The black rat, also known as a roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, has a scientific name of Rattus rattus rattus.

Lately, I’ve been listening to the podcast Keanan and Lakin Give You Déjà Vu. As the name suggests, it’s hosted by Staci Keanan and Christine Lakin, who played Dana Foster and Al Lambert, respectively, on the 90s sitcom Step By Step.

(Side note: I’ve met Christine Lakin, who was a judge on an Internet reality show I was on back in the early-ish days of YouTube, but that’s a story for a different time.)

I don’t typically enjoy rewatch podcasts, yet this show offers enough tangentially related sidebars that it doesn’t just feel like I’m rehashing old episodes of a show I remember bits and pieces of. And in the most recent episode I listened to—which is about a year and a half old, since I've only recently discovered the show—they noted how one of the characters says, “Oh, rats!” when faced with an unfortunate situation.

Both hosts agree that “rats!” should make a comeback as a turn of phrase, and I wholeheartedly co-sign. It worked for Step By Step, it worked for Calvin and Hobbes, and by golly, it can work again in the 2020s.

If you saw a black rat in the house (which would then also make its “house rat” moniker more accurate), you might address it by one of its nicknames.

“Yo, ship rat, what’s good?” you might say. Or, “Roof rat, who’s your favorite jazz musician?”

Of course, if you’re afraid of rats, you might simply say, “EEEEEEEEEK!” and run out of the room screaming.

However, if you wanted to scientifically label the same creature, you’d be a little more formal: Rattus rattus rattus.

This trifecta is known as a triple tautonym. That’s when zoological names of species consist of three identical words: the genus (or generic name), the species (or subspecific name), and the subspecies (or subspecific name).

Should rats give you goosebumps—after all, they’re the main villains in the classic Goosebumps book, “Attack of the Beastly Babysitter”—you’ve got plenty of other options.

Want to point out the Canada striped skunk to a friend? Just shout, “Mephitis mephitis mephitis!”

Prefer names with quite a few syllables in them, at the risk of suffering from Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia? Holler for a particular type of shore clingfish with a “Lepadogaster lepadogaster lepadogaster.”

Curious about a herd of plains bison? You’d just have to say, “Bison bison bison,” and several may appear. Okay, that name is not nearly as fun, since it’s largely just a repeat of the animal’s common name.

By the way, what did the papa buffalo say before sending his child off to school? “Bison!”

Anyway, rats are often unfairly credited with spreading plagues, especially during the Black Death, which killed over a third of Europe’s population between 1347 and 1351.

Turns out, as with many of the world’s problems, humans were to blame, instead.

And much like me, rats tend to be generalists in their diet. They’re omnivores, and they’re not picky. Fruit, fungi, cereals, oranges, coffee beans, sugar cane—they’re all fair game when a rat’s in town.

Perhaps rats and humans aren’t so different, after all. Though if you still want to say, “Oh, rats!” should you ever see one nearby, I fully support you.

The original Donkey Kong video game was initially going to feature characters from the Popeye cartoon.

Donkey Kong has been a staple of Nintendo’s catalog for 45 years. The gorilla, who at one point picked up a tie to appear more formal, has had plenty of adventures.

He’s tried to knock out King K. Rool on a host of islands and hidden lands. And he has welcomed charming additions to his team, such as Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and, my personal favorite, the very rarely seen Lanky Kong.

We love an orangutan sighting.

In the Super Mario Bros. movie franchise, Donkey Kong is voiced by Seth Rogen. While the movie was casting, Rogen said that he doesn’t do impressions: “It’s gonna sound like me, and that’s it.”

I would not have pegged Seth Rogen as the DK voice, but hey, the movie franchise alone has done north of $2 billion worldwide, so what do I know?

One thing I do know is that Donkey Kong started off as a very different concept initially.

Back in 1980, arcade cabinets were dominated by a few titles. Chief among them were Space Invaders and Galaxian. Nintendo, which had recently pivoted from toys and playing cards into the arcade space, wanted to get in on this trend.

