Ever wondered, while sitting at a bar or enjoying an adult beverage at home, why liquors are called “spirits”? I mean, sure…the way people act after a few shots of vodka may make it seem like they’ve been possessed by a ghost or demon. But is that the reason some refer to gin, tequila, whiskey,…
Whether it’s “Springing Forward” or “Falling Back”, you’ve probably wondered at one point or another, “What even is Daylight Saving Time? And why does it exist?” Founding father Benjamin Franklin was actually the first to suggest DST, back in 1784, as a money-saving ploy in one of his satirical essays. But, while Franklin was mostly…
When people heard the word “PLACEBO” back in the 1200s, there were no sugar pills or clinical trials. Actually, “placebo” had nothing at all to do with medicine back then. In reality, for members of the Roman Catholic Church (which was most folks back in those days), “placebo” would more likely have made them think…
Whenever a forecaster says anything about a pending “nor’easter” during a weather report, stores start selling out of batteries, milk, and bread. For a lot of folks, nor’easter basically means “a really big storm”. And that’s not wrong, since nor’easters have earned their bad-boy reputation. But what makes a really big storm a nor’easter? According…
You could definitely ask your buddy whether The Godfather Part II is as good as everyone says it is, but you’ll never know for sure unless you sit through all four hours of it & see it for yourself. After all, the best way to determine the something’s value is to experience it firsthand, right?…
Whenever you hear an old saying, like “letting the cat out of the bag”, does it ever make you think “for Pete’s sake, what does it mean”? But then you think, “why did I just say that? What does ‘for Pete’s sake’ even mean?” Who’s this Pete character, and why should I care about his…
A honeymoon is the best part of any wedding. Heck, it’s the best part of any marriage. But where did the term “honeymoon” first come from? The word comes from the Old English “hony moone.” Honey refers to the “indefinite period of tenderness & pleasure experienced by a newly-wed couple,” and how sweet the new…
There’s usually a good reason whenever food labels are vague. That’s exactly the case when it comes to Sunny D. Because, while it may be orange & seem like juice, it’s not actually orange juice. So, what is Sunny D really? Sunny D calls itself “orange-flavored citrus punch”. But in reality, it barely resembles anything…
If you’ve shopped in an actual store any time in the last 10 years or so, you’ve probably experienced that uncomfortable moment at the checkout counter when the cashier asks for your ZIP code. It feels odd & a bit intrusive, since it doesn’t really seem relevant to whatever you’re buying. Soliciting your email address…
With all of us in lockdown during the pandemic, chances are you probably played a card game or two (hundred). So, be honest: have you ever played a card game where you actually used the joker cards? And I’m not talking about using them as stand-ins for missing cards. There just aren’t hardly any games…