1

Singing Tesla coils

In the early 2000s, engineers discovered that Tesla coils could emit tones by modulating the sparks themselves. When programmed, they could play songs using bursts of lightning as notes.

Audiences watched and listened as glowing bolts of electricity "sang" familiar tunes like movie themes. These displays, part science and part spectacle, were a short-lived trend, but they were interesting while they lasted.

Image: Brett Wharton

2

Franklin’s glass armonica

Benjamin Franklin invented many things. Among them, a glass armonica, using spinning glass bowls tuned by size . Players touched the rims with wet fingers to produce pure, haunting tones that seemed to shimmer in midair.

Its ghostly beauty amazed 18th-century audiences. Yet rumors spread that the vibrations could cause fainting or madness, making the momentum of the instrument short-lived.

Image: Karim MANJRA

3

Harry Partch’s microtonal instruments

Frustrated with the limits of Western scales, composer Harry Partch built a system using forty-three tones per octave . He crafted odd instruments from glass, bamboo, and metal to play them.

Performers had to relearn music from scratch, producing sounds that felt alien and ancient at once. His homemade orchestra became a true milestone in America’s experimental environment.

4

The theremin craze

Image: Ryunosuke Kikuno

Invented in the 1920s, the theremin created sound from invisible electromagnetic fields, played by moving hands through the air . It was one of the world’s first electronic instruments.

By the 1950s, its eerie wails filled American sci-fi movies and radio shows. Home versions soon appeared, letting living rooms buzz with strange, ghostlike melodies.

5

The Stroh violin

Back in the days when microphones were not so great at picking up sounds, early studios struggled to capture soft instruments. The Stroh violin solved that by replacing the wooden body with a brass horn that amplified sound directly .

Its brassy, nasal tone worked perfectly for primitive recording gear. Once technology advanced, the mechanical violin faded for good.

Image: Mick Haupt

6

Sun Ra’s cosmic jazz

Jazz mad scientist Sun Ra claimed he was born on Saturn and sent to Earth to spread peace through sound. His Arkestra mixed free jazz, chants, and futuristic costumes into wild multimedia performances .

Audiences never knew what to expect: space helmets, electronic keyboards, or cosmic sermons. His blend of myth, science, and swing launched Afrofuturism, a style of his own.

Image: Matt Artz

7

Singing saw

Rural American musicians once discovered that a regular handsaw could "sing" when bent and bowed like a violin . The flexible steel vibrated with a haunting, "human-like" voice.

The sound carried through old-time folk, gospel, and early film scores. Even today, the singing saw appears in grassroots festivals and soundtracks.

8

Prepared piano

Image: Andrew Petrischev

Avant-garde composer John Cage inserted screws, bolts, and rubber between piano strings, turning each key into a new percussive sound . The result was bizarre but original.

He called it the "prepared piano." Audiences heard rhythms that clanged, thumped, and chimed like a whole percussion ensemble.

9

Moog synthesizer

Image: Adi Goldstein

The Moog was born in the late 1960s with its maze of knobs and wires , and it caused a sensation among musicians. Those who experimented found endless possibilities in its electronic tones .

From the Monterey Pop Festival to Wendy Carlos’s soundtracks for The Shining and A Clockwork Orange , the Moog’s strange bleeps reshaped American pop.

10

The Singing Nun

In 1963, a Belgian nun named Sister Luc-Gabrielle unexpectedly topped U.S. charts with "Dominique," sung in gentle French. Her purity and optimism charmed listeners across the country.

Her hit briefly outshone even the Beatles. Though her fame faded quickly, the story of a shy nun reaching number one remains a sweet oddity, for sure.

Image: Pete F

11

The "Longplayer" experiment

Launched in 1999, "Longplayer" is a music piece designed to play continuously for one thousand years without repeating . It was created by American artists who joined the project to maintain its endless cycle.

The music changes subtly with time, echoing life’s slow rhythm. Its creators call it "a conversation between centuries".

12

Hard-drive symphonies

Image: Borja Verbena

In the 2010s, hobbyists reprogrammed old computer drives to "play" songs by spinning and clicking at different speeds . Each tone came from mechanical motion, not speakers.

Videos of clattering machines performing pop hits can still be found all over YouTube. These homemade orchestras turned computer nostalgia into an art.

1

Rebuilt from the ashes

When the British set fire to the White House in 1814, it didn’t just singe a few curtains; it gutted the place. Enter James Hoban, the original architect, who was brought back to restore what had been lost. It was a second chance for the home he first designed, and he saw it through with grit and style.

2

Madison moved out and never came back

You might have worried about the house. But what about the people inside? Well, after the fire, President James Madison packed up and never returned to the rebuilt White House. By the time it was ready again, he was on his way out of office. The next tenant, James Monroe, received the keys to the newly renovated executive mansion.

3

Once the biggest house in America

Believe it or not, the White House was once the largest home in the entire country. That might sound quaint now, we know, but back in the early 1800s, a residence with 132 rooms was as grand as it got. It’s safe to say the neighbors were impressed.

4

This place is no modest cottage

In case you’re wondering just how big the White House really is, it stretches roughly 168 feet long and 85 feet wide. On the south side, it rises 70 feet tall; on the north, 60 feet and change. A serious house for serious business.

5

It sits on a whole lot of lawn

The next time you're mowing the yard and feeling proud of your quarter acre, consider this: the White House grounds cover a whopping 18 acres. That’s plenty of room for garden parties, Easter egg rolls, and even the occasional helicopter landing.