It produced a game called Radar Scope that took on a similar vibe, only with a 3D perspective.

To put it kindly, the game did poorly.

Critics didn’t like it. Gamers didn’t like it. And sales were abysmal. Radar Scope performed so terribly, in fact, that it almost ended Nintendo of America as a company entirely.

There were so many extra cabinets of Radar Scope sitting around that Nintendo thought to repurpose them with another game. Because all of their top developers were busy on other projects, the task went to Shigeru Miyamoto, a first-time designer.

Miyamoto, under the supervision of game designer Gunpei Yokoi, decided to create a love triangle using characters from the Popeye franchise, including Pluto, Popeye, and Olive Oyl.

However, a licensing deal between Nintendo and King Features to use the characters fell apart, so Miyamoto had to pivot. Bluto became a gorilla, which Miyamoto thought was “nothing too evil or repulsive” and was given the name Donkey Kong to convey a “stubborn gorilla.”

Popeye developed into Mario, and Olive Oyl became the damsel in distress (initially known only as “the Lady,” then Pauline, and later, Princess Peach).

Mario tried to rescue the Lady from Donkey Kong, who was throwing barrels down at the mustachioed hero as he navigated a series of platforms and ladders. Miyamoto has cited Beauty and the Beast and King Kong as references for the game’s design.

The original Donkey Kong arcade game was released in July 1981 and saved the company, bringing in $280 million upon its initial release. After being ported across multiple home consoles, it grossed a whopping $4.4 billion in total, which is still one of the best-performing games of all time.

For the sequel, Miyamoto wanted Donkey Kong to be the protagonist, but the big gorilla sprite was too cumbersome to maneuver. And thus, Donkey Kong Jr. was born, fighting against an enemy (Mario) to rescue his papa, who was caged atop the screen.

Just think: If Radar Scope hadn’t done terribly and that licensing deal hadn’t fallen through, we may never have had Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, or a whole gaggle of characters.

And we most certainly would not have had one of the greatest video game songs ever: the DK Rap.

Magnus Arvidsson, a Swedish soccer player, holds the record for fastest hat trick, scoring three goals in just 89 seconds during a match in 1995.

The 2026 World Cup is officially underway! This year’s event is the largest World Cup ever, with a whopping 48 countries participating. It’s also the first time three countries have co-hosted; matches are taking place in 16 cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Mexico played its first game on June 11, and both Canada and the United States are taking the pitch for the first time on June 12. Love a lil’ Friday hosting before hitting the town.

The matches so far have been quite entertaining, particularly the second half of Czechia and South Korea, which saw three goals in the span of 21 minutes. That’s pretty good, but it’s nowhere near as quick as Magnus Arvidsson, a Swedish forward.

In 1995, Arvidsson had recently joined IFK Hässleholm, a club in Sweden’s second division. On September 3, 1995, IFK Hässleholm had a match against Landskrona BoIS.

This was a particularly intense matchup, because IFK Hässleholm was facing relegation. That concept may be foreign to fans of other sports, but it’s really something all leagues should adopt, because it’s awesome.

In short, at the end of the season, the worst teams from one league get sent down to the league a level below. Conversely, the best clubs from that lower league get sent up. It’s an excellent way to keep things competitive and adds a nice bit of pressure, particularly towards the end of the season.

If IFK Hässleholm didn’t win this match, it would have dropped down to the third-tier Swedish league. Would Arvidsson let his club lose? As they say in Sweden, “Inga!”

Arvidsson scored three goals in 89 seconds. IFK Hässleholm won 5-3, and the club avoided relegation.

Over 369 appearances throughout his career, Arvidsson scored 102 times. So, that singular match accounted for about 2.94% of all of his goals. Quite the stellar performance!

Want to see these goals in action? I gotchu.

Enjoy all of the World Cup action! Maybe your cheers be loud, your kits and scarves be stylish, and your food be plentiful.

Pikachu, the most recognizable Pokémon, is 1 foot, 4 inches tall and weighs 13.2 pounds.

