How January got its name
The first month of the modern Gregorian calendar owes its name to a Roman god. Continue reading How January got its name
Category: Trivia
The Phoebus cartel: Lighting the way for planned obsolescence
Planned obsolescence is an annoyance to many consumers. The conventional wisdom, that consumer goods were once produced using material that would ensure longer-lasting durability than those today, is based upon solid evidence. What many may not know, however, is that the plethora of cheaper, less durable items lining the shelves of today’s stores is the culmination of several generations. Among the earliest, and perhaps most … Continue reading The Phoebus cartel: Lighting the way for planned obsolescence
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by a department store ad man
Robert May, an advertising copywriter for Montgomery Ward, thought up Santa’s most trusty reindeer in 1939. Continue reading Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by a department store ad man
America’s first minority vice president: Charles Curtis?
Curtis was born in 1860 in what was then known as the Territory of Kansas (Kansas would be admitted to the Union the following year). He was an enrolled member of the Kaw Nation, and was approximately 3/8 American Indian ancestry. After his mother died at age three, and his father was captured in the Civil War, Curtis was raised by his grandparents. His childhood … Continue reading America’s first minority vice president: Charles Curtis?
Did the Irish reach North America before the Vikings?
According to the Norse sagas, the region south of Viking territory in medieval Canada was called “Irland it Mikla,” or “Greater Ireland.” Continue reading Did the Irish reach North America before the Vikings?
King Tut’s cause of death: hippopotamus?
Beloved as the animal might be from the childhood game “Hungry Hungry Hippos,” the hippopotamus is considered the most dangerous animal in Africa. Hundreds continue to be killed by the massive mammals each year throughout the continent. The mighty hippo’s strength is such that its forceful jaws can decapitate a human with a single bite. Though hippos have long since abandoned Egypt, their terror was … Continue reading King Tut’s cause of death: hippopotamus?
How chocolate accidentally inspired the Coca-Cola bottle
The soda bottle’s iconic design was incorrectly modeled on the shape of a cocoa bean. Continue reading How chocolate accidentally inspired the Coca-Cola bottle
Samuel Dickstein: Congressman, New York judge, HUAC Committee member… and Soviet spy
The infamous House Un-American Activities Committee, associated with the excesses of the Second Red Scare in the popular imagination, perhaps should have investigated one of its own members. Samuel Dickstein, a Democratic congressman from New York from 1923 to 1945, was well-known as a fierce interrogator of communists and especially fascists. His conduct during hearings was extreme even by the general standards of the Committee, … Continue reading Samuel Dickstein: Congressman, New York judge, HUAC Committee member… and Soviet spy
Why British royals banned soccer
The early iterations of association football did not receive a warm welcome in medieval Britain. Continue reading Why British royals banned soccer
Joan of Arc never fought in battle
The French martyr of the Hundred Years’ War was not the fierce warrior most imagine today. Continue reading Joan of Arc never fought in battle
