Quote
"Any great and inspiring leader or organization that ever existed set out to do something completely unrealistic."
Simon Sinek
Joke
Doctor: You're obese.
Patient: For that I definitely want a second opinion.
Doctor: You’re quite ugly, too.
Fun Fact
Pringles aren't actually potato chips.
The next time you see a can of Pringles, take a closer look—you won't see the word "chip" anywhere on the packaging. That's because Pringles aren't made of thinly-sliced potatoes, but instead dehydrated potato flakes pressed into their signature parabolic shape. That's what makes them less greasy. But when other potato chip manufacturers complained, the Food and Drug Administration ruled that Pringles couldn't be marketed as chips. The company eventually settled on "potato crisp."
Reading Fact
The ability to read proficiently is closely linked to academic achievement, employment opportunities, and economic success.
History Fact
And Betsy Ross Didn't Design and Sew the First American Flag
At least the only proof we have of this is from Ross's grandson, William Canby, who claimed in 1870 that his "gam-gam" had the idea. The real creator was more likely to be Francis Hopkinson from New Jersey, who signed the Declaration of Independence and also designed many seals for the U.S. government.
Movie/TV Trivia
Enya was James Cameron’s first choice to compose the music for Titanic.
Movie/TV Quote
"You gotta hear this one song. It'll change your life, I swear."
Garden State (2004)
The inclusion of a Garden State quote on this list generated some controversy among the Thrillist Entertainment crew, since it comes from a movie that in 2019 is nearly universally derided, but which in 2004 was loved unironically enough to turn it into a surprise cult hit. Fans weren't just twee indie men pining for a "manic pixie dream girl," a term Natalie Portman's Sam helped inspire -- they were teenagers and young adults who identified with the sense of privileged malaise and vague sadness that runs through the film, and they probably harbored a fantasy that love could cure them. It may be cringeworthy to look back on the scene in which Portman excitedly tells Zach Braff's zombified Andrew Largeman (that name!) to listen to a life-altering Shins song ("New Slang"), but to ignore its influence in 2004 and the years immediately ensuing would be to deny history. The scene also points to the enduring legacy of the Garden State soundtrack, which itself has become part of a socially acceptable opinion: "The movie sucks, but the soundtrack is great!" Ridiculous as it is, the scene emits strong nostalgia vibes for anyone who loved it the first time around, and for those of us who have been hardened into cynical skeletons by the unforgiving forces of time and the internet, it's evolved into a very good meme.
Conversation Starter
If your life was a movie, which celebrity would play you?
Writing Prompt
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