If you think this year’s presidential election has brought out people’s animal instincts, then you probably don’t live in a town that elected an actual animal to be its mayor. Stubbs In 1997, the manager of Nagley’s General Story in Talkeetna, Alaska (population: 876) found a box of abandoned kittens in the store’s parking lot […]
They’ve closed up shop in Rio, and all we’re left with are the memories…and these oddities specific to this year’s Olympics. Swimmers and divers skilled enough to compete in the Olympics are probably the least likely people on Earth to drown in a pool, and yet at the Rio Olympics they were watched over by […]
If you find this page bad and not a thriller, Uncle John respectfully suggests that you beat it. “You Are Not Alone” Released in 1995, it was the first song ever to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Scream” Jackson was a devout Jehovah’s Witness and steadfastly refused to use profanity. “Scream,” […]
Every so often a pro athlete is so good at their sport that even though they play by the rules, the league has to change those rules so it’s fair to the other players. In Major League Baseball, 1968 was known as “The Year of the Pitcher.” In the National League, Bob Gibson went 23-9 […]
Don’t have any plans this weekend? Fear not! We have lots of fun games for you to play…in the Throne Room! Toilet Tenpin What You Need: Ten golf tees, or other objects that can serve as bowling pins, and a few rubber bands to serve as bowling balls. Set the golf tees up in a […]
Whether you’re a philatelist (that means “stamp collector”) or not, you’ll enjoy this trivia about some of the most famous and noteworthy commemorative stamps ever printed by the U.S. Postal Service. Perhaps the biggest story in stamp history: The Elvis stamp debate. In 1992, the U.S. Post Office announced that it planned to put the […]
You probably knew that a lot of the most popular food items at Chinese restaurants in the U.S. aren’t authentic dishes from the Far East. But do you know how they came to be staples at your corner takeout joint? Crab Rangoon They’re deep-fried wonton wrappers filled with cream cheese, crab (real or imitation), scallions, […]
Unacceptable: punching your little brother in the arm. Acceptable: doing it under the guise of a “game.” Did you play any of these kids’ games? Doorknob! When someone farts, he or she must immediately say “Safety!” If a non-farter detects the fart and says “Doorknob!” before the farter says “Safety,” the person who says “Doorknob” […]
As polls for the presidential election are reported daily, many pundits try to predict how those votes will translate to the Electoral College. But just like the polls, you never know what’s going to happen until the votes are in. Each state has a certain number of votes in the Electoral College, which is its […]
Their honor was besmirched, and they demanded satisfaction! Here are the stories of some famous folks who participated in duels (for better and for worse). Ben Jonson A contemporary of Shakespeare and the first playwright to preserve his works for the ages by publishing them, Jonson is most famous for the plays Volpone and Every […]
Got a little one going back to school? Or a friend who’s had a bad day? Make them udder-ly happy they know you and download this free farm printable featuring jokes from The Funniest Joke Book Ever! Seriously, who wouldn’t smile/chuckle/groan when the see a punch line like this next to their sandwich?! Why did […]
While the history of the Summer Games is littered with stories of athletes who took performance-enhancing substances and got caught, these are about people who cheated at the Olympics in bizarre ways…and still got caught. Double Trouble Track and field star Madeline de Jesus represented Puerto Rico in the 1984 Summer Olympics. She was scheduled […]
Writers will do anything to get out of writing (trust us, this is hard work). Some avoid a blank page or fend off writer’s block by going to the trouble of inventing something. Lewis Carroll’s Nyctograph Today, writers struck by late-night inspiration in bed can simply reach for their smartphone, and open up a note-taking […]
What did children do before there were TVs and computers? These old children’s games are taken from the 1920s book Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium, by Jessie H. Bancroft.
If you think the 2016 presidential election has been a weird and combative one…well, time will tell if it’s as strange as these past ones. John Adams vs. Thomas Jefferson In 1800, President John Adams ran for a second term against fellow Founding Father Thomas Jefferson…who was also the vice president serving under Adams at […]
A concert isn’t complete without a stop at the “merch table” to prove how big of a fan you are by purchasing a T-shirt or a bumper sticker…or one of these even weirder things that have actually been offered for sale. After leaving the dark punk band the Misfits, singer Glenn Danzig started a heavy […]
Why is baseball our favorite sport? Because it’s full of oddball stuff like this. Foul Play September 19, 1940: Luke Appling of the White Sox was batting against Red Ruffing of the Yankees with two men on base. Appling fouled off the first pitch. Then he fouled off the second, third, and fourth pitches before […]
It looks like the Bathroom Readers’ Institute may have a new headquarters building to consider: a facility at a Chinese university that looks just like a really big john. There’s a gigantic, shimmering new building on campus at the North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power in the city of Zhengzhou in Henan […]
