Today is March 14, or “3/14,” which are the first three digits of that almost-magical ratio called pi. Sure, we could talk about math and circles…but looking up “pi” just made everyone here at Portable Press hungry for “pie” (and pie facts). Origins of the Word What’s the origin of the word pie, to describe […]
Is your schedule still reeling from last weekend’s big Daylight Saving Time switchover? DST has a long history of throwing the entire country out of whack. A 2010 poll found that almost a third of all Americans say they’ve been late—or early—because they were confused what time it was because of a Daylight Saving Time […]
Twenty-five years ago this week, one of the most remarkable works of art in the Western canon emerged, shedding light on the big questions of life, and the very nature of existence itself. We’re talking, of course, about Beavis and Butt-head, which aired its first episode on MTV on March 8, 1993. Huh-huh, huh-huh. Based […]
Today is National Barbie Day. Why? It was on this day in 1959 that the doll was unveiled to the public for the first time, at the American International Toy Fair in New York. TV-based Marketing Strategy Barbie was the first toy to have a TV-based marketing strategy. That was revolutionary—lots of kids were watching […]
On this International Women’s Day, here’s a look at some of history’s greatest (but overlooked) trailblazers. Anne Bradstreet The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America is a volume of poetry published in 1650, one of the first notable works about life in the American colonies by a resident of the American colonies. It was […]
Harrison usually ranks at the bottom of historians’ rankings of U.S. presidents. He died a month into his term…but he still ranks above other presidents, like James Buchanan, whose mishandling of public affairs led to the Civil War. So what did Harrison actually accomplish in his short time in office to save himself from being the […]
On March 6, 1912, the National Biscuit Company—later shortened to Nabisco—filed for a trademark on its chocolate cookie developed at a factory in New York City. That cookie: the iconic Oreo. Here are some facts about the cookie jar staple. Good for Vegans! People who try to follow a natural and organic diet eschew Oreos […]
You’re a true TV buff if you can remember these short-lived offshoots of popular TV shows. The humorous X-Files spinoff Amidst the spooky aliens and supernatural investigations, three characters (ironically) called “the Lone Gunmen” provided comic relief throughout the run of The X-Files. They appeared from time to time to point out to agents Mulder […]
Ever wanted to be “privy” to what goes on behind closed doors at the Bathroom Readers’ Institute? Well, here’s a story about how we printed one of our biggest ever goofs. It wasn’t an error when it started. When we make a Bathroom Reader, we research our work very carefully to ensure that it’s true. If, […]
Historical records date the first ancient Olympic games to 776 BCE. The games were originally held every four years in Olympia, in southwestern Greece, with competitors traveling from across the region’s various states. The very first Olympics lasted just one day and had a single event—a sprint race. (This article was first published in Who […]
If Uncle John were ever nominated for an Oscar, you can be sure he’d be seated in that auditorium on the night of the ceremony to hit the stage in case they called his name. Then there are these actors—they couldn’t make it, and then they won. Here’s why. Michael Caine Michael Caine won Best […]
Over the last two years, three NFL teams announced relocation plans: the St. Louis Rams returned to Los Angeles, the San Diego Chargers also went back to Los Angeles, and the Oakland Raiders moving to Las Vegas. Before this, the last NFL team to move was the Houston Oilers, who left for Tennessee in 1997. […]
Some musicians are so associated with a certain style of music, it’s hard to believe that they wrote these very out-of-character songs for other people. “Stand Back” Stevie Nicks took a break from Fleetwood Mac in the early ’80s to record some spooky folk pop by herself for a while. One of her biggest hits, […]
We heard a lot of these words thrown around during the Olympics, and we had to wonder—what do they actually mean? Curling This sport, originating in Scotland and dominated by Canadians, involves sliding a stone across ice toward a target while other players sweep the ice in front of the stone to help the stone […]
When the star of a hugely popular, long-running TV show leaves, it’s a little hard to get used to their replacement, but what else can producers do? Eventually, fans warm to, say Kelly Ripa instead of Katie Lee Gifford, or Kirstie Alley instead of Shelley Long. But then here are some TV star replacements that […]
Today’s political climate may be contentious, but it’s nothing new. The presidential election of 1876 just might still be the wildest in American history. Tilden vs. Hayes There were two major candidates: Democratic banking magnate Samuel J. Tilden, governor of New York for a little over a year, and Republican congressman and Ohio governor Rutherford […]
Spinoffs have long been a part of TV and the movies. The Simpsons and Frasier launched off from The Tracey Ullman Show and Cheers, respectively, while Minions is a spinoff of the Despicable Me movies, to name some examples. The phenomenon happens in video games, too, although those spinoffs seem to be a bit on […]
It’s Presidents Day, a time to celebrate our nation’s former leaders…and to acknowledge that some of them were just as strange as the rest of us…if not stranger. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) …had a bit of a stealing problem. When he visited William Shakespeare’s birthplace in England (with fellow future president John Adams) in 1786, he […]
