Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
A movie dog's sad face can be a trained performance
Animal trainer Teresa Ann Miller described using a slow voice and cues to lower a dog's head, ears and tail. The dog is responding to its trainer, not…
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How jukeboxes saved records during the Depression
Record sales plunged, but the end of Prohibition brought a wave of bars that needed cheap entertainment. Jukebox operators bought millions of records, giving…
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Superheroes constantly get rebooted to avoid aging
Publishers periodically reset a superhero's continuity or launch a new version, keeping the character from aging in real time.
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The band that formed while on vacation
The Mamas and the Papas came together while vacationing in the Virgin Islands, where they spent time harmonizing.
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Why flying over a stadium can get you in trouble
Temporary flight restrictions can create an invisible no-fly zone above outdoor stadiums during operating hours. Flying into one can bring fines and equipment…
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Tailgating is legally classified as private gatherings
The argument is that a rented parking space counts as a private gathering, so drinking there may be treated differently from drinking on a public sidewalk.
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King Louis the fourteenth founded the first ballet academy
Louis XIV's love of dance led him to found the first formal ballet academy. His influence helped make French the standard language of classical ballet…
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Radio stations loop top tracks to retain short listeners
A hit may repeat every 90 minutes because stations expect many listeners to tune in for only a 20-minute drive; frequent rotation raises the odds they’ll…
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Tarzan learned a few moves from skateboarders
Animator Glen Keane took inspiration from his skateboarding son and extreme sports, with Tony Hawk influencing the Son of Man sequence. Sliding along a branch…
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A radio caller can be part of the performance
Some radio shows use staged calls to guarantee an argument or a comic payoff. A performer supplies the setup, while the host reacts as though the interruption…
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Cosplayers burn weekends on foam armor suits
Fans spend weekends shaping thermoplastic and foam with hot glue into character armor, often for no reward beyond bragging rights.
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Bully lets you fail every class
You can fail every subject in Bully and still continue the story. The game puts your character in a dunce cap instead of making you pass the classes.
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Safeline generators force text to fit older televisions
Safeline overlays keep text inside the area visible on older TVs, whose rounded screens can cut off the edges of the picture.
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Wendy Carlos made Bach sound futuristic
In 1968, her album *Switched-On Bach* featured Bach compositions played entirely on the newly invented Moog synthesizer. Its commercial success showed…
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The Library of Congress collected twelve years of tweet text
Twitter gave the library its public tweet archive beginning in 2006, followed by continuing deliveries. The library later preserved the 2006–2017 period and…
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Your Rubik's Cube has 43 quintillion positions
That’s more possible arrangements than grains of sand on Earth; a scramble is just one of them.
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The glitch that became Mortal Kombat’s Ermac
An “ERMACS” error-monitor entry in the original arcade game sparked rumors of a hidden red ninja. Developers later turned the fan theory into a playable…
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Why Borat kept attracting the police
Cohen's guerrilla-style stunts confused and alarmed bystanders; during filming, people filed more than 90 police reports. The crew even hired a lawyer to…
Discover moreWonder Woman conducts interrogations with a glowing rope
Her lasso compels anyone it binds to tell the truth, turning an interrogation into a confession.
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Digital planners simulate physical notebooks on tablets
People download templates with spiral bindings and tabbed dividers, recreating the look of a paper notebook on a screen.
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The officially licensed Zelda games people still mock
A licensing deal let an electronics company make three officially licensed Zelda games; their awkward, often-mocked cutscenes became infamous.
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Traveling shows once fined performers for mild jokes
Managers watched from the wings with fines ready: a mild swear word or suggestive joke could cost a comedian money—or their job.
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Lassie's screen dynasty was mostly male collies playing a female dog
The line of canine performers descended from Pal, the original film star. Male collies' coat consistency was useful for keeping the character's appearance…
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Why movie streets are often soaked before filming
Those glistening cobblestone streets in evening shots are not the result of a gentle mist. Crews blast the pavement with massive water hoses simply because…
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