Category: Trivia

The 25 Most Memorable Moments in TV History

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Flavorwire recently ran a list (with video clips) of The 25 Most Memorable Moments in TV History.

Let’s take a look…

25. The Wedding of Charles and Diana (1981)  Although my wife got up at the break of dawn to tune in. I couldn’t be bothered.  I don’t see what the attraction is to royal weddings, but for some there is one.  (I’m 0 for 1)

24. “Do You Believe in Miracles?” (1980)  I’m not a hockey fan, but I do enjoy the Olympics.  I didn’t see it live, but it was everywhere in the days/years that followed.  (1 for 2).

23. The End of The Fugitive (1967) I was 8 years old and saw this one when it first aired.  I watched a lot of tv shows with my mom and The Fugitive was one that we always watched. (2 for 3)

22. J.R. Gets Shot on Dallas (1980) I’ve never watched a single episode of Dallas and didn’t even tune in to see who killed ole JR.  (2 for 4)

21. Lucy Goes to the Candy Factory (1952) Although I was not born when this episode first aired, I’ve seen it many, many times.  Then again, who hasn’t?  (3 for 5)

20. The “Checkers” Speech (1952) This aired the same year that Lucy went to the candy factory.  I’ve seen it, but the “Checkers” speech wasn’t as funny as Lucy on the candy assembly line. (4 for 6)

19. Sammy Davis Jr. Visits All in the Family (1972) All in the Family was required viewing in our house (we only had one television at the time), but we all loved the show! (5 for 7)

18. Johnny Carson’s Final Tonight Show (1992) By 1992 I had stopped watching late night television (Carson, Letterman, etc.), but tuned in for Johnny’s swan song (Bette Midler anyone?).  (6 for 8)

17. The Rescue of Baby Jessica (1987)  If you’re a news junkie, you were watching.  I am and was. (7 for 9)

16. Muhammad Ali Lights the Olympic Torch (1996) I’m an Olympics fan and even bigger Muhammad Ali fan.  I saw it.  (8 for 10)

15. M*A*S*H: “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen” (1983)  I liked MASH okay early on, but had stopped watching.  I did turn in for the final episode though.  (9 for 11)

14. Election Night (2000) Like all news junkies, I was tuned in.  (10 for 12)

13. Salute at the Mexico City Olympic Games (1968) I didn’t see it live. (Was it even shown live?)  But I have seen it many times. (11 for 13)

12. Elvis Presley on Ed Sullivan (1956) Who hasn’t seen this?  Even if you weren’t born when it first aired (I wasn’t), you’ve seen it, right?  (12 for 14)

11. The Beatles on Ed Sullivan (1964)  My mom let me stay up to see this live!  It was a big deal because I was 5 or 6 at the time.  (13 for 15)

10. The O.J. Simpson Chase (1994)  We were on a family vacation in Indiana.  The entire family was glued to the tv watching live.  (14 for 16)

9. Roots (1977) Although I didn’t watch Roots when it aired in 1977 (I was a senior in high school and didn’t watch much tv), I have since seen it.  (15 of 17)

8. The Kennedy/Nixon Debate (1960) I was too young to have watched live, but since I majored in Speech Education (speech and debate), you can be sure that I’ve seen it.  (16 of 18)

7. Richard Nixon Resigns (1974)  Yep.  I tuned in with the family to see history in the making.  (17 of 19)

6. The Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)  If you watched nightly news you couldn’t have missed it. (18 of 20)

5. Walter Cronkite Denounces the Vietnam War (1968) I was 9 and remember what a big deal this was.  I was surprised, at the time, when my grandpa who was a WWII vet say he was against the war.  (19 of 21)

4. Walter Cronkite Announces the Death of JFK (1963) I was watching with my grandparents who had taken me to Florida on vacation.  I was just 5.  (20 of 22)

3. Hurricane Katrina (2005) The reports just got worse and worse as the days drug on.  It had to seem like the apocalypse to those there.  It was terrible enough for those of us watching.  (21 of 23)

2. The September 11th Attacks (2001) Who alive (other than children) didn’t watch? (22 of 24)

1. The Apollo 11 Moon Landing (1969)  I was ten years old and watched thinking that in my lifetime we will explore Mars and other planets.  Now I wonder if/when we will return to the moon.  (23 of 25)

50% of US Population Lives in Less Than 5% of US Counties

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Did you know that half of the US population lives in just 146 counties?

I didn’t either.  That’s crazy when you think about it.  There are over 3,000 counties in the US, but fully half of the US population lives in less 5% of them.

I was also surprised to discover that where I live — in Volusia County,Florida — is one of the counties in the top 5%. I knew Volusia county was big, but didn’t think it was THAT big.

Wouldn’t you imagine that we’d have a major sports team, a large booming city or something to draw in such a high population density.  We don’t.  While it is true that Volusia County is the home of the Daytona 500, I don’t think that’s the draw.

Perhaps it’s simply because our county is so big in area and we were once the home of the World’s Most Famous Beach.

Thanks to Business Insider for the link.

9 Actors That Have Played the Same Role 6 Times

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Recently Den of Geek looked at 9 Actors That Have Played the Same Role 6 Times.

