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!) Pants are a singular object. Then […]
Conspiracy theories question everything: Did Lee Harvey Oswald really assassinate JFK? Did man really land on the moon? Did the guy who wrote Alice in Wonderland secretly murder a bunch of people? J.K. Rowling didn’t write Harry Potter Having never published a novel before, British author J.K. Rowling emerged in the late ’90s as the […]
Lots of states have placed their capital city in their largest metropolitan area (Denver, Colorado) or in a place of strategic importance (Juneau, Alaska, is closest to the U.S. mainland). Others are a little more mystifying. Here’s why a lot of the less logically-placed state capitals are where they are. Sacramento Sacramento is one of […]
It’s arguably the world’s top prize for writers. But for every Nobel Prize for Literature that understandably went to a luminary like Toni Morrison or Samuel Beckett, the award has a few head-scratchers in its history. The 2016 recipient, iconic folk-rocker Bob Dylan came as a surprise to many—in part because he’s the first musician […]
Language changes over time, as old words morph into new ones. But where do they all come from? Here are some more interesting origins. Leprechaun Meaning: A small, mischievous sprite who can reveal hidden treasure to those who catch him Origin: “The leprechauns are a race of Irish elves, usually portrayed as cobblers. One theory […]
And here’s one more: Those four presidential heads carved into a mountain in South Dakota are not naturally occurring. It could have been carved into a different formation It was the idea of South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson to carve faces of iconic historical figures into the side of a mountain in the Black […]
Why did a major city change its name? Because the government said so. Why did it change it back? Because the city asked nicely. For 20 years. See if you can figure out this riddle: The Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball, joining the National League in 1887. The […]
For some reason even the most mundane objects can become valuable if a celebrity owned—or even just touched—them. This article was first published in our 29th annual edition, Uncle John’s Uncanny Bathroom Reader. Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Johansson appeared on The Tonight Show in 2008 while sick with a cold. After the show, she was persuaded […]
You could use your wealth to buy cars, houses, yachts…or action figures. This article was first published in our 29th annual edition, Uncle John’s Uncanny Bathroom Reader. Rick Springfield Rick Springfield, who performed the 1980s hit “Jessie’s Girl”, has one of the largest and most complete collections of Star Wars toys in the world. Demi […]
Bad news: Your horoscope has been wrong this entire time. By which we mean it’s been wrong forever. (If you believe in that kind of stuff, we mean.) Those “Star Signs” are based on real collections of stars in the night sky, and NASA just made a big discovery about them. According to recent research […]
You don’t expect to find human remains when remodeling a house or cleaning out a basement. But these folks did. Here are their macabre—but fascinating—stories. This article was first published in Uncle John’s Uncanny Bathroom Reader. Body #1 A carpenter named Bob Kinghorn was doing renovations on a house in a Toronto, Ontario, neighborhood in […]
Who will win the election on November 8? Just pay attention to the cookies, football, and the costume store…unless they’re wrong. (Prognostication isn’t an exact science, people.) NFL If the NFL’s team in Washington, D.C. wins its last home game that takes place before the presidential election, the incumbent—or the incumbent party—wins. Since Washington beat […]
Just in time for Halloween, something very spooky has occurred at one of the spookiest places in the United States. Rifle magnate William Wirt Winchester died in 1881, leaving behind his vast fortune to his wife, Sarah Winchester. Part of her windfall was allocated to building a Queen Anne-style mansion in San Jose, California. Around […]
Sure, you could vote for one of the major party candidates…or you could vote for Alice Cooper! The 1970s shock rocker has thrown his hat into the ring in the race to be Commander-in-Chief. Running for president this year (but only as a goof) is “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “I’m Eighteen” horror-rocker/radio host/golfer […]
It’s that time of year when the Nobel Prize is awarded for achievements in a number of disciplines. Swedish inventor and philanthropist Albert Nobel (1833-1896) donated his fortune (from being the creator of dynamite) to provide large monetary prizes to recognize annual major contributors to the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace…but not […]
Here’s a look at how much money Americans made in the year just before the Civil War started…and what they had to spend that money on. Nickel and Dimed There were few labor laws in the United States at the time. The average work week was 60 hours (10 hours a day, six days a […]
Economists estimate that as much as 90% of all retail goods available in the United States are made overseas, particularly in China. These products include stereos, plastic toys, cups, belts, TVs, shoes, T-shirts, backpacks, telephones, coffee makers, toasters, and even religious memorabilia, just to name a few. Even though so many things are made in […]
Most people never give a second thought to life’s most important questions, such as: How tall should a bowling pin be? Fortunately for them, we do. Here’s a look at the standard sizes of everyday objects. How big is a regular soccer ball? It must measure between 27 and 28 inches in circumference and weigh […]
