightweight, super-strong synthetic fabric called Kevlar.
[…]
Davis got his hands on some of this new material and fashioned some of it together into a vest using ballistic nylon. He called it the "Second Chance" vest and created it with the intentions of putting it in police hands.
He worked on the vests throughout the day and tried to sell his life-saving wares to police at night — with little success. He needed a bigger ploy to get their attention. His method? He gathered up the police to watch a demonstration. He was going to shoot himself in the chest — despite the fact that his vest had never been tested on a person.
The vest worked like a charm. Davis shot himself and while it hurt like hell — because, you know, the vests can't stop inertia — that didn't matter. His pitch was so effective it later became standard among all police in the nation. Variations on his original design are used by troops to this day.
Zach Galifianakis Keepin’ It Real
During an interview with Sam Jones in 2019, actor Zach Galifianakis admitted that he bombed his short stint as an SNL writer so badly where, during a meeting, he pitched a sketch for an upcoming episode with Britney Spears where Will Ferrell would be the bodyguard of her belly button 😂.
"After they read my sketches at the table read. You know there's 70 people there. To say it was silent ... I remember the AC "krrr," like it had shut down during the middle of the sketch. The cast members are reading it out loud," Galifianakis said. "... I just remember Tina, who I was sitting next to ... putting her hand on my shoulder. It didn't feel sarcastic, it could have been. But in my mind, it was her going, 'It's OK,'" he said.
Finding Yourself
I’ve been going through a lot of self reflection lately for a variety of reasons, and this quote from Emily McDowell stands out.
The Best Drinking Glasses
We recently replaced our drinking glasses at home after years of using some IKEA cheapo glasses. After trying a few different ones, I can assure you these Duralex Picardie glasses are the absolute best. I was skeptical reading some of the reviews that praise the shape of the lip and how “good” it feels when you drink, because after my first sip, I was sold. Even Wirecutter agrees:
We recommend the pricey Duralex Picardie glass for those seeking a more elegant drinking glass for everyday use. The gently contoured shape of the Picardie glass makes it a pleasure to hold, and the slight flare of the lip provided the best drinking experience of any glass we tested.
Other Interesting Finds 🔎
👨🍳 This Chef has been roasting whole pigs Chinese style for 30 years
🎸 Watch this elderly man perform a sweet cover of Death Cab’s I’ll Follow You Into the Dark
🎶 While you’re at it, may as well give yourself the gift of watching Death Cab perform on NPR’s Tiny Desk series.