Here are some awful avians and foul fowl that have made headlines recently. Cunning Cassowaries The cassowary is widely considered the most dangerous bird on the planet. Native to New Guinea and Australia, cassowaries have super sharp claws and powerful legs. They can run at speeds of up to 31 mph and can jump nearly […]
When economists want to get a sense of how the economy is doing, they look at things like the prime lending rate, the unemployment rate, and the Dow Jones Average. It turns out that’s not all they look at. (This article was originally published in Uncle John’s Weird Weird World EPIC.) Down Under Alan Greenspan was […]
Many Americans bought their first record, cassette, or CD at a Tower Records. Uncle John’s dutiful blogger here bought a Monkees album at a Tower in Portland, Oregon, for example. The chain’s impact on the American music industry was huge. And now it’s gone. When Russell Solomon founded Tower in 1960, he was in his […]
It would seem that the nation has a major problem with bathroom banshees. Akai-Kami-Aoi-Kami According to modern Japanese folklore, Akai-Kami-Aoi-Kami likes to pop up in stalls to ask his female victims (he only pops up in women’s restrooms) a seemingly simple question: “Do you want red paper or blue paper?” Those who answer “red” are […]
Lots of spectators + huge balloons + autumn weather = the potential for calamity.
Can we top off your cup of steaming hot facts?
Historian Samuel Eliot Morison says that “more bunk has been written about Pilgrims than any other subjects except Columbus and John Paul Jones.” After reading this, maybe you’ll agree.
Some say that Batman is the world’s greatest detective but this Victorian star of stage and screen (and plenty of books too) gives the Dark Knight a run for his money. Holmes was created by English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who once studied to become an eye doctor. While in medical school at the […]
On November 23, 1936, the late great Life magazine published its first issue. Here are some facts about the magazine.
The annual awards show took place last weekend. Here’s a look back at the history of the event.
Countless teenagers and other rascals have participated in this classic prank since toilet paper was pretty much invented. No one is safe, not even famous people!
Has a city ever won a championship in all four major team sports in the same calendar year? The short answer: No. They haven’t.
Sure, you can take awesome selfies and delight the entire Internet, but there’s some pretty amazing technology that the tiny computer and advanced camera in your pocket can do.
These people made it into the Guinness World Records and probably wish they hadn’t.
…not really a word at all. Each year, the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, the long-standing if self-appointed guardians of the English language and official record keeper of new words, names a word, phrase, or slang term its “Word of the Year,” reflecting a major impact on society, the news, or communications. Past Words […]
Mules have been hauling people and cargo up and down the Grand Canyon for more than a century. Here are some fun facts about these industrious pack animals…
Fast food franchises are a lot better at making greasy burgers than they are at making self-promoting video games.
May the odds be ever in your favor. Author Suzanne Collins wrote the first Hunger Games book in the mid ‘00s. She was inspired by Greek myths and her father’s experiences while working for the Air Force. Collins has also said the nugget for the series came from an evening she spent watching television. After […]
