I Love Wikipedia

Singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet smiling to the camera in 2006.

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:30:33 -0500

Singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet smiling to the camera in 2006.

"The CSN logo that Crosby, Stills and Nash have used since the mid-1970s was designed by comedian..."

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:25:00 -0400

“The CSN logo that Crosby, Stills and Nash have used since the mid-1970s was designed by comedian Phil Hartman.”

- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

"In 1956 he received 62,000 Valentines."

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:07:56 -0400

“In 1956 he received 62,000 Valentines.”

- Tab Hunter

Pigeon with German miniature camera, probably taken during the...

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:11:00 -0400

Pigeon with German miniature camera, probably taken during the First World War.

"Also known as: Mac Drizzle, Mac Dreezy, Mac Dregos, Mac Drevious, Thizzelle Washington, Furl, Furly,..."

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:22:22 -0500

“Also known as: Mac Drizzle, Mac Dreezy, Mac Dregos, Mac Drevious, Thizzelle Washington, Furl, Furly, Mr. Furly, Muhammad Al Boo Boo, Andre Macassi, The Genie of the Lamp, Thizz King, Pill Clinton, Ronald Dregan, The Make it Happen Cap’n, Andre McEnroe, Andre Maccassi, The Thizzard of Oz, The Mac Named Dre, Dre Van Halen, The M.A.C. D.R.E, and Thizzy Marley.”

- Mac Dre

"Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson saw the movie during its initial release, between sessions for..."

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:10:29 -0500

“Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson saw the movie during its initial release, between sessions for Smile. Under the influence of drugs, the early stages of schizotypal behavior, and pressure to complete Smile, Wilson found Seconds an especially intense experience, that affected him personally (beginning with his arriving late; the first dialogue he heard onscreen was “Come in, Mr. Wilson”, taking him by surprise). His state of mind shifted over the next months, between fantasies of escaping his own life in a similar way, and thoughts that perhaps rival producer Phil Spector had somehow convinced Columbia Pictures (sic) to make the movie “to mess with my mind”. Wilson later abandoned the Smile sessions, and did not see another movie in a theater until E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982.”

- Seconds (film)

Due to the use of their names as call signs, the Peanuts characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy...

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:54:31 -0500

Due to the use of their names as call signs, the Peanuts characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy became semi-official mascots for the [Apollo 10] mission. Peanuts creator Charles Schulz also drew some special mission-related artwork for NASA.

(Hat tip to this post at the Atlantic)

Changaa or Chang’aa (literal meaning “kill me quick”) is an alcoholic drink which...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:03:30 -0500

Changaa or Chang’aa (literal meaning “kill me quick”) is an alcoholic drink which is popular in Kenya. Distilled from grains like millet, maize and sorghum, it is very potent….The alcoholic content is sometimes increased by adding substances like jet fuel, embalming fluid or battery acid, which has the effect of giving the beverage more ‘kick’.Drinkers have suffered blindness or death due to methanol poisoning. In Nairobi slums like Korogocho, the water used to make the drink is often contaminated with feces, and women’s underwear along with decomposing dead rats have been found in the drink during police raids.

"Die Geschichte von dem wilden Jäger” (The Story of the Wild Huntsman) is the only story not..."

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:57:33 -0500

““Die Geschichte von dem wilden Jäger” (The Story of the Wild Huntsman) is the only story not primarily focused on children. In it, a hare steals a hunter’s musket and eyeglasses and begins to hunt the hunter. In the ensuing chaos, the hare’s child is burned by hot coffee and the hunter falls into a well, presumably to his death.”

- Summary of a story in Der Struwwelpeter.

Portrait of Édouard Dujardin by Félix Vallotton.

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:20:06 -0500

Portrait of Édouard Dujardin by Félix Vallotton.

Diamondback terrapin

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 09:52:46 -0400

Diamondback terrapin

Eventually, the Count kidnaps Betty and takes her to an...

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:23:51 -0400

Eventually, the Count kidnaps Betty and takes her to an abandoned silver mine. Billy confronts the Count but soon finds that bullets are no match for a vampire. The Count subdues the notorious outlaw and sets out to transform Betty into his vampire mate. Just then, the town sheriff and a country doctor arrive. The doctor hands Billy a scalpel telling him he must drive it through the vampire’s heart. Billy throws his gun at the vampire and knocks him senseless, making him easy pickings for a staking. With the count destroyed, Betty is saved and Billy takes her away, presumably to live happily ever after.

There is a curious apocryphal story that Berwick is (or...

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 07:09:00 -0400

There is a curious apocryphal story that Berwick is (or recently was) technically at war with Russia. The story tells that since Berwick had changed hands several times, it was traditionally regarded as a special, separate entity, and some proclamations referred to “England, Scotland and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed”. One such was the declaration of the Crimean War against Russia in 1853, which Queen Victoria supposedly signed as “Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, Berwick-upon-Tweed and all British Dominions”. However, when the Treaty of Paris (1856) was signed to conclude the war, “Berwick-upon-Tweed” was left out. This meant that, supposedly, one of Britain’s smallest towns was officially at war with one of the world’s largest powers – and the conflict extended by the lack of a peace treaty for over a century.

