Marysville, Kansas, The Town Where Black Squirrels Are Number One
For Squirrel Appreciation Day, we visit a town in northeastern Kansas where black squirrels are number one. It's the law.
With A Name Like The Hope Diamond, It’s Gotta Be Cursed (Or Not)
Today in 1958, the Hope Diamond became property of the Smithsonian Institution. Legend has it the giant blue diamond carries with it a centuries-old curse... even though some of its owners have actually done just fine for themselves.
Florence Foster Jenkins Stunned Carnegie Hall With Her Singing
Today in 1944, the greatest concert in Carnegie Hall history, featuring a truly incomparable singer: the one and only Florence Foster Jenkins. Here's how the woman sometimes called the worst opera singer of all time ended up on one of the most famous stages of all time.
The Inventor Of Fettuccine Alfredo Was – No Surprise – A Guy Named Alfredo
It's National Pasta Day, and here’s a pasta fact that you might have guessed: Fettucine Alfredo comes from an actual guy named Alfredo.
Omar Kneidlik And The ICEE Made Summer A Lot Cooler
We’re in the heat of summer, and here’s the story of a guy who's helped millions cool down: Omar Knedlik, the inventor of the ICEE.
The Original Death Star Model Ended Up As A Garbage Can
It's the day in 1977 that Star Wars first showed in movie theaters. Props and costumes from the Star Wars movies have shown up in museums, and a few have had stranger afterlives, including an original model of the Death Star.
The Statue Of Liberty Sat In Pieces Until A Crowdfunding Campaign Got The Job Done
Today in 1886, the U.S. dedicated the Statue of Liberty in New York. It was hard times when Lady Liberty first arrived in the country, but eventually a 19th century-style crowdfunding efforts raised enough money to raise the statue onto a pedestal.
Willie Mays Made The Catch, And That Was Only The Start Of His Play
Today in 1954, Willie Mays made one of the most amazing plays in baseball history. And yet, Mays was so great that some researchers say The Catch wasn't even his greatest catch!
The Spite House, An Elegant, Expensive Way To Get Back At Somebody
Boston's Skinny House is four stories tall with rooms only 10 feet wide, and was reportedly built just to block another house's view of the harbor. "Spite houses" have been regularly built for these kinds of reasons, it turns out.
A Piece Of Sputnik Once Landed In Wisconsin
Sputnik IV, to be specific, had some trouble getting back to Earth as planned. Today in 1962, pieces of the Soviet spacecraft ended up crashing into a street in Manitowoc, Wisconsin - so the town started holding a SputnikFest to celebrate their place in space history.