Sunday, February 26, 2012

Melbourne Olympics



At the 1954 Summer Olympics at Melbourne, track events were run clockwise.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Cincinnati Reds


The Cincinnati Reds baseball club was founded by American Communists in 1924, but was sold during the McCarthy era.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Rice University


Houston's Rice University began as an agricultural university and was named after its staple crop.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Washington Redskins


The Washington Redskins logo originally featured an apple and not a Native American.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Bar Code


The term "bar code" was first coined during the Prohibition era (long before the invention of the UPC) to refer to the password needed to enter a speakeasy.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Gum


The inability to chew gum and walk at the same time is an actual disability protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Big Brother


George Orwell based 1984's "Big Brother" on his own older brother, who was notoriously nosy.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Voodoo Chile


The Jimi Hendrix song "Voodoo Chile" refers to a Chilean black magic religion whose practitioners were rumored to have destroyed a mountain in the Andes using their bare hands.