Did you know the original Pokémon games are 30 years old? Frightening, the passage of time.

Of course, the Pokémon franchise has become a multi-billion-dollar phenomenon. There have been countless video games building off the originals, including more outrageous adventures like going on a photography safari, and even a game where you simply speak to a Pikachu, and it reacts. This was once groundbreaking voice technology.

The trading card game also continues to thrive (a shiny Charizard was a big deal when I was in middle school), and Pokémon Go has introduced a whole new gang to the wild world of catching ‘em all, including two of my closest friends. Hello, Rob and Kim!

If you’ve never played a Pokémon game, the premise is pretty simple: You travel around a world as a trainer and catch Pokémon in the wild along the way. You raise them, they learn moves, and eventually you defeat the best trainers in the land so that YOU become the best trainer.

In the original games, there are 151 Pokémon. Today, there are 1,025, which is bonkers. Yet if you asked someone to name creatures from the game, they probably wouldn’t rattle through too many before they hit Pikachu. The lil’ mouse with a thunderbolt tail is so endearing. Look at its little happy face sitting next to a Squirtle:

One of the fun elements of the Pokémon games is the Pokédex entries. These are little descriptors with a quick bio on the Pokémon, as well as vital stats like their heights and weights.

That’s how we know Pikachu is 1’4”. Your other starters include Bulbasaur (2’4”, 15.2 pounds), Charmander (2’ even, 18.7 pounds), and Squirtle (1’8”, 19.8 pounds). To be fair, Squirtle does have a giant shell on its back. Surely, that adds some weight.

The tallest Pokémon is something called Eternatus, which is well after my time of playing the games. This thing is 65 feet, 7 inches, and weighs 2,094.4 pounds.

A) I love that we’re rounding to a tenth of a pound here. B) Its species is “Gigantic Pokémon,” so I suppose that’s fitting.

Anyway, I think we’ve covered enough heights and weights of fictional creatures, so let’s dive into two of the most morbid Pokédex entries. Here’s Cubone (in shiny form, because oooh, shiny):

In Red and Blue, the first game released in America, Cubone’s entry was harmless enough: “Because it never removes its skull helmet, no one has ever seen this Pokémon's real face.”

In Yellow, the next installment that came out—and where you started the game with a Pikachu that followed you around—things took a turn:

“Wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody.”

What?! This a game designed for children and also played by many adults! What kind of distressing life is this?

Okay, let’s check out Spoink instead. It’s a precious pig, nothing can go wrong here:

Now, let’s check out the Pokédex entry: “SPOINK bounces around on its tail. The shock of its bouncing makes its heart pump. As a result, this POKéMON cannot afford to stop bouncing - if it stops, its heart will stop.”

Could you imagine having to constantly bounce on, say, an exercise ball? How does Spoink sleep?? Can it even successfully use the bathroom?

I don’t want to end on such a distressing note, so let’s wrap up with this comic from Deathbulge. It’s a bunch of fictional Pokémon, and it makes me laugh every time I look at it. May you catch lots of good vibes this weekend!

If you add up all the numbers on a roulette wheel, the total is 666.

The roulette wheel is one of the most recognizable images in a casino. And it seems very exciting, doesn’t it? You pick a number, take a spin, and get a big payout if it lands on your number.

European roulette wheels are numbered from 0-36, totaling 37 spaces. American wheels also throw in a 00, so there’s an extra chance for you to walk away with nothing. How kind.

I admittedly have never played roulette. I’ve only been inside a casino probably a half-dozen times. I’m either playing the slots if I want to throw my money away, or I’m playing blackjack if I want to feel like I have some control in throwing my money away.

One of my casino adventures was during a friend’s bachelor party. Half of our group went to go play blackjack; the other half headed to the roulette table.

We were on our third hand of blackjack when the roulette group came back and said they were done playing. They had lost their money incredibly quickly.

Meanwhile, all of us playing blackjack left with more money than when we started.

That lone experience has led me to believe that roulette is one of the least advantageous games to bet on. The math sort of backs it up, I guess?

