On October 14, 1968, Congressman Henry S. Reuss of Wisconsin made some remarks on the floor of Congress that included what became a very famous quotation – or, more accurately,…
“Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”
In 1950, Bette Davis was a highly-regarded actress. But she was starting to be viewed as an “aging” actress and her career seemed to be fading. That year, the multitalented…
Dan Quayle is no Jack Kennedy – and Lloyd Bentsen is no Michael Sheehan…
It’s not often that debates between candidates for Vice President of the United States generate a famous quotation – or even much attention. But there are some notable exceptions. One…
Kerouac’s “mad ones” continue to “burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles…”
On September 5, 1957, the first edition of Jack Kerouac’s seminal book On the Road was published by Viking Press. This semi-autobiographical novel, written in a loose, stream-of-consciousness (and sometimes…
“I can see Russia from my house!” The famous Sarah Palin quote that she didn’t actually say…
On September 13, 2008, actress Tina Fey took a break from her hit TV show 30 Rock to make a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live, where she was formerly…
To boldly split infinitives that no man has split before…
You may have had English teachers who tried to repeatedly make you believe that you need to strictly avoid using split infinitives — such as “to repeatedly make” or “to…
When the whole world was (and wasn’t) watching…
On August 28, 2010, conservative talk show host Glenn Beck held a controversial media event and “rally” for his Tea Party followers in Washington, D.C. Because Beck had made racially…
The origins of “Rum, sodomy and the lash” – Churchill’s alleged quip about British naval tradition…
Many books of quotations include a caustic quote attributed to Winston Churchill (1874-1965) in which he supposedly called British naval tradition nothing but “rum, sodomy, and the lash.” (Sometimes given…