History
Fifties Flashback: Fame and Fortune from Midwestern Mud
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- Written by Randal C. Hill Randal C. Hill
In 1982 Eddie Murphy returned the nearly forgotten Gumby character to popularity.
Dessert on the Ceiling (and Other Kooky Christmas Traditions)
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- Written by Randal C. Hill Randal C. Hill
More than 160 countries around the world celebrate Christmas. Overseas and elsewhere, some holiday traditions may seem wonderfully weird — and maybe even a bit bizarre. For some chuckles, let’s check out the yearly happenings in:
No Pie at Original Thanksgiving
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The first Thanksgiving didn’t feature pies or cakes, because the Plymouth pilgrims had no ovens and a limited supply of sugar.
Día de los Muertos Not a ‘Spanish Halloween’
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The Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is often mistaken for a Spanish version of Halloween. It is actually a way for families to honor loved ones who are no longer living.
Different Cultures Celebrate Columbus Day
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Columbus Day became a federal holiday in the United States in 1934, but Christopher Columbus’s landing in the Americas was celebrated across the country long before that.
Fifties Flashback: ‘Don’t Worry … He Sees Us’
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- Written by Randal C. Hill Randal C. Hill
Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper once saw James Dean as an obnoxious attention-seeker in the Marlon Brando vein (she abhorred Brando) and even labeled Dean “another dirty shirttail actor.”
Armistice Agreement Ended Korean War 65 Years Ago This Month
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The Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950, when the North Koreans invaded South Korea, officially ended on July 27, 1953.
Fifties Flashback: It’s My Party
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- Written by Randal C. Hill Randal C. Hill
In 1946 a Massachusetts DuPont chemist-inventor named Earl Tupper introduced “Poly-T Wonder Bowls.” They were polyethelene food-storage containers that varied in size and came in unusual pastel hues.