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What Exactly Does Landing on Free Parking Do in a Game of Monopoly? (And Other Ways You’ve Been Playing Monopoly Wrong That Make It Take Longer)

November 16, 2016 Karl Smallwood

Richard G. asks: I’ve seen so many different rules for it, but what’s actually supposed to happen when you land on free parking in Monopoly? Few board games have the ability to cause arguments like Monopoly, an unsurprising fact given the object of the game it was based on (see: Who Invented Monopoly?) was to send your opponent to the […]

Tom Waits vs. the World (Of Advertising)

November 15, 2016 Karl Smallwood

Tom Waits’ raspy, almost growl-like singing voice has become synonymous with the singer and has been variously described by critics as sounding like it was “soaked in whiskey” or alternatively like it was “hit by a car”. This distinctly recognisable sound combined with Waits’ vast back catalogue of hits has seen the artist approached numerous times over the years by […]

Does Ear Candle Earwax Removal Actually Work?

November 15, 2016 Melissa

Natalie R. asks: Does ear candling really remove ear wax or is this just a myth? Described by medical professionals as bogus, “a solution in search of a problem,” and “a triumph of ignorance over science,” the method of removing earwax that employs heated beeswax, known as ear candling, is a staple treatment for many when their ears get clogged […]

That Stinking Feeling

November 14, 2016 Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader As they conquered their way through Europe, the Romans left behind a number of souvenirs, like the (still-standing) aqueducts that used to bring water to homes and businesses. But the Romans also established a system of sewers to dispose of, well, you know. The sewers consisted of a network of […]

Weekly Wrap Volume 124

November 13, 2016 Dusti

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. Why Gnats Swarm A common sight in the spring and summer, the seemingly unprofitable and pointless habit of gnats to hover in a cloud is, in fact, the single most productive thing they’ll ever do with their short lives. Although there […]

Where Did the Saying “I’ll Eat My Hat” Come From?

November 11, 2016 Karl Smallwood

Jeremiah C. asks: Did people actually used to eat their hats? If not, where did the expression come from? “I’ll eat my hat” is an utterance commonly used when a person is absolutely certain that something will not happen. But where did this unusual phrase first originate and have there ever been any recorded instances of people actually eating their […]

That Surprisingly Recent Time in British History When Husbands Sold Their Wives at Market

November 10, 2016 Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Let’s say you’re an 18th-century British peasant, and you and your wife just aren’t getting along anymore. What do you do? Divorce her? Too expensive. Kill her? Too risky. Oh, well, looks like you’ll have to auction her off. Welcome to the wacky world of wife selling! HARDY HAR-HAR Hands […]

Why Do People Wear Black for Mourning?

November 9, 2016 Melissa

Gary M. asks: When did people start wearing black to show they were mourning a death? Funeral rituals have been practiced since long before the dawn of civilization. For instance, Neanderthals are known to have intentionally buried their dead as far back as around 130,000 years ago. (And if you’re wondering, see What Ever Happened to the Neanderthals?). As for […]

Can a Vice Presidential Candidate or the Speaker of the House Really Be Elected President Instead of the Main, “Winning” Candidates?

November 7, 2016 Matt Blitz

Michelle S. asks: Is it actually possible for a vice president candidate to be elected president like on VEEP or were they just making that up? The season five finale of HBO’s Emmy-award winning comedy VEEP sure seemed like a Hollywood fantasy. Through a series of wacky situations, hilarious gaffes and complicated procedures, an obscure Vice-Presidential candidate was elected by […]

Weekly Wrap Volume 123

November 6, 2016 Dusti

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Secret Race to the Moon Not too long after 9:00 p.m. on the evening of April 11, 1961, a United States government listening post off Alaska picked up the sound of human voices speaking in Russian. That wasn’t unusual; in […]

The Plot Against President Franklin D. Roosevelt

November 5, 2016 Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Conspiracy theories can be amusing to read because they’re usually so bizarre and far-reaching that they couldn’t possibly be true. What’s even more fun is a conspiracy that’s not a theory at all. Here’s one that actually happened. ALL THE RAGE IN EUROPE In the 1930s, many Western countries suffered […]

Why Things That Are Haphazardly Built Are Called “Jury-Rigged”

November 3, 2016 Melissa

David N. asks: Who was the Jerry in the expression Jerry-rigged? Although many describe shoddy workmanship or a hasty, temporary repair as jerry-rigged, in its original incarnation, the term was actually jury-rigged. While jury as a noun meaning a group of peers that decide the outcome of a legal proceeding has been in use English since the early 14th century, […]

How the Practice of Putting Candles on Cakes for Birthdays Started

November 1, 2016 Melissa

Heily O. asks: How did the tradition of having cakes with candles on them for birthdays start? For most of human history, ordinary people’s birthdays weren’t cause for much celebration. In fact, in the ancient world if you weren’t among the elite, odds are your birthday would have mostly just been noted for things like astrological purposes, rather than throwing […]

What Time Zones are the Poles In?

October 31, 2016 Melissa

James H. asks: What time zones are the North and South pole in? Given that they are every possible hour all the time, or more aptly technically in every time zone, it may come as no surprise to you that there are no official time zones at the poles. Nevertheless, groups working at or visiting the poles still have a […]

The Secret Race to the Moon

October 31, 2016 Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

The following is an article from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader For nearly 20 years after Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon in July 1969, the Soviet Union categorically denied having a manned lunar program of its own. It wasn’t until the late 1980s that we began to learn just how close they came to beating the United States to the […]

Weekly Wrap Volume 122

October 30, 2016 Dusti

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. How the Weird British Tradition of Putting Topless Women on the Third Page of the Newspaper Got Started We British are often stereotyped as being prudish and stoically reserved in all aspects of intimacy. As such, it may surprise non-natives to […]

The Law of the Tongue: The Deal Between the Orcas and Whalers of Eden, Australia

October 29, 2016 Melissa

Sporting the third deepest natural harbor in the southern hemisphere and a rich habitat, the waters around Eden, Australia attract a variety of wildlife, including baleen whales and, at least in the fall and winter, orcas. At some point in the history of the indigenous Yuin people, they and the killer whales seemingly entered into a tacit sort of unspoken […]

The Terrifyingly Effective Nazi “De-Bollocker”

October 25, 2016 Karl Smallwood

While landmines have existed as a concept as early as the 13th century when they were used by the Chinese to repel Mongol Invasions, it’s Imperial Germany that is credited with making the advances that led to modern landmines as we understand them. Utilised extensively during WW1 by the Germans, the weapons proved to be so effective that they were […]

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