Fun Fact Friday - The Pilot Episode

I am awash with knowledge. Sweet, useless knowledge.

I thought I'd share the nerdly things I learn during the week here, so you have fun things to talk about this weekend. Bore your family! Alienate your friends! Be the bane of social gatherings!

The first version I wrote of this was much longer, suffice to say it was boring, even for me. Now there is no time, let me sum up:

Samurai swords are not forged in their traditional curved shape, rather they are forged as a precise, straight piece of steel. The combination of steel types causes the blade to curve when it is tempered at 1500 degrees and immediately plunged into cool water. Low carbon steel is soft and forgiving, so it is used to form the blunt edge of the sword to make it durable. High carbon steel is hard and will hold a dangerously sharp edge through many uses, but it is brittle and would shatter on its own. Because the HCS has more carbon (obviously) there is less space between the steel molecules to contract when cooled, hence the curve.

Don't you feel uselessly smarter for knowing that?