The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, isn’t just for players, managers, and other people who made baseball great. “Centerfield” The playing of John Fogerty’s 1985 baseball-themed hit “Centerfield” is as much a part of a baseball game as peanuts and the seventh-inning stretch. In 2010, the Baseball Hall of […]
Doughnuts (or donuts) have been around for ages. But where did they come from? Oily Cake When Dutch settlers arrived in what’s now New York in the 17th century, they brought with them something called olykoek, or “oily cake.” They were much like today’s doughnuts in that they were fried balls or discs of sweetened […]
When you think about it, it’s kind of weird and amazing that humans have created machines that allow us to travel through the sky and into space. It makes sense then that there are going to be some weird stories about what happens when humans take to the skies. THE SKY KING The U.K.’s Prince […]
Here’s a little bit about a bunch of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of acts that may be officially enshrined early next year. The Moody Blues Before they picked “The Moody Blues,” the group was called the M&B Five, named after Mitchell and Butler, the Birmingham, England, pub that sponsored them. Radiohead […]
Yes, movies still get banned by cities, countries, and movie theater chains. And it’s usually for a very particular reason. Gone with the Wind Gone With the Wind is one of the most acclaimed movies of all time, and, adjusted for inflation, it’s still the highest-grossing movie of all time. It is, however, a little […]
Here’s a look at a Thanksgiving tradition as much a part of the holiday as football, eating way too much, and naps. Christmas Parade? The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has always been affiliated with the Macy’s department store chain, but it wasn’t always affiliated with Christmas. The first parade was held on Thanksgiving Day 1924, […]
The turkey (or ham) is usually the star of the show, but we think that the other foods that make up the traditional Thanksgiving dinner are all something to give thanks for. Stuffing Sure, you could make your own stuffing, or you could buy a box, add it some butter and hot water and be […]
Filming a movie is a very costly and time-consuming endeavor. And sometimes someone in the cast or crew messes up so badly that it eats up even more time and money. Napoleon Dynamite Shot on a relatively tiny budget of $400,000 and grossing $45 million, the quirky high school comedy Napoleon Dynamite was the surprise […]
Here are some teams who defended their titles…by not defending them at all and turning almost explicably bad in the blink of an eye. The 1998-99 Chicago Bulls In the 1997-98 season, the Chicago Bulls amassed a record of 62-20, the best in the Eastern Conference. They cruised through the playoffs and in the […]
There are a lot of laws around the world preventing one company from controlling the market for a single product…but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still happen. ZIPPERS Are you wearing a zip-up sweatshirt or a pair of jeans? Look closely at the zipper (we’ll wait). It very likely has a small “YKK” embossed on […]
It’s cold and flu season, so your head and nose are probably already clogged. Let us help you clear at least your brain by demystifying some commonly believed mistruths about colds and flus. Myth: You can catch a cold or the flu by going out in cold weather without a coat or hat, or with […]
On Veterans Day, we pay tribute to the brave men and women who served in every branch of the U.S. military. Here’s a quiz about some conflicts and missions from American history that have faded away from public consciousness.
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889) is one of Vincent van Gogh’s most recognizable paintings The bandaged right side of his face has fascinated art historians for decades—some believe he only sliced the earlobe, while others wonder if the wound was not selfinflicted at all. (This article was first published in Who Knew?) An Earful of […]
If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Flight? Super-strength? An imperviousness to cholesterol? Tetrachromatism A condition called tetrachromatism enables a person to see more of the color spectrum than the rest of us. Those with it can notice more subtle shades of colors, even within a single object; something may appear red […]
Many countries around the world have an informal or “short form” name by which its commonly referred, and an official “long form” name. Here are some countries whose actual names you may not have known. Oriental Republic of Uruguay About the only place where it’s culturally acceptable to use the word “oriental” is when referring […]
Transforming the human body through surgery for aesthetic reasons is nothing new. While surgical procedures today are far more advanced, healers, doctors, and even barbers had been performing cosmetic procedures for centuries before the recent surge in popularity for plastic. (This article was originally published in Who Knew?) Ancient Healers Plastic surgery gets its name […]
Here are some theories on how to be the best at the only game that matters. Psychological Factors Professor Zhijian Wang of Zhejiang University in China led a study that revealed psychological factors in how people play Rock, Paper, Scissors—which a competitor in the know could use to their advantage. The Zhejiang group discovered that […]
Artists create things all the time. Here are some creators of well-known things who knew how to make a product people would love…but more about the business side than the people who negotiated their contracts. In short: They held on to the rights to something that only they knew would be worth a lot of […]
