Here’s hoping these facts don’t burn out like a candle in the wind. “Your Song” John’s first album, Empty Sky (1969), flopped in both the U.S. and the U.K. Still, he got a gig as the opening act for Three Dog Night. One of the songs he performed on that tour was “Your Song,” which […]
Hungry for some word play? You’ll eat up these juicy origins of popular phrases. Spill the Beans Meaning: To give away a secret Origin: “A tradition that began in ancient Greece for electing a new member to a private club was to give each existing member one white and one brown bean with which to […]
Major cities around the world place bids years in advance to host the Summer Olympics games. Here’s a look at some major metropolises that went for the gold…and lost the race. Tokyo, Helsinki In 1936, Tokyo was selected as the site of the 1940 Olympics, the first Asian city to host the Games. But in […]
Here’s why the Black Forest of Germany is deeply associated with both a special kind of ham and a cherry-chocolate cake. The Black Forest—or Schwarzwald, in German—isn’t strictly a forest. It’s actually a mountain range, found in the southwestern corner of Germany. It’s probably best known to non-Europeans in the names of two foods: Black […]
Real cowboy slang of the late 19th century was a lot different from the way it’s been depicted in movies and on TV. Coffee boiler: A lazy person who sits around the coffee pot instead of helping with the work. Big bug: Important person; big shot. Bone orchard: Cemetery. The boss: The best. He only […]
A full moon is never just a full moon. For while they happen semi-regularly—about once a month, usually in the middle—where it falls in the year gives each full moon a special distinction. These originated primarily in New England, where many come Algonquin tribes passed them along to European settlers.
After The Simpsons hit it big, the other networks tried to get their own primetime cartoon. But while Fox has had long term success with The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Family Guy, not too many others cartoons have lasted too long with adult viewers. Father of the Pride (2004) This NBC series was […]
Uncle John would like to remind you, once and for all, he is not playing with his “dolls.” They are action figures. Goodbye, Dolly In 1964 designers at Hasbro Toys came up with a line of military dolls. Executives loved it, but the marketing department felt that boys would never buy anything called a “doll,” […]
What do the 2002 sci-fi movie A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and a new miniseries about Napoleon have in common? Both are upcoming Stanley Kubrick projects…although the legendary director died in 1999. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence In the 1970s, Kubrick started work on a film version of Brian Aldiss’s short story “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long.” It’s an […]
He’s the most popular and well known character in video game history. Mario has appeared in more than 50 games since the early ’80s…but not all of them have been winners. Mario’s Bombs Away In this game from 1983 (which played on a handheld device), Mario is no longer a plumber—he’s a solider. The player […]
We hope you don’t find this page of macaroni trivia too cheesy. (1) Macaroni is a corruption of the Italian maccheroni, which comes from the Latin macerare. The word means to bruise or crush; crushing wheat is how pasta is made. (2) In the United States and England, they call it macaroni and cheese. In […]
You may keep some in your car, or in your purse, or use some at stations posted at the entrance to most public buildings and doctors’ offices. Here’s a look at a product that’s become a regular part of daily life: hand sanitizer. (1) Hand sanitizer was first developed by an Ohio company called GOJO, […]
Warning: These stories are morbid…but fascinating. By looking at their final meals, we catch an eerie glimpse into the everyday lives of these larger-than-life figures…whose worlds were about to end. ELVIS PRESLEY The King stayed up most of the night of August 15, 1977. He was restless. Between midnight and 6:00 a.m., he went to […]
There are certain places you hear mentioned on the news or read about in magazines that aren’t exactly countries—they’re more like regions or “geographic distinctions.” But where are they? (Here they are.)
…except “can I have some cookies?” We don’t have any cookies. Only answers to trivia queries. In fresh milk, why does cream rise to the top? Milk that is fresh from the cow, or unpasteurized, comes with the cream, all at once. Cream has a lot more fat in it than the milk does. Oddly […]
Popular songs are more than just background music—we mark the milestones in our lives by the songs we listened to. Here are the stories behind how some of our favorites were created. Marvin Gaye SONG: “What’s Going On” (1971) STORY: By the end of the 1960s, Gaye had become unhappy with the way Motown was […]
For some reason, baseball seems to inspire more songs than any other sport. “Fat is In” Terry Forster was a journeyman relief pitcher who played for five teams in the ‘70s and ‘80s, including the Los Angeles Dodgers when they won the 1981 World Series. When he was traded to Atlanta in 1983, he put […]
Most all major bands reassemble at least once for a comeback tour. These bands reunited, too—for one concert. Pink Floyd The band—or what was left of it, after the departure of multiple founding members over clashing egos and constant infighting—quietly disbanded after it wrapped up its 1994 tour. It would take a good cause to […]
