Bathroom Readers' Institute's Blog, page 29

Amazing Things Found In People’s Backyards

You never know what you might fight out there, underneath the wood pile, next to the herb garden, or below the kids’ old swing-set. BRING OUT YOUR DEAD In 2010, a New Orleans man named Vincent Marcello got to work on digging the big hole necessary to install a swimming pool in his backyard. While […]

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Let’s Make Some Margarine!

Butter is a lightly processed dairy fat, formed into bricks, and shipped into stores. But butter is relatively expensive, leading to the development of butter-like margarine in the 19th century. Like butter, it’s made from fat—generally some kind of vegetable oil. Unlike butter, it requires a pretty lengthy and science-heavy process to make. Starts as […]

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Learn to Speak the Canadian Way

Should you ever find yourself in Canada and don’t understand the conversation, here’s a handy guide. (And if none of these come up…well, you just might be in the French-speaking part of Canada.) Keener: A person who tries desperately to please others or who’s just far too enthusiastic. Runners: Running shoes, sneakers. Supply teacher: A […]

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Only in Antarctica

Here’s a taste of what life is like on the bottom of the world. Least populated Of the seven continents, Antarctica is the least populated, but the fifth largest. It’s bigger than Australia and all of Europe. Not one landmass Antarctica isn’t one singular landmass. In addition to its mainland, it also encompasses the South […]

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Some Ruff Dog Myths Debunked

We’re sure your dog is a very good boy (or very good girl), but you might not know that pooch as well as you think you do. Myth: Dogs are colorblind, meaning they see the world in black, white, and shades of grey. Truth: They don’t experience as full of a spectrum of colors as […]

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The Nutcracker? Sweet!

Going to see a local production of The Nutcracker ballet is a holiday tradition for many families. Surprisingly, watching this old-fashioned entertainment is a relatively new idea. Based on a fairy tale The ballet, with famous, original music by Russian composer Peter Tchaikovsky, was not originally written for the stage. It’s based on a fairy […]

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The First Cancelled TV Show of Each Fall Season

Do you remember these TV programs? Probably not—they were watched by so few people that they were the first new fall show to get the axe in their respective year. 2018: The Alec Baldwin Show After debuting as a special in March 2018 called Sundays with Alec Baldwin, that fall, ABC brought back the one-on-one […]

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Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Rockettes!

Kick your holidays into high gear with these facts about America’s most famous dance troupe: the Rockettes, a part of Christmas for millions. The Missouri Rockets The Rockettes’ performance home base has been Radio City Music Hall in New York City since the 1930s, which explains its association with the city that never sleeps. But […]

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Don’t Be a Scrooge — Read These Facts About “A Christmas Carol”

Nearly every TV Christmas special and Christmas movie indirectly or directly descends from A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel about Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. Here’s a deeper dive into the most influential Christmas story of them all. SOUNDS FAMILIAR Dickens wrote the novel in just […]

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Christmas Treats From Around the World

If you’re a little tired of eggnog, fruitcake, and those other familiar holiday sweets, try one of these special goodies from distant lands. Sweden: Knäck The name translates to “break,” an apt word to describe this “Christmas Butterscotch,” a toffee- or brittle-esque dessert. It’s made out of slowly cooking heavy cream, sugar, syrup, butter, vanilla, […]

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