Say hello to Dr. Seuss, a rhymer of rhymes both tight and loose. A BRI favorite he really is; the following story is really his. Vital Stats Born: March 2, 1904 Died: September 25, 1991, age 87 Real Name: Theodore Seuss Geisel He adopted “Seuss” as his writing name during Prohibition, while attending Dartmouth College. […]
How did the rock star born Marvin Aday get his stage moniker? It depends on the day. Aday so hates being asked the question constantly over the years that he likes to, as he says, “just continually lie.” Here are just a few of the multiple stories he’s told about how he got the name […]
Here at the BRI we love game shows and classic TV, so we were saddened to hear about the death of game show creator, producer, and host Chuck Barris. Here’s a look at some of the lesser-known creations of the unique personality behind The Gong Show, The Newlywed Game, and The Dating Game. The $1.98 […]
Our latest installment of goofs from some of Hollywood’s most popular movies. The Big Lebowski (1998) Scene: In the opening scene, a bowler attempts to convert a 7-10 split. Blooper: A close-up shows the split being picked up with a different-colored bowling ball. Cast Away (2000) Scene: Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) cuts his hand while […]
England is a relatively small country, but it boasts a surprisingly high number of variations of the English language—accents, dialects, and, of course, slang. Here’s a look at Scouse, the uniquely colorful (and often inscrutable) jargon specific to the Beatles’ old stomping grounds of Liverpool, where “Scouse” is also the name many people call themselves. […]
Over the weekend, Chuck Berry died at the age of 90. Here are some facts you may not have known about one of the architects of rock n’ roll. Berry came up in an era in which record labels, music publishers, and concert promoters mercilessly cheated musicians—especially African-American musicians. Result: Berry always demanded to be […]
St. Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated in the U.S. and Ireland, of course. But did you know it’s a big deal in other countries? In England The two biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades are in New York City and Dublin. After that is the one in Manchester, the English city with the largest Irish population […]
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and for what he doesn’t know, he has a massive research library. So go ahead: in the comments below, ask Uncle John anything. (And if we answer your question sometime, we’ll send you a free book!) Why do Americans call it soccer and the English call it football? The United […]
And we don’t mean “ha-ha” funny. Speed Fills (The Coffers) In 2004 the city of Coopertown, Tennessee, realized they had a law-enforcement problem: the cops were costing the city too much money. The Robertson County Times reported that the police department cost about $125,000 to run, but that they had given out only $17,000 worth […]
On a 1976 Lynyrd Skynyrd live album, singer Ronnie Van Zandt asks a restless audience, “what song is it you wanna hear?” and the crowd responds “Free Bird!” because they wanted to hear the band’s biggest hit. Now, it’s as much a concert tradition as going home with ringings ears to shout out “Play ‘Free […]
In 2016, Fox debuted a show called Pitch, a drama about the first female Major League Baseball player. It’s really not so far-fetched. Toni Stone Toni Stone landed a spot on the St. Paul Giants, a semiprofessional team, in 1936. Not only was she an African-American woman who landed a spot on a men’s team […]
It’s bizarre to think that the outcome of some of the most momentous events in Western history have hinged on one detail. But that’s the case. Here are four examples of what we mean. The American Revolution Near Miss: If, in 1776, a pro-British soldier had read a note instead of sticking it in his […]
Seafaring was a major foundation of the world economy in the 1700s and 1800s because of whaling. Hunting whales and processing their fat, teeth, and other parts into useful goods was extremely important and profitable. (So much so that whales are now mostly endangered.) Whaling is now banned virtually worldwide, but here’s a look back […]
It’s really hard to skate on ice and play a contact sport. It’s even harder to do these things while doing that. A goal in every possible way There are five different permutations or situations in which a player can score a goal in hockey. They are even strength (both teams have six skaters on […]
Even for creative types, it can be hard to come up with a good title. (Trust us – we make books for a living.) Here are some of the original names proposed for some of the most popular video games of all time…which might not have been so popular had those names been used. Sonic […]
There’s an old adage in Hollywood: “Never work with kids or animals.” These sports teams didn’t heed this message (well, the animal part), and found out what happens when a beast decides to act on its own. The Atlanta Flacon On September 11, 1966, the Atlanta Falcons took the field for the first time as […]
We’ve talked about strange beer flavors before—and we talked about them again in our book Beer-Topia—but all those craft brewers out there keep coming up with more and more bizarre beers. Here’s another round. Hvalur 2 Stedji Brewery is based in Iceland, where the population has traditionally lived off the land, or more accurately, the […]
There are lots of important pro basketball stats to track: points, rebounds, assists, and, of course, stab wounds. Most stab wounds to not affect play About a month before the start of the 2000-2001 season, Boston Celtics star Paul Piece went to the Buzz Club in Boston. A fight broke out, and Pierce tried to […]
