
The Weirdest Thing About Transformers: The Movie Was Its Soundtrack
Why was The Transformers: The Movie soundtrack so unusual? From Stan Bush and Weird Al to Orson Welles, its strange mix still works 40 years later.

Why was The Transformers: The Movie soundtrack so unusual? From Stan Bush and Weird Al to Orson Welles, its strange mix still works 40 years later.

Howie Noel, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Dick Tracy and Charles Schulz reveal how legendary comic strips keep going after their original creators are gone.

You know Nancy. You might know Sluggo. But do you know Ernie Bushmiller, the cartoonist whose deceptively simple creation became bigger than its creator?

The 8-track tape ruled car stereos before cassettes killed it, but its strange legacy lives on in mixtapes, video-game cartridges and collectors.

David Byrne’s Sleeping Beauties explores forgotten ideas, overlooked inventions and artists who waited decades or centuries to be rediscovered.

Martin Mull was more than a television actor. From comedy and music to painting, his unusual career made him impossible to put in one box.

Harvey Ball created the iconic smiley face in 10 minutes for $45. Here is how a simple insurance-company design became a global symbol and an Acid House icon.

What if evil isn’t a thing at all, but the word we invented for what happens when one person meets their own needs by dominating another person’s life?

Old cookbooks weren’t always harmless. Some mixed food, medicine and household chemistry in ways that can make Grandma’s apple pie look downright safe.

During the Siege of Paris, starving Parisians ate zoo animals. Here’s the bizarre story behind elephant, camel and kangaroo appearing on a Paris menu.

That stupid little pocket in your jeans has a long history, from pocket watches and the real 5th pocket to its cheeky modern reputation as the condom pocket.

Why did missing children’s faces appear on milk cartons? We look at the strange history behind the campaign, the kids who recognized themselves, Milk Carton 2.0 and Canada’s famous milk bags.

Harry Houdini died on Halloween in 1926, but he wasn’t alone. Explore the famous figures who died on October 31 and Houdini’s final escape pact.

When did 81 become young? A funny look at aging, retirement, baby boomers and how our idea of old age keeps changing.

Scratch-and-sniff was once everywhere, from Raspberries albums and MAD Magazine to John Waters’ Odorama. Now the strange little fad is making a comeback.

Matt Kirkland has a strange solution for giant books: chop them into smaller, manageable volumes. Chop the biggest books and why it might make sense.

U2 is back! After the success of Bobo’s book, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, the band is taking inspiration by re-working 40 of their classic songs.

Cousin Itt was created strictly for television. Cousin Itt never appeared in Charles Addams’ New Yorker cartoons. He is a constant on the small and big screens.

The Shadows Of Knight’s I am the Hunter has really piqued my interest. It was released four years after Gloria in 1970 to no fanfare. This song totally rocks!

I recently found a new Kawaii-inspired Tom and Jerry on Cartoon Network Japan. The wholesome shorts are universally adorable for all viewers. Cuteness is abound for all!


Iron Maiden fans are very passionate. I bet you they would literally run to the hills to get the latest Royal Mail official commemorative stamps.

In Out There: The Science Behind Sci-Fi Film and TV, author and filmmaker Ariel Waldman dives into the real science behind some space-themed sci-fi tropes.

Mr. Clean made his television commercial debut in 1958. Does Mr. Clean have a first name? Yes he does, his full name is Veritably Clean.

Shift Happens tells the story of keyboards like no book ever before, covering 150 years from the early typewriters to the pixellated keyboards in our pockets.

Eccentric Lives: The Daily Telegraph Book of 21st Century Obituaries collects some of the best wry obits. You know it is not polite to talk ill of the dead.

Fleishman Is In Trouble caught me off guard. The series is streaming both on Hulu and Disney+. The drama exposes a divorced couple’s complicated lives.

As we usher in the new year, publishers can get their hands on public domain properties each year. 2023 has an interesting cast of new public domain offerings.