While all of Miyazaki's films are excellent, many consider Spirited Away (2001) to be, perhaps, the best expression of his themes. The film broke box office records set by Titanic and became the biggest box office success ever in Japan. Spirited Away is about a young girl, Chihiro, who leaves her home to move to a new city with her parents by ...Read more

In the harem of Mughal kings in India, ladies of royal blood changed their garments several times a day and never put them on again. They were then given to slaves.

In 1973, Dungeons & Dragons was invented by Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax. The innovative game created a whole new fantasy/adventure category of toys, which quickly became a $250-million market.

Studies shown by the Psychology Department of DePaul University show that the principal reason to lie is to avoid punishment.

The Felix the Cat television program is remembered by many for its distinctive theme song written by Winston Sharples:

Felix the Cat, the wonderful, wonderful cat.
Whenever he gets in a fix, he reaches into his bag of tricks

You'll laugh so much your sides will ache.
Your heart will

The infamous Lindbergh case marked a turning point in the U.S. federal government's role in crime control. A new statute was enacted just over three months following the Lindbergh baby kidnapping. This legislation was popularly referred to as the “Lindbergh Law.” Congress passed the statute on June 22, 1932, making kidnapping a federal crime...Read more

A polecat is not a cat, or a pole. It is a nocturnal European weasel.

A space vehicle must move at a rate of at least 7 miles per second to escape Earth's gravitational pull. This is equivalent to going from New York to Philadelphia in about 20 seconds.

Statistically, UFO sightings are at their greatest number during those times when Mars is closest to Earth.

A kangaroo cannot jump if its tail is lifted off the ground. It needs its tail for pushing off.

In many countries, it is the custom to wish friends a "Happy Birthday" on January 1st, rather than a "Happy New Year." This day is nicknamed "Everyman's Birthday," and is considered the day when everyone becomes a year older, whether it's their actual day of birth or not. Similarly, this practice is observed in horse racing. No matter when a ...Read more

A "dandiprat" was an English coin of the value of three halfpence, coined by Henry VII.

Quisp and Quake were two sugar-sweetened breakfast cereals originally released in 1965 in the U.S. by The Quaker Oats Company and generally advertised together (during the same commercial) as products competing against each other. The very successful ads were cartoons created by Jay Ward of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame, and used some of the same ...Read more

William Caxton, an English printer, established the first printing press in English in 1476.

As a teenager Ben Franklin became an expert swimmer. On his visit to London at age nineteen, Ben went on a boating excursion with his printer friends. During the trip he leaped into the Thames River and swam from Chelsea to Blackfriars, performing every kind of feat, under water and above. He had learned these feats in the Schuylkill River at ...Read more

Men over the age of 24 shave an average of six times a week.

In Massachusetts, snoring is prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked and it is illegal to go to bed without first having a full bath.

According to a Motorcycle Industry Council survey conducted in 1994, the average motorcyclist is male, age 32.5 years (up from the average in the 1980s of 27.5 years), married, and has some college education; his annual income averages $33,200.

Texas is the only state that permits residents to cast absentee ballots from space. The first to exercise this right to vote while in orbit was astronaut David Wolf, who cast his vote for Houston mayor via e-mail from the Russian space station Mir in November 1997.

Drinking a glass of red wine every day is said to be good for your heart, but it is not the best choice for your teeth. The acids found in all wine varieties can erode tooth enamel. Red wine causes the worst stains. Again, the solution is to brush often and well.