The Torino was an upscale variation of the Ford Fairlane, eventually replacing it. Sorry, Andrew Dice Clay.
The car was named after Turin, the home of a certain shroud.
You might notice some shared DNA with a certain ’73 Ford Falcon used in a dusty Australian movie.
And don’t forget about The Striped Tomato.
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Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better than gen-u-ine fiberglass horses, it turns out Bob Prewitt of Prewitt Fiberglass Products is also the guy behind all those giant roadside mascots you might know better as Paul Bunyans or Muffler Men scattered across America. Stuckey’s will tell ya more!
These guys are living their best lives.
And of course, Roadside America is a deliciously deep and rich source of Muffler Men maps and mythology as well.
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How Whammo became Blammo and other bits about the Amurol company.
Would you like a moose to tech you more about bubble gum? Of course you would!
The first bubble gum (1906) was named Blibber-Blubber. This and more gum history here.
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A Britannica history of the videophone.
AT&T gave it a go in 1992 with the VideoPhone 2500 — Just $1,499 or $30/day!
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The donkey cigarette holders I’ve seen aren’t quite as classy as hers.
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“Wait… That’s not what we meant…”
What’s the first thing I thought of when I saw this ad?
“Hey, smoke up, Johnny!”
Hiram Walker, “benevolent despot“, was into millin’ and distillin’.
What’s the difference between whiskey and whisky? Besides the “e”, that is.
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Necco Wafers refuse to die.
“Everyone’s least favorite Halloween candy has been making us miserable since 1847.”
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Did you know Wint-O-Green Life Savers spark in the dark? Here’s why.
You never know when you’ll suddenly have to know a lot more about Life Savers. Mental Floss has you covered.
Continue readingWould you trust your tree with this man?
Bone shards:
I didn’t realize that tree surgeons were a thing until I read a bit about the profession in a Straight Dope column about Groucho Marx by Cecil Adams. Yes, you should read the entire column.
Way back in the day, Groucho Marx hosted a radio/TV quiz show called “You Bet Your Life. During one show when he was interviewing a tree surgeon, he asked, “Have you ever fallen out of any of your patients?”
Read one heck of an obituary for Groucho here.
And now you know about tree surgeons too.
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