Weird, Wonderful World
Cheese’s exact origin is unclear, but archaeological evidence reveals that people have been eating it for nearly 8,000 years. These facts are so gouda we had to share them. According to Greek mythology, cheese was invented by Aristaeus, a demigod who was the son of Apollo. According to an Arab legend, thousands of years ago a […]
This is a major election year. It is your civic duty to vote. When you do, is it at a school or public building, or one of these more eccentric polling stations? In one Los Angeles precinct, voters went to a swimming pool, with curtained booths set up just inches away from the shallow end. That’s not even […]
Beer, Gatorade, and auto parts are the kinds of sponsors you usually see plastered on NASCAR race cars. But many companies are willing to pay for that advertising exposure…even when it seems a little weird. From 2001 to 2005, Mark Martin, one of the oldest drivers on the NASCAR circuit, drove a car bearing stickers […]
“Kleenex” is probably the most famous example of a “genericized trademark”—a product so popular that people use the brand-name to identify it. You’ve probably heard someone ask for a “Kleenex” more often than they ask for a “tissue.” Here are some other name brands that have gone generic…and what, technically speaking, you should be calling […]
We found these actual medieval folk cures in an old book about English medical practices in the Middle Ages. So try them at your own risk. To treat baldness Rub some horse urine onto your scalp. If horse urine isn’t available, dog urine can be substituted. Fractures, abscesses, paralysis, epilepsy, nausea, sore throats, and ulcers […]
The slang or vernacular of any subculture develops slowly and naturally over time. Not so with the words and phrases associated with the 1990s “grunge” music scene. BACKGROUND In the early 1990s, the biggest thing in rock music was grunge, a mixture of punk rock and dreary guitar riffs that shot bands like Nirvana and […]
Take packaged junk food…and turn it into something “gourmet” with one of these weird recipes. (Warning to healthy eaters: DON’T LOOK!) Funyun Onion Rings Grind a bag of Funyuns in a blender. (Funyuns are made from cornmeal that’s formed into rings and heavily seasoned with onion powder.) Dip slices of real onions in the Funyun […]
Random facts about the happiest places on Earth: Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Walt Disney hated seeing chewing gum on the ground, so he prohibited Disneyland and Disney World from selling it. In fact, Disney didn’t want any garbage on the ground at all. So before Disneyland opened, he had planners study families at other […]
Is it good for you? Is it bad for you? It’s good and bad for you. It’s Good! A Dutch study found that people who drink two to four cups of coffee a day have a 20 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than those who drink no coffee. It’s Bad! The caffeine in […]
Getting kids to read anything other than what’s on their smartphones is tougher than ever these days. The Weapon Of Mass Instruction Argentinian artist Raul Lemesoff constructed what he calls “La Arma de Instruccion Masiva,” or “The Weapon of Mass Instruction.” It’s a 1979 Ford Falcon that he converted into a tank that shoots books […]
There are scores of delicious variations of cooked fillings and pastry out there—both sweet and savory. (Warning: This might make you hungry.) Pie A baking dish is lined with a pastry crust that bakes up crispy or flaky. On top of that goes a sweetened fruit filling, a savory meat filling, or, once it’s cooled, […]
Most TV game shows are made in Hollywood, so it makes sense that aspiring actors—a.k.a. Hollywood waitresses and dishwashers—would show up on game shows to get some face time on TV (and maybe win some cash). JOHN RITTER Appeared as a contestant on: The Dating Game Story: In 1967 Ritter was a 19-year-old freshman drama […]
The first thing Uncle John consumes in the morning: a handful of wasabi peas, washed down with black coffee. Here are some other landmark moments in the history of food. First Indian Restaurant in the West In 1810 Sake Dean Mahomed, a captain in the British East India Company, opened a restaurant in London that […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
