For years, Portable Press has brought you fantastic nonfiction books, but recently we decided to take a whole new approach. Introducing Show Me History!, biographies of famous, notable, and important people presented in the graphic novel format. What’s a graphic novel? It’s kind of like a really long comic book. Here’s a bit more about the […]
They say it’s never too late to succeed in life, and it was true for these highly accomplished women who found fame and fortune after 40. The late Mary Higgins Clark (she passed away in February 2020) is among the bestselling authors of all time. More than 100 million copies of the more than 50 mystery […]
They say that necessity is the mother of invention…and here then are some “mothers” or very important technologies. El Dorado Jones After listening to women’s suffrage crusader Susan B. Anthony speak at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, El Dorado quit her job selling insurance and went into the more lucrative world of advertising. She soon […]
You know, you think you know somebody—like famous movie stars, musicians, politicians, and historical figures—and then you come to find out that they all worked as spies for the government. (They must have been pretty good spies then!)
Chances are, old age or a chronic condition is what will get you, so don’t worry so much about these unlikely, but potential, killers lurking all around. Icicles Ever hear that old riddle about how the “perfect” murder weapon is an icicle because it melts, thus destroying all evidence of its existence? Those sharp shards […]
It’s rare that an amazing achievement that stands the test of time was created by just one person. (Even Uncle John has a staff of writers and researchers.) Here are some things associated with a single individual…who got a lot of help from an associate. Jack Daniel The 19th century Tennessee-based distiller is so strongly […]
Twice in the last 40 years have celebrities become president of the United States: former actor (turned California governor) Ronald Reagan and real estate mogul (turned The Apprentice host) Donald Trump. They’re merely the most successful famous people to run for political office. Clint Eastwood Clint Eastwood is best known as a movie cowboy, but […]
The gift-giving (and receiving) holidays are on their way — you can just about hear the jingling bells in the distance and make out those flickering candle flames. The perfect gift for any occasion: a book. And we’ve got you covered — we’ve got lots of books for every taste! For the paternal cornball YOU: […]
…and a bunch of fun facts about that glowing yellow orb in the sky. The sun’s temperature On average, the sun burns at about 10,000° Fahrenheit. But that’s just on the surface. The sun’s core The central core of the sun serves as a furnace, creating heat, light, and energy by constantly fusing hydrogen and […]
Diamonds are a sparkly, fancy — and very expensive — miracle of science. Superman’s hands In many comic books, Superman showed off one of his coolest powers: He can squeeze a lump of coal into a diamond. Spoiler alert: Superman may be strong, but he isn’t real, and so doing making a diamond “by hand” […]
Put down that pumpkin spice latte (which doesn’t have any actual pumpkin in it, by the way) and check out these facts about everyone’s favorite gourd. Word Origins Origin of the word pumpkin: In 1584, French explorer Jacques Cartier visited what’s now Canada and reported seeing grow melons. The French then called them pompions, which […]
Sure, plenty of boy bands and multi-member singing groups preceded the existence of present-day pop sensations BTS, but this musical collective is special and different (and that’s according to more than just the hysterical teenage fan in your life). WHO ARE THESE GUYS? The Beatles were the Fab Four, and most late ‘90s and early […]
Everybody has heard of Albert Einstein, and everybody knows a handful of things about him. The only problem: They don’t know the whole truth about those facts. Einstein didn’t fail math as a kid. It’s one of those common factoids that’s most often repeated as words of comfort in times of failure, or to kids […]
Here are some common phrases and images that everybody knows…but if you use them, you just might owe somebody some money. A soft and crunchy tale On the second workday of every week, millions of Americans celebrate the wonderful but informal holiday of “Taco Tuesday.” That means they eat tacos, either prepared at home, or […]
Fast food burger places, barbecue joints, and Chinese restaurants remain stalwarts on the American food scene, outlasting a lot of other types of eateries that have come…and mostly gone. Fondue While the notion of dipping pieces of bread, meat, and vegetables in hot oil or cheese and calling it a (very filling) meal dates back […]
There’s a long association between beverages and songs — there are a lot of old country tunes about drinkin’, and Jimmy Buffett’s entire career is based on liking margaritas. Here are some times when musicians told the people what to drink…and they obliged. “The Piña Colada Song” popularized the piña colada The piña colada, a […]
English is a living, breathing, constantly evolving language. It’s a Germanic language, which means that German also has its fair share of made-up words (specifically, “compound nouns”) to describe very specific experiences in life. Der Treppenwitz This translates to “the staircase joke,” and it refers to when you think up the perfect comeback or witty […]
What was the most popular activity of the summer of 1985? Hating on New Coke, Coca-Cola’s ill-fated attempt to reformulate its popular product. First Diet Drinks The first major diet drink on the market was Diet Pepsi, launched in 1964. Coca-Cola offered Tab, but as its cans bore a warning about how the sugar substitute […]
