Talk Like a Pirate | The Origins and Meanings of 12 Pirate Words and Expressions
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Top Five Most Visited Articles in November 2010
I have no idea why, but November seemed to be the month of the old articles for some reason. Quite a flip from October where four of the five top articles were no more than about a month and a half old. For November, three of the five were over six months old and only one was under two months […]
Read morePre-Sliced Bread Was Once Banned in the United States
In 1943, Claude R. Wickard, the head of the War Foods Administration as well as the Secretary of Agriculture, got the bright idea to ban pre-sliced bread in America, which he did on January 18, 1943. The specific reasons behind this aren’t entirely clear, though it was about conservation of resources, particularly generally thought to have been about conserving wax […]
Read moreThe Woman Jack Nicholson Thought Was His Sister Was His Mother
Today I found out that the woman Jack Nicholson thought was his sister for a good portion of his life, turned out to be his mother. In 1974, Jack Nicholson’s movie Chinatown was opening in theaters and Time Magazine chose to do a cover story on him. Someone working at Time Magazine called Jack up to verify some facts that […]
Read moreThe Song “Jingle Bells” Is Thought to Have Been Written for a Thanksgiving Sunday School Program
Today I found out the song Jingle Bells is thought to have been written for a Thanksgiving Sunday school program. Jingle Bells was originally called One Horse Open Sleigh and was written by James Pierpont sometime between 1853 and 1857. At the time, Pierpont was working as an organist and music director in Savannah, Georgia. Pierpont was hired on by […]
Read more10 Thanksgiving Myths Dispelled
Embed This Image On Your Site: [Source: Today I Found Out] If you liked this Thanksgiving Myths infographic, check out 10 Interesting Thanksgiving Facts
Read moreWhy Pencil “Lead” is Called “Lead”
Karen asks: Why is pencil lead called lead when it doesn’t contain any? In the 16th century, a large deposit of pure, solid graphite was discovered in Borrowdale, England. This was the first time in recorded history that high quality, solid graphite had been found. When metallurgists first encountered this substance, they thought it was some sort of black lead, […]
Read moreFrench Toast Was Not Invented in France
Myth: French toast was invented in France. French toast was not invented in France. In fact, French toast was around long before France even existed as a country. The exact origins of French toast are unknown, but it isn’t surprising that humans seem to have come up with the recipe quickly, given that French toast is traditionally made out of […]
Read moreWhy Poop Is Brown
Today I found out why poop is brown. Poop is brown due to bile from your gall bladder being metabolized by the bacteria in your intestines. This results in a byproduct called stercobilin, which, in turn, makes poop look brown-ish. Without this stercobilin, your poop would typically look grey-ish/white. Because of this, a sure sign you are having problems with […]
Read moreCockroaches Would Not Survive an Extreme Nuclear Fallout
Myth: Cockroaches would survive an extreme nuclear fallout You’ve probably heard that “the only living things that would survive a nuclear war would be cockroaches and Cher”. The latter may be true, but the former is most definitely not. It has even be suggested that cockroaches can survive the amount of radiation at ground zero of a nuclear explosion, though […]
Read moreThe Pilgrims Did Not Celebrate the First Thanksgiving in America
Myth: The Pilgrims Celebrated the First Thanksgiving in America. The Pilgrims did not celebrate the first Thanksgiving in America. In fact, the particular Pilgrim event that is often cited as the first Thanksgiving wasn’t even the Pilgrim’s first Thanksgiving. They had several before then at various times and none of them were an annual thing. These days were simply a […]
Read moreSarah Hale, Author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, Was Largely Responsible for the Establishment of the United States’ Thanksgiving Holiday
Today I found out Sarah Josepha Hale, author of Mary Had a Little Lamb, was largely responsible for the establishment of the United States’ Thanksgiving Holiday. Hale, one of the great women in American history, campaigned for nearly 20 years to get Thanksgiving made a national holiday. It previously was only celebrated, as we think of it, in New England; […]
Read moreHow the Black Friday Tradition Got Started
Today I found out how the Black Friday tradition got started. While it wasn’t called “Black Friday” until the 1960s, and then not popularly called such until the last two decades, retailers have been trying to push people to shop the Friday after Thanksgiving since the late 19th /early 20th century. Around this time, it was very popular for various […]
Read moreBlack Friday Is Not the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year
Myth: Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year. Black Friday is not the biggest shopping day of the year. In fact, it’s typically not even in the top five, though has cracked the ranks a few times in recent years. The real biggest shopping day of the year is nearly always the Saturday before Christmas, excepting a […]
Read moreHow the Tradition of the Detroit Lions Playing on Thanksgiving Got Started
Today I found out how the tradition of the Detroit Lions playing on Thanksgiving got started. In 1934, radio executive G.A. Richards bought the Portsmouth, Ohio Spartans NFL team, moved them to Detroit, and renamed them the Lions. Unfortunately for him, nobody in Detroit cared much for watching the Lions. Despite winning all their games but one before Thanksgiving, having […]
Read morePhil Collins Did Not Write “In the Air Tonight” About a Guy Who Watched Another Guy Drown
Myth: Phil Collins wrote “in the air tonight” after a friend of his drowned and a person on shore could have saved him, but didn’t. Phil Collins did not write the song In the Air Tonight about a guy who could have saved another guy from drowning, but chose not to do so. Twists on this urban legend include stories […]
Read moreThe Actor Who Played “Scotty” on Star Trek Was Shot Six Times on D-Day
Today I found out the actor who played “Scotty” on Star Trek, James Doohan, was shot six times storming Juno beach on D-Day. Doohan, a Canadian, after leading his men through a mine field on Juno beach and personally taking out two German snipers in the process, eventually took four rounds in one of his legs; one in his hand, […]
Read moreChameleons Don’t Change Color to Match Their Environment
Myth: Chameleons change color to match their environment. Chameleons don’t change color to match their environment. Rather, they change color as a response to mood, temperature, health, communication, and light. Now, not all kinds of chameleons have the ability to change color and some only have limited ability for color changing; for instance, many types of chameleons can only turn, […]
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