Milking it For All it’s Worth: A Very Dairy Q&A
Every question you’ve ever had about milk, yogurt, and dairy products, answered by the experts.
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All Your Questions About the World Series Answered
It’s time for the biggest week in baseball — the World Series. Uncle John got hyped by answering these common questions about the October Classic.
NFL Teams That Almost Moved (But Didn’t)
In the last few years, the St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers moved to Los Angeles, while the Oakland Raiders headed to Las Vegas. Those are some team moves that worked out — unlike these proposed franchise relocations that didn’t quite work out. St. Louis Patriots About a decade before quarterback Tom Brady arrived […]
The First American Women in Charge
Here’s a look at some of the women who broke the glass ceiling in American politics and became the first females to hold important offices. First elected female mayor In 1887, women in Kansas attained the right to vote and run for office. That year, the town of Argonia held its elections; mayor was on […]
Ask Uncle John Anything: Poodle-Doodle Do!
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!) Why do poodles get their haircut […]
Ask Uncle John Anything: Loo Over Here!
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he puts one of his many researchers 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!) Where does the phrase “going to the loo” come from? Uncle John […]
Ask Uncle John Anything: You Better Not Be Wearing White Today
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he puts one of his many researchers 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!) Why is it considered bad to wear white after Labor Day? Our […]
Ask Uncle John Anything: This Blog Post is Artificially Flavored
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!) Why do some imitation flavors, particularly […]
Ask Uncle John Anything: Shining Bright Like a Diamond
For decades, “chocolate diamonds” have been referred to in the mining industry as, simply enough, “brown diamonds.” Because they’re naturally brown and not clear and shimmery like the more palatable jewelry grade diamonds, they were used for industrial purposes (primarily in huge drill bits for ore mining operations).
Ask Uncle John Anything: A Bridge Too Far
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. Here is the answer to a recent question we received. Why is the Golden Gate Bridge red? Shouldn’t it be gold? Or have a different name? First of all, the […]
Ask Uncle John Anything: These Words are Crazy!
The English language has long had a flippant attitude toward mental illness. Any sort of abnormal behavior can get you called crazy. How did “nuts” or “bananas” come to mean “crazy”?
Ask Uncle John Anything: It Glows in the Dark!
Summertime is glow stick (or light stick) season—it’s fun to wave them around at night, at parties, during those Fourth of July celebrations, at the campground, etc. But how do those little day-glo sticks glow (at night) without a battery or a bulb?
Ask Uncle John Anything: Skunked
Did you (or more likely, your dog) get hit with the noxious spray from an agitated skunk? Well, that stinks. It’s time for a soak in a bathtub full of tomato juice. But does that old home remedy really work?
Ask Uncle John Anything: Mmmm…Doughnuts
The concept dates back to the 1930s and 1940s. Before the proliferation of fast food restaurants and convenience stores, there weren’t a lot of places for swing shift or overnight workers to get a bite to eat or a cup of coffee. By and large, American restaurants opened shortly before normal breakfast hours and closed shortly after normal dinner hours.
Ask Uncle John Anything: Hats Off!
People are a lot of different sizes, but in spite of that, their heads really are not all that different. Nearly all adult heads have a circumference that sits somewhere within a five-inch range.
Ask Uncle John Anything: You Can’t Fire Me, I’ve Got Tenure
Tenure doesn’t come instantly. It’s a privilege bestowed on teachers or professors after several years of a high-quality job performance at a school, college, or institution as a reward—generally after three, or five years.
Ask Uncle John Anything: More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys
“More fun than a barrel of monkeys” is supposed to be an ironic statement, or at least a sarcastic one. It’s properly used to wryly describe something that isn’t fun (say, the board game “Barrel of Monkeys.”)
Ask Uncle John Anything: Tangled Up, Blue
How do cords get tangled up all on their own? It’s the strangest phenomenon—you take out your earbuds, and being in too much of a rush to properly wind and tie them up, you throw them into a coat pocket.
