In photographs, she presents the grim, humorless visage of a middle-aged, Victorian spinster. But Esther Howland popularized valentine giving in the United States and, by the time of her death in 1904, had earned the sobriquet “Mother of the American Valentine.” (This article was first published in Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Book of Love.) Be […]
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he heads his massive research library, or puts one of his many associates on the case. So go ahead: In the comments below, ask Uncle John anything. Why can’t we remember (or even notice) the moment we fall asleep? It happens every single night. One moment, […]
If some old science-fiction movies set in the once distant year of 2019, are to be believed, we’re all in for a terrible time. Hunted for sport Criminals convicted under America’s totalitarian police system are creatively sentenced to star on a reality game show called The Running Man, where they’re hunted for sport by professional […]
It’s so close to Valentine’s Day, so we thought we’d talk about the real inspiration behind the symbol of the holiday. Where is it? Put your hand on your heart like you’re saying the Pledge of Allegiance. (We’ll wait.) Did you cross your right hand all the way over to the left side of your […]
Star Wars is an undeniable part of the collective cultural consciousness. It’s probably shaped fiction and storytelling as much as Shakespeare. And, like Shakespeare, people keep adapting it and presenting it different ways. Here are some of the wildest ways the story of Star Wars has been told. Ballet In 2015, The Star Wars Tribute […]
Not too many other animals besides humans can talk, which leads to a very special affinity between people and parrots…and all those other clever, crafty, chatty tropical birds. Here are some recent news stories about some parrots that got themselves (and people) into trouble. Parrot Busts Drunk Driver While driving home from a Mexico City […]
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he heads his massive research library, or puts one of his many associates on the case. So go ahead: In the comments below, ask Uncle John anything. What does “market price” at a restaurant mean? No price listed Have you ever been to a restaurant—particularly a seafood […]
From The Muppet Movie to The Muppet Show to Sesame Street, everybody loves the Muppets, the brilliant puppet comic creations of Jim Henson and company. But not everything with “Muppets” in its name has been a success. Here are some rare Muppet misses. Little Muppet Monsters (1985) It’s kind of hard to believe, but a spinoff of one of the most popular […]
When it’s not quite clear outside, but there aren’t fluffy, white clouds floating around either, then there’s some kind of presence hanging low in the sky that prevents you from seeing too far away. It’s either fog, mist or haze. Here’s how to tell them apart. What is mist? If there’s precipitation that falls at […]
Just because a writer can craft a novel full of compelling characters, remarkable plots, and universal themes doesn’t mean they can come up with a decent name for the thing…at first. Here are some classic and familiar books that were almost published with a different (and maybe not-so-great) title. 1984 George Orwell’s publisher agreed to […]
January 26 is Australia Day, and so we thought we’d take a look at some inventions that we — and maybe you — didn’t know originated Down Under. Disposable Syringes In the 1940s, drug company A.M. Bickford and Sons identified a problem in the pharmaceutical market: patients who needed to inject medications, such as diabetics, […]
Uncle John loves toilets, of course…even make-believe ones. Here are some of the best, not-quite-real commodes to ever grace movies and TV. Mr. Toilet Man The talking baby movie Look Who’s Talking proved so popular in 1989 that a sequel, Look Who’s Talking Too, hit theaters a year later. This one finds babies (voiced by […]
It’s common knowledge that most people are right-handed, and that most people have brown eyes, and most people have type-O blood. So just how rare (or common) is it to not possess those traits? Eye Color The most common eye colors: brown, then blue, then hazel. Green eyes are relatively rare: only about 2 percent […]
In the late 1970s, disco so dominated the musical landscape that a lot of major bands and singers thought that it was here to stay…and that they best get on board or get left in the dust. Here are some of those wild (and mostly forgotten) attempts to go disco. Paul McCartney As one of […]
It takes a lot of money to buy even a portion of a pro sports team. How’s someone supposed to get those millions of dollars together? Try being a huge success in the world of entertainment! Who has stakes in the Arena Football League? Over the last 30 years, lots of upstart football leagues have […]
One of the greatest moments of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. But it wasn’t planned that way. (This article was first published in Uncle John’s Triumphant 20th Anniversary Bathroom Reader.) The March That Wasn’t In 1941 A. Philip Randolph, founder and […]
We can’t look into the future…but these people with psychic abilities say that they can. Here are some major events we can all apparently look forward to this year. The celebrity update Nicolas Aujula is technically 33, but at the age of 17 he claims he discovered that he’d been re-incarnated several times. In one […]
Many of the first major players in cable TV in the early 1980s are still intact today — CNN is still a 24-news network, ESPN is all sports all the time, and HBO plays movies and sports events. Elsewhere, there’s been a lot of “changing channels” so to speak, as lots of networks have changed […]