Blackjack gives you a 49-51% chance to win, using basic strategy and knowing when to hit, stay, and run for the hills. Do not borrow your game plan from Austin Powers.

Pardon My Plug

Interrupting real quick to share a quick plug for Viator, which is my favorite way to learn about and book experiences on trips when I go traveling or adventuring around my hometown.

For instance, last month I took a trip to Poland. Did you know the city of Wroclaw has over 1,000 gnome sculptures? (It’s okay if you didn’t. It’s going to be in a future edition of Fun Fact Friyay).

Anyway, I used Viator to book multiple experiences around the country. I got to explore the Bochnia Salt Mine, I took a pierogi making class, and I indulged in a walking tour around Krakow, which included seeing a giant metal dragon breathing fire. And they say magic isn’t real!

It’s true, if you book an experience through Viator, I get a small commission because affilitate links, babyyyy. But it doesn’t cost you anything extra. In fact, it costs you less, since every booking gives you rewards that you can use for next booking. Ain’t nothing wrong with that! Give it a try yourself.

European roulette gives the player a 48.65% chance of winning, while American roulette offers a 47.37% chance, assuming you just bet on a color instead of a specific number (which has a smaller payout).

Still, it seems like playing roulette comes with a thrill that other games don’t offer, so I get why people will bet it all on black or red or a particular number.

If you’re watching such a spectacle unfold (or perhaps participating in it yourself), you might take a break to count up all the numbers on the wheel. And if you add all those numbers together, from 0 to 36, the sum is 666.

You may know that “666” is “the number of the beast,” which is commonly associated with the devil.

And would you look at that: The nickname for roulette is called the “Devil’s wheel.” There’s also a 666 strategy for the game that can help increase your chances of winning. Everything’s coming full circle!

Whether or not you head to a casino this next week, I hope you have some good luck enter your life.

Drew Carey’s middle name is Allison.

Drew Carey has had a pretty fantastic career. We try to keep these storytimes brief, so let’s gloss over some highlights.

• He’s been hosting The Price Is Right since 2007, nearly two decades!

• He had nine seasons of The Drew Carey Show.

• He’s done standup comedy for over half his life.

• He served in the United States Marine Corps.

• When he went on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, he won half a million dollars for charity.

• He's generally a great cheerleader for a Ohio, a state that’s often overlooked.

But the most notable thing Drew Carey has done, in my book? Serving as the host of the original English version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?

This show remains a top comfort of mine. If you’re unfamiliar, very talented performers play improv games. Drew serves as the host, reading out scenes, buzzing people on and offstage, and awarding points. Of course, the tagline of the show is, “where everything’s made up, and the points don’t matter,” but sometimes we still appreciate a good point or thousand. Drew also occasionally joined his fellow performers onstage.

Perhaps what’s so excellent is that the show is very “mix and match.” You don’t need to watch episodes in order, and with many clips online, you can just pick one of your favorite games for a quick laugh.

For instance, let’s watch Drew the first time he ever played “Three-Headed Broadway Star.” The gist of this game is a trio of performers sing a song, but they can only say one word at a time. Drew quickly forgets that, and things go downhill.

Pardon My Plug

Interrupting real quick to share a quick plug for Viator, which is my favorite way to learn about and book experiences on trips when I go traveling (or sometimes even in my hometown).

Last month, I was in Poland. It’s a lovely country! I knew I wanted to go to the salt mines, but I also knew I did not want to drive there. Luckily, Viator hosts several tours with full transportation, and they even picked me up at the door of where I was staying.

I opted for the Bochnia Salt Mine, which I had read was more popular with locals. I also heard it was a bit more “childish,” but as far as I could tell, that was because you take a train at one point, a boat at another, and there’s a giant wooden slide you can cruise down. That doesn’t sound childish; it sounds awesome. And it was, even though I very much did not stick the landing at the bottom of the slide.

Do I get a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ if you book an experience through Viator? You bet I do. And so do you. Not only will you have an enriching and lovely time, but every time you book something, you get rewards to apply to your next booking. That’s a delectable ouroboros of savings. Happy adventuring!

