May 4th is Star Wars Day. Why? Because “may the fourth be with you” sounds a lot like “may the force be with you,” a famous line from the franchise. While the many Star Wars movie have delighted millions and earned billions, there are a few that never got made at all. The Star Wars […]
The first Saturday in May means it’s time for “the greatest two minutes in sports” — the running of the Kentucky Derby. Horses and jockey have competed annually since 1875 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, and promoters, fans, and partiers have helped make the brief race into an all-day event with a number of […]
Sports aren’t just played on a simple “field” — they’re contested on all sorts of surfaces and terrains. Here are the origins behind a few of them. GRIDIRON It’s often used as a synonym for football — as in the “American” style, as played in the NFL, not soccer. It was actually first used decades […]
Every town in America offers more or less the same radio stations: pop, country, classic rock, and talk. Some stations like to offer something a little bit (or a whole lot) different, and so do broadcasters who pipe out music from the wild west of the internet. THE FIX IS IN Broadcasting in London, Fix […]
Musicians record and release albums because they need to share with the world the music they wrote from their heart and soul. Or, they make records because they’ve been forced to do so by powerful entities. Contract Breaking Sessions Legendary singer-songwriter Van Morrison signed a deal with Bang Records in 1967, and it’s through that […]
In major cities across the nation, public transportation like buses and subways are full of huge ads for every product imaginable. Well, almost every product imaginable. Here are some companies who were forbidden from hocking their wares. TUSHY In 2018, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which regulates subways in New York City, rejected posters for a […]
Didn’t we just celebrate Earth Day? Well, now it’s time for that other April holiday about green things that grow: Arbor Day. The appreciation of trees in America, and all their benefits both biological and eye-pleasing, long pre-dates the 20th century’s environmentalism movement. It all goes back to Julius Sterling Morton, who, after earning his […]
April 23 is celebrated as the birthday of the Bard, William Shakespeare, quite likely the greatest writer in the English language. (Well, it’s probably Billy’s birthday — records from 1564 England are spotty, but historians are fairly certain of the date.) As one of the most famous and revered people to ever live, there’s a […]
How tremendous and validating it must be to do art for a long time and to be recognized for it, in the form of a major award nomination, like a Pulitzer Prize or Academy Award. A lot of people would feel that way, but apparently not these people who said “thanks, but no thanks” to […]
What’s one of the best parts of the summer? Minor league baseball. What’s the second-best part of the summer? Reading this article about the kooky names of minor league baseball. Savannah Bananas The potassium-rich yellow fruit does not grow naturally in Georgia, but hey, when you’ve got a team name that can rhyme with the […]
Taos, New Mexico is home to an artistic community, a lot of turquoise jewelry, unbelievably beautiful landscapes…and a strange noise that’s baffled scientists. Out of the blue Sometime out of the blue in the early ‘90s, residents of the northern New Mexico city of Taos — and not from any one part of town either […]
They seemed like a novelty or passing fad when they first arrived in the ‘70s…but it’s fairly evident now that video games are here to stay. Here are some landmarks moments in the history of what toy makers once called “TV games.” First cartridge system Home video game systems, with their abilities to play a […]
Just because something is associated with a certain country doesn’t mean it came from that country…or at least not originally or entirely. Recently we got to talking about stuff we associate with certain countries — like how pizza is an Italian food, for example. Somebody asked, “But is it really from Italy?” We got ourselves […]
Old shows coming back dominates TV — Will & Grace, Murphy Brown, Full House, The X-Files and more have saturated the airwaves with nostalgia. Here are some fun facts about this strange cultural fad. First TV reboot Reboots of old shows is nothing new. In fact, it goes back to when TV wasn’t that old […]
Now that your completed taxes (and a check) are on their way to the government (unless you got an extension…or forgot), here’s a look at some of the strange ways Washington will invest your money. Christmas tree marketing Because they’re a seasonally harvested item, Christmas trees qualify as “specialty products” under Dept. of Agriculture guidelines, […]
News from the bathroom…specifically, the kinds of horrific things that can happen when a person doesn’t go to the bathroom for a while. TOO MUCH In February 2018, a man (his name was unsurprisingly not released in news reports) sought treatment at The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Japan for an injury he […]
Prepare for the final season of the HBO mega-hit so that, unlike Jon Snow, you won’t “know nothing.” Most expensive TV show It’s the most expensive TV show in history. Every episode is like a cinema-quality movie, with location shoots and special effects making everything look top notch. Estimated cost: Around $10 million per episode. […]
The baseball season has begun, and what better way to fill the long gaps between pitches by filling up your belly? Here are some of the most creative, interesting, and daunting concession items now available at Major League ballparks. Foot long hot dogs are yesterday’s news. They’re downright tiny when you compare them to the […]
