The NCAA basketball tournament is one of the most significant of all sporting events and, if you consider its impact beyond just the games, that’s an understatement. 

The children’s horror series Goosebumps has been keeping kids up at night since the 1990s. How does author R.L. Stine, now in his 80s, keep cranking out books?

Burger King is a fast-food giant with 20,000 locations worldwide. You won’t find one in a particular town in Illinois, however. At least not the one you’re expecting. 

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You may remember when buying cereal was as much about the toy inside the box as the cereal. Then it just stopped. 

There’s a unique island that’s less than 10 miles long, has under 1,000 permanent residents, and speaks its own language. And it’s part of North Carolina. This week, we set sail for Ocrcoke. 

We all know how to play Marco Polo, but no one knows where it came from - until now.

Sources:

https://www.sporcle.com/blog/2022/04/why-do-we-yell-marco-polo/amp/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/why-toys-disappeared-from-cereal-boxes

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190623-the-us-island-that-speaks-elizabethan-english

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It transformed arcades into performance halls by asking people to dance in public. We’ll explore the cultural impact of Dance Dance Revolution.

Just because you’re an astronaut doesn’t mean you still don’t need to shower - so how does one do it outside the Earth’s atmosphere?

Little Caesars is the go-to meal for social gatherings everywhere. This week how a small Michigan pizza parlor rose to fame, nearly went bankrupt, and somehow emerged even stronger.

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A good movie preview should show just enough to excite us about the upcoming film. What about if the previews show a scene that doesn’t end up in the movie?

Professional drivers are very good at what they do - but NASCAR’s origins are as much about spirits as they are about skills. 

Typos are embarrassing. Sometimes they can be costly.  

Sources:

https://www.rd.com/list/expensive-typos/

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/ana-de-armas-yesterday-trailer-lawsuit-settled-1235972010/

https://www.history.com/news/how-prohibition-gave-birth-to-nascar

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The basket of bread often appears before you even place your order and is never listed on the final bill. How did restaurants get started giving away free food?


The Surgeon General’s recent New York Times op-ed, warning of the potential harm social media can have on young people, provocatively equated internet risks to smoking cigarettes. This isn’t the first time the Surgeon General has had a problem with online content … and their names are Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde. 


It’s an endless quest to  catch sales of Coca-Cola’s popular Sprite, PepsiCo recently rebranded Sierra Mist as Starry. Of course, that’s not the whole story…

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Kate Winslet owns the record for the longest breathhold in cinematic history. No matter how long you think it is, it’s longer than that. 

Every parent must face the dreaded question - “Where do babies come from?” How did the poor stork get involved?

Weight Watchers has been synonymous with weight loss for decades. That all may be coming to an end. 

Sources:

https://variety.com/2022/film/news/kate-winslets-filmed-avatar-2-underwater-breath-hold-record-die-1235459216/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/consumer/article-14398443/weightwatchers-debt-struggles-restructuring.html

https://www.livescience.com/62807-why-storks-baby-myth.html

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Fast-food chain Rax filed bankruptcy in the early 1990s. Could a short-lived, ill-timed mascot be partly to blame?

Your favorite author may have some help, thanks to the world’s best-kept open secret: a ghostwriter. 

Advances in DNA testing finally tell us who Jack the Ripper really was. Maybe. 

Sources:

https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/jack-the-ripper-real-identity-discovered-historian-claims/amp/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/mr-delicious-most-bizarre-fast-food-mascot

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/87886-ghostwriters-come-out-of-the-shadows.html

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For decades the Super Bowl MVP has been telling the world they’re going to Disney World. How did it get started?

In Super Bowl commercials you rarely hear the words "Super" or "Bowl." Why? 

Scratch-off lottery tickets are cheap but promise life-changing wealth. They have brought changes, both good and bad. 

Sources:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/91272/how-did-super-bowls-im-going-disney-world-slogan-originate

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The first night in an unfamiliar place is usually not great for sleep. We look to the research to tell us why. 

Many dog owners leave the TV on to entertain their pet when they go out. Does the dog actually care?

It wasn’t that long ago that Pluto was our 9th planet. How did it lose that status?  Could it ever regain its place in our solar system?

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/04/21/474691141/half-your-brain-stands-guard-when-sleeping-in-a-new-place

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jan/17/can-dogs-watch-tv#:~:text=Unlikely.,it%2520than%2520focus%2520on%2520it.&text=%E2%80%9CThere%2520are%2520dogs%2520that%2520will,commercial%252Dlength%2520amounts%2520of%2520time

https://www.axios.com/2024/07/11/planet-definition-change-astronomers-proposal-pluto

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We’re very close to something that hasn’t occurred in a decade and a half.  Just don’t blink or you might miss it. 

Celebrities ask for some strange things in contracts. We’ll tell you about some of the best requests.

Instead of cryogenic chambers or infrared lights, here are seven affordable and attainable ways to increase your life span.

Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgpnqe91j1o
https://toofab.com/2023/05/26/unexpected-clauses-that-ended-up-in-actors-contracts/

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