How Baseball's Ceremonial First Pitch Became A Tradition
How did this American tradition get started, anyway? It goes back further than you think.
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The Real Reason You Won't See These Iconic Brands In Super Bowl Ads This Year
The Super Bowl really offers two sporting events: the actual football game and the presentation of the most-anticipated advertisements of the year.
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We Still Don't Know The Secrets Of The Antonio Stradivari's Violins
Antonio Stradivari made nearly 1,000 violins in the late-1600s to the mid-1700s, and we still don't know the secrets.
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The Tragic Story Of The Babylonian Captivity
One of the most critical events in Jewish history, especially as a defining moment for Jewish culture, is also one of the Bible's lesser known epochs: The Babylonian Exile, from 586–538 BCE. The Babylonian Exile is the reason why Judaism cohered into a canonical religion at all.
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The Hidden Meaning Of Semisonic's Closing Time
Power pop hit "Closing Time" by American rock band Semisonic checks all the boxes for a novelty hit: an infectious melody, an easy-to-memorize chorus and a meditative double-meaning, much deeper than you might imagine.
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How Colonial America Celebrated Christmas
Celebrating the Christmas holiday was actually banned in Massachusetts from 1659 through 1681, per Time magazine. Early American Life magazine notes that Puritans "abhorred the excesses of church celebrations" and saw Christmas as just another day on which to work hard in the name of Lord.
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The Reason Marilyn Monroe Was Monitored By The FBI For Years
With Monroe being so popular in American culture, it might be difficult for some to imagine that she was once monitored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We can tell you right now that the investigation didn't have anything to do with the Kennedys and her death at age 36.
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The True Story Of How Britain Destroyed Their Files On Colonialism
Britain destroyed and withheld evidence of crimes in Africa with the explicit purpose of being kept out of the hands of post-independence governments.
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Here's Why Eddie Van Halen Buried His Iconic Guitar With Dimebag Darrell
Eddie Van Halen and Dimebag Darrell Abbott were phenomenal guitarists that the world was sad to let go. As it happens, they actually met just before Darrell's death. Dimebag Darrell made such an impression on Eddie Van Halen that Eddie insisted on burying one of his own guitars with Darrell.
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The Onion Headline That Predicted The Creation Of Netflix
Smartphones, Roombas, Apple Watches... all unheard of 25 years ago. But one idea in the realm of entertainment remained so farfetched and fantastical in 1998, it warranted an Onion article. The nutty idea in question? Netflix.
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The Truth About Queen Elizabeth I's Iconic Look
Queen Elizabeth I had to think very carefully about how she presented herself. She had to appear powerful in order to uphold her royal status and push back against the stereotype of a weak woman, alone and unfit to rule. This is the truth about Queen Elizabeth I's iconic look.
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Roald Dahl's Unceremonious Last Words
You'll remember him from the classic childhood adventures he told in books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and others. But you might be surprised by the last words to come out of Roald Dahl's mouth before he died.
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Here's How Much Joni Mitchell Is Really Worth
Joni Mitchell may have "retired" from public life and the music industry, but that doesn't mean she stopped earning money. She's still worth a lot.
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Why Radiohead's Most Iconic Song Is A Ripoff
Alternative rockers Radiohead made headlines in early 2018 when it was revealed that the five-piece sued pop prodigy Lana Del Ray. However, Radiohead may not be the first to use the catchy tune.
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What Life Was Like For Women In Ancient Macedonia
For women in ancient Macedonia, life wasn't exactly a bowl full of chariots.
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There's A Chance The Kraken Might Have Existed. Here's How
There's a lot of ocean out there. And some of it's really deep. That's where the giant squid live. And maybe the kraken.
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Def Leppard: How The Iconic Band Got Its Name
The seventies were a foundational time for Def Leppard. Though their first album didn't release until 1980, the band's roots were established in the decade. Pete Willis, Joe Elliott and Rick Savage came together as teenagers, and formed the band in Sheffield, England in 1977.
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The Tragic Childhood Of Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, the singer that delicately traces life and love in her songs, has largely retired from the public eye. So much of her life has been documented in songs, but to many, her early life remains a mystery.
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The Real Reason People Used To Think Banshees Existed
The banshee is a female spirit; a sort of bridge between this world and the next, fairy folk, "linked to the realm of the dead." But their origin is a real hoot.
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The Real Difference Between Sirens And Mermaids
The origins of mythical monsters can be hard to pin down, but it becomes even harder when people start describing different beings in interchangeable terms. Consider the case of the siren and the mermaid. Most people think they're the same, but honestly? They couldn't be more different.
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The German Farmer Who Was Executed For Being A Werewolf
The modern justice system is far from perfect. Innocent citizens are convicted unjustly, and the guilty are handed punishments disproportionate to their crimes. With that said, at least people don't still torture, behead, and cremate folks suspected of being werewolves.
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The Truth About Nirvana's Iconic Unplugged Episode
When MTV was at the height of its influence on the music world, a guest spot on MTV Unplugged was a surefire sign that you'd made it as a band. For Nirvana, the nineties grunge music legend, their MTV performance doubled as one of their most successful albums.
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The Truth About The Cure's Iconic Look
"Robert Smith is famous for three things: wearing make-up, having big hair, and writing and singing some of the loveliest songs in the English language," TimeOut London wrote about the vocalist in 2018. But personally, Smith wasn't always a huge fan of the style.
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This Is What Scientists Think The Loch Ness Monster Actually Is
The Loch Ness Monster has fascinated people for centuries, earning a distinguished role in the pantheon of famous mythic creatures like Bigfoot and the Chupacabra. Sadly, scientists are ready to burst your bubble — they think it's not a monster, at all.
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We Now Understand Why The Babylonian Empire Fell
If ancient Mesopotamia was the cradle of civilization, Babylon was arguably its favorite baby. Nowadays, its name is synonymous with opulence and moral decay, but to quote the Evening Standard, "Babylon wasn't so bad."
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The Legend Of Pegasus Explained
Pegasus was mostly horse, but with the addition of wings, therefore enabling flight for a creature that doesn't usually fly through the air with the greatest of ease.
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