Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
Captain Kirk beat an unwinnable test by changing the test
In The Wrath of Khan, Kirk reveals that he reprogrammed the Kobayashi Maru simulation so its stranded ship could be rescued. The exercise was meant to…
Discover moreDoug Jones encaged in a rubber fish man suit
For The Shape of Water, Jones wore the Amphibian Man suit for up to 14 hours a day. Inside it, he couldn’t sit, see clearly, or use the restroom.
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Why comics once banned zombies
The Comics Code Authority banned zombies, vampires, and ghouls during a moral panic over comics and juvenile delinquency. Writers spent years fighting for the…
Discover moreEmma Thompson transformed into a hideous nanny
For “Nanny McPhee,” Thompson spent hours in makeup having facial warts applied, a bulbous prosthetic nose fitted and a unibrow glued on.
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The question that won Game of Thrones its adaptation
Martin tested whether they understood the books' clues by asking who Jon Snow's mother was. Benioff and Weiss answered correctly, earning his blessing for the…
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Straitjackets were asylum gear before escape acts
They were once used as restraints in psychiatric institutions; escape artists later turned breaking out of them into a crowd-pleasing act.
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The man inside Barney became a tantric practitioner
David Joyner spent a decade performing inside the purple dinosaur costume. He later offered adult clients tantric sessions involving massage and intimate…
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Cher returned to No. 1 after a quarter-century gap
'Dark Lady' topped the US Hot 100 in 1974; 'Believe' reached the same position in 1999. The later hit brought her voice into a new dance-pop era. A career…
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E.T.'s stretching neck began in his designer's painting
Effects artist Carlo Rambaldi drew on his own painting, Women of Delta, when developing the alien's long, extendable neck. A feature that feels like…
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Top forty radio formats were inspired by a jukebox
A 1950s radio executive noticed diner customers repeatedly paid for the same jukebox songs while ignoring the rest. That observation inspired the Top 40…
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Why an Antiques Roadshow valuation isn't your payday
The estimate is often an insurance replacement value, which can be far higher than what the item would fetch at auction.
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Cancellation does not end a TV show's working life
Syndication licenses existing episodes to other broadcasters, letting a show find viewers in different places and time slots. The expensive filming has…
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True crime podcasts frequently omit boring legal closures
A case may sound unresolved even after a plea deal or months of appellate filings have settled its legal outcome.
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Drag Race has filmed more than one winner for the same finale
To limit spoilers from a live taping, producers have recorded alternative crowning outcomes before the episode airs. The broadcast reveals which version…
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Movie castles could be painted on glass
A detailed glass painting placed near the camera could appear to merge with the physical set behind it. The villain’s towering fortress might be little more…
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How writers hide plot holes by mocking them
A character’s sarcastic callout can turn an obvious plot hole into a self-aware joke, inviting the audience to accept it instead of seeing it as a flaw.
Discover moreThe Flash needs a fast brain as much as fast legs
A character who can run at extraordinary speed also needs to notice obstacles and decide what to do before reaching them. Otherwise the first wall ends the…
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The Smurfs first appeared in someone else's comic adventure
Peyo introduced them in Johan and Peewit in 1958, before they gained stories of their own. Readers responded to the little blue characters, and a supporting…
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Why backstage passes change color so often
Changing pass colors daily—or even hourly—helps organizers spot expired or counterfeit badges at a glance.
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Continuity teams track massive soap opera histories
Continuity staff track decades of plot twists so a character doesn’t accidentally marry someone later revealed to be their secret evil twin.
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Printing the wrong presidential winner
The Chicago Tribune printed a headline naming the wrong presidential winner. The error became iconic when the actual winner held up the paper for a victory…
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Nielsen ratings relied on manual paper diaries for decades
Viewers received paper logs in the mail and wrote down what they watched, making the ratings depend on self-reported habits.
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Guitars utilize metal frets to divide the fingerboard
Frets divide the fingerboard into fixed intervals, shortening the vibrating string to produce notes at semitone steps. That makes pitch placement more…
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The New York Times put powered flight millions of years away—69 days before the Wrights flew
An October 9, 1903 editorial speculated that a workable flying machine might take one to ten million years to evolve. On December 17, the Wright brothers made…
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