Sometimes, Whose Line Is It Anyway? could also be educational. There might be a reference to a person or event that I was unfamiliar with, and I’d look it up to learn more.

Every once in a while, something that sounded like a joke was actually 100% true. Drew Carey’s middle name fits that bill.

During a playing of “Scenes From a Hat,” where audience members write in suggestions for the performers to act out, someone suggested “little-known facts about our host, Drew Carey.”

Drew buzzed a pair of performers before they could say anything, then allowed Ryan Stiles to say what he wanted. Ryan asked, “What kind of a middle name is ‘Allison?’”

Let’s cue it up! (And if it doesn’t start at the right spot, jump to 21 minutes in.)

Seems like Ryan was making it up. Turns out, it’s actually true! What fun. Why is Drew’s middle name Allison? He’s never publicly said, so it remains a mystery (probably his parents just liked the name). But he did confirm his first name is simply Drew, not Andrew.

Today, you can find Drew continuing to delight audiences on The Price Is Right. Back when Twitter was still a generally enjoyable platform to be on, I happened to be watching The Price Is Right on a day off.

A contestant said they were from Mendocino, and Drew made a reference to the song of the same name by the Sir Douglas Quintet. I am quite possibly the only person born after 1980 to know this song, but it is very catchy.

I tweeted something to the effect of “Drew Carey namedropping the Sir Douglas Quintet was a delightful reference I didn’t know I needed.”

And good ol’ Drew Allison liked the tweet. We’re basically best friends at this point.

I hope you chat with your best friend soon, too. In the meantime, let’s wrap with a poll!

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is the godfather of drag queen Sam Star.

When TNT (or more accurately, Warner Bros. Discovery) decided not to renew its NBA package, it looked like it spelled the end of its flagship coverage show, Inside the NBA.

If you have not seen Inside the NBA before, it is quite the treat. Former players Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal occasionally talk about basketball, and host Ernie Johnson tries to wrangle them in when they start veering off track (which can be quite often).

Recurring segments over the years have included extensive “Gone Fishin’” graphics that poke fun at teams who have been eliminated from the playoffs, “Shaqtin’ a Fool” moments for players doing silly things in a game, and “EJ’s Neato Stat of the Night,” which satisfies the stat nerds among us.

Though it’s not technically a “segment,” something else you’ll see is Charles Barkley candidly speaking his mind about anything and everything.

Sometimes, the Round Mound of Rebound puts his foot in his mouth with a statement. But sometimes, he says things that are actually quite poignant.

It seems one of Barkley’s main life mantras is to treat everyone with kindness because you never know what they’re going through. He judges people based on their character, not their skin color, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else.

It’s an admirable view of the world. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that Barkley has long been an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.

In fact, Sam Star, a memorable contestant on Season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, shared that Barkley is her godfather. Barkley went to high school with Star’s mom, Leslie Blair, in Leeds, Alabama. The two became fast friends.

Even as Barkley became a massive NBA star and eventual Hall of Famer, he still supported Blair and Star. The latter even credits Barkley with allowing them to keep their house, and Star noted Barkley has attended multiple drag shows—and is a generous tipper!

“He’s always been supportive, and that’s why I’ve always loved him so much, because he’s very outspoken about supporting the queer community,” Star said. “And he’s gotten lots of backlash for that, but he stands toes down for that, and that always has meant a lot to me.”

Barkley has a memoir, Who’s Afraid of a Large Black Man?, and it’s an excellent read. He talks about the discrimination he’s faced over his life, and as a very successful athlete and broadcaster, he hopes to use his influence to stop discrimination when he sees it happening.

Barkley also had a notable Nike commercial where he says he’s not a role model. “Just because I play basketball, doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.”

It’s a valid message. But you know what? If a parent points to Barkley and says, “Be a little more like that guy,” you could do a lot worse.

Perhaps this video sums Chuck’s heart up best. Warning: there’s a bit of harsh language, but the core of the message is the important thing.

