A lot of people are out shopping today, so we'll look at the history of the unsung hero of all that fast and furious commerce, the bar code. Plus: If you’re in the community of Ariel, Washington, you might be marking DB Cooper Day.

Scan here: Endowed professor delves into the history of the barcode (Clemson)

A hijacker holiday in Washington (BBC)

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Cranberry sauce is one of the most traditional Thanksgiving side dishes, but not in 1959. That was the year of what History.com has called the Great Cranberry Scare. Plus: years ago, the balloon wranglers at the big parade in New York used to just let them float free at the end of the event!

How the Great Cranberry Scare of 1959 Set Off a Thanksgiving Panic (History.com)

FREE-FLOATING NYC THANKSGIVING PARADE BALLOONS CAUSED MAYHEM (Untapped New York)

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Today in 2021, the BBC reported on a winter storm that essentially trapped dozens of guests and an Oasis cover band for days at a Yorkshire inn… and they kind of loved it. Plus: a guy in France starts digging in his backyard and strikes gold. Actual gold.

Storm Arwen: Customers set to spend third night at Britain's highest pub (BBC) 

A Man Was Digging in His Backyard—and Found a Hidden Treasure Worth $800K (Popular Mechanics)
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Today in 1992, the fast food chain Rax filed for bankruptcy, a few months after launching an ad campaign featuring the fast food world’s first smart-alecky, ironic and probably very depressed mascot. Plus: a contestant in the Miss Mundo Chile pageant performed an original death metal song, complete with roaring throat singing.

The Short, Sad, Strange Life of Mr. Delicious (NathanRabin.com)

Miss Chile Contestant Stuns Audience With Original Death Metal Performance (My Modern Met)

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Today in 1914, the birthday of Bessie Blount Griffin, physical therapist, inventor, forensic expert, writer, speaker.... the list goes on and on. Plus: a museum in Paris is auctioning off dozens of vehicles from popular movies and TV shows.

BESSIE BLOUNT GRIFFIN (1914-2009) (Blackpast)

Movie Car Museum Liquidating 50 Famous Vehicles at No Reserve (The Drive)

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For years, we’ve been able to type on our devices just about anywhere we go. Now there’s a project that can let us type on just about any surface, not just on our phones or computers. Plus: tomorrow in Selma, North Carolina, it’s Santa's Groovy Disco Party. 

New AR system turns common surfaces into high-precision keyboards for faster input (Interesting Engineering)

Santa's Groovy Disco Party (Johnston County NC)

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Today in 1866, the first US patent for the yo-yo. It’s a device that’s been around in some forms since ancient times, and there have even been a few occasions when it’s gone into space. Plus: starting tomorrow in Claremore, Oklahoma, it's Dickens on the Boulevard.

Toys in space (UPI)

Dickens on the Boulevard (TravelOK)

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Today in 1959, the premiere of the show we know today as Rocky and Bullwinkle. It was an extremely irreverent show, especially for its time… and that’s why one of its jokes ended up getting the producers in trouble. Plus: Chicago is celebrating 50 years of its famous film reviewing duo, Siskel and Ebert.

Watch the Banned Bullwinkle Bumper That Had Kids Ripping Off TV Knobs & Parents Furious (Movieweb)

Siskel & Ebert at 50 (Choose Chicago)

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Peelware is a company selling paper plates that can be reused more than a dozen times. When you're done using it, peel off the top layer and
today in 2115, the release of the Robert Rodriguez movie 100 Years.

peelable layers of paper plates break down without additional waste as single-use dishware (designboom)

13 Completed Movies That Were Never Released (Screenrant)

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For National Take A Hike Day, we look back at a time in the 1800s when huge crowds bought tickets to see people walk around in loops for days at a time. Plus: for National Homemade Bread Day, the story of the bakery that made an eight-foot-long loaf for "I Love Lucy."

The strange 19th-Century sport that was cooler than football (BBC) 

How Competitive Walking Captivated Georgian Britain (Atlas Obscura)

I Love Lucy The Complete Picture History of the Most Popular TV Show Ever, Authorized by the Lucille Ball Estate by Michael McClay (via Google Books)

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