Hi!

This week, I made a mistake. Let’s see if you can spot it. (And thanks to reader Marc T. who not only did, but emailed me about it. Thanks Marc!)

Below is the bonus item from Tuesday’s email, unedited from how I sent it:

“Heat Kills. Don’t Do This” is a really bad tagline for an event, but if you’re looking to participate in the Darth Valley race, that’s a fair warning. And no, that’s not a typo — I meant to say “Darth” there. The race — well, it’s not really a race, because there’s only one competitor — is an annual event where a guy name Jon Rice “waits for the hottest day in the weather forecast, dons his multilayered outfit and sets out for Death Valley, where he runs a mile as fast as possible at the hottest time of day,” as reported by the Washington Post. In the FAQ on his official website, DarthValley.com, he answers the question” why do you do this?” thusly: “When George Mallory was asked why he planned to climb Mount Everest, he replied simply, ‘Because it’s there.’ So why does Jon do this? ‘Because he’s an idiot,’ is probably the right answer, but it doesn’t sound so noble.” (The site was last updated in 2024, with no race recorded for that year, but hopefully, no one will pick up the mantle.)

See it? If not, that’s because this an error of omission. All of the clues are there — the name of the challenge (“Darth” Valley), the reference to Rice’s attire (he “dons his multilayered outfit”) and, of course, the fact that I thought some guy running in extreme heat was worthy enough of inclusion in the newsletter — even though that’s not quite worthy on its own. But I didn’t actually share the best part of the fact. Here’s a picture that will make it very, very clear, from Rice’s 2016 challenge:

Yep, he runs in Death Valley, on one of the hottest days of the year, wearing a Darth Vader costume, helmet and all. Do or do not, there is no try, I guess.

My apologies for giving you all — and Rice! — the short shrift with that one.

But before I hop into the Now I Know Week in Review, one thing to add: the real Darth Vader would never attempt Jon Rice’s challenge. Well, according to my kids, at least. They are knee deep in Star Wars lore, so they’re probably right, but I can’t find a web-accessible source that definitely supports theory they shared with me when I told them about the Darth Valley challenge (and my mistake.) In any event, the say the prevailing theory is that Emperor Palpatine specifically designed Vader’s suit to not only keep Vader alive, but also punish and control him — it keeps Vader in constant pain, and, most fans believe, would prevent him from being able to run.

The Now I Know Week In Review

Monday: History’s Highest Stakes Chess Match?: Never go in with a chess master when death is on the line! (Or, something like that.)

Tuesday: Don’t Fry This at Home: Don’t crack an egg on the sidewalk. It just makes a mess.

Wednesday: How Baseball Closed Its Tiny Loophole: I’ve known this story since I was Gaedel’s height; I learned it as a kid, when my parents bought me a book on baseball trivia (which I, obviously, devoured). And yet, I’ve had it slightly wrong all time time. I thought his uniform number was 3/8ths, but it’s apparently 1/8th. Thanks Jason E. for the correction!

Thursday: When a Tiny Part of London Became Part of Yugoslavia: The things that are done for royalty.

Long Reads and Other Things

Here are a few things you may want to check out over the weekend:

1) “The Tiny Home Construction Contest Is a Big Deal in This Texas Town” (New York Times/gift link, 18 minutes, July 2025). The subhead doesn’t do the story justice, but it’s still a good subhead! “A Texas high school has won more championships in mock tiny home construction than any other school in the country. Could a team of rookies defend the title?” It’s a great story. The fact that the competition exists is enough for me — but then there’s the nuance, the superstar school, and more. The only thing this story is missing — and this is a huge omission — is a picture of their completed competition house.

2) “Waldemar Haffkine: The vaccine pioneer the world forgot” (BBC, 14 minutes, December 2020). This story came out at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it’s a great deep dive into a difference maker most people — myself included — have never heard of. Thanks to reader James C. for sharing this.

3) “This runner survived cardiac arrest. Reddit helped him find his rescuer.” (Washington Post/gift link,, 6 minutes, July 2025). This is a feel good story that I considered using as a regular Now I Know, but the Washington Post retelling is better than I would have provided.

Have a great weekend!

Dan