Throughout history, many leaders were given lofty nicknames— Catherine the Great or Richard the Lionhearted, for example. But not everyone could be Great or Magnificent. Some rulers got strange, and strangely specific, nicknames. ALFONSO THE SLOBBERER: King Alfonso IX ruled León (now part of France) from 1188 to 1230. He was prone to fits of […]
Sometimes a musician will create lightning in a bottle and write and record a song that storms the charts. Other times, it takes a little time—or a lot of time—for that song to become a hit. “A Little Less Conversation” Take 1: In 1967, singer-songwriter Mac Davis and his writing partner, Billy Strange (a session […]
A few more violent, racist, and otherwise inappropriate items with one strange thing in common: Kids are supposed to play with them. Black Bandit The LEGO company has distanced itself from what Muslim groups have dubbed the “terrorist LEGO.” Sold by an unlicensed LEGO enthusiast from Seattle named Will Chapman, Black Bandit is a head-scarf-wearing, […]
Strange baseball stats, baseball facts, and baseball trivia from Major League Baseball.
The music-and-comedy variety show was a television mainstay until the 1980s. Why did the format die out? Probably because of shows like these. Joey and Dad After Sonny and Cher got divorced, Allan Blye, producer of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, attempted to create another variety show duo: sultry singer-dancer Joey Heatherton…and her father, […]
Cheese’s exact origin is unclear, but archaeological evidence reveals that people have been eating it for nearly 8,000 years. These facts are so gouda we had to share them. According to Greek mythology, cheese was invented by Aristaeus, a demigod who was the son of Apollo. According to an Arab legend, thousands of years ago a […]
This is a major election year. It is your civic duty to vote. When you do, is it at a school or public building, or one of these more eccentric polling stations? In one Los Angeles precinct, voters went to a swimming pool, with curtained booths set up just inches away from the shallow end. That’s not even […]
It’s always interesting to find out where the architects of pop culture get their ideas. Some of these may surprise you. Biff Tannen The jerk played by Tom Wilson in the 1985 film Back to the Future was named after studio executive Ned Tannen, who once acted like a jerk to director Robert Zemeckis and […]
Beer, Gatorade, and auto parts are the kinds of sponsors you usually see plastered on NASCAR race cars. But many companies are willing to pay for that advertising exposure…even when it seems a little weird. From 2001 to 2005, Mark Martin, one of the oldest drivers on the NASCAR circuit, drove a car bearing stickers […]
“Kleenex” is probably the most famous example of a “genericized trademark”—a product so popular that people use the brand-name to identify it. You’ve probably heard someone ask for a “Kleenex” more often than they ask for a “tissue.” Here are some other name brands that have gone generic…and what, technically speaking, you should be calling […]
We found these actual medieval folk cures in an old book about English medical practices in the Middle Ages. So try them at your own risk. To treat baldness Rub some horse urine onto your scalp. If horse urine isn’t available, dog urine can be substituted. Fractures, abscesses, paralysis, epilepsy, nausea, sore throats, and ulcers […]
The slang or vernacular of any subculture develops slowly and naturally over time. Not so with the words and phrases associated with the 1990s “grunge” music scene. BACKGROUND In the early 1990s, the biggest thing in rock music was grunge, a mixture of punk rock and dreary guitar riffs that shot bands like Nirvana and […]
Take packaged junk food…and turn it into something “gourmet” with one of these weird recipes. (Warning to healthy eaters: DON’T LOOK!) Funyun Onion Rings Grind a bag of Funyuns in a blender. (Funyuns are made from cornmeal that’s formed into rings and heavily seasoned with onion powder.) Dip slices of real onions in the Funyun […]
Random facts about the happiest places on Earth: Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Walt Disney hated seeing chewing gum on the ground, so he prohibited Disneyland and Disney World from selling it. In fact, Disney didn’t want any garbage on the ground at all. So before Disneyland opened, he had planners study families at other […]
Is it good for you? Is it bad for you? It’s good and bad for you. It’s Good! A Dutch study found that people who drink two to four cups of coffee a day have a 20 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than those who drink no coffee. It’s Bad! The caffeine in […]
Sure, you support your favorite sports team. You wear the team ball cap, have a team logo decal in your car window, maybe even drink out of an official team mug. But do you love it enough to dress up in team colors and dance around in public? Robin Ficker The Washington Bullets of the […]
Getting kids to read anything other than what’s on their smartphones is tougher than ever these days. The Weapon Of Mass Instruction Argentinian artist Raul Lemesoff constructed what he calls “La Arma de Instruccion Masiva,” or “The Weapon of Mass Instruction.” It’s a 1979 Ford Falcon that he converted into a tank that shoots books […]
There are scores of delicious variations of cooked fillings and pastry out there—both sweet and savory. (Warning: This might make you hungry.) Pie A baking dish is lined with a pastry crust that bakes up crispy or flaky. On top of that goes a sweetened fruit filling, a savory meat filling, or, once it’s cooled, […]
