Facts about To Kill a Mockingbird
In honor of Harper Lee, who passed away at the age of 89, we look in our vault for some interesting facts about her famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.
General Trivia
Ivar the Boneless and Other Leaders with Lofty Nicknames
Throughout history, many leaders were given lofty nicknames— Catherine the Great or Richard the Lionhearted, for example. But not everyone could be Great or Magnificent. Some rulers got strange, and strangely specific, nicknames. ALFONSO THE SLOBBERER: King Alfonso IX ruled León (now part of France) from 1188 to 1230. He was prone to fits of […]
Misfit Toys
A few more violent, racist, and otherwise inappropriate items with one strange thing in common: Kids are supposed to play with them. Black Bandit The LEGO company has distanced itself from what Muslim groups have dubbed the “terrorist LEGO.” Sold by an unlicensed LEGO enthusiast from Seattle named Will Chapman, Black Bandit is a head-scarf-wearing, […]
10 Weird Polling Stations Around the Country
This is a major election year. It is your civic duty to vote. When you do, is it at a school or public building, or one of these more eccentric polling stations? In one Los Angeles precinct, voters went to a swimming pool, with curtained booths set up just inches away from the shallow end. That’s not even […]
Odd NASCAR Sponsors
Beer, Gatorade, and auto parts are the kinds of sponsors you usually see plastered on NASCAR race cars. But many companies are willing to pay for that advertising exposure…even when it seems a little weird. From 2001 to 2005, Mark Martin, one of the oldest drivers on the NASCAR circuit, drove a car bearing stickers […]
Name that Product
“Kleenex” is probably the most famous example of a “genericized trademark”—a product so popular that people use the brand-name to identify it. You’ve probably heard someone ask for a “Kleenex” more often than they ask for a “tissue.” Here are some other name brands that have gone generic…and what, technically speaking, you should be calling […]
Medieval Folk Cures: Take 2 Bunny Gallstones and Get Some Rest
We found these actual medieval folk cures in an old book about English medical practices in the Middle Ages. So try them at your own risk. To treat baldness Rub some horse urine onto your scalp. If horse urine isn’t available, dog urine can be substituted. Fractures, abscesses, paralysis, epilepsy, nausea, sore throats, and ulcers […]
The Grunge Code
The slang or vernacular of any subculture develops slowly and naturally over time. Not so with the words and phrases associated with the 1990s “grunge” music scene. BACKGROUND In the early 1990s, the biggest thing in rock music was grunge, a mixture of punk rock and dreary guitar riffs that shot bands like Nirvana and […]
The Magic Kingdoms
Random facts about the happiest places on Earth: Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Walt Disney hated seeing chewing gum on the ground, so he prohibited Disneyland and Disney World from selling it. In fact, Disney didn’t want any garbage on the ground at all. So before Disneyland opened, he had planners study families at other […]
Give a Hoot, Read a Book!
Getting kids to read anything other than what’s on their smartphones is tougher than ever these days. The Weapon Of Mass Instruction Argentinian artist Raul Lemesoff constructed what he calls “La Arma de Instruccion Masiva,” or “The Weapon of Mass Instruction.” It’s a 1979 Ford Falcon that he converted into a tank that shoots books […]
First Role: Game Show Contestant
Most TV game shows are made in Hollywood, so it makes sense that aspiring actors—a.k.a. Hollywood waitresses and dishwashers—would show up on game shows to get some face time on TV (and maybe win some cash). JOHN RITTER Appeared as a contestant on: The Dating Game Story: In 1967 Ritter was a 19-year-old freshman drama […]
You’re My Inspiration
More fascinating secrets behind where the architects of pop culture get their ideas. Some of these may surprise you. Annie Wilkes The psychotic nurse in Stephen King’s Misery (played by Kathy Bates in the 1990 movie) was based on pediatric nurse Genene Jones, imprisoned for overdosing kids and then reviving them so she would be […]
Life in the Year 1973
A look at life in the not-so-distant (but it sure seems like it!) past. World population: 3.9 billion (2014: about 7.2 billion) Average life expectancy in the U.S.: 71.4 (2014: 78.7) Average annual income: $12,900 (minimum wage: $1.60 per hour) Average cost of a… Television: Movies: Sports: Music: News: Science News: Deaths: Bruce Lee, Bobby […]
Odd Body Tips and Tricks
Some strange tips sent in by readers who swear they work. (These were not tested in the Uncle John’s Laboratories.) About to sneeze? Push the tip of your tongue upward against the roof of your mouth where the hard palate ends and the soft palate begins (between your back teeth). Chopping an onion? Avoid the […]
Shoe Fads
These once-popular shoes aren’t what you’d call “sole survivors.” THE REEBOK PUMP (1989) This innovative sneaker featured an inflation system with a basketball-shaped pump on the tongue of each shoe that created a tighter “custom fit” around the ankle and top of the foot. Despite a retail price upwards of $150, stores could hardly keep […]
6 Truths About Dr. Ruth
Here are some pint-sized facts about the world’s most famous pint-sized sex therapist. Karola Ruth Siegel (Westheimer is her married name) was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Germany in 1928. At age 12, Ruth was sent to safety at an orphanage in Switzerland. She never saw her family again; her parents are believed to […]
Backstage Demands of Political Figures
When rock bands and singers perform, promoters must fulfill a “rider,” or a list of backstage needs and wants. Politicians making appearances or campaign stops have them, too. Between his 2004 presidential bid and 2012 appointment to Secretary of State, John Kerry toured the lecture circuit. Promoters were given a length list of meal preferences […]
7 Fart Facts
Everything you never needed to know about the most natural of natural gases. Are you above average? Because the average person farts about 14 times a day. And that’s a healthy amount. That adds up to a total of half a liter of gas expelled every day. If the average person parts 14 times a […]
