Video games have been a part of the culture now for more than 30 years. That means they’re old and established enough to have their own spooky myths and horror stories. Berzerk The story: In the 1980 arcade video game Berzerk, players traveled through a maze and had to use a laser to kill […]
Product placement is when a character in a movie or on a TV show conspicuously picks up a name-brand product, or walks past a giant poster bearing the name of a company. It’s a form of advertising, and corporations pay big bucks to movie productions to have their wares prominently featured. Usually just a character […]
Truth: There is a right way to hang the toilet paper. As for these other stories about bathrooms that seem too good to be true… Myth 1: In February 1983, the New York City sewer system crashed. Reason: It was the night of the last episode of M*A*S*H, at the time, the most watched program […]
One of the many perks of being a celebrity: you just might get a chance to play in a spring training or minor league baseball game. BILLY CRYSTAL Baseball, particularly the New York Yankees, often figures into the movies of Billy Crystal (he even directed the movie 61*, about the 1961 race between Mickey Mantle […]
Stop, yield, and try not to run over these stories. Stop In the early days of car travel in the late 19th century, driving was chaos—there weren’t many universal or codified laws related to traffic or safety measures in place. In 1900, a concerned citizen—meaning he didn’t actually drive a car—named William Phelps Eno published […]
You know him as the lead singer of Queen, one of the greatest voices in rock history. But did you know that Freddie Mercury loved his cats almost as much as he loves music? Mercury got his first two cats in the early 1970s. His girlfriend at the time, Mary Austin, brought home two felines […]
You can tell what NFL stadium you’re in by what song they play when the home team scores a touchdown. New York Giants When the New York Giants score, the P.A. pumps out “New York Groove,” the 1978 solo hit by Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley. Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles home stadium play two songs. […]
It shouldn’t be so pleasurable but it is: That bizarre taste sensation of super-sour and super-sweet that comes with sour candy. Here’s the science behind how candy makes can make things taste so sour. The main supplier of sour kick: citric acid. It’s found in, well, citrus fruits: lemons, grapefruits, limes, and oranges, for example. […]
How do you do? It’s so nice to see you! Now, won’t you sit down and read these origin stories about common American English greeting words? Hello Going back as far as at least the 1400s, words like “hollo” and “holla” were used in England. A speaker shouted them out when they needed to get […]
Queen Elizabeth II is the longest serving monarch in the history of the U.K. She’s in her 90s now, and she’ll die one day, of course. Recently, some British media organizations unveiled part of the intricate and elaborate plan that’s been set into place (and extensively rehearsed) when that day arrives. If she falls ill, […]
The NHL playoffs are about to get underway. And to celebrate the excitement, here are some of the weirdest things that ever went down on the ice during the post-season quest for the Stanley Cup. 2010: Game 6 In 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup since 1961…but not too many people realized […]
For nearly 40 years, Sesame Street has helped kids learn about the world around them, and themselves. To that end, the series has routinely introduced Muppet characters that reflected the big, diverse world out there. Aristotle Sporadically throughout the 1980s, Sesame Street’s resident worrywart Telly hung out with a friend named Aristotle. He was blind, […]
Today is a painful day—the day when federal income taxes are due in the U.S. If you’re feeling that sting especially hard, be glad you don’t live in one of these countries. Aruba The tropical island nation of Aruba is a very nice place to live: white sandy beaches, clear ocean water, and the highest […]
Concerned about the government’s priorities? Now you can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing your tax dollars are being well spent on things like… Dough Dope The National Institutes of Drug Abuse spent $780,000 (and five years) studying whether pizza was as addictive as drugs. Findings: 100 college students surveyed said they felt pizza was […]
We hope you have an all-time best Easter. To get you started, here are some people who celebrated Easter in very big, very egg-cellent ways. Largest Easter egg, chocolate Made by Italian chocolate maker Tosca in 2011, it was unveiled at a shopping center in Cortenuova, Italy, during the Easter season. It weighed more than […]
Sports teams: They’re institutions for major cities for decades, as loyal fans wear team colors and team logos with pride. And then the team goes and changes their name. (Usually for a good reason.) (1) Since its inception in 1965, the Major League Baseball team in Houston has endured a number of major changes short […]
It’s time for the NHL postseason, and the lead up to the Stanley Cup finals. And there’s a good chance that whichever team you’re rooting for might have entered into the league with a completely different name. Phoenix Scorpions The Winnipeg Jets left its long-time home in the Canadian province of Manitoba for Phoenix in […]
Pittsburgh used to be Pittsburg and New York used to be New Amsterdam. And then there are these American towns that got a lot of publicity when they came up with new names for themselves. Hot Springs, New Mexico “Truth or Consequences” is a very mysterious name for a town, particularly a sparsely populated one […]