6

Truman’s big job

By the late 1940s, the White House was falling apart—you know, creaking floors, sagging beams, and some serious plumbing problems. President Harry S. Truman had the entire interior ripped out and rebuilt. The exterior stayed the same, but inside? It was practically a brand-new house hidden behind historic walls.

7

There’s a bunker down below

Tucked underneath the East Wing is the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, or PEOC. Built during WWII, it's the secure location presidents go to in times of crisis. It’s strictly off-limits to the public—and no, it’s not a James Bond villain lair, but it’s movie-worthy for sure!

8

There’s a secret Oval Office exit

Behind what looks like just another panel in the Oval Office, there is a secret door that leads to a private hallway. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used this discreet passage to come and go without fanfare. We don’t know about you, but oh, the money we would pay to take a look at it!

9

Lincoln’s ghost still makes the rounds

You may not believe in ghosts, but plenty of people (including presidents and White House staff) have said they’ve seen or felt Abraham Lincoln’s presence in the White House. His old bedroom seems to be the hot spot. Some say he’s still keeping an eye on the place.

10

A hidden treasure trove of gifts

Foreign leaders bring all sorts of gifts when they visit the White House—from art and artifacts to, back in the day, even exotic animals. Many of these items end up tucked away inside the residence, far from public view. It’s like a museum without the tour guide.

1

Bacon Cheeseburger

Image: Erik Odiin

Let us begin with the most obvious and ubiquitous diner staple of all time: the bacon cheeseburger . This decadent concoction of ground beef, buns, melted cheddar, bacon, and a few more ingredients has graced the menus of diners forever.

While most are meant to be eaten as a sandwich, more than a few places offer monstrous creations that have to be opened and eaten in pieces or with a knife and fork, as the sheer size of the hamburger cannot fit in an open mouth.

2

Club Sandwich

Image: Suea Sivilaisith

Another menu classic, the club sandwich consists of three superimposed slices of toast with two fillings, cut into triangular quarters that point upward like they're reaching for the heavens. Fresh turkey breast and bacon are the standard ingredients, but some diners have come to specialize in clubs and their variations.

Supposedly, the sandwich was invented in Saratoga Springs, New York, at the racetrack clubhouse in 1894, hence its name.

3

Hash browns

Image: Uwe Conrad

An iconic breakfast side, hash browns are an omnipresent add-on to scrambled eggs, bacon strips, and many more classic dishes. They consist of finely julienned potatoes that have been fried until golden browned.

No matter which diner you visit to get breakfast, you’ll more than likely find these crispy potato strings on the menu, as they are appreciated for their simplicity, versatility, and satisfying crunch.

4

Eggs Benedict

Image: bady abbas

A breakfast or brunch dish with a funny name, Eggs Benedict consists of two halves of an English muffin, each topped with Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce.

While it was popularized in New York City, it is generally believed to have been created in New York City in the late 19th century, this dish can be found all over the country and is a menu staple in diners everywhere.

5

Biscuits and gravy

Image: John Cameron

A hearty breakfast ideal for chilly Midwest mornings and a cowboy diet staple, biscuits and gravy are made with warm, soft dough biscuits, covered in white gravy made from the drippings of cooked pork sausage, flour, milk, and often bits of sausage, bacon, ground beef, or other meat.

Most classic diners worth their salt will offer some variation of this delicious dish.

6

Tuna Melt

Image: Youjeen Cho

Even though the title of this diner favorite suggests it, nobody has ever melted a fish yet. The "melt" part of a tuna melt is achieved by a substance that is much more capable of reaching that state: cheese.

Supposedly, this delicious sandwich was invented when a lunch counter cook accidentally tipped a bowl of tuna salad onto a piece of toasted cheese already frying on the flat top. The result proved quite tasty, and thus, the dish was born. Whether one decides to believe it or not, tuna melt makes for a great diner menu item.

7

Meatloaf

Image: Verena Böttcher

A close cousin to the traditional diner hamburger, the meatloaf also has German origins. However, instead of the pork and veal meat that must be used in its homeland, the American meatloaf is done with ground beef. Its distinctive flavor comes from masses of onions that meld with the beef fat, and the flavor mellows as the meatloaf bakes.

The resulting dish is smothered in gravy, and presented with lots of mashed potatoes, fresh vegetables, and extra gravy on the side.

8

Pancakes

Image: nikldn

Passing on now to the desserts, we encounter a champion of American breakfasts and a menu item that no respectable diner should be without: the almighty pancake .

Whether it comes with fruit, chocolate chips, or more, this comfort food is covered with a generous amount of syrup to help lubricate and ease the journey from mouth to stomach with every bite.

9

Pie a La Mode

Image: Element5 Digital

French speakers might ask: "To Which Mode?" to which the answer would be: ice cream! Pie à la Mode is, simply put, a slice of -usually- apple pie with ice cream on top.

This sweet treat can be found in refrigerated glass display cases showcased in diners since refrigeration was invented. And there is a great reason for that, as the resulting mix of the crunchy base, the sweet apple, and the ice cream make for an amazing dessert.

10

Waffles

Image: Mae Mu

Sure, waffles can be thrown into a toaster right out of the box, in the comfort of your own home. But that is no match for a diner-style freshly made waffle (that is, if the diner is any good).

Waffles are a breakfast staple, readily available at your local eateries. There are few things better than biting into a waffle and being met with a pocket of melted butter and warm syrup.