Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
Robert De Niro drove a taxi for a month
Why research a role when you can just steal someone's actual job? To prepare for his iconic role as an unhinged loner, Robert De Niro obtained a legitimate…
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Cable companies created and fund C-SPAN
The channel known for airing incredibly tedious government hearings is not tax-funded. It is entirely paid for by private cable companies who created it as a…
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Blackjack gives casinos one of their smallest edges
If you absolutely must lose your chips, this is the most mathematically responsible way to do it. When played with perfect, flawless strategy, Blackjack…
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Anime speed lines save artists from drawing motion
Those intense, flashing background lines behind screaming characters aren't just a stylistic choice to show immense power; they are a lazy workaround to avoid…
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Zootopia has different news anchors around the world
Depending on where you live, you get your fictional animal news from entirely different species. Disney customized the news anchor in 'Zootopia' based on…
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Ice cream cones made Jurassic eggs crack
When a giant prehistoric creature bursts from its shell, the audio needs to sound exceptionally brittle and satisfying. Since giant eggs are notoriously hard…
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Could a refrigerator really shield you from a nuclear blast
Hiding in a kitchen appliance to escape an atomic bomb is undeniably absurd. The lead-lined walls of a 1950s fridge miraculously prevent extreme radiation…
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Game show audiences are commanded to clap
Spontaneous joy is entirely fabricated. Massive glowing signs and frantic stage managers dictate exactly when the crowd is allowed to cheer, turning hundreds…
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Why Alton Towers built roller-coaster drops underground
Building insane drops in the British countryside requires extreme compliance. Local zoning laws dictated that the theme park could not ruin the historical…
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The premiere of The Rite of Spring caused a riot
Nothing means a concert was successful quite like the audience physically assaulting each other. The debut of the 'Rite of Spring' featured dancing and…
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Those Giant Theme-Park Turkey Legs Really Are Turkey
The roasted drumsticks sold at kiosks are so impossibly large that a persistent urban legend claims they belong to emus, but they are genuinely just…
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Five Nights at Freddy's doors drain your battery
In a masterclass of intense stress management, defending yourself from possessed animatronics comes with a heavy price. Simply closing the metal security…
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Why a Liability Waiver Can't Excuse Gross Negligence
You gladly signed your life away by purchasing that tiny piece of cardboard, but corporate lawyers are secretly laughing at you. Those dense paragraphs…
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Why Cartoons Drop Anvils on Coyotes
The bizarre trope of dropping massive, heavy iron blocks on coyotes makes zero sense until you realize early desert animators were simply drawing the only…
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Christian Bale lost 60 pounds for The Machinist
Because therapy is expensive, but starvation is basically free. To play an insomniac factory worker, Bale whittled himself down to an emaciated 120 pounds…
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Lingo uses an electronic hopper instead of real balls
The satisfying clack of bingo balls is a total lie. While early versions of the show used physical spheres, modern iterations rely entirely on an electronic…
Discover moreMichael Jackson Beatboxed His Songs Before Recording Them
When Michael Jackson had an idea for a song, he didn't just write down some lyrics. He would go into a studio and flawlessly beatbox the bassline, string…
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Why Spielberg refused his paycheck for Schindler's List
In a rare instance of a Hollywood executive actually having a soul, the legendary director refused his paycheck for the acclaimed Holocaust drama. He flat-out…
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Batman’s Gotham is in New Jersey
Gotham City isn't just a vague metropolitan blob; canonical coordinates and official atlases place the brooding dark knight's stomping grounds squarely in the…
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Fictional podcasts alter real place names to avoid lawsuits
Setting a terrifying audio drama in a real suburban town sounds great until the mayor's office gets furiously angry. Writers systematically slightly misspell…
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Battleship demands entirely blind tactical guessing
A masterclass in simulating the grueling, horrifying inefficiency of naval warfare through completely arbitrary coordinate shouting. It masquerades as a game…
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Why TV families leave one side of the table empty
No family on television has ever sat at a fully surrounded dinner table. To ensure nobody has their back to the audience, televised dining setups aggressively…
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Miniature wargaming enforces strict true line of sight rules
Arguing over whether a tiny plastic sniper can shoot a plastic goblin gets incredibly petty. Many miniature games utilize a 'true line of sight' rule, forcing…
Discover moreBritney Spears' Toxic borrowed its hook from Bollywood
You'd think that iconic, high-pitched string hook was the pinnacle of western pop magic. It's actually a direct lift from an old Bollywood love song, sped up…
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