Croatian Vitomir Maričić holds the world record of holding his breath underwater, clocking in at 29 minutes and 3 seconds.

My first-ever job out of college was at a PR agency that had several different clients. One of them was Dos Equis—you may be familiar with their Most Interesting Man in the World spokesperson.

The brand released a series of ads describing things this man had accomplished that other mere mortals could only dream of, such as being the life of parties he’s never attended or how sharks have a week dedicated to him.

“I don’t always drink beer,” he says at the end of each commercial. “But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty, my friends.”

While I was at this company, Dos Equis put on a “Most Interesting Show in the World,” to complement the advertising campaign.

Hosted by noted party musician Andrew W.K., the show was a mix of music, acrobatics, aerial performances, and several other stunts of various death-defying levels.

One of the acts was a man who was placed in a straitjacket and then submerged in a tank of water. While pulsating techno music blared over the speakers, we watched this man attempt to extricate himself from the jacket and ultimately get out of the tank before he passed out.

Despite the alternative being death, this was not a very entertaining thing to witness. The man was making some movements, sure, but from our view, it largely looked like a guy just holding his breath underwater. You could see that at your local neighborhood pool!

Of course, it’s pretty impressive to stay underwater for several minutes, especially since the average length of time a human can hold their breath underwater is about 60 to 90 seconds.

Some people have trained themselves to do more than that. The man at The Most Interesting Show in the World certainly had, and so did a man named Vitomir Maričić.

Maričić is a member of Adriatic Freediving. The concept of freediving is simple in idea but difficult in execution: You hold your breath underwater without any breathing apparatus. It requires a mix of mental and physical conditioning, and if you’ve ever tried spending some time underwater, you know it’s not something you can easily pick up.

Yet Maričić stuck with it, and he set his record on June 14, 2025. He lay on his back in a pool that was three meters deep at the Bristol Hotel in Opatija, Croatia. Five official AIDA judges and about 100 fans watched him perform his feat.

The technical Guinness World Record Maričić set is for “longest breath held voluntarily under water using oxygen.” The record includes the ability to breathe pure oxygen for up to 30 minutes before attempting the feat.

Maričić said after the 20-minute mark, everything was easy mentally, but things “got worse and worse physically, especially for my diaphragm, because of the contractions.” Sounds like a very pleasant time.

An extra cool component of these records is that the divers are using the experience to generate awareness for other causes. Maričić sought to bring attention to ocean conservation. The record he beat was held by fellow Croatian, Budimir Šobat.

Sobat’s daughter, Saša, was initially diagnosed with cerebral palsy and later autism and epilepsy. Doctors said she may never walk, but Šobat and his wife Aleksandra spent hours every day helping her train, stretching her muscles, and she eventually took her first steps when she was 2.5 years old. Saša became Šobat’s purpose in life, and he uses his freediving as a way to raise awareness around her condition and helping find additional treatments. Just excellent all around.

We’re approaching summer season, which means more time spent in bodies of water. I hope you find a bit of calm under the surface amidst all the chaos of life.

Eminem and Pablo Picasso were alive at the same time.

The human mind is funny in a lot of ways. Getting into all of them is well outside the purview of a single Fun Fact Friyay, so this edition is just about the spectacle of losing our sense of time and when certain events took place.

There are all kinds of deep scientific explanations for forgetting things or disassociating from our sense of history.

Unsurprisingly, things you actually experienced can resonate more strongly in that head of yours. For example, I can recall an absurd amount of sporting events I’ve been to, like when Wisconsin defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Chicago during the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

Do I remember this game because it was exciting that the Islanders, a very heavy underdog, jumped out to an early 10-0 lead against Wisconsin? Is it because I attended the game with my dad, who has been consistently supportive of my basketball enthusiasm throughout my life? Were the self-described degenerate gamblers behind me more entertaining than the final minute of the game, when they simply needed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to make one more basket so they could cover the spread?

(Texas A&M-Corpus Christi did not make that basket. The gamblers were devastated.)

