After the birth of North America’s first political party: the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, the road was paved to create the two parties that we are most familiar with today: The Republican and Democratic parties. Here is how those to parties came to be. This article was first published in Uncle John’s Political Briefs. (Click here […]
Why are so many sports movies set in Michigan? Uncle John’s not sure, but he likes them. PAPER LION (1968) Could writer George Plimpton hack it as a football player with the Detroit Lions? He tried it once, for a story he was writing. This film is based on his experience at the Lions’ training […]
The U.K. recently voted to separate from the European Union, which prompted talks of Scotland and Wales leaving the U.K. to rejoin the E.U., and Northern Ireland also leaving to reform with Ireland. It’s just talk at this point, but it got us interested in the history of states in the U.S. that expressed interest […]
Uncle John has been collecting strange household hints and bizarre cleaning tips for years. He can’t promise that all of them actually work, only that they’re weird…and fun to read. Having a copper-polish emergency? Look in the fridge: Ketchup eliminates tarnish from copper. It’s really gross to find mealworms in your cereal bowl. Keep them […]
In terms of creative unhealthiness and being gut-busting calorie bombs, state fair food now ranks right up there with bizarre baseball park concession items. Here’s a look at the food items new to this year’s Minnesota State Fair—it’s no longer corn dogs and curly fries. Spam Sushi Spam is manufactured in Austin, Minnesota, and this […]
Marshall died this week at age 81. As one of the most prolific and successful TV producers and creators of all time, his presence looms large in television history. Garry Loves Chachi In 1982, Marshall’s show Happy Days spun off Erin Moran and Scott Baio’s newlywed characters into a new sitcom, Joanie Loves Chachi. Ever […]
With candidates in the two major political parties clinching their nominations, the political talk now turns to who will be selected as their running mates. But not everybody who’s asked to be a candidate will accept the offer. Here are some notable names who said no to the VP slot. Nelson Rockefeller Richard Nixon asked […]
In 1755, famed critic and writer Samuel Johnson released A Dictionary of the English Language. Compiled over a period of nine years, it became the standard English dictionary until Noah Webster released his in 1828. But it’s anything but “standard”—Johnson’s definitions are often witty, personal, subjective, and quirky. Politician: 1. One versed in the arts […]
24-hour cartoon networks and streaming video pretty much killed the Saturday morning cartoon. But for all of the classics like The Smurfs and Scooby-Doo to watch while you ate your sugar cereal, there are dozens more that came and went pretty quick…with good reason. Chip and Pepper’s Cartoon Madness (1991) In the early ’90s, twin […]
What’s a Kia? Or a Fiat? Here are the stories of how your car got its name. Alfa Romero The company began in Italy in 1910 as Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobil, or ALFA. Nicola Romeo bought the company in 1915 and added his name. Kia In Korean, the name means “rising from Asia.” Toyota Originally […]
Philately is one of the most popular hobbies around the world. Here are some truly bizarre finds that would be a great addition to any stamp collection. In 2004, Austria issued stamps bearing the image of a crystal swan—and the image is coated in actual crystals. They were made of paper and then a few […]
Today is Bastille Day, a holiday that commemorates an important event in the French Revolution. On that note, here are some inventions you may not have known originally came from France. The Pencil Sharpener A French mathematician named Bernard Lassimonne went through so many pencils that they got dull too fast, and he hated having […]
Because age is just a number: the youth and their accomplishments. At age 1 Future jazz great Buddy Rich started drumming professionally as part of his parents’ vaudeville act. At age 3 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart learned to play his first instrument, the harpsichord. At age 5 Future rock star Tori Amos was accepted to the […]
Earlier this week, the FBI announced that it was finally closing its file on the mysterious 1971 plane hijacking case in which a man identified only as “D.B. Cooper” demanded $200,000 in cash (and some parachutes), jumped out of the plane over the Pacific Northwest, and disappeared without a trace. This means Cooper’s identity may […]
It’s not just for breakfast anymore! We’ve discovered that beer has many inventive and unlikely uses around the home and beyond. (Uncle John’s never had so much fun researching an article.) (1) Beer is slightly acidic, making it useful for cleaning copper pots. Throw a small amount of beer in the pot, let it sit […]
It seems like everyday there’s another story about how the environment is doomed and there’s little we can do to stop it. In 2010, we brought you one of those stories: There was a worldwide shortage of helium and the possibility of it running out before long. Well, in an unlikely turn of events, the […]
Hillary Clinton has secured enough delegates to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. She’s the first woman to be a major party’s nominee, but she’s certainly not the first woman to make a run for the Oval Office. Belva Ann Lockwood A suffragist and one of the first licensed female lawyers in the U.S. […]
The new Pokémon video game reboot Pokémon Go has become a pop culture sensation. Utilizing the camera and GPS on an electronic device, players must go out into the real world and seek out cute little monsters that the game says are hidden in stores, streets, behind trees, etc. (They show up superimposed in the […]
