History
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 […]
Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the Bicentennial, the yearlong 1976 celebration marking 200 years of the United States (officially the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.) The festivities culminated in the splashiest Fourth of July in history. Here’s a look back on how America looked back. Congress began planning the Bicentennial 10 years earlier, […]
July 1 is Canada Day, so here’s a look back on the humorous Canadian political “movement” known as the Rhinoceros Party. In 1963, a Quebecois writer named Jacques Ferron founded a new political party intended to satirize Canadian politics from the inside. A real, registered party, Ferron’s Rhinoceros Party satirized other politicians by promising from […]
Some trivia about the good ol’ red, white, and blue. The federal government has on hand three potential flag designs should there ever be a 51st state. A leading candidate to be state #51: Puerto Rico, and so the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico commissioned one of those designs. Instead of rows of stars, […]
Uncle John sure looked rad as he drove his DeLorean to the Wham! concert, wearing his single white glove and brand new Members Only jacket with the collar turned up. SWATCH WATCHES In 1983 Switzerland’s two biggest watchmakers were on the verge of bankruptcy because of competition from cheap Japanese watches. The companies decided to […]
Songs that made the whole world sing…or at least sit up and take notice. The Song: “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Recorded by: Band Aid Story: In November 1984, Irish rock musician Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats saw a TV news report about the millions of people suffering from a famine in Ethiopia. He […]
Lots of celebrities have endorsed products. Sometimes it helps sales. The George Foreman Grill, for example, has sold millions. Sometimes, on the other hand, it’s just a weird idea. (1) Wrestler Hulk Hogan lent his image to a line of cameras for kids. His face was painted on the lens, inserting Hulk into the corner […]
Here, ladies and gentlemen, are the stories behind some well-known products (and one character) who prefer to be addressed as “Mister.” Mr. COFFEE In the 1968, Vincent Marotta and Sam Glazer, highschool friends who became partners in a small construction company, decided to start a coffee delivery service. Obsessed with finding a way for people […]
Trivia books—even ours—are full of fun facts about American presidents. Well, President Taft may have gotten stuck in a bathtub and Abe Lincoln was once a bartender, but they were never the judge on a reality show. Newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the first second-generation leader of Canada (his father was Pierre […]
In 1976 the United States celebrated its bicentennial. Here is a look at how much things cost 40 years ago! (1) Want to watch a movie at home? There’s a new invention called a VCR that sells for a mere $1,600. (2) Rather attend the theater to see the year’s hottest flicks, like Rocky or Network? […]
More answers to the burning question, “Where does all this sports stuff come from?” THE FOOTBALL HUDDLE “In 1924 Herb McCracken, the coach of the Lafayette College football team, discovered that his hand signals [flashed to players during the game] had been scouted and decoded by Penn, his upcoming opponent. On game day, McCracken countered […]
History has a tendency to marginalize women inventors, but there have been many. Here are a few that may impress you. The Circular Saw INVENTOR: Tabitha Babbitt STORY: Babbitt got the inspiration for her invention in 1810, at the age of 26, while sitting at her spinning wheel. Watching a work crew saw wood with […]
It’s very difficult to amend the U.S. Constitution. A potential amendment has to pass both houses of Congress with two-thirds approval, and then it has to be approved by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. Since 1787, only 27 amendments have been adopted. Numerous others have been proposed…and rejected. Here are some notable rejects. […]
Here are the origins of some common phrases. ON THE LAM Meaning: To be on the run, especially from the police Origin: “American slang since the latter part of the 19th century. The root of lam is the Old Norse word lamja, meaning to ‘make lame,’ and the original meaning, when it first appeared in […]
At the BRI we’re always asking ourselves, “Where does all this stuff come from?” So we searched through our vast sports library and came up with the following answers. CHEERLEADING In the late 1870s, the Princeton University football team (the Tigers) had a male pep squad that supported them from the stands with chants of […]
Who needs a groundhog or looking outside to see the sunshine and flowers? In Switzerland, they know it’s Spring when the snowman explodes. Since the 16th century, the city of Zurich, Switzerland, was welcomed Spring with Sechselauten, a festival whose name means “the six o’clock ringing of the bells.” The seasonal shift was noticed by […]
Here’s what we dug up about pro basketball team names and their origins. Los Angeles Lakers There are no lakes in L.A. The team was originally the Minneapolis Lakers; Minnesota is the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” Seattle SuperSonics Named after a supersonic jet proposed by Seattle-based Boeing in the late ’60s. (The jet was never built, […]
The Bathroom Readers’ Institute was born in 1987. Here’s what was going on in the rest of the world in 1987. The Tracey Ullman Show, a variety program on the new Fox Network, airs a short cartoon called “The Simpsons.” Sen. Gary Hart, the likely 1988 Democratic presidential nominee, drops out of the race after reports […]
