The original name for candy corn in the 1880s was “Chicken Feed.”
When L. Frank Baum was writing “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, he got the name “Oz” from his filing cabinet. One drawer was “A to G” . . . one was “H to N” . . . and one was “O to Z.”
Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be born outside the original 13 colonies. He was born in Kentucky.
February 22nd is the 53rd day of the year. There are 312 days remaining until the end of the year
There are 38 days remaining until April Fool’s Day
There are 258 days until the average first snowfall (aprox Nov 7)
Today is Be Humble Day, International STAND UP to Bullying Day, National Cook a Sweet Potato Day, National Margarita Day and Recreational Sports & Fitness Day
Parts of Los Angeles County got snow yesterday for the first time in over a decade.
Jack in the Box is testing out new “Burger Dippers” in Sacramento, California. Those are fries . . . made out of cheeseburgers. They basically put breading on sticks of ground-up cheeseburger, then deep fried them. According to one review, they taste, quote, “artificial” and aren’t worth buying. But hey, if enough people are curious, maybe they’ll hit every Jack in the Box at some point.
The city of Lincoln, Nebraska is investigating how a snowplow driver took out 30 blocks’ worth of mailboxes on Sunday. That’s right: Not 30 mailboxes, 30 BLOCKS OF MAILBOXES.
First New York changed the sound of their sirens, and now the city of Ottawa is changing the sounds its snow plows and trucks make when they back up. Instead of the “beep beep beep,” it’s more like static. It’s supposed to reduce noise pollution, and they claim you’ll still hear it if you’re behind the truck. They’re just worried people might not associate the new sound with a truck backing up. Here’s the old sound, followed by the new sound.
Let’s face it: Public bathrooms can be cringe-worthy, but they’re impossible to avoid. If you need to make a pit stop on-the-go, here’s one smart strategy: in a restroom with multiple stalls, try to nab the one closest to the door. The reason? Most people will skip over it to go to the middle stalls, making it the least-used — and, chances are, the cleanest.
A new version of Pictionary coming out this year will let you draw in the air, and have the picture show up on your TV.
When your favorite team wins a big game, it gives YOU a big boost of confidence, according to a new study . . . and that boost can last for two entire days. But if your team loses, it doesn’t affect your self-esteem.
Apparently, some couples have started signing “dating pre-nups.” That’s where they, basically, each lay out their DEMANDS for the relationship . . . what they want, what they don’t want, and, I guess, also who gets to keep the stuff if they break up.
Some millennials are now spending hundreds of dollars on special consultants to help keep their PLANTS alive, because they don’t know how.
The Oscars are Sunday night. Best Picture nominees are Black Panther; BlacKkKlansman; Bohemian Rhapsody; The Favourite; Green Book; Roma; A Star Is Born; Vice.
The Golden Raspberry Awards will be announced Saturday night. The nominees for worst picture of 2018 are Gotti; The Happytime Murders; Holmes & Watson; Robin Hood; Winchester.
IN THEATERS _ Before How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World lands in the U.S. and Canada this weekend with a $40 million to $45 million start, the threequel is already in great shape after bringing in $175 million. It has a great 96% Rotten Tomatoes score.… In theaters: Fighting with My Family (PG-13); How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (PG)
Jon Pardi joins Brooks & Dunn on a remake of “My Next Broken Heart”. It’s one of the tracks on Brooks & Dunn’s new album “Reboot”, which is out April 5th.
Ellen surprised Tyler Hubbard and his wife with a gender reveal. They thought they were having a boy . . . and it turned out they were.
When Franklin Pierce was president, he was arrested for running over an old woman with his horse. The charges were eventually dropped because of a lack of evidence.
There’s a regulation in Connecticut that says a pickle has to be able to BOUNCE to be legally classified as a pickle.
There are four American cities that have a VOLCANO within city limits: Portland, Oregon . . . Bend, Oregon . . . Jackson, Mississippi . . . and Honolulu, Hawaii.
February 21st is the 52nd day of the year. There are 313 days remaining until the end of the year
There are 24 days remaining until St Patty’s Day
There are 621 days remaining until Election Day 2020 (Nov 3 2020)
Today is Card Reading Day and National Sticky Bun Day
The following new Peeps flavors will be available at various grocery stores … Vanilla Crème Marshmallow Chicks (Target), Chocolate Caramel Swirl (Target), and Blue Raspberry (Walmart).
