It looks like the Bathroom Readers’ Institute may have a new headquarters building to consider: a facility at a Chinese university that looks just like a really big john. There’s a gigantic, shimmering new building on campus at the North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power in the city of Zhengzhou in Henan […]
They may be gone, but they’re not forgotten. Come to think of it, are they really even gone? Ghost lovers claim that many of the famous dead are still among us…in spirit. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1706–90) Franklin helped establish the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia in the 1740s. His papers are housed there along with, according […]
If you’ve got a minute, that is. (Whatever that even means. These facts kind of blew our minds.) According to Einstein’s theory of relativity, time moves slower the closer an object is to the center of the earth. For example, a year at the top of Mt. Everest, one of the tallest peak’s on Earth’s […]
It’s hard to imagine that anyone could possibly believe these old superstitions, but then some people actually doubt the existence of the Great Flooplenocker, so go figure. A newborn’s first sneeze is lucky. Before the sneeze, the baby is under the influence of bad fairies, and the newborn who does not sneeze may become a […]
Sure, the “VHS era” ended more than a decade ago with the arrival of DVDs, and then streaming video, but now it’s official: the last VCR will roll off the assembly line in 2016. Here’s a look at some other big lasts in the world of VHS. The Last VCR By 2012, two companies still […]
Yet again the BRI asks—and answers—the question: Where does all this stuff come from? Tiki Bars The very first was Don the Beachcomber, opened in Hollywood in 1933 by Ernest Gantt, a bohemian who had traveled the South Seas and brought back all kinds of idols, masks, and other relics. He used them to decorate […]
Many of the top honors in the arts, sports, and the sciences are named after people. Here are the stories of the names behind the awards. JOHN HEISMAN Heisman coached football at Auburn, Clemson, and Georgia Tech in the 1890s and early 20th century. In the 1930s, he worked as athletic director at the Downtown […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
You may keep some in your car, or in your purse, or use some at stations posted at the entrance to most public buildings and doctors’ offices. Here’s a look at a product that’s become a regular part of daily life: hand sanitizer. (1) Hand sanitizer was first developed by an Ohio company called GOJO, […]
There are certain places you hear mentioned on the news or read about in magazines that aren’t exactly countries—they’re more like regions or “geographic distinctions.” But where are they? (Here they are.)
“Common knowledge” is frequently wrong. Here are some examples of things that many people believe…but that, according to our sources, just aren’t true. Sushi Myth: Sushi is raw fish. Fact: Technically, sushi isn’t fish at all. The name of this Japanese dish refers to the vinegared rice, which often is topped with raw seafood. But […]
