Summer of 2019 marks 50 years in the past that humans did the most futuristic thing possible: We put a man on the Moon. Here are some quirky facts about that time Apollo 11 made its moonshot. Who Needs You Anyway, Moon? While John F. Kennedy embodied the hope and optimism of the early ‘60s […]
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin becoming the first humans to walk on the moon in July 1969, here’s a look at a few individuals who came so close to getting to go into space…but then didn’t. Lance Bass Only a handful of civilians — meaning […]
Unscripted, or calculated? You be the judge. Real Housewives Reality Show: Cameras follow the exploits of cliques of well-to-do women from various American cities. Episodes feature fights, betrayal, drinking, and sexual situations. REAL Show: The gossip website RadarOnline posted photos of the cast and crew of Real Housewives of New York City filming a “spontaneous” […]
Those Hollywood celebrities: they’re just like us! By which we mean they get themselves into embarrassing situations in restrooms. MAGNUM, PEE? AYE! Even Tom Hanks, the most likeable movie star in the world, can embarrass himself once in a while. In a 2013 interview, he told the story of a moment he wishes he could […]
It was back in 1959 — 60 years ago — that Alaska became a state (#49 overall). Here’s some trivia about what makes “The Land of the Midnight Sun,” a.k.a. “The Last Frontier” one of a kind. That will pay you to live there. The Alaskan state government makes so much money off of the […]
Sponsors drop in and drop out of college football bowls, leaving some very odd official names in the sports history books. Progressive Gator Bowl (2011) The Gator Bowl has been played for decades, but in 2011 insurance company Progressive bought the “sponsor rights.” The resulting name makes it sound like the game was paid for […]
Oh honey, “hive” got a feeling you’re going to love reading these news stories about bees. It’s very much your beeswax. Bee Listening About a year ago, a couple living in a house in Granada, in southern Spain, noticed bees in their yard, and were bothered by a low buzzing sound…which got gradually louder. As […]
When a holiday has a number right there in its name, it just makes us want to take a deep dive into the huge numbers that make the United States’ celebratory day of independence so special. 56: The number of signatories to the Declaration of Independence, ratified on July 4, 1776, and establishing the United […]
July 1st is the day that Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories celebrate Canada Day, commemorating the day the nation officially formed in 1867. Had history gone a bit differently, there’d be a lot more of Canada to celebrate on Canada Day. Vermont From 1777 to 1791, the state of Vermont was an independent republic, […]
Back in junior high, you probably learned about the pantheon of Ancient Greek gods and goddesses — Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, and so forth. Your teachers probably didn’t cover these more obscure — and very specific — grand deities. Wandering planet gods The Greeks believed in “Astra Planeti,” a special class of gods that ruled over […]
Spider-Man is one of comicdom’s most popular, famous, and adaptable superheroes — the eighth big-budget movie about the teen web-slinger made since 2000 hits theaters this summer. Spider-Man: Far from Home features Mysterio, one of the more well-known villains from the comics. These others will probably never make it to the big screen. The Spot […]
The Dick Tracy movie hit theaters last week in 1990, reviving the 1930s comic strip franchise for a new generation. To demonstrate just now “ugly” the crimes committed by the bad guys in this law and order comic strip could be, creator Chester Gould made the villains physically grotesque. P.S. Tone The P.S. stands for […]
The Sound Most of the King’s biographers attribute his singing style to black gospel and country music. But Elvis wanted to reach a wider audience, so he based his early vocal stylings on pop crooner Dean Martin. (For evidence, listen to Elvis’s first recording of “Love Me Tender.”) The Hit Elvis Presley’s biggest hit (and […]
“Big in Japan” is a slightly derisive term in the music business. It refers to American singers and bands that haven’t quite found much success stateside, but who are supposedly “big in Japan.” Sometimes, it’s actually true. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick didn’t really pop in the U.S. until after Live in […]
If you hit up a Major League Baseball game this year, be thankful if you get a free hat or bobblehead…and that it doesn’t descend into abject chaos. Ten Cent Beer Night It’s remarkable that anyone in the Cleveland Indians organization thought that it would be a good idea to let fans buy as much […]
Sears filed for bankruptcy late in 2018, bringing an eventual end to a retail and catalog juggernaut that lasted for well over a century. Sears had such a huge customer base that it could sell just about anything. Optometry Kits Decades before every mall (often anchored by a Sears) featured a chain optician service, Americans […]
“Dill” you like facts about brined cucumbers? Sweet! HOW OLD IS THAT JAR IN THE FRIDGE? Pickling is one of the earliest methods of food preservation, and one that hasn’t fundamentally changed all that much in the past few thousand years. Historians have found evidence that cucumbers originated in India, and that they were first […]
Have you ever wondered why there are two cities named Kansas City…specifically how the larger one isn’t even in Kansas at all? Kansas City vs. Kansas City There are two places in the Midwest named Kansas City, and they both sit and prosper along the Missouri River…although on opposite sites. There’s the major metropolis of […]
