After 27 years and more than 4,000 episodes, The Jerry Springer Show is coming to a close. While Springer conducted himself with the dignity and poise of a talk show predecessor like Phil Donohue, the show usually involved angry people confronting each other about a personal issue, and then fighting each other. Here’s a look […]
Koko was probably the most famous real-life primate of all time. That’s because she was remarkable. Koko was a gorilla who learned to communicate with human beings through the use of sign language. Last week, Koko died at the age of 46—here’s a look back at her remarkable life. Birth Koko was specifically a western […]
The World Cup is a time of celebration and glory for soccer players and their billions of fans around the globe. But in pursuit of the most illustrious championship in sports, some athletes paid the ultimate price. Sam Okwaraji Nigerian-born midfielder Sam Okwaraji left home for Europe to earn a Ph.D., but he got a […]
People and companies change names all the time. Not so common—when an entire country decides on a new moniker. Burkina Faso A lot of modern-day African culture was shaped by European colonialism. France in particular once ruled over much of the continent, giving countries names that were used by the world political community. Upper Volta—named […]
Right now there’s probably a bar or club where a cover band is performing well-known songs originally made famous by other musicians. These stories are not about cover bands—they’re about people who tried to convince the world that they actually were those famous musicians…and they nearly got away with it. Fake Fleetwood Mac Before Fleetwood […]
The U.S. isn’t the only place where basketball is a big deal. The sport is incredibly popular in China, where both local stars as well as NBA icons are household names. Well, sort of, because they’re perhaps more widely known by their colorful nicknames. LeBron James In the U.S., the most dominant player of the […]
Sometimes a film director or other entertainment creative is so unhappy with the way a movie turned out that they don’t even want their names publicly associated with it. For decades, the solution was to attribute the movie to a fictional, pseudonymous director named “Alan Smithee.” Here are some entries from “his” filmography. City in […]
Will you be one of the one billion or so people who will sit down and watch a 2018 World Cup match? Maybe you’ll witness yet another bizarre at this, the most popular sporting event in the world. Stay hydrated Many players of all different sports have certain in-game rituals to which they must adhere. […]
There are certain tunes out there you’ve heard a million times but you never know the name of…because they don’t have any lyrics. But they’re just as familiar as “Hey Jude” or “White Christmas.” At long last, here’s what those songs are called. Black tie string quartet When a rough-around-the-edges character in a movie finds […]
What are “the yips”? It’s sports slang for when an athlete chokes under pressure…or makes a rapid, and spectacular collapse. Hey, they’re only human—and here are some the worst instances of the yips in sports history. Ernie Els The yips can even affect the all-time greats, like Els, at one time the top-ranked golfer in […]
Let’s take a look at all some guys in history who have been called the “father of” some notable innovation. The Yellow School Bus In the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, educator and writer Frank W. Cyr was one of the nation’s foremost experts on rural education, and how to properly school all those kids who […]
Two of baseball’s most famous curses have been “lifted”—the Curse of the Bambino, which supposed that Babe Ruth leaving Boston for the Yankees meant the Red Sox would never win a World Series was broken in 2004, while the man with a goat kicked out of Wrigley Field proclaimed the Cubs would never go all […]
In 1892, Canada’s Governor General Lord Stanley donated the trophy that now bears his name to be awarded to the country’s top ice hockey team. Today, it’s the coveted prize for NHL champions…who tend to misplace the thing, even though it’s gigantic and famous. Into the canal The Ottawa Hockey Club or “Silver Seven” won […]
The beloved chef, food writer, and TV host who brought the world—and its flavors—into our homes has passed away at the age of 61. Here’s a look back on the life of a man who lived with No Reservations. Don’t Eat Before You Read This After working for years in some of New York’s best […]
Summer is almost upon us, which means one thing: the excuse to eat ice cream every day. Can you find somewhere in your strict schedule of chocolate, vanilla, and mint chip to try one of these oddball ice cream flavors? Lobster ice cream Maine’s most famous export is lobster, but the people who live there […]
Every professional athlete wants to win a championship for their team. It’s the culmination of a season, or career, and the ultimate in glory on the field, court, or diamond. Beyond beating all comers, there are other advantages to winning a title—as in a substantial cash bonus. KENTUCKY DERBY On the first Saturday in May, […]
Solo, a Star Wars prequel about the early days of Han Solo—played in the original films by Harrison Ford—is currently filling up multiplexes. Here are some things you might not have known about the galaxy’s most charismatic space smuggler. The space pirate ship In early drafts of the movie that became Star Wars: A New […]
On behalf of dads and fathers everywhere—don’t get your pop another tie or some kind of golf-related item or barbecue accessory this Father’s Day. He hates wearing ties, and he has all the golf balls and novelty aprons he’s ever going to need. Let Uncle John help you pick out the perfect gift for Dad—a […]
