Radiation, anyone?
I must tell you I knew nothing about this until I ran across it last night. Aside from its carcinogenic benefits, it had to be the greatest marketing ploy anywhere. The text from a radio commercial, circa 1948: We know that once you buy shoes that are scientifically fitted, you will shop at <<STORE NAME>> [...]
Souvenir
The French word for remembrance. Makes perfect sense. I have an amusement park souvenir to share today. The Paratrooper Mavis and I used to love it when the carnival came to town. Mave, remember the Zipper, the Rock-O-Plane, the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Paratrooper and the Scrambler (aka Vomit Comet)? And what about the Western Round-Up and [...]
And the award goes to…
…Bernard Sadow. I’ll bet this is his favorite Gershwin tune: They all laughed at Christopher Columbus when he said the world was round. They all laughed when Edison recorded sound. They all laughed at Wilbur and his brother when they said that man could fly. They told Marconi wireless was a phony, it’s the same [...]
Want a sad story?
I know, you don’t. But check it out anyway. The Heisman events of late brought to my mind a situation that makes Reggie Bush’s “loss” pretty much laughable. If you’ve never heard of Fatty Arbuckle, you’re probably not alone. His persona has basically been lost to history for decades. But boy, was he a contenda [...]
If I live to see the Seven Wonders
Sorry, Stevie Nicks, but what exactly does that lyric mean? You could live to be a thousand and still not see the Seven Wonders. Why? Because only one of them actually exists. As I was clicking through the Amazing Fact Generator at Mental Floss, I came across this factoid: Of the Seven Wonders of the [...]