I recall that game more vividly because of all of those details. My weird knack for obscure basketball games notwithstanding, that’s generally how most memories work. We remember what happened, or at least the gist of it, but we can’t always remember when it happened, or some of the more supporting plot points.

This is especially true for things and/or people that had their moment before we were born. Unless you happened to memorize the entire list of U.S. presidents for a quiz in second grade, you probably couldn’t name when Benjamin Harrison, our last bearded president, was in office.

“Sometime in the 1800s,” you might guess. And you’d be correct! But he was a lot closer to the 1900s than the 1700s, serving as president from 1889 to 1893.

That less certain sense of history is why it’s always intrigued me to compare people who have overlapped in life, even though they seem to be from completely different eras.

Pablo Picasso was born in 1881—before ol’ Benny Harrison was president. Meanwhile, a classmate teased me for not knowing all the words to Eminem’s “My Name Is” when it came out in 1999. Yet these two people were alive at the same time.

Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem, was born on October 17, 1972. Pablo Picasso died half a year later, in April 8, 1973.

So, no, they did not do any collaborations, but that still feels like two timelines that would not cross at all.

They’re not the only ones, of course. Let’s look at a few others:

• Adele was born on May 5, 1988, briefly sharing the world with Salvador Dalí, who died on January 23, 1989.

• Anne Frank, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barbara Walters were all born in 1929.

• Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. He died in 1922, about seven months after Betty White was born.

• Wyatt Earp was in the shootout at the OK Corral in 1881 and lived until January 13, 1929, shortly after a young Dick Van Dyke had turned three years old. (Dick Van Dyke is currently 100 and thriving, if you’re scoring at home.)

• My book is alive at the same time as Moo Deng.

All of these overlapping lives is a good reminder to show some grace to the people around you. You never know whose path you might be crossing!

A group of hummingbirds can be called six different names: a charm, bouquet, shimmer, glittering, hover, or tune.

As humans, we get the short end of the stick in terms of large quantities of us. A group of people? A bunch of pals? A coterie of homo sa…

Read more

Sir David Attenborough is the reason tennis balls are yellow.

At some point in your life, you’ve certainly heard the soothing voice of Sir David Attenborough.

This man has been a presenter for EIGHT DECADES. He’…

Read more

The University of Central Florida Knights have a mascot named Knightro.

We’ve only just started March Madness, and there’s already lots of excitement going on. On Day 1 of the men’s tournament alone:

• Nebr…

Read more

The shortest film to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture is Marty, which runs 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, also known as “they’re playing me off?!” is celebrating its 98th edition of the show.

It’s a time to honor…

Read more

In front of the Franz Kafka Museum in Prague, you can text a message and two statues will spell it out by peeing onto a Czech Republic map.

Whenever I travel, I love finding strange sculptures within the city. For instance, Kansas City has a massive array of badminton s…

Read more

The fear of long words is called Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia.

One of my favorite low-energy shows is “The Floor” on Fox, also streamable on Hulu.

It’s got a very simple yet entrancing presence. 100 people enter, e…

Read more

The musician Sting got his nickname from a black and yellow sweater he liked to wear.

When someone pairs the colors black and yellow, what jumps to your mind?

Is it the Wiz Khalifa song?

Read more

Only five U.S. presidents have had beards, most recently Benjamin Harrison in 1893.

When I was in third grade, my teacher said she was going to quiz us on the U.S. presiden…

Read more

The concept of instant replay came from the men’s slalom event in the 1960 Olympics, when event officials asked CBS to review a video tape to confirm i…

Read more

Reindeer eyes change color during the winter from yellow to blue.

Fun Fact Friyay has welcomed a bit of reindeer trivia over the years. Maybe you love rattling off Santa’s reindeer like Donner and Blitzen and wha…

Read more

The coldest temperature for an inhabited place is in Oymyakon in the Sakha Republic, Russia. Daily mean temperatures are −45.7°C (−50.3°F), with a record low temperature of −67.7 °C (−89…

Read more