Weird, Wonderful World
When economists want to get a sense of how the economy is doing, they look at things like the prime lending rate, the unemployment rate, and the Dow Jones Average. It turns out that’s not all they look at. (This article was originally published in Uncle John’s Weird Weird World EPIC.) Down Under Alan Greenspan was […]
It would seem that the nation has a major problem with bathroom banshees. Akai-Kami-Aoi-Kami According to modern Japanese folklore, Akai-Kami-Aoi-Kami likes to pop up in stalls to ask his female victims (he only pops up in women’s restrooms) a seemingly simple question: “Do you want red paper or blue paper?” Those who answer “red” are […]
Lots of spectators + huge balloons + autumn weather = the potential for calamity.
Can we top off your cup of steaming hot facts?
On November 23, 1936, the late great Life magazine published its first issue. Here are some facts about the magazine.
These people made it into the Guinness World Records and probably wish they hadn’t.
…not really a word at all. Each year, the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, the long-standing if self-appointed guardians of the English language and official record keeper of new words, names a word, phrase, or slang term its “Word of the Year,” reflecting a major impact on society, the news, or communications. Past Words […]
Mules have been hauling people and cargo up and down the Grand Canyon for more than a century. Here are some fun facts about these industrious pack animals…
Fast food franchises are a lot better at making greasy burgers than they are at making self-promoting video games.
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about snot, boogers, phlegm, mucus…
When Uncle John learned that it was possible to do this, his first thought was, “Why would anyone want to hypnotize a chicken?” Good question. As Sir Edmund Hillary would say, “because it’s there.” (And it’s a lot easier than climbing Mt. Everest.)
Anyone asked to name a favorite condiment might quickly say ketchup or mustard, and sure—those are good. But here’s why mayonnaise is the real culinary star.
There are more than a dozen candidates running for the GOP nominations, and half a dozen running for the Democratic nominations. Think that’s a lot? In all, more than 1,220 people filed paperwork with the Federal Election Committee, declaring their intention to run for president. Here are a few of them.
Many common words and phrases were invented by cartoonists and first used in comic strips.
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!)
Not people who paint cats, but cats who paint.
As Fox Mulder often said on The X-Files, when it comes to space aliens “the truth is out there.” But in each one of these cases, the “truth” wasn’t.
Antarctic research stations are so isolated that they have a lingo all their own.
