Around this time in 1966, two guys in the Twin Cities dreamt up a party game that had people falling all over each other. Connect the dots in the history of Twister, then gingerly sip on a colorful drink.
A History Lesson With Booze ®
The ‘Macbeth’ Rivalry That Inspired a Riot
Around this week back in 1849, New Yorkers rioted... over Shakespearean acting. Seriously. Learn about the ruckus, then smash down a custom, era-appropriate cocktail.
The Mystery Behind Beethoven’s Famous Piece, ‘Für Elise’
The origins of the classic tune, butchered daily by novice pianists everywhere, is a bit of an enigma and may have been created out of heartbreak.
Opening Pandora’s Inbox: The Birth of Spam
Back in 1994, two Phoenix-area lawyers hit upon a new way to advertise their legal services: auto-send thousands of emails to chat groups. Hear about their recipe for spam, and then check your inbox for a custom cocktail.
The Biggest Heist in U.S. Art History, Still a Mystery
Find out about the most costly property theft in US history: the 1990 Isabella Gardner Museum art heist in Boston. Our bartender -- himself a former art guard -- mixes up a drink that's laced with bitterness.
Picking Through the Story of a Historical Brainstorm
The story of a clever businessman mass-produced toothpicks and popularized them using intimidation tactics that, remarkably, had nothing to do with shaming people for food caught in their teeth.
History Throw-back: How Frisbee Came to Be
in 1957, the Wham-O Toy Company bought the rights to an invention which would become its most famous product, the Frisbee. You might say the invention was easy as pie. Or a piece of cake. Or both, really.
An Oil Gusher Bursts Texas Into History
Texas was known mainly for cattle and cotton until Pattillo Higgins came along. His hunch that there might be oil in them thar' hills lead to the discovery of a massive gusher, which would fuel the 20th century.
FM Radio Hits the Airwaves
If you listen to this show on the radio, you have Edwin Armstrong to thank for it. He was commissioned by RCA to combat radio static on the AM band, but his solution -- FM transmitting -- wasn't quite what the corporation had in mind.
The Short History of the First SMS
How postcards, holiday greetings, and a whole bunch of random sentences created the text messaging protocol that defined a decade.