Cracker Jack Originally Came With More Peanuts And No Prizes
In the old days, that line “buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack” was kind of redundant.
Defense Scheme No. 1: The Secret Canadian Plan To Invade The US
This year has not been a record one for US/Canadian ties, but at least it's not like 1921, when a Canadian military official worked up a secret plan to invade a bunch of northern US cities. (And, for that matter, the US had a northern invasion plan too.)
The Man Versus Horse Marathon Is Pretty Much What The Name Suggests
Tomorrow in Wales, a race where there are human runners and horses with riders on the same course, trying to get to the finish line ahead of each other. And it all started with an argument in a pub.
Easy Listening Emerged From When Radio Programmers Tried To Target Women
Today in 1971 that the magazine Record World published an article about a new and very chill radio format that was the precursor of Easy Listening.
The Centuries-Long Quest To Choose A Punctuation Mark For Irony And Sarcasm
The history of punctuation is full of efforts to choose a mark that would make it clear to readers when the writer is being ironic or sarcastic.
The US Once Had A National Raisin Reserve
Today in 2013, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling that put an end to something called the National Raisin Reserve. Here's why the US used to have a massive government stockpile of raisins.
Don Ritchie, “The Angel of the Gap”
Today in 1926, the birthday of Don Ritchie, a man who helped hundreds of people in the most difficult moments of their lives and helped them find ways to carry on.
Pope Stephen VI Put A Papal Cadaver On Trial For Heresy
We start our third season with a timely story, about a new pope. Though unlike popes of this time, this one decided the best way to use his new job was to exhume his predecessor’s remains and put them on trial for heresy.
As The Allies Stormed The Beaches On D-Day, Bill Millin Played The Bagpipes
Today in 1944, D-Day, the largest invasion force ever. There were hundreds of thousands of troops, tens of thousands of vehicles, over 100,000 tons of equipment, and at least one guy playing bagpipes.
When Teenager Michael Chang Beat The World’s Top Tennis Player At The French Open
Today in 1989, an up and coming 17 year old tennis player faced off against the world's number one, plus fatigue, muscle cramps and more, and still found a way to pull off a huge upset.