A ton of research goes into each episode of the Society of Curiosities. Some ideas never see the light of day and some are present in the backstory, but barely visible. We wanted to feature a few more fun facts that we’ve recently come across.
Hidden Brain!
Some say that Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling contains a diagram of the human brain (outlined by God’s billowing red cape). The image implies that God is not only giving life, but intelligence – and inserting science into religion.
Michelangelo was known to have an interest in human anatomy. At the age of seventeen, Michelangelo had started his dissections of cadavers from the hospital at the Monastery of Santo Spirito – and created many anatomical sketches.
What do you think? Is there a brain in this image?
Easter Eggs! A Brief History of the Gaming Term
Here’s a Fun/ Embarassing fact about me – I first heard the term “Easter Egg” on a podcast about escape rooms, The Room Escape Divas. As they were talking about easter eggs, I was envisioning a game with literal eggs hidden about. Sounded fun – but not quite on theme for the game they were discussing.
You might think the same as I did if you’re not in the gaming world, but easter eggs are a term for something hidden in a game. Bonus games, hidden puzzles, images, appearances and more can be easter eggs.
The term “easter egg” was coined in 1979, after Atari programmer, Warren Robbinet, added a hidden pixel in a game. When clicked, it listed his name as the creator.
At the time developers were not credited because game companies were worried that competitors might steal them. Easter eggs were a feature before this time, but the 1979 incident brought forth the term.
We add easter eggs into many of our solve the mystery games. Some are a small nod to a historical moment. Others are hidden websites that have nothing to do with the puzzles, but enhance knowledge of the story or characters. An escape room that we created at home in Hawaii had writing on a wall that was a clue and a nod to a bar in the vicinity of the escape room. It’s all for fun and we love when players tell us something they’ve found!