  • Hugh Jackman as Wolverine: Initially I had a problem with Jackman as Logan.  Jackman is just too tall!  I’m okay with him in the role now.  However, when Jackman turns over the claws to someone else, let’s make sure the new guy is vertically challenged.  Okay, Bub? For the record I have probably seen about half of Jackman’s outings as Wolverine.
  • Leonard Nimoy as Spock: I’ve seen all Nimoy’s appearances as Spock. Nimoy is, and forever shall be, Spock.  I do admit that Zachary Quinto is an awesome follow-up in the role!
  • Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa:  This may be hard to believe, but I have seen all of Stallone’s appearances as Rocky.  Let’s cut to the chase.  To many, Stallone is Rocky.  I’m sure someday someone will step into the role when the movie is remade.  Ugh.  (And yeah, I know the role is being played by another actor on Broadway.  I also know that Sly may return to the role in the rumored film, Creed.)
  • Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger:  I saw the first and third outings.  Surprised there haven’t been more… not that they’re my cup of tea.
  • Daniel Radcliff as Harry Potter:  I’ve never seen a single Harry Potter movie.
  • Tyler Perry as Madea: I’ve never seen a single Madea movie, although the clips I’ve seen have been funny, so I wouldn’t be against watching them.
  • Sean Connery as James Bond:  I’ve seen every Connery Bond film (except Never Say Never) multiple times.  Connery is the best Bond.
  • Roger Moore as James Bond: I enjoyed Moore’s Bond, uh, more when I was a kid.  Waaay tooo campy towards the end of his run.
  • Jim Varney as Ernest: I’ve never seen a single Ernest movie.  Don’t know that I ever will…

Here’s a couple of questions…

Have any actresses played the same role 6 times?  Halle Berry as Storm — have there been six appearances?  Others?  

What actor/actress has played the same character the most times in movies?  And how many times?

Raymond Chandler’s Little Known Cameo in “Double Indemnity”

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Double Indemnity is one of my favorite noir movies.  I’ve seen it a bunch of times.

Raymond Chandler, who wrote just seven novels, is one of the founding fathers of modern detective fiction.  I’ve read a lot of Chandler and knew he co-wrote the screenplay [along with director Billy Wilder] adaptation of James M. Cain’s novel of the same name.

Until recently I didn’t know that Chandler had a cameo in Double Indemnity.  What makes this an even greater find is that there are no known film or television interviews with Chandler!

 

Thanks and a tip of my fedora to Adrian Wootten and The Guardian.

The Top 10 Most Dangerous U.S. Highways

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The red highway shown in the diagram above is Interstate 95.  The stretch of Interstate 95, Florida is not only designated as the #2 most dangerous highway in the United States, but also…

“…has the distinction of being the deadliest highway in America, with a rate of 1.73 fatal accidents per mile…”

I regularly drive a stretch of I-95.  Thankfully, although there are often accidents on this highway, the piece I drive isn’t as bad as the… 

…stretch of (I-95 that) even has its own attorney, ready to sue anyone. 

The Trick to Turn Any Soda into a Slushey

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When I was a kid I loved getting an icey.  Sometimes called slusheys, they came in many flavors.

Coke was my favorite.  Dairy Queen called these frozen concoctions Mr. Mistys, but they didn’t have a Coke Mr. Misty.

I know what you’re thinking.  You can still get a icey / slushey / Mr. Misty if you don’t mind going for a walk or drive, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could make them at home?

Funny, you should ask because… you can.

 

 

The Evolution of Soda Cans

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Recently Buzzfeed posted a piece called The Evolution of Soda Cans.  

Although here we’re just looking at Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola cans [at Buzzfeed they also look at Dr. Pepper, 7-Up and Orange Crush], it becomes clear how the design for soda cans has changed over the years and how  the companies seem to follow each other.

My grandpa [mom’s father] and dad both worked many years for Coca-Cola.  I can remember the big deal made in 1970 when Coke went to the new mod design.  They came out with Coke coolers, hats and bellbottom pants with the new logo.  I also believe that Rachel Welch was somehow involved with the roll-out.

It’s funny how what was mod then, is so retro now.

 

10 Interesting Facts About World War II That You May Not Know

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Did you know…

On the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Secret Service realized they did not have a have a bulletproof car to transport President Roosevelt safely to Congress to deliver his Infamy Speech. A quick thinking Secret Service agent realized that the U.S. Treasury had seized the bulletproof limo of Al Capone in 1931.

The car was still in working condition and safely transported the president to Congress. President Roosevelt reportedly quipped, “I hope Mr. Capone won’t mind.”

That’s just one of the interesting facts in Brian Galindo’s 10 Interesting Facts About World War II That You May Not Know posted at Buzzfeed.

And a “sure you can borrow my car” to Bill Crider.

How Common is Your Birthday?

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How often do you meet someone who has the same birthday as you?  Not often, right?

At first glance, you’d probably think the odds were 1 in 365.  In actuality, the odds are better or worse depending on the day you were born.

My birthday, October 22nd, is according to the chart, pretty common.

Yet, I can only remember meeting one person who shared “my” birthday.  We went to elementary and junior high together.  Her name was, and I kid you not, Becky Beavers.  She was a sweet kid despite the time we got into a spitting contest in second grade.  What were we thinking (definitely not about our shared birthday)?