More fascinating secrets behind where the architects of pop culture get their ideas. Some of these may surprise you. Annie Wilkes The psychotic nurse in Stephen King’s Misery (played by Kathy Bates in the 1990 movie) was based on pediatric nurse Genene Jones, imprisoned for overdosing kids and then reviving them so she would be […]
A look at life in the not-so-distant (but it sure seems like it!) past. World population: 3.9 billion (2014: about 7.2 billion) Average life expectancy in the U.S.: 71.4 (2014: 78.7) Average annual income: $12,900 (minimum wage: $1.60 per hour) Average cost of a… Television: Movies: Sports: Music: News: Science News: Deaths: Bruce Lee, Bobby […]
These stars jumped ship at maybe not the best time. The stories of why Dan Stevens, Wayne Rogers, and Mischa Barton left their hit shows.
Some strange tips sent in by readers who swear they work. (These were not tested in the Uncle John’s Laboratories.) About to sneeze? Push the tip of your tongue upward against the roof of your mouth where the hard palate ends and the soft palate begins (between your back teeth). Chopping an onion? Avoid the […]
Over a 30-year music career, Prince has has won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He’s sold 100 million albums, starred in three movies, and written dozens of songs for other artists. But he’s also known for his eccentricity. For example…
These once-popular shoes aren’t what you’d call “sole survivors.” THE REEBOK PUMP (1989) This innovative sneaker featured an inflation system with a basketball-shaped pump on the tongue of each shoe that created a tighter “custom fit” around the ankle and top of the foot. Despite a retail price upwards of $150, stores could hardly keep […]
Here are some fun things to listen for next time you see these films. JURASSIC PARK (1993) We Hear: The T-rex roaring and huffing as it chases a Jeep Actual Sound: The vocalizations of a whale, lion, alligator, elephant, and koala THE MATRIX (1999) We Hear: The “Matrix Code” scrolling rapidly across the screen Actual […]
Before refrigeration, sauces originated as a way to hide the taste of food that was staring to spoil. Then people started tinkering with them, and things got a lot tastier. Here are the five sauces that food historians say are the source of all other sauces that followed.
This page isn’t a rerun—these facts are about shows from the 1970s. The Partridge Family Despite being a fictional band with songs performed almost entirely by studio musicians, the Partridge Family was nominated for Best New Artist at the 1971 Grammy Awards. (They lost to the Carpenters.) All in the Family Today, many shows carry […]
Some of your favorite NBA teams almost ended up with these names. Orlando Juice Orlando, Florida, scored an NBA expansion team in 1987. Naming it was put to a vote in the Orlando Sentinel. Of the 4,300 entries, four finalists were selected by the team’s owners: Heat, Tropics, Juice, and Magic. They decided on Juice, […]
Did John D. Rockefeller ever eat oysters Rockefeller? Here’s how some tasty foods got their names. Bananas Foster Richard Foster was the chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission in the early 1950s and a friend of restaurateur Owen Brennan, who also served on the commission. Foster must have loved bananas, because in 1951 Brennan […]
Here are some pint-sized facts about the world’s most famous pint-sized sex therapist. Karola Ruth Siegel (Westheimer is her married name) was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Germany in 1928. At age 12, Ruth was sent to safety at an orphanage in Switzerland. She never saw her family again; her parents are believed to […]
Stuff you didn’t know about the stuff on your TiVo. The Office In 2009 producers planned to spin off Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) to his own show. Following the same “mockumentary” format, the show was set to be about Bernard’s home life with his wife. Why didn’t it happen? Because Modern Family happened, and it […]
Lots of acts go solo, but for every George Michael (of Wham!) success, there’s an Andrew Ridgeley (of Wham!) flop. But here are some singers who did so well that they left their formerly well-known bands in the dustbin of history.
Mapmakers pioneered the idea of “copyright traps”—inserting fake cities or landmarks and then seeing if they show up in rivals’ work to see if they’ve been ripped off. The idea exists throughout the world of “intellectual property,” even music. Joel Whitburn is the music world’s top chart historian. Using the charts published by Billboard Magazine, […]
Better living through toilet technology. The Nano Membrane Toilet More than two billion people live without access to safe and clean water. This could help with that. The Nano Membrane Toilet, created by a team at Cranfield University in the U.K., doesn’t require water. The toilet’s “nanotech membrane” can suck water out of waste and […]
Los Angeles will soon have one (or potentially two) NFL teams. It will be a prime location for hosting Super Bowls. In 2013 a newspaper reporter uncovered the NFL’s “Host City Specifications and Requirements,” a confidential 153-page list of the league’s demands for any city bidding to host the Super Bowl. Here are a few items on the list.
We recently told you about some arguably inappropriate cartoon remakes of R-rated movies, but here are some that make a little more sense: Saturday morning version of kid-friendly sitcoms. Gilligan’s Planet (1982-83) Gilligan’s Island was not a big hit when it originally aired from 1964-1967, but became a smash when it was endlessly repeated in […]