According to a story by George Hawthorne in The Guardian of December 28, 1966, the London correspondent of Pravda visited the Mayor of Berwick, Councillor Robert Knox, and the two made a mutual declaration of peace. Knox said “Please tell the Russian people through your newspaper that they can sleep peacefully in their beds.”

[David Mitchell] once claimed he is “not remotely...

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 12:38:00 -0400

[David Mitchell] once claimed he is “not remotely interested in music” but owns two CDs, Phil Collins’ …But Seriously and Susan Boyle’s debut, though he has expressed a dislike for both.

“Most Caldor stores had a bookselling department, and the...

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:28:00 -0400

“Most Caldor stores had a bookselling department, and the stores would often post the New York Times Best Seller list to inform its shoppers. The posting of the list led to a spat with the newspaper in 1993. That year, Howard Stern released his autobiography Private Parts. Caldor wanted nothing to do with the book and would not carry it in its stores. In fact, Caldor would not even acknowledge the book’s place on the list once it reached the top spot, moving every other book on the list up one place. The New York Times told Caldor that in order to post the list, all of the books on it had to be acknowledged. Caldor responded by not posting the list the next week.”

The Glasgow Ice Cream Wars were conflicts in the East End of Glasgow in Scotland in the 1980s...

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:04:24 -0400

The Glasgow Ice Cream Wars were conflicts in the East End of Glasgow in Scotland in the 1980s between rival ice cream van operators over lucrative territory…The conflicts, in which vendors raided one another’s vans and fired shotguns into one another’s windscreens, were more violent than might typically be expected between ice-cream salesmen.
Superficially, the violence appeared disproportionate, and the situation appeared farcical, with officers of the Strathclyde Police detailed to follow ice-cream vans around on their runs, causing locals to nickname them the “serious chimes squad”.

A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns (i.e. urns...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:35:11 -0400

A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns (i.e. urns holding a deceased’s cremated remains). The term comes from the Latin columba (dove) and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons (see dovecote).

“In 1917, an orangutan escaped from a nearby ménagerie, entered the [Élysée Palace] and was...

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:02:59 -0400

“In 1917, an orangutan escaped from a nearby ménagerie, entered the [Élysée Palace] and was said to have tried to haul the wife of President Raymond Poincaré into a tree only to be foiled by Élysée guards. President Paul Deschanel, who resigned in 1920 because of mental illness, was said to have been so impressed by the orangutan’s feat that, to the alarm of his guests, he took to jumping into trees during state receptions.”

A timeline of members of the band Squeeze over the past 35...

Sun, 22 May 2011 21:56:12 -0400

A timeline of members of the band Squeeze over the past 35 some-odd years. Note that, during a period in 1990 or 1991, the band featured “Additional Keyboards” but not regular keyboards.

Wojtek (1942–1963; Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjtɛk]) was a Syrian brown bear cub found in Iran and...

Wed, 04 May 2011 05:01:26 -0400

Wojtek (1942–1963; Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjtɛk]) was a Syrian brown bear cub found in Iran and adopted by soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps. During the Battle of Monte Cassino, Wojtek helped move ammunition. The name “Wojtek” or “Wojciech” is an old Slavic name that is still very common in Poland today. It derives from two words: “woj” (the stem of “wojownik”, warrior, and “wojna”, war); and “ciech”, enjoyment. Thus the name has two meanings: “he who enjoys war” or “smiling warrior.”

[…]

The bear was fed with fruits, marmalade, honey and syrup, and was often rewarded with beer, which became his favourite drink. He also enjoyed smoking and eating cigarettes. He enjoyed wrestling and was taught to salute when greeted. As one of the officially enlisted “soldiers” of the company, he lived with the other men in their tents or in a special wooden crate transported on lorries. According to numerous accounts, during the Battle of Monte Cassino, Wojtek helped his patrons by transporting ammunition – never dropping a single crate. In recognition of the bear’s popularity, the HQ approved an effigy of a bear holding an artillery shell as the official emblem of the 22nd Company (by then renamed to 22nd Transport Company).

Following the end of World War II in 1945, the bear was transported to Berwickshire in Scotland, along with parts of the II Corps. Stationed in the village of Hutton, near Duns, Wojtek soon became popular among local civilians and the press. The Polish-Scottish Association made Wojtek one of its honorary members. Following demobilization on November 15, 1947, Wojtek was given to the Edinburgh Zoo. There Wojtek spent the rest of his days, often visited by journalists and former Polish soldiers, some of whom would toss him cigarettes. Wojtek died in December 1963, at the age of 22. At the time of his death he weighed nearly 500 pounds (250 kilograms) and had a length of over 6 feet (1.8 meters).

There are proposals to erect a memorial in Edinburgh.