What, like there aren’t enough holidays in December already? December 1: Eat a Red Apple Day This holiday was likely a marketing invention of some fruit packing company specializing in red apples. It’s the day to keep the doctor away by grabbing a crunchy—and red—apple like a Fuji or Red Delicious. Probably the worst thing […]
You probably remember the Cabbage Patch Kids frenzy of ’83, or the Tickle Me Elmo craze of ’96. But do you recall these other hot toys of yesteryear? 1934 A doll made in the likeness of extremely popular child star Shirley Temple was one of the first designed in the image of a celebrity, and […]
From the birth of cinema in the 1890s until the late 1940s, the standard film stock was made of a nitrate base, which is highly combustible. Plus, it disintegrates quickly if it’s not stored in a special low-oxygen, low-humidity, climate-controlled vault. Result: Hundreds of films are gone forever, including these: THE FAIRYLOGUE AND RADIO-PLAYS (1908). […]
Keep digging for answers, because these historical finds make zero sense. Cocaine in Ancient Egypt? How could Egyptian mummies—ranging from 800 to 3,000 years old—have traces of cocaine and tobacco in their hair, skin, and bones? Cocaine and tobacco come from plants that grew only in the still-undiscovered New World and weren’t accessible to Egyptians. […]
You’ve probably never seen these movies. That’s why they’re on this list. The 13th Warrior In the ‘90s, several adaptations of works by Michael Crichton were among the most successful projects in Hollywood. The 1993 big-screen version of his novel Jurassic Park was the top movie of the year, and successful movies of Rising Sun, […]
Here’s the story of a lovely lady…beloved by millions for her career-making role on The Brady Bunch. RIP Florence Henderson. She Was a Stage Star While Still a Teenager In 1952, 18-year-old Florence Henderson landed one line in a Broadway play called Wish You Were Here. The theatrical giants of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein […]
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro died over the weekend at age 90 of natural causes. That’s a remarkable achievement in and of itself—the Communist leader was a long-time declared enemy of the American government, which tried to kill him lots of times. He thwarted and survived them all. The ol’ poisoned seashell Castro enjoyed scuba diving […]
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he heads his massive research library, or puts one of his many associates on the case. 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!) How is coffee decaffeinated? And is […]
It’s as much of a Thanksgiving tradition as eating too much. Here’s a look at why Turkey Day ALWAYS includes an NFL game featuring the Detroit Lions…and another one featuring the Dallas Cowboys. This Thanksgiving, millions will gather around their TV screens to watch the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings. Then, the Dallas Cowboys will […]
With the often brutal winter winds and giant things filled with helium, it’s a wonder there aren’t more balloon mishaps at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here are a few notable fiascos from parades past. When the parade began in the 1920s, the used-up balloons were released into the sky, where they would eventually pop, […]
It’s the holiday with the silly name…and an extremely serious message. There are a lot of silly holidays out there—Plush Animal Lovers Day or International Bacon Day, for example. They mainly exist as fun, viral marketing. That’s not the case with World Toilet Day. November 19th was officially established as the day of action in […]
Warning: This article full of nut trivia may contain nuts. Until the mid-20th century, hazelnuts were called filberts. That name is likely a corruption of the name of St. Philibert, whose feast day of August 20 coincides with the day filberts (okay, hazelnuts) start to ripen in western Europe. Five states have an official […]
November 18, 1928, is the birth date of the most famous cartoon ever: Mickey Mouse. Read on for the story of how he got his name, as well as the surprising origins of other famous characters. This article was first published in Uncle John’s Great Big Bathroom Reader. Mickey Mouse The most famous cartoon character […]
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he heads his massive research library, or puts one of his many associates on the case. 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!) Pants are a singular object. Then […]
Perhaps the breakout character on Netflix’s Queen Elizabeth II series The Crown is the one who isn’t a royal: Winston Churchill. His slow, post-World War II fade from prominence is depicted in the show by a heavily made-up John Lithgow (one of the few non-British actors in the cast). Here are a few things you may not have known about “The British Bulldog.”
Teddy Roosevelt: President, soldier namesake of the Teddy bear…and architect of modern football. In 1905, football was even more rough and violent than it is today. Between 1900 and 1905, 45 people actually died from injuries sustained while being kicked, punched, or tackled while playing the sport—primarily internal injuries, broken necks, and severe concussions. (Football […]
Not every B&J release can be a Cherry Garcia or Chunky Monkey. The company’s website maintains a Flavor Graveyard, where it lists all the flavors that flopped. But which of the following are real ice creams that melted…and which did we make up? Wavy Gravy In addition to the success of the Jerry Garcia-inspired Cherry […]
Some things in life go without saying…but there’s always the occasional genius who has to be told not to hold the moving end of a chain saw. On Cadbury Whole Nut Milk Chocolate bar: “Contains nuts, milk.” On a massager: “Do not use while unconscious.” On shin guards: “Cannot protect any part of the body […]
