The English language is a constantly evolving beast with lots of rules and quirks. For example, “orphan initialisms,” which are acronyms that stand for…nothing. MTV. The channel that started off as “Music Television” hasn’t had a music video-schedule in decades, so it kind of makes sense that “MTV” is the network’s actual name, and the […]
Here’s how all the stuff in your garage, shed, and on the truck got their names. CHISEL Along with the gentle or aggressive tapping of a hammer, a chisel is used to chip away into very hard surfaces like stone or bricks. In a very slow, even indirect way, chisel cuts into stone, so it […]
In 1959 Hawaii became the 50th state in the union. Here are some other things that make the Aloha State unique and special. …with an isolated population center. It’s actually the most densely populated place in the world that’s thousands of miles from other crowded places. It’s nearly 2,400 miles from California, nearly 4,000 from […]
Is there a person alive who doesn’t like Dolly Parton? Here are some interesting facts about her. Just Dolly The name Dolly is often a nickname or “diminutive” of a more formal first name, particularly Dorothy or Dolores. Not for Dolly Parton. Her real first name is Dolly. First acting roles After a successful career […]
The Who Knew? titles are collections of articles filled with gems of wisdom to dazzle your brain cells. These books have plenty of tales to surprise and delight even the most ardent trivia fan. The two newest editions to the series are Who Knew? Women in History and Who Knew? Human Anatomy. Enter our giveaway […]
The serious origins of your favorite characters from the funny pages. BLONDIE At its outset in 1930, Blondie was just one of many comics about flappers, those ladies of the Jazz Age who danced all night in bold, calf-exposing dresses. Chic Young’s strip centered on Blondie Boopadoop (cribbing heavily from the catchphrase of fellow fictional […]
Summer of 2019 marks 50 years in the past that humans did the most futuristic thing possible: We put a man on the Moon. Here are some quirky facts about that time Apollo 11 made its moonshot. Who Needs You Anyway, Moon? While John F. Kennedy embodied the hope and optimism of the early ‘60s […]
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin becoming the first humans to walk on the moon in July 1969, here’s a look at a few individuals who came so close to getting to go into space…but then didn’t. Lance Bass Only a handful of civilians — meaning […]
Unscripted, or calculated? You be the judge. Real Housewives Reality Show: Cameras follow the exploits of cliques of well-to-do women from various American cities. Episodes feature fights, betrayal, drinking, and sexual situations. REAL Show: The gossip website RadarOnline posted photos of the cast and crew of Real Housewives of New York City filming a “spontaneous” […]
Those Hollywood celebrities: they’re just like us! By which we mean they get themselves into embarrassing situations in restrooms. MAGNUM, PEE? AYE! Even Tom Hanks, the most likeable movie star in the world, can embarrass himself once in a while. In a 2013 interview, he told the story of a moment he wishes he could […]
It was back in 1959 — 60 years ago — that Alaska became a state (#49 overall). Here’s some trivia about what makes “The Land of the Midnight Sun,” a.k.a. “The Last Frontier” one of a kind. That will pay you to live there. The Alaskan state government makes so much money off of the […]
Sponsors drop in and drop out of college football bowls, leaving some very odd official names in the sports history books. Progressive Gator Bowl (2011) The Gator Bowl has been played for decades, but in 2011 insurance company Progressive bought the “sponsor rights.” The resulting name makes it sound like the game was paid for […]
Oh honey, “hive” got a feeling you’re going to love reading these news stories about bees. It’s very much your beeswax. Bee Listening About a year ago, a couple living in a house in Granada, in southern Spain, noticed bees in their yard, and were bothered by a low buzzing sound…which got gradually louder. As […]
When a holiday has a number right there in its name, it just makes us want to take a deep dive into the huge numbers that make the United States’ celebratory day of independence so special. 56: The number of signatories to the Declaration of Independence, ratified on July 4, 1776, and establishing the United […]
July 1st is the day that Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories celebrate Canada Day, commemorating the day the nation officially formed in 1867. Had history gone a bit differently, there’d be a lot more of Canada to celebrate on Canada Day. Vermont From 1777 to 1791, the state of Vermont was an independent republic, […]
Back in junior high, you probably learned about the pantheon of Ancient Greek gods and goddesses — Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, and so forth. Your teachers probably didn’t cover these more obscure — and very specific — grand deities. Wandering planet gods The Greeks believed in “Astra Planeti,” a special class of gods that ruled over […]
Spider-Man is one of comicdom’s most popular, famous, and adaptable superheroes — the eighth big-budget movie about the teen web-slinger made since 2000 hits theaters this summer. Spider-Man: Far from Home features Mysterio, one of the more well-known villains from the comics. These others will probably never make it to the big screen. The Spot […]
The Dick Tracy movie hit theaters last week in 1990, reviving the 1930s comic strip franchise for a new generation. To demonstrate just now “ugly” the crimes committed by the bad guys in this law and order comic strip could be, creator Chester Gould made the villains physically grotesque. P.S. Tone The P.S. stands for […]
