Have you ever wanted to go on a treasure hunt? Does trying to reach a random location sound like a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon? Then you may want to try geocaching . The concept is simple. After jotting down coordinates via a website or logging onto an app with their smartphones, geocachers […]
Players are traded in sports all the time, but here’s the story of a time when owners traded entire teams. Even a casual basketball fan would tell you that the most storied team in the NBA is the Boston Celtics, and the one with the most woeful history (until recently) was the Los Angeles Clippers. […]
It’s well known that collectible toys are worth more when they’re still in the package. In 1977, the package was all some Star Wars toy seekers could get. In the mid-’70s, Mego Toys was the a big player in action figure—essentially dolls marketed to boys modeled after characters from movies and TV. Big sellers for […]
Star Wars fans all around the world are eagerly awaiting the theatrical release of The Force Awakens. Here’s how various movie theaters and media outlets have helped keep them distracted until it opens on December 18th. Starbnb Airbnb allows users to rent out private homes instead of hotel rooms. Starbnb is a Star Wars-themed parody […]
The Grammy for Best New Artist is famously “cursed.” It isn’t—for every Milli Vanilli, there’s a Beatles or Adele. But whatever became of these more obscure winners of the prize? Peter Nero (1962) While most winners of the award have been pop and rock singers, Nero was a pianist, pops conductor, and orchestral composer. While […]
In much of the Western world, Santa “brings” presents to children on Christmas. What about Jewish kids? No such fanciful legend—parents give gifts during Hanukkah. Enough was enough, thought the writers of Saturday Night Live in the ‘80s. Hanukkah Harry first appeared on SNL in 1989. In one of the episode’s sketches, Santa Claus (Phil […]
This Christmas tradition is only about a decade old. In 2004, inspiration struck for Carol Aebersold and her daughter, Chanda Bell. For years, their family had enjoyed a Christmas tradition that involved placing a toy elf named Frisbee on a shelf to keep an eye on their kids during the holidays. Kids were told the […]
What does one do with an old public bathroom when it’s no longer needed (or collapses during a hurricane)? Turn it into something else, of course! The Attendant (London) This underground, Victorian-era bathroom is located in London’s trendy Soho district. Originally constructed around 1890, it was abandoned in the 1960s before being converted into a […]
While seats are getting more cramped in economy class, modern air travel has become better than ever for those willing to shell out some extra dough. Singapore Airlines Suites First class passengers on Singapore Airlines can enjoy what is likely the fanciest cabin in the skies on the company’s A380 jets. They can choose between […]
That spooky instrument you hear in old horror and sci-fi movies? That’s a theremin, one of the strangest musical instruments ever created. The sound is familiar, even if the name isn’t. The warbling melody in the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” the electronic keening that underscores 1950s sci-fi movies—it’s a tone somewhere between a slide whistle […]
Today is the 35th anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon. But instead of dwelling on that tragedy, let’s take a look at Lennon’s wife and partner, conceptual artist Yoko Ono. In 1966, Ono mounted a show in the Indica Gallery in London. John Lennon opted to attend, and he got to get in early—VIPs […]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is released in cinemas later this week. Here’s how a few fans are celebrating the film (and the Christmas season too). The TIE Fighter Light Display Maxwell DeLorm of Munnsville, New York, decided to decorate his house with something other than jolly Santas this year. Instead, he and his friends […]
Getting all the way to a sport’s championship round is a major achievement, even if you don’t win. Here’s a look at the teams in pro baseball, basketball, football, and hockey that have gone the longest between title runs. It’s probably the best-known championship drought in sports history: The Chicago Cubs haven’t won a World […]
One of the Disney company’s most popular movies is Frozen. But was the company’s founder and namesake also frozen after he died? On what would have been Walt Disney’s 114th birthday, we put some ice on the story. Contrary to the urban legend, Walt Disney was not cryogenically frozen. First of all, the technology to […]
Leonardo DiCaprio will play this fearless frontiersman in the upcoming film The Revenant. Here’s how his adventures back in the 19th century helped turn him into a legend. It’s difficult to separate fact from fiction when it comes to his many adventures. In 1806, 26-year-old Glass was reportedly kidnapped by the crew of pirate captain […]
As they learn more about a disease (or respond to public misconceptions), doctors and scientists may change the name of familiar, widespread conditions. SEID Also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the official name for this difficult to understand condition in which those afflicted experience long bouts of otherwise unexplainable tiredness is myalgic encephalomyelitis. According to […]
One of music’s biggest mysteries has finally been revealed. Carly Simon was one of the 1970s’ biggest pop stars. Her memoir Boys in the Trees just released, and to tease and promote it, she told People the answer to the one question they’ve been asking her for years that she’s never quite answered: the identity of […]
It’s like The Longest Yard in real life: professionals pitted against prisoners. The Sing Sing Black Sheep New York state’s Sing Sing is one of the most notoriously tough prisons in America. In 1931, Lewis E. Lawes was running Sing Sing and the decision was made to start a prison football team as a form […]
