Have you ever played the game of Uno? It’s consistently been one of America’s best-selling toys. Here’s where it came from. Invented by: Merle Roberts, a barber from Cincinnati, Ohio Origin: In the 1960s, Roberts created a simplified version of the card game Crazy Eights, and sold it out of the trunk of his car […]
We’ve written before about not-so-cool bands rock stars were in before they became rich, successful (and cool). Here’s another look at early musical attempts of some notable actors, singers, and rappers. Russell Crowe He’s got an Oscar for Gladiator, and he fronts a rock band called 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. But in the early […]
Everyone says they don’t believe in ghosts. If that’s so, then we’d like know why so many people go to see haunted houses like these ones…but we’re afraid to ask. (This story was published in our newest release, Strange History.) Alcatraz If you were to stay overnight on this island prison off San Francisco—which hasn’t […]
The Fourth of July is over, but you don’t have to put away the party hats and fireworks just yet. Here are some of the strangest “holidays” still to come this month.
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. (And if we answer your question sometime, we’ll send you a free book!) How (and why) is “won’t” a […]
Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the Bicentennial, the yearlong 1976 celebration marking 200 years of the United States (officially the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.) The festivities culminated in the splashiest Fourth of July in history. Here’s a look back on how America looked back. Congress began planning the Bicentennial 10 years earlier, […]
July 1 is Canada Day, so here’s a look back on the humorous Canadian political “movement” known as the Rhinoceros Party. In 1963, a Quebecois writer named Jacques Ferron founded a new political party intended to satirize Canadian politics from the inside. A real, registered party, Ferron’s Rhinoceros Party satirized other politicians by promising from […]
Here’s hoping these facts don’t burn out like a candle in the wind. “Your Song” John’s first album, Empty Sky (1969), flopped in both the U.S. and the U.K. Still, he got a gig as the opening act for Three Dog Night. One of the songs he performed on that tour was “Your Song,” which […]
Hungry for some word play? You’ll eat up these juicy origins of popular phrases. Spill the Beans Meaning: To give away a secret Origin: “A tradition that began in ancient Greece for electing a new member to a private club was to give each existing member one white and one brown bean with which to […]
Major cities around the world place bids years in advance to host the Summer Olympics games. Here’s a look at some major metropolises that went for the gold…and lost the race. Tokyo, Helsinki In 1936, Tokyo was selected as the site of the 1940 Olympics, the first Asian city to host the Games. But in […]
Here’s why the Black Forest of Germany is deeply associated with both a special kind of ham and a cherry-chocolate cake. The Black Forest—or Schwarzwald, in German—isn’t strictly a forest. It’s actually a mountain range, found in the southwestern corner of Germany. It’s probably best known to non-Europeans in the names of two foods: Black […]
Real cowboy slang of the late 19th century was a lot different from the way it’s been depicted in movies and on TV. Coffee boiler: A lazy person who sits around the coffee pot instead of helping with the work. Big bug: Important person; big shot. Bone orchard: Cemetery. The boss: The best. He only […]
A full moon is never just a full moon. For while they happen semi-regularly—about once a month, usually in the middle—where it falls in the year gives each full moon a special distinction. These originated primarily in New England, where many come Algonquin tribes passed them along to European settlers.
After The Simpsons hit it big, the other networks tried to get their own primetime cartoon. But while Fox has had long term success with The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Family Guy, not too many others cartoons have lasted too long with adult viewers. Father of the Pride (2004) This NBC series was […]
Uncle John would like to remind you, once and for all, he is not playing with his “dolls.” They are action figures. Goodbye, Dolly In 1964 designers at Hasbro Toys came up with a line of military dolls. Executives loved it, but the marketing department felt that boys would never buy anything called a “doll,” […]
What do the 2002 sci-fi movie A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and a new miniseries about Napoleon have in common? Both are upcoming Stanley Kubrick projects…although the legendary director died in 1999. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence In the 1970s, Kubrick started work on a film version of Brian Aldiss’s short story “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long.” It’s an […]
He’s the most popular and well known character in video game history. Mario has appeared in more than 50 games since the early ’80s…but not all of them have been winners. Mario’s Bombs Away In this game from 1983 (which played on a handheld device), Mario is no longer a plumber—he’s a solider. The player […]
We hope you don’t find this page of macaroni trivia too cheesy. (1) Macaroni is a corruption of the Italian maccheroni, which comes from the Latin macerare. The word means to bruise or crush; crushing wheat is how pasta is made. (2) In the United States and England, they call it macaroni and cheese. In […]
