Weird, Wonderful World
Once again the BRI asks—and answers—the question: Where does all this stuff come from? Telethons After writer Damon Runyon died of cancer in 1946, his friends in the entertainment industry established the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. The charity held its first big fund-raiser in April 1949—an unprecedented 16-hour television broadcast to solicit donations. This […]
As a kid growing up in New Jersey, Uncle John often went to Palisades Amusement Park. Then one day they announced they were tearing it down to build an apartment complex. Many areas have an attraction like that—it’s an important part of the cultural landscape for decades…and then it’s gone. ATTRACTION: The Hippodrome LOCATION: New […]
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these words and phrases straight out of the Emerald Isle. Cat: Something terrible or annoying. Not that the Irish hate cats; it’s short for cat malojan, a Gaelic corruption of an old English phrase, “cat on a melodeon,” which is a type of organ. (Indeed, cat walking across an organ’s keyboard […]
When Uncle John was a kid, the basic food groups were meat, bread, vegetables, and dairy products. Uncle John always wondered why they left out the other basic food groups: coffee, candy, cold soup, fish sticks, corn dogs, and salad dressing. VICHYSSOISE Don’t let the French name fool you—this leek-and-potato soup (pronounced vi-she-swaz) is as […]
What happens if the primary presidential elections don’t end with a candidate who has enough delegates to secure their party’s nomination? A fight at the party convention this summer.
There have always been women inventors…even if they’ve been overlooked by the history books. Here are a few you may not have heard of. Mary Anderson Invention: Windshield wipers Background: In 1903 Anderson, an Alabaman, took a trip to New York City. One snowy afternoon she decided to tour the city by streetcar, but instead […]
Caution: Reading the definitions of these obscure words may lead to sophomania. Castrophenia: The belief that one’s thoughts are being stolen by enemies. Eugonic: Rapid and luxuriant growth, such as bacteria bred in labs (and teenagers). Rhytiscopia: A neurotic preoccupation with wrinkles. Nyctalopia: An inability to see at night. Gyrovagues: Medieval Christian monks who wandered […]
More examples of the unusual places pop-culture architects get their ideas. The One Ring. An ancient Roman gold ring was discovered on a farm in rural England in 1785. A stone tablet found at another site 140 years later curses a thief named Senicianus for stealing the ring from its owner, Silvianus. “Among those who […]
Some dramatic changes to the French language were announced in 1990 and they’re scheduled to take effect this fall. Not happy about it: a lot of people who speak French.
Despite what you may have heard, Uncle John was not the original Ty-D-Bowl Man. (How do these rumors get started, anyway?) Was 1970s shock-rocker Alice Cooper actually Ken Osmond, the teen actor who had played Eddie Haskell on wholesome 1950s sitcom Leave It to Beaver? No. Alice Cooper’s real name is Vincent Furnier. The rumor spread […]
In schools and libraries across the country, today is Read Across America Day, part of an effort to encourage kids to read. Why today? It’s the birthday of perhaps the greatest children’s book author of all time, Dr. Seuss. “Dr. Seuss” isn’t his real name, of course. The good doctor’s real name is Theodor Geisel—Seuss […]
Every few years, a new exercise craze sweeps the country. Here’s how a few of them got up and moving. Jazzercise Jazz choreographer Judi Sheppard Missett came up with the dance-meets-aerobics fitness program—fun routines set to pop music—in 1969 and opened a studio in Los Angeles. By 1977 she no longer taught classes. Instead, she […]
Some forgotten fads are forgotten for a reason. DO YOU WANT TO PLAY A GAME? In the late 1980s and early ’90s, board game publishers feared that the popularity of video games spelled doom for their industry. Solution: VCR Board Games, which included a board game, and, to compete with electronic games, a videotape. The […]
Vodka is practically tasteless, which means that distilleries can add whatever bizarre flavors they want to it. For example… Grass Polish company Bak makes Bison Grass vodka. It’s not bison-flavored—it’s grass-flavored (and bison eat grass). The grass infusion leaves a small amount of coumarin, which is a main ingredient in rat poison and leads to […]
You probably grew up eating some of these “classic” comfort food dishes, the recipes of which were printed on food packaging or promoted in magazine ads. If you’re like us, your feelings range from “Did we really eat like that?” to “I wish I had some right now!” VELVEETA QUESO DIP Ingredients: One 16-ounce package […]
The Miss America Pageant added the talent portion to the contest in 1935. Most contestants sing or dance, but some display more unusual skills. 1957: Amanda Whitman (Miss Tennessee) did a gymnastic tumbling and trampoline routine to the theme from The Third Man. 1959: Elizabeth Holmes (Miss New York) did an impression of French singer […]
At the top of the superhero list, you’ve got your Superman, your Batman…and then way, way down the list, you’ve got these. Shamrock In 1982 artists at Marvel Comics—tasked with creating an Irish superhero—came up the most stereotypically Irish lass possible. Shamrock (Molly Fitzgerald) is the daughter of a militant IRA member and has long […]
Gossip and trivia from pop music. RADIOHEAD Bucking the tradition of rock groups trashing hotel rooms, Radiohead actually does the opposite. Not only do they clean up their own rooms, but they once snuck back into a hotel after checking out to clean up a room that their opening band had trashed. THE WHITE STRIPES […]
