From The Archive

Eye for an Eye: The Punishments of 8 Political Assassins

© Brendan Smialowski/Reuters/Corbis John Hinckley is in the news this week as a judge considers whether the man who shot President Reagan should be able to live as an outpatient. Here's a look at the fates of various people who were more successful at ta

Christmas Blogs and Other Niche Blogs

It's not hard to find Christmas blogs. It is, however, hard to find Christmas blogs that are still active, really dedicated to Christmas, and aren't trying to sell you something. I've found an interesting few for your perusal, although I feel this is only

How Do New Periodic Table Elements Get Their Names?

Every so often, we'll reprint something interesting from our sister publication, The Week. This is one of those

Months Before Lincoln Was Shot and Killed, He Was Almost Shot and Killed

We all know what happened to President Abraham Lincoln the night he went to watch Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater. But what you may not know is that he came perilously close to being assassinated eight months before John Wilkes Booth fired those fat

The Quick 10: 10 Hilarious Scathing Reviews

Sometimes a thing is so bad there’s no way to say it nicely. Here are ten reviews that don’t even try. 1. The first season of American Idol ended with runner-up Justin Guarini clapping from the sidelines as winner Kelly Clarkson, under a shower of conf

The Great Down-Sell

Some of you long-time loyal readers might recall Jason English's funny/sad saga back in 2007 about the time his cellphone provider over-billed him for more than $600. Sure, we've all had bad experiences with big companies. Maybe not as epic as Jason's - b

Will Yelp Put Restaurant Chains Out of Business?

Finding great local restaurants can be a challenge. There seem to be a dozen mediocre, even bad restaurants, for every good one. That's why chains have gotten so popular in the last few decades. They may not be as good as some independent local places, bu

8 Accidental Charitable Donations

You know how you hold on to some stupid kitchen item for like eight years, then decide that you’ve used it once and donate it to Goodwill? Then the next week, you find yourself in critical need of that garlic press for the first time since the Clinton adm

Dietribes: Salmon

• Salmon are anadromous, meaning that they are born in fresh water, spend most of their life in the sea, and return to fresh water to spawn. President Obama made a crossover bureaucracy joke about it in his State of the Union address, saying "The Interior

How Much Would the Twelve Days of Christmas Actually Cost?

If you’re stumped for a gift this year and look to your favorite repetitive Christmas song for inspiration, be prepared to shell out a few clams. Going all out and buying your beloved all 78 items from the song will make your bank account about $24,263.18

We're on Pinterest!

If you haven't yet heard of Pinterest, it's a relatively new site that acts as a virtual pinboard, with an emphasis on the visual. People use it to save recipes, create inspiration boards, make wish/gift lists, plan for weddings, and more. Because we en

New Thanksgiving Tradition: The World's Biggest Disco

If you’ve had enough family togetherness for one holiday and you’re looking for a reason to get out of the house, boy, do we have a great option for you. Well, if you leave near Buffalo, New York, anyway. Every Saturday after Thanksgiving, Buffalo is home

Out of the Ordinary Thanksgivings

For many Americans, Thanksgiving is a very consistent holiday. Every year is the same: the same feast with the same dishes, the same family members sitting at the same places around the table, and everyone knows what's going to happen. It's tradition! And

Is This Really the Busiest Travel Day?

It depends on how you're traveling.

Black and Blue Friday: Violent and Crazy Moments in Holiday Shopping

© Michael Maloney/San Francisco Chronicle/Corbis This Friday, 152 million people—that’s half the population of the United States—will flock to shopping malls, big box stores, online merchants and retailers across the country to shell out an estimated $46

11 Things That Happened on Other Cool Dates

11/22/11 is the 791st anniversary of Frederick II being crowned Holy Roman Emperor, the 293rd anniversary of Blackbeard’s beheading, the 254th anniversary of the Austrian defeat of Prussia in the Seven Years’ War’s Battle of Breslau, the 48th anniversary

Three White House Security Breaches (and Two Royal Run-Ins)

Last week’s security breach/assassination attempt at the White House was a shocker, but it’s hardly the first time it's happened. Here are a few other times suspicious characters have gotten too close for comfort. Michael Winter You can imagine the thre

Being Thankful for 1st World Problems

I have relatives who knew real problems, living in ghettos under Nazi control. You've seen the movies, you've read the books, you've heard the stories. It was a million times worse than anything you can imagine. Likewise, when I was in my twenties I survi

A Fan-Made Indiana Jones Filmumentary

There are a handful of different DVD versions of Raiders of the Lost Ark, some even carrying boasts like “Special Edition” and “The Complete Adventure Collection." But none of them contain a definitive film commentary complete with director Steven Spielbe

11 Impressive Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Thanksgiving is a time for traditional foods, but there's no reason you can't celebrate with cupcakes! These cupcakes are already traditional in two ways: they either taste like traditional Thanksgiving foods or they are decorated with traditional holiday

What Makes "Fancy Ketchup" So Fancy?

Consider the following ingredient lists:McDonald's Fancy Ketchup: Tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, salt, natural flavors (vegetable source).Heinz: Tomato concentrate from red ripe t

The All-Time Most Popular Posts From 21 Wonderful Websites

While poking around in Google Analytics the other day, I was a little surprised to learn this was our all-time most popular story. I thought it was this. Or maybe this. So we decided to call people at various websites and ask everyone the same question —

14 Creative and Clever Soaps

If you want to get a gift for someone who seems to have everything they need or want, here's a bit of advice. You should get them something they can use up! Or else get them something that's so different and creative that they'll treasure it anyway. The s

5 Fast Facts About Abraham Zapruder

Abraham Zapruder’s amateur footage of the JFK assassination is one of the world’s most instantly recognizable clips, but Zapruder himself doesn’t get quite as much press.

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