Christmas: It’s a Literary Tradition
Some of the best Christmasy things are Christmas stories, like “A Christmas Carol,” “The Gift of the Magi,” and “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Here are their origin stories.
Tag: holidays
How to Celebrate Summerween
Summerween is upon us. What’s Summerween? All the fun of Halloween, without all the cold and dead leaves.
Peeps, Crème Eggs, and Chocolate Bunnies: Where Easter Candy Comes From
Every wonder why we eat marshmallow rabbits, pretend eggs, and chocolate bunnies at Easter? Here the origins of those seasonal treats.
5 of the Best April Fool’s Day Pranks of All Time
There’s an art to pranking, and throughout history, a few people and groups understood the assignment and staged some epic April Fools’ Day stunts.
You’re Going to Love This Love Words Quiz
There are many ways to say “I love you” in all of its different forms — here’s a quiz about some of history’s most forgotten terms of endearment.
Welcome to Life in 2025
Here’s what’s definitely (okay, probably not really) going to happen in 2025, according to some psychics and sci-fi movies.
Grab a Plate: We’ve Got Plenty of Holiday Food Origin Stories
As we gather to celebrate the holidays with particular and important treats, let’s explore the origins of those Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa favorites.
The Truth About Black Friday
Ready to shop ‘till you drop? Before you do, get a handle on the history of Black Friday.
The Origin of Veterans Day
This Veterans Day, let’s look at how and why we set aside November 11 each year.
Lewis’s Adventures in Wonderland
On July 4, 1862, Alice first encountered the White Rabbit, The Mad Hatter, and Queen of Hearts, and all the other residents of Wonderland. But did you know she was dreamed up by a math professor telling a story at a summer picnic? Read all about how Lewis Caroll concocted a fantasy classic. Charles Dodgson was […]
Portable Press’s Ho-Ho-Holiday Gift Guide 2022
By Brian Boone In case you didn’t notice the holiday season has arrived. If you need a list, Portable Press has you covered — books make the perfect gifts, and we’ve got a little something for almost everyone. For the Trivia Champion Uncle John’s Awesome 35th Anniversary Bathroom Reader Everybody knows that person who’s ready […]
Join Gordon “Uncle John” Javna for a Father’s Day Radio Tour!
Based on the author’s love of things weird, bizarre, and strange, Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Greatest Know on Earth is an all-new collection of curiosities and oddities throughout the ages. A nonfiction book with dazzling facts, jaw-dropping blunders, and astounding lists of trivia, this impeccably-researched compendium includes a range of single-page articles to extended page-turners. Tune in […]
Tune in as Authors Lisa Beth and Phoebe Discuss Mom Jokes!
One thing we all learned this past year of quarantine is that we need to laugh. A lot. Comedians Lisa Beth Johnson and Phoebe Bottoms are here to help with a collection of more than 300 snarky, sassy, and witty jokes for mom. A companion to the best-selling Dad Jokes, Mom Jokes is the best […]
A Look Back at What Was Supposed to Happen in 2020 (According to Psychics)
This was a wild, harrowing, and unpredictable year… and one that self-proclaimed psychics somehow didn’t see coming. Here are some events that psychics claimed were supposed to happen in 2020. The world may have avoided a catastrophic attack by this man — psychic Sidney Friedman ominously predicted that “cookies” would “disappear.” Friedman also said that […]
All About New Year’s Resolutions
This year, we resolve to write more blog posts about New Year’s resolutions. And look at that, we did it! • Ancient Babylonians started the idea of New Year’s resolutions about 4,000 years ago, although the new year in that society started in the middle of March and lined up with crop-planting season. As part […]
Who Will Have the Christmas #1 in the UK?
Every year, the UK goes a little mad as pop stars compete to see who will get the completely ceremonial honor of having the #1 song in the country on Christmas. Here’s a look at this cultural phenomenon, which has no real comparison in the U.S.
In the 2003 Christmas-set romantic comedy Love, Actually, aging pop star Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) tries to revive his career by trying to get a Christmas #1 with a song called “Christmas is All Around,” a holiday-themed remake of the Troggs’ hit “Love is All Around.” Mack calls it a “festering turd of a record.” It’s a satirical look at the English pop cultural phenomenon of the music industry – and music buyers – guessing what song will be #1 on Christmas Day.
Weird Thanksgiving Stories
It’s almost Thanksgiving—have you bought your robot turkey yet?
• In 2003, wildlife conservation officers in Michigan faced a spate of illegal turkey poachers. They didn’t call the Detroit police, one-time employer of Robocop—they brought in Robo Turkey. Several models of the $1,000 animatronic bird were placed in fields and woodlots around the state’s northern counties to protect wild turkeys. Robo Turkey looks like the real thing…from a distance. Officers can operate the bird via remote control to make him move around and shake his tail feathers, in order to attract illegal hungers. Robo Turkey has caught hundreds of poachers in the past decade.
It’s World Toilet Day
This funny-sounding idea might be the most important “holiday” in the world. Seriously.
Earlier this year, United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon, along with a coalition from Singapore, introduced a resolution to declare November 19th the first “World Toilet Day.” That sounds lighthearted or silly, but then maybe here in the U.S. we take for granted our widespread sanitation and consistent access to toilets. Worldwide, the lack of sanitation and toilets is a public health crisis. “Sanitation is central to human and environmental health,” Ban said. “It is essential for sustainable development, dignity, and opportunity.” In other words, it’s a basic human right that a lot of humans do not get to enjoy.
