

Sara Newton
Joined: Nov 21, 2012


The 5pm Quiz: Fictional Bands

6 Historical Events People Love to Reenact

The 5pm Quiz: Broadway Musicals
The 5pm Quiz: Skymall Product or Rejected Invention Patent?
The products gracing the pages of the SkyMall Magazine provide guaranteed laughter, disbelief and audible exclamations of "Who would buy that?" In each question in today's quiz, one product is actually for sale in SkyMall Magazine; the other is an inventi
The Quick 10: 10 Broadway Musicals Based on Books
Broadway in Chicago recently held a conference on the topic of transforming books into Broadway Musicals, partially due to the success of "Wicked," the longest running Broadway Musical in Chicago history. But "Wicked" wasn't the first work of literature
The 5pm Quiz: Name That Font
When Helvetica turned 50 in 2007, it was honored with the release of an eponymous independent documentary film. While that font has claimed its own place in history, it remains only one of many options on your Microsoft Word toolbar. Think you can tell on
8 Literary Heroines: Sisters Doin' It For Themselves
Recently, a good friend and I discussed books we read and re-read growing up and noticed a common theme: Our lasting favorites featured strong female protagonists who often kicked some serious behind. After the fun I had writing about literature's desirab
7 of Literature's Most Desirable Leading Men
What did women do before we had People magazine to define ultimate attractiveness and tell us which leading man is the Sexiest Man Alive? Since the sexiness of said men is debatable and so many more worthy contenders are passed over, I suggest adding fict
7 Disasters Caused by Lightning
From gunpowder stockpiles to Star Wars memorabilia, it seems that nothing is safe from a lightning strike. Let's take a look back at some notable examples. 1. Lightning and Gunpowder Don't Mix In August of 1769, lightning struck the tower of the Church o
What is "People who are not Ken Jennings"?: Other Notable Jeopardy! Contestants
Four years ago today (June 2, 2004), an unassuming Mormon with boyish good looks and a pistol-quick reaction on the buzzer began his famous winning streak on Jeopardy! When his original appearance ended, Ken Jennings won $2,520,700 (the highest total winn
Dead Rabbits & Other Historical Pregnancy Tests
In the ubiquitous Baby Mama trailer, Tina Fey looks at a used home pregnancy test that mocks her with a foreboding blue "NO" in the results box. Although the mock factor is optional, home pregnancy tests can lay it out straight: YES or NO. Whether the re
Judging Your Vices
I've never felt more like a therapist or priest as I did when reading the submissions in our 'Admit Vice, Win Book' contest. Apparently, the world of flossers is not limited to knowledge junkies, but junkies for World of Warcraft, for your own bodily func
Interview with NPR's Peter Sagal
Like many fellow flossers, I am addicted to public radio. The soft buzz of NPR is truly cathartic on Saturday mornings when Wait Wait"¦Don't Tell Me! airs in Chicago. If your weekend routine does not include this show, you are missing out on an informativ