Papa John’s is adding a Hot Honey Chicken and Waffles Pizza to their menu. The pizza will be topped with chicken, waffle crumbles, bacon, cheese and spicy honey. It will be available in late 2019
Aldi grocery stores are selling St Patricks Day cheeses infused with alcohol. Cheeses include Irish Cheddar with Beer, Irish Cheddar with Whiskey, Aged Irish Cheddar, Pesto Gouda, and English Sage Derby.
A guy in North Carolina is charged with assault for hitting a man with a, quote, “porcelain watermelon topped with a chicken.” We Googled for a long time but couldn’t find ANY example of what that could possibly be.
H&R Block had its agents take “empathy training” to handle the fact that the new “tax cut” laws mean a lot of people’s refunds are going to be way down or nonexistent.
Chris Hemsworth will take on the role of Hulk Hogan in a new biopic. Hemsworth will play the wrestler during his early years.
There’s a new startup that wants to handle all the logistics of your BREAKUP. It’s called Onward, and for anywhere between $100 and $500, they’ll handle everything from moving you out of your ex’s place to setting you up on dates.
New Movies Opening Tonight
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Rated PG) .. Starring: America Ferrera, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, Kit Harington, Cate Blanchett … When Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) discovers Toothless isn’t the only Night Fury, he must find a secret dragon utopia known as “The Hidden World” before the evil Grimmel finds it first.
A new survey talked to 2,000 people who got married in the past year. And the average couple spent 528 HOURS planning their wedding. That’s the equivalent of 66 full, eight-hour workdays. Or just over three months of unpaid work you have to do.
February 20th is the 51st day of the year. There are 314 days remaining until the end of the year
There are 13 days remaining until Mardi Gras
There are 25 days remaining until Spring begins (March 20)
Today is Clean Out Your Bookcase Day, Love Your Pet Day, National Cherry Pie Day, National Handcuff Day and National Student Volunteer Day
Root Beer-flavored Peeps will soon hit store shelves for Easter. The marshmallows are only going to be available at Kroger and Kroger-related stores.
Living with a partner who doesn’t listen to you can make it more likely that you’ll die early
Queensland, Australia just announced they’re going to start letting people get personalized license plates that have EMOJIS on them. There are four emojis available: The laugh out loud face, the winking face, the smiling face with sunglasses, and the hearts-for-eyes face.
A company in New Zealand that does legal services is in the news, because the owner instituted a four-day work week a year ago. And now he says his business is more profitable, and employees are happier. They don’t work more hours in the four days they do work . . . they just work four days a week, for the same pay they had before. He says now they’re all just more focused when they’re at work, because they know they have more time for family and community.
Garbage collection is one of the deadliest jobs you can have. Thanks mostly to impatient drivers who whip around stopped collection trucks and run into trash collectors, garbage collecting is riskier than piloting airplanes and almost three times as dangerous as driving a cab. Researchers said the only riskier jobs are fishing, with 178 deaths per 100,000, and timber cutting, with 156 per 10,000. The rate of deaths for garbage collectors is 90 per 100,000.
H&R Block had its agents take “empathy training” to handle the fact that the new “tax cut” laws mean a lot of people’s refunds are going to be way down or nonexistent.
Sharks are older than trees. Sharks have been around for 400 million years . . . and trees, only 350 million.
Pilates was started in an internment camp. A German athlete named Joseph Pilates was locked up by the British, and came up with a way for his fellow German inmates to exercise when they were sick and stuck in bed.
Ikea is an acronym. The “IK” is for the founder’s initials, Ingvar Kamprad. The “E” is for Elmtaryd, which is the farm he grew up on in Sweden. And the “A” is for Agunnaryd, which was his home village.
February 19th is the 50th day of the year. There are 315 days remaining until the end of the year
Today is National Chocolate Mint Day and International Tug-of-War Day
There are 14 days remaining until Mardi Gras
There are 26 days remaining until St Patty’s Day
About 40,000 pounds of broccoli spilled on the side of an Atlanta freeway Monday morning.
A “Golden Girls”-themed cruise is setting sail next February. It’ll feature fun tie-ins like a cheese cake party, a fancy dress party and dinner, a bingo night, and a karaoke party at Rusty Anchor.
