Fans thought Rod Serling invented the term "Twilight Zone." As a matter of fact, so did Serling. He'd not heard anyone use it before, so he assumed he'd created it. However, after the hit TV show debuted in 1959, Serling was informed that Air Force pilots used the phrase to describe "a moment when a plane is coming down on approach and it cannot...Read more

Although many food writers have translated the Italian "antipasto" as "before the pasta," its literal meaning is "before the meal."

A study of New York marathoners a few years ago found that their divorce rate – male and female – was twice the national average. Persons that engage in solitary endurance sports are the ones most likely to be compulsive exercisers – for example, joggers, long-distance swimmers, weight-lifters, and cross-country skiers. Occasionally, ...Read more

In the Middle Ages, one Valentine's Day custom was for young men and women to draw names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would then wear these names on their sleeves for one week. “To wear your heart on your sleeve” now means that it is easy for other people to know how

Garth Brooks, Blake Edwards, David Gates, Anita Hill, Jennifer Jones, Mary Kay Place, Tony Randall, and Alfre Woodard were all born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The national headquarters for Bat World Sanctuary is located at Mineral Wells, Texas. More than 150 bats from around the world have found permanent refuge in this indoor, natural habitat facility. These non-releasable bats include those that have been used in research, orphaned, permanently injured, or confiscated from the illegal pet trade. Bat...Read more

The life expectancy of the average mockingbird is 10 years.

The art of mapmaking is older than the art of writing.

The game of a cats' cradle - two players alternately strength a looped string over their fingers to produce different designs - has been around since about 1760.

Animalens, Inc. of Wellesley, Massachusetts, markets red contact lenses for chickens (at 20 cents a pair), pointing to medical studies showing that chickens seeing red during the day are happier and eat less food. A spokesman said the lenses will improve world egg-laying productivity by $600

In 1819, not one of the seven sons and five daughters of England's reigning grandfather, King George III, had a single legitimate child who could inherit the empire's throne.

2005 brought a new size to the G.I. Joe team with a line called G.I. Joe: Sigma 6. Based out of the storyline that started in 1982, the figures are in a larger, 8-inch scale and are accompanied by a television series and comic. However, while the more military-themed G.I. Joe is on hiatus, his

Bing Crosby recorded more than 1,700 songs for commercial release between 1926 and 1977. Bing's real name was Harry Lillis Crosby. The nickname was given to him by a childhood friend who thought the young Harry resembled "Bingo," the lead character in their favorite comic book, "The Bingville

Soccer gave us the term "melee." It means a "confused mass," which was what the playing field looked like in Europe in the Middle Ages. Towns competed using teams of up to a hundred players, with the goals a half-mile or so apart.

Based on research with the human body's internal clock, the period between the hours of 4 and 6 in the afternoon is when people are the most irritable. Evidence has shown that more human bites are treated in hospitals at this time of the day than any other.

No, it wasn't a fear that Superman was roaming the streets of London. When the X-ray machine was first developed in 1895, it (like almost any new technology) was a bit feared. One of the fears was that the machine would be used primarily by "peeping Toms" to look through people's clothes. Thus, London merchants sold "X-ray" proof underwear to ...Read more

Of the 20,000 species of orchids that grow around the world, not one is parasitic. In nature, many orchids cling to trees and bushes as a growth habit, but they take nothing from the host plant and do not inflict injury upon it.

The flower of the Calla lily is 8 feet high and 12 feet wide. It is grown in Sumatra.

Prior to the invention of lawn mowers, lawns were cut with scythes, but this operation was ineffective unless the lawn was wet. The sale of lawn mowers got a great boost when lawn tennis came into vogue in England in 1870.

The French phrase jeunesse dorée, which refers to wealthy, stylish, sophisticated people, translates literally to “gilded youth.”