Hey, Buddy: A lot of popular, colloquial phrases involve the use of a common, generic first name. Here are the origins of some of them, Jack. “Geez, Louise” At least as early as the late 1900s, English speakers started inserting words into their speech that sounded like a blasphemous cuss word that “took the lord’s […]

President George H.W. Bush, who served from 1989 to 1993, passed away at the edge of 94. Here’s a look back at the long and interesting life of the Commander-in-Chief. Near death experience As a teenager, he contracted such a serious staph infection — which nearly killed him — that he missed so much school […]

If there’s ever a 51st state in the United States, it’ll most likely be Puerto Rico or the District of Columbia. But if these very small political movements had had their way, we’d already have more states: former Canadian provinces. All of Western Canada The Unionest (“union” + “best”) formed in 1980 by former members […]

In October of 2018, this former electronics repairman died at the age of 94. What did he go on to do? Revolutionize medicine and save lives. It started with Frankenstein Even as a child, Earl Bakken was obsessed with electronics, an inclination that started when he saw Frankenstein on a Saturday movie matinee in Minneapolis. […]

Close your eyes and think back on your school days. Picture that chalkboard and the hand-cranked pencil sharpener, and that soft pink eraser in your desk. Here’s where all that stuff came from. (This article was first published in our 31st annual edition, Uncle John’s Actual and Factual Bathroom Reader.)  Pink Erasers  The Faber-Castell Company had been making pencils in Bavaria […]

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Or, should you know of those scourges of the sea by a different name, International Talk Like a Buccaneer Day. There have been lots of different words throughout history synonymous with pirates, and here’s a little bit about their origins. Or rather, arrrrrr-igins. Buccaneer Pirates, as the […]

Here’s some trivia about the U.S. National Anthem. The Defense of Fort McHenry While Francis Scott Key took the tune whole cloth from a 1700s drinking song called “To Anacreon in Heaven,” he wrote the lyrics after being eyewitness to the American victory at Fort McHenry, a battle during the War of 1812 against England. […]

People and companies change names all the time. Not so common—when an entire country decides on a new moniker. Burkina Faso A lot of modern-day African culture was shaped by European colonialism. France in particular once ruled over much of the continent, giving countries names that were used by the world political community. Upper Volta—named […]

Let’s take a look at all some guys in history who have been called the “father of” some notable innovation. The Yellow School Bus In the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, educator and writer Frank W. Cyr was one of the nation’s foremost experts on rural education, and how to properly school all those kids who […]

The royal wedding between Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle has been in the planning stages—and hotly anticipated—ever since they announced their engagement last November. Let’s hope they crossed every t and dotted every i, and can avoid these mishaps of royal weddings past. Old Hat One of the perks of being the queen […]

Or rather, how long can a person be president of the United States? The answer is (probably) not what you think. We hope you enjoy this civics brainteaser. What do Uncle John’s political feelings and free time have in common? The only political group he identifies with is the “Trivia Party,” (which he made up […]

Changing the Constitution is tough business, so there are a lot of rules in place before an amendment can be adopted (it has to pass the House and Senate with big majorities and then approved by a super majority of state legislatures). That means these attempted amendments are doomed to the cutting room floor of […]

Sure, finding a message in a bottle is a rare, amazing, once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Even better: finding the oldest ever message in a bottle. Wedge Island In January 2018, a Naceline, Australia, family named the Illmans (and some friends) took off for a beach trip in the western part of the country. They drove on the […]

We are celebrating poetry with these fascinating and interesting stories about some poetic titans of the English language. Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer only published one work in his life, and he didn’t even finish it before he died, but fortunately that one work was The Canterbury Tales, the first work of narrative poetry in the […]

Harrison usually ranks at the bottom of historians’ rankings of U.S. presidents. He died a month into his term…but he still ranks above other presidents, like James Buchanan, whose mishandling of public affairs led to the Civil War. So what did Harrison actually accomplish in his short time in office to save himself from being the […]