Queen and Adam Lambert are going to perform during the Academy Awards. ”Bohemian Rhapsody” is nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture.
A new study found that you can fool a lot of people with a pretty BASIC disguise, like a wig, glasses, or different makeup. Any of those three simple changes make it 30% harder for people to recognize you.
There’s an Italian fashion designer who makes trendy clothes out of spoiled milk. She collects expired milk from farms to do it. Its complicated, but you can separate out the proteins and make thread. It’s actualy a technology that’s been around since the 1930’s. The t-shirts she makes out of it cost $50.
The newest FDA-approved cure for snoring is . . . sticking a red-hot probe up your nose. A company called Aerin Medical created the probes, which they heat up to 140 degrees before they jam one up your nose. And yes, it hurts. You DO get a local anesthesia first . . . but they say afterwards, some people need painkillers. The probe works by attacking swollen nasal tissue. By burning it up for a few seconds, the tissue shrinks . . . and you can breathe again, so you won’t snore for the rest of your life. Hopefully. It’s supposed to be pretty effective, but who knows.
YouTube is the main reason conspiracy theories have gotten so big, according to a new study. Researchers talked to 30 people at two “Flat Earther” conventions, and ALL of them got involved because of videos they saw on YouTube.
Eggplants contain nicotine . . . but you’d have to eat about 20 of them to get the same amount as one cigarette.
People in Washington D.C. voted to create their own constitution in 1980, so they could become the 51st state. It would’ve been called New Columbia, but the plan never went any further.
When John Quincy Adams was president in the 1820s, he would swim naked in the Potomac River at 5:00 A.M.
Only one person under 30 has ever won the Oscar for Best Actor . . . Adrien Brody won for “The Pianist” when he was 29.
Coffee tables are a result of prohibition. Before 1920, the tables in living rooms were called “cocktail tables.” But once alcohol became illegal, people started serving coffee to their guests instead, and the name “coffee table” stuck.
More than 80 countries celebrate Labor Day on May 1st, and call it International Workers’ Day. The U.S. and Canada are the only two that celebrate it on the first Monday of September.
February 8th is the 39th day of the year. There are 326 days remaining until the end of the year
There are 6 days left until Valentine’s Day
There are 2 days until The Walking Dead resumes
Today is Boy Scouts Day, International Winter Bike to Work Day, Laugh and Get Rich Day, National Kite Flying Day. Opera Day and Propose Day
Tomorrow is National Pizza Day. IHOP is celebrating with a new pancake called the Pancizza. The giant, 7-inch pancake is available in buttermilk, cupcake and bacon and cheddar flavors. It costs $4.99 and is only available through the weekend. The Pancizza comes in a pizza box
Starbucks has brought back their Cherry Mocha drink in honor of Valentine’s Day. Available now through February 14th, the drink has hints of chocolate and tart cherry. It is topped with whipped cream, sugar and sprinkles.
A company in Japan is now selling pre-crushed, ‘drinkable’ potato chips called “One Hand Chips.” The idea is you can eat them without getting your hands greasy, and use your phone at the same time.
Booze-infused Häagen-Dazs ice cream is now available in six different flavors. It’s only 0.5% alcohol though, so you’d have to eat a LOT of ice cream to get a buzz.
Tyson just released pizza-flavored chicken nuggets.
This new professional football league makes its debut tonight. This alternative to the NFL has fewer teams, different rules, a 12-week season, and the player pool is made up of NFL athletes who have been cut, former CFL players, and undrafted college players. (7p CT, CBS)
Skype has a new feature where it can blur the background behind you . . . so no need to clean your room before a video chat anymore.
If you’ve looked for a job you know the basics: arrive early, wear nice clothing, don’t bad-mouth your current or former employer, etc. A survey of hiring managers says one of the biggest interview mistakes they encounter is the candidate knowing very little about the company. So come prepared to answer the question: “What do you know about our company?”
There’s an incredibly dumb debate going on right now online: If a baguette could walk, how would it move? There are four options: Sliding like a worm . . . galloping by using its ends as feet . . . flipping end over end . . . or inching like a caterpillar.
A study tested how recognizable hit songs from the past were . . . and even Millennials could name more songs from the ’60s through the ’90s than they could the hit songs from the 21st century.