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Author: Uncle John

Bands That Named Themselves After Songs

Bands That Named Themselves After Songs

You would think that more bands would name themselves after lines in songs that they like—after all, who’s a bigger fan of music than musicians? 1. Lady Gaga gets her name from the Queen hit “Radio Ga Ga.” 2. The Australian alternative rock band Jet (“Are You Gonna Be My Girl”) named itself after the […]

12 Interesting Facts About American Coins

(1) The U.S. Mint’s first production in 1793 consisted of 11,178 copper cents. Today the Mint produces an average of 14.7 million coins per day. (2) How many paper bills does the Mint print every year? Not a single note. (That’s the job of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.) (3) The first real woman […]

Know Your Produce – Food Facts

Tired of apples and peas? Need a break from prunes and brussels sprouts? Here’s a list of unusual fruits and vegetables to look for next time you’re at the supermarket. Kiwano: Also known as the African horned cucumber and the jelly melon, the kiwano is a yellow-orange, oblong, spiky fruit with lime-green flesh that looks […]

You're Never Too Old…

Because age is just a number. At age 76: Min Bahadur Sherchan successfully climbed Mount Everest in 2008. He’s the oldest person ever to do it. At age 83: Thomas Edison applied for his 1,093rd—and final—patent (1931). The invention: a holder for items being electroplated. At age 84: Eamon de Valera won a second term […]

4 Pro Athletes Who Retired Early For Interesting Reasons

All of us regular people might have a hard time understanding why anyone would willingly walk away from a lucrative sports career in their prime. But they had their reasons. 1. First baseman Adam LaRoche played for six Major League Baseball teams for more than a decade. During the 2016 preseason, he suddenly announced his […]

Where Does it Come From?

Once again the BRI asks—and answers—the question: Where does all this stuff come from? Telethons After writer Damon Runyon died of cancer in 1946, his friends in the entertainment industry established the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. The charity held its first big fund-raiser in April 1949—an unprecedented 16-hour television broadcast to solicit donations. This […]

Lost Attractions

As a kid growing up in New Jersey, Uncle John often went to Palisades Amusement Park. Then one day they announced they were tearing it down to build an apartment complex. Many areas have an attraction like that—it’s an important part of the cultural landscape for decades…and then it’s gone.  ATTRACTION: The Hippodrome LOCATION: New […]

Irish Slang

21 Grand Irish Slang Terms For You to Dekko

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these words and phrases straight out of the Emerald Isle. Cat: Something terrible or annoying. Not that the Irish hate cats; it’s short for cat malojan, a Gaelic corruption of an old English phrase, “cat on a melodeon,” which is a type of organ. (Indeed, cat walking across an organ’s keyboard […]

Vincenzo Camuccini, "Morte di Cesare", 1798,

What Are the Ides of March?

Well, as it says in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, you’re supposed to beware them. But why? What are the Ides of March?

Group Shot of 1919 White Sox

The Trial of the Century

With The People vs. O.J. Simpson currently airing, we’re reminded of how the televised criminal case against the popular football player and actor was labeled “the trial of the century.” Guess what else the media dubbed the “trial of the century”? Lots of other high profile trials. Here are a few.

Olympic Bad Luck

Winning at sports takes skill, practice…and a little good luck. Here are some Olympians who could have used a rabbit’s foot (or some new officials). Who’s Counting?  The 1932 Games in Los Angeles featured a 3,000-meter steeplechase for horses. The race was close as the horses entered the final lap…or what was supposed to be […]

Beatles and George Martin in studio in 1966

The Other Works of George Martin

George Martin passed away this week at age 90. He was best known for producing, arranging, and developing the sound of the Beatles. But his career lasted decades and he worked with dozens of acts. Here are some of the most unlikely.

Food Origins: Liquorice Allsorts

Food Origins

When Uncle John was a kid, the basic food groups were meat, bread, vegetables, and dairy products. Uncle John always wondered why they left out the other basic food groups: coffee, candy, cold soup, fish sticks, corn dogs, and salad dressing. VICHYSSOISE Don’t let the French name fool you—this leek-and-potato soup (pronounced vi-she-swaz) is as […]

It’s a College Basketball Vacation!

So your team made it to the final round of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament…but lost in the final game. But then the NCAA ruled that those losses don’t count or are “vacated.” Good news? Not really. Those games are technically stricken from the NCAA record books because the teams were involved in major scandals.

Dragnet

Before ‘Fuller House’: 3 Other TV Show Revivals

The hottest thing on TV right now, or at least Netflix: Fuller House, the sequel series to the 1987-1995 family sitcom Full House. It’s not the first time that characters from a beloved show have returned to screens years later.

Sports and Measures

Most people never give a second thought to life’s most important questions, such as: How many people can you cram into a Cornhuskers game? Or how tall should a bowling pin be? Fortunately for them, Uncle John does. Tennis During a single Wimbledon tournament, 42,000 tennis balls are used. Soccer A soccer ball must measure […]

What Happens at a Brokered Convention

A Short History of Brokered Conventions

What happens if the primary presidential elections don’t end with a candidate who has enough delegates to secure their party’s nomination? A fight at the party convention this summer.

Women Inventors

Mothers of Invention

There have always been women inventors…even if they’ve been overlooked by the history books. Here are a few you may not have heard of. Mary Anderson Invention: Windshield wipers Background: In 1903 Anderson, an Alabaman, took a trip to New York City. One snowy afternoon she decided to tour the city by streetcar, but instead […]

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