Weird, Wonderful World
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 […]
In terms of creative unhealthiness and being gut-busting calorie bombs, state fair food now ranks right up there with bizarre baseball park concession items. Here’s a look at the food items new to this year’s Minnesota State Fair—it’s no longer corn dogs and curly fries. Spam Sushi Spam is manufactured in Austin, Minnesota, and this […]
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 […]
It’s not just for breakfast anymore! We’ve discovered that beer has many inventive and unlikely uses around the home and beyond. (Uncle John’s never had so much fun researching an article.) (1) Beer is slightly acidic, making it useful for cleaning copper pots. Throw a small amount of beer in the pot, let it sit […]
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 […]
Hungry for some word play? You’ll eat up these juicy origins of popular phrases. Spill the Beans Meaning: To give away a secret Origin: “A tradition that began in ancient Greece for electing a new member to a private club was to give each existing member one white and one brown bean with which to […]
Here’s why the Black Forest of Germany is deeply associated with both a special kind of ham and a cherry-chocolate cake. The Black Forest—or Schwarzwald, in German—isn’t strictly a forest. It’s actually a mountain range, found in the southwestern corner of Germany. It’s probably best known to non-Europeans in the names of two foods: Black […]
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 […]
Uncle John would like to remind you, once and for all, he is not playing with his “dolls.” They are action figures. Goodbye, Dolly In 1964 designers at Hasbro Toys came up with a line of military dolls. Executives loved it, but the marketing department felt that boys would never buy anything called a “doll,” […]
We hope you don’t find this page of macaroni trivia too cheesy. (1) Macaroni is a corruption of the Italian maccheroni, which comes from the Latin macerare. The word means to bruise or crush; crushing wheat is how pasta is made. (2) In the United States and England, they call it macaroni and cheese. In […]
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, […]
Warning: These stories are morbid…but fascinating. By looking at their final meals, we catch an eerie glimpse into the everyday lives of these larger-than-life figures…whose worlds were about to end. ELVIS PRESLEY The King stayed up most of the night of August 15, 1977. He was restless. Between midnight and 6:00 a.m., he went to […]
