Mike Rampton

Joined: Jul 9, 2020

Mike Rampton is a freelance writer who lives in London next to a surprisingly uninteresting cemetery. If enough people buy his book, Open In Case of Emergency: 501 Games to Entertain and Keep You and the Kids Sane, perhaps one day he'll live next to a more interesting one.

30 Surprising Facts About Tom Hardy

30 Very Nice Facts About Borat (And Its Sequel)

The cast of Breaking Bad gathers for a photo shoot.

26 Actors Who Asked for Their Characters to Be Killed Off

Why Do Dogs Spin Around Before They Poop?

How to Poop in the Woods, According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Embrace your inner ursine and learn how to foul the Adirondacks like a pro, courtesy of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

In Ireland, Little Christmas Is a Day for Women to Celebrate the End of the Holiday Season—at the Nearest Pub

On January 6, when Little Christmas—also known as Women's Christmas—rolls around, all bets are off in Ireland.

A still from George Albert Smith's Santa Clause (1898).

Behold George Albert Smith's Santa Clause—the World's First Christmas Movie

Nearly a century before there was 'Home Alone,' there was George Albert Smith's 'Santa Clause,' the world's first Christmas movie, which you can still watch online.

5 Tips on How To Escape An Erupting Volcano

What’s worse: Lava or ash? And what are these rocks plummeting from the sky? Volcanologist Dr. Janine Krippner shared her tips for how to escape an erupting volcano.

Buying or selling a haunted doll is not mere child's play.

The Uncanny Rise of the Haunted Doll Market

Not all dolls are created equal: Some are kinda creepy, some are hella creepy, and some are haunted. Or at least, they’re said to be.

g-stockstudio/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Can an Average Passenger Actually Be Talked Through Landing a Plane in an Emergency?

It happens in movies—but can an average person actually be talked through landing a plane in an emergency?

Not even cats were safe from being a part of the epic Japanese fart battles depicted in a series of art scrolls produced during the Edo period.

20 Memorable Farts Heard 'Round the World

So much has changed over the past several thousands of years that it's easy to forget about some of the things that have not. Like the fact that we’re still the same people we always were—fallible, farting people.

Synchronized swimmer Becky Dyroen in action during the 1992 US Olympic Team Trials.

When Solo Synchronized Swimming Was an Olympic Sport

When synchronized swimming was first introduced as an Olympic event, it came in three varieties: duet, eight-woman and … solo?

FACT CHECK

Could a Zombie Survive On a Diet of Human Brains?

Would a diet heavy on human brains provide a zombie with everything it needs to survive, nutrition-wise?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is looking for its next snack.

FACT CHECK

What Would Happen to The Very Hungry Caterpillar If It Really Ate All That Stuff?

There are few children’s books more beloved than Eric Carle’s 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar,' even if it's real-life ending would be much more gruesome.

A monster from the deep and a massive brown beast: potentially the kind of dumps Godzilla and King Kong would produce.

FACT CHECK

Godzilla vs. King Kong: Whose Poops Would Be Bigger?

If 'Godzilla vs. Kong' were a pooping contest, who would produce the most waste: a radioactive amphibious lizard or a colossal ape?

A still from Rodney Ascher's A Glitch in the Matrix (2021).

Pop Culture

What Is Reality? A Glitch in the Matrix Explores the Concept of Simulation Theory

'A Glitch in the Matrix,' the new documentary from Rodney Ascher ('Room 237') takes its cue from Philip K. Dick to explore just how real the "reality" we live in is.