When a TV series takes place in the past, writers, set designers, and prop masters do their best to make sure that all the details are historically accurate. But sometimes they make mistakes. This was first published in our 29th annual edition, Uncle John’s Uncanny Bathroom Reader. Happy Days (1974–84) Scene: Howard, Marion, and Joanie Cunningham […]
Memphis is one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the U.S. to not have a team in the NFL. But it’s not for a lack of trying. Here’s a brief history of how pro football just never seems to come (or stick around) to the football-loving Tennessee city. In 1974, the NFL announced its first […]
Tattoos are nothing new. Even some historical figures had them. This article was first published in our brand-new, 29th annual edition, Uncle John’s Uncanny Bathroom Reader. Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) The rugged president was a pioneer of modern masculinity, including tattoos. As a young man, he had the Roosevelt family crest inked onto his chest. Andrew […]
Economists estimate that as much as 90% of all retail goods available in the United States are made overseas, particularly in China. These products include stereos, plastic toys, cups, belts, TVs, shoes, T-shirts, backpacks, telephones, coffee makers, toasters, and even religious memorabilia, just to name a few. Even though so many things are made in […]
Rejection is a part of life, particularly for those in the creative field. But these stories of rejection ultimately had happy endings. Stranger Things Last summer, Netflix had one of its biggest hits ever with the original series Stranger Things, a nostalgic, supernatural thriller set in the ‘80s. Co-creator Matt Duffer told Rolling Stone that […]
Back in colonial days, folks used to mix some mighty peculiar drinks. Here are a few favorites from the 17th and 18th centuries. SACK POSSET: Made by mixing clots of curdled milk into ale or wine EGG POP (or Egg Hot): Eggs, brandy, sugar, and ale ALEBERRY: Ale boiled with sugar, spices, and sops of […]
Most people never give a second thought to life’s most important questions, such as: How tall should a bowling pin be? Fortunately for them, we do. Here’s a look at the standard sizes of everyday objects. How big is a regular soccer ball? It must measure between 27 and 28 inches in circumference and weigh […]
The experts weigh in: here’s the best time of year to buy a whole bunch of things…if you want to get them on sale and save money, that is. A Boat Summer is peak boating season, which means nobody much buys them in the dead of winter. January and February is when boats are the […]
Happy Banned Books Week! While Uncle John believes in the free flow of information, not everybody does. Here are some books that were removed from bookstores and libraries for some odd reasons. Nudity! Martin Handford’s elaborately detailed Where’s Waldo books were a huge fad in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s as kids (and adults) […]
Back in stores right now for the first time in more than 20 years: Crystal Pepsi, a transparent cola that came and went from stores in the early ‘90s. Why would Pepsi revive a failed product? Because it wasn’t totally a failure—it did quite well at first…until Coca-Cola knocked it out of existence. There are […]
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he puts one of his many researchers 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!) Why does the new TV season start in the fall? The proliferation […]
Here’s a look at the science and naming stories behind some everyday stuff you can find right on your person. Funny Bone Knocking your funny bone on something certainly isn’t laugh-out-loud funny. The name references another kind of funny: You feel funny when it happens—a specific kind of jolting nerve pain that spreads throughout the […]
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) […]
Fads come and go. But it is hard to believe that these strange fads ever existed! First published in Strange History. Goldfish Swallowing On March 3, 1939, Harvard University student Lothrop Withington Jr. swallowed a live goldfish to win a $10 bet. Days later, not to be outdone, a college student in Pennsylvania downed three […]
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 does a painkiller like aspirin […]
Baseball great Satchel Paige once said, “Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” These sportsmen and women would agree with that. NEVER TOO YOUNG Kirsten Wilhelm biked across the U.S. in 66 days…at age 9. Thomas Gregory swam across the English Channel…at 11. Marjorie Gestring, a diver […]
We at the Bathroom Readers’ Institute already think the toilet is a work of art unto itself. At long last, the prestigious Guggenheim Museum agrees with us. Presenting the solid gold toilet. Last week, the prestigious Guggenheim in New York City, one of the most famous museums in the world, cleared all the exhibits from […]
If pirating separated the men from the boys, how come one of the best pirates was a woman? Here’s the story of Anne Bonny. Story first published in Uncle John’s Plunges into History. Pirate Benjamin If ever there was an old boys’ club it was under the Jolly Roger. Pirating was a man’s world, and most […]
