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10 Things to Remember About Annette Funicello

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6 Memorable Letters From Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong is remembered as both a "reluctant American hero" and "the spiritual repository of spacefaring dreams." He was a man of few words, but those he chose to share were significant and, occasionally, tongue-in-cheek. Here are some notable letters and notes written by the first man on the moon. 1. Its true beauty, however, was that it worked There was little certainty about what to expect once Armstrong and Aldrin left the relative safety of the Apollo 11 spacecraft. This was not lost on... READ ON

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Rest in Peace, Baby Beluga

The whale that sparked decades of elementary school sing-alongs has swum to the big ocean in the sky. Kavna, a beluga whale who inspired the children’s song “Baby Beluga,” died August 6 at Vancouver Aquarium. She was 46 years old. Kavna lived a remarkably long life: most beluga whales don’t live past 30. A quick necropsy showed that she probably died of cancer. Kavna wasn’t exactly a baby when singer-songwriter Raffi Cavoukian wrote the famous tune. She was about 14 years old. Raffi... READ ON

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Sally Ride

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, has passed away. She was 61. This story on her life and accomplishments originally appeared last... READ ON

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Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sad Readers

Sad news, detectives. Donald J. Sobol, the creator of Encyclopedia Brown, passed away on July 11 at the age of 87. Sobol wrote 28 books starring 10-year-old Leroy Brown, with the next one, Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme, scheduled to come out this fall. In honor of Sobol, here are a few interesting facts about everyone's favorite reasonably priced detective. (25 cents plus... READ ON

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Andy Griffith Sings the Lyrics to The Andy Griffith Show Theme Song

Well, I'll be. Before producers of The Andy Griffith Show decided that whistling set the tone for the show, Sheriff Taylor himself recorded a version of the song with lyrics. That's not him whistling, by the way - that was composer Earle H. Hagen. Here's Andy singing "The Fishing Hole." Rest in Peace,... READ ON

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Every Product Billy Mays Ever Pitched

Billy Mays, America's favorite infomercial star, died three years ago today. He began his career selling the WashMatik, a car-washing brush that siphoned water through the bristles without electricity. He moved from that to the Ultimate Chopper, and some of his other products not featured here include The Ding King (dent and ding repair kit), Turbo Tiger (a hand-held minivac), Grip Wrench (an adjustable strap wrench), Green Now (fertilizer), and something called the EZ Crunch Bowl, which promised to be "A... READ ON

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The Abraham Zapruder of the Rodney King Video

Shortly after midnight on March 3, 1991, plumbing company manager George Holliday was awakened by the sound of police sirens screaming outside of his Lake View Terrace apartment building. He peeked out the window and saw some sort of commotion going on across the street. He grabbed his new Sony Handycam and stepped out onto his second-floor balcony and shot a video that would change Los Angeles forever. There was no YouTube or other instant outlet for his footage at that time. A friend encouraged him to... READ ON

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The Stories Behind Donna Summer's Biggest Hits

© JONAS CUNHA/dpa/Corbis Disco Queen Donna Summer has passed away after a battle with lung cancer at age 63. Even though her name is always automatically entwined with disco, it was a sobriquet that she was never fully comfortable with. And rightfully so; unlike so many studio-manufactured singers of that era, Summer possessed a pure, sparkling mezzo-soprano voice and felt that she performed her best on ballads and show tunes. Here are a few stories behind some of her biggest hits. "Love to Love... READ ON

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10 Things You Might Not Know About Maurice Sendak

When Sendak started illustrating and writing for children, he vowed that he wouldn't write stories of sunshine and rainbows, because that's not real life. Here are a few other things about Maurice Sendak's real life you may not have known.... READ ON