Bathroom Readers' Institute's Blog, page 14

From Hollywood Clout to Real Power

Twice in the last 40 years have celebrities become president of the United States: former actor (turned California governor) Ronald Reagan and real estate mogul (turned The Apprentice host) Donald Trump. They’re merely the most successful famous people to run for political office. Clint Eastwood Clint Eastwood is best known as a movie cowboy, but […]

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Don’t Panic! Holiday Gift Guide

The gift-giving (and receiving) holidays are on their way — you can just about hear the jingling bells in the distance and make out those flickering candle flames. The perfect gift for any occasion: a book. And we’ve got you covered — we’ve got lots of books for every taste! YOU: I’m in need of […]

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Here Comes the Sun

…and a bunch of fun facts about that glowing yellow orb in the sky. The sun’s temperature On average, the sun burns at about 10,000° Fahrenheit. But that’s just on the surface. The sun’s core The central core of the sun serves as a furnace, creating heat, light, and energy by constantly fusing hydrogen and […]

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Diamonds (And How to Make Your Own)

Diamonds are a sparkly, fancy — and very expensive — miracle of science. Superman’s hands In many comic books, Superman showed off one of his coolest powers: He can squeeze a lump of coal into a diamond. Spoiler alert: Superman may be strong, but he isn’t real, and so doing making a diamond “by hand” […]

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Carve Out a Space In Your Day For These Pumpkin Facts

Put down that pumpkin spice latte (which doesn’t have any actual pumpkin in it, by the way) and check out these facts about everyone’s favorite gourd. Word Origins Origin of the word pumpkin: In 1584, French explorer Jacques Cartier visited what’s now Canada and reported seeing grow melons. The French then called them pompions, which […]

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Get Ready to Scream: Here’s an Article About BTS

Sure, plenty of boy bands and multi-member singing groups preceded the existence of present-day pop sensations BTS, but this musical collective is special and different (and that’s according to more than just the hysterical teenage fan in your life). WHO ARE THESE GUYS? The Beatles were the Fab Four, and most late ‘90s and early […]

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More Facts About the Biggest “Facts” Everybody Knows About Albert Einstein

Everybody has heard of Albert Einstein, and everybody knows a handful of things about him. The only problem: They don’t know the whole truth about those facts. Einstein didn’t fail math as a kid. It’s one of those common factoids that’s most often repeated as words of comfort in times of failure, or to kids […]

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Have a Nice Taco, Uh “Day After Monday”

Here are some common phrases and images that everybody knows…but if you use them, you just might owe somebody some money. A soft and crunchy tale On the second workday of every week, millions of Americans celebrate the wonderful but informal holiday of “Taco Tuesday.” That means they eat tacos, either prepared at home, or […]

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This Article Was NOT a Schnapsidee!

English is a living, breathing, constantly evolving language. It’s a Germanic language, which means that German also has its fair share of made-up words (specifically, “compound nouns”) to describe very specific experiences in life. Der Treppenwitz This translates to “the staircase joke,” and it refers to when you think up the perfect comeback or witty […]

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Hey, That’s Not Drugs!

Occasionally, the foot soldiers in the war on drugs get a little too excited. Here are some stories about people who were busted for possessing narcotics…which turned out to be far more innocent substances. The white stuff On July 31, 2019, police in Clinton County, South Carolina, pulled over Shai Werts, quarterback for the Georgia […]

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