Super interesting topic today, at least I was quite intrigued by the research(with lots of YouTube clips). I know there are some moments in music censorship history that didn’t make the list, so if you know of one, leave it in the comments. I mean, you can try. I might delete your comment if I don’t agree with you.

1. Bob Dylan on the Ed Sullivan Show, 1963. Dylan was on the show to promote his then-new album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and told producers he wanted to sing “Talkin’ John Birch Society Blues” for his musical number. He even did a runthrough for the producers, who apparently had no problem with it. But just a couple of hours before the show was supposed to air, he was told the song was a no-go. So Dylan walked out and never came back. However, Ed Sullivan later said he had nothing to do with the decision, unlike our next example. Apparently it was a network decision. The John Birch Society was an anti-government group the network had reported on via its news outlets. The official word is that they didn’t want to cross wires and make political statements about events their journalists were reporting on.

2. The Rolling Stones on the Ed Sullivan Show, 1967. They sang “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” quite a scandalous song at the time. Some radio stations pulled it altogether; others opted to bleep the word “night.” Can you imagine? I wonder what words that we censor today will be perfectly acceptable on the oldies station in 40 years. Anyway, Sullivan asked the Stones to sing “Let’s Spend Some Time Together” instead (as if the lyric “I’ll satisfy your every need” was somehow not sexual?). The Stones agreed, and everyone was happy. However, Mick was anxious to prove to the fans that he hadn’t just bowed to the will of Ed Sullivan and insisted that he didn’t sing “Let’s spend some time together,” but “Let’s spend some mmmm together.” Because somehow that makes Mick more of a rebel. However, this video shows Mick saying “Time” at least once, and the backup singing clearly emphasizing “Time” loudly on all of the other occasions.

3. The Doors, Ed Sullivan, 1976. In our final Ed Sullivan example, the Doors made an appearance on the show and were asked to change the lyric of “Light My Fire” that said “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher.” The Doors said, “Sure, no problem”… and proceeded to go ahead and sing the song, unaltered. (more…)

My resolution should have been to find a panel of judges to pick the winners of these daily contests. The submissions were really great – some were ingenious, others laugh-out-loud funny. But before I pick a winner, here are a few of the runners-up:

From JaneM:
I resolve to go back and visit every town I ever lived in every state I lived in (approx 20 towns in 4 states). I will find the most unusual place in that town, photograph it and email it to flossypics@gmail.com along with the info about it.

From Andy:
1) Recreate my intricate hand-drawn map of all 1003 rail trails in the USA and get it mentioned by the Rails to Trails Society.

2) Complete my collection of WPA Era Ranger Naturalist Service posters by the NPS. I must visit the park or monument before adding the print to my collection.

From Catherine Ann:
My resolution is to win a free book from mental floss. We could knock this one out real quick now, Mr. English.

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When you belly up to the bar, how well do you know the cocktail you’re ordering? The ingredients of these famous tipples may be familiar to bar patrons the world over, but some of their origins are as debatable as those of the Flaming Moe. Here’s a quick rundown of where some of your favorite drinks entered a glass for the first time.

1. The Martini

Aficionados disagree, sometimes violently, on the correct ratio of gin to dry vermouth that makes a transcendent martini, and the debate over the true origin of the martini can be just as contentious. Some claim that it’s simply a dryer version of an older cocktail called the Martinez; Martinez, California, the birthplace of this cocktail, thus stakes its claim to the title of birthplace of the martini. Others postulate that the drink’s name simply comes from Martini & Rossi, an Italian company that’s been exporting its vermouths to the U.S. since the 19th century. Still others claim that the drink was created by and named for Martini di Arma di Taggia, the bartender at New York’s Knickerbocker Hotel, although there’s evidence that the cocktail may have been invented well before he started mixing drinks.

2. The Manhattan

The venerable Manhattan, a blend of whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters, is another cocktail that scores of people claimed to have invented. It may date back to the New York bar scene of the 1860s, but there are also some more intriguing tales about its origins. According to one of these legends, Jennie Churchill threw a party at the Manhattan Club in 1874 to celebrate Samuel J. Tilden’s victory in New York’s gubernatorial election. An enterprising bartender created a new cocktail for the event, which he dubbed the Manhattan in the club’s honor. Both of these characters would go on to bigger things. Churchill soon gave birth to a son, Winston, and Tilden made a presidential run in 1876. (Although Tilden won the popular vote, he lost out to his Republican opponent, Rutherford B. Hayes. At least the cocktail saved Tilden from obscurity.)

3. The Bellini

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As we inch toward Inauguration Day, Linda Rodriguez will be looking back at U.S. elections from the not-too-distant past. Today’s topic is the 1988 battle between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis.

The Year of the Handler

There were more than a few candidates littering the field in 1988, but in the end, it came to two men, neither of whom seemed to know exactly why they were running or why they should win. A Newsweek poll around Election Day found that 74 percent of the respondents believed that the candidates were just saying what they had to say to get elected. Not exactly a resounding vote of confidence. Newsweek described the election year as the year of the handler, because it was the candidates’ handlers and strategists – a breed of professional approaching an apogee of influence in the 1988 election – who got them through the campaign more than anything else. It was dull, it was depressing – where were our bright lights, our glorious leaders, or even someone who seemed like they actually wanted the job? In the end, we got George Bush.

Bad news is better than no news

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You’ve probably played it a million times, but how well do you remember the six original characters from Clue? None of this new-fangled “Madame Rose” or “Sergeant Grey” stuff – strictly the basics, please. And sorry, there’s no Singing Telegram Girl either. You’ll need to enter the whole name (so, “Ms. Chartreuse,” not just “Chartreuse”). To jog your memory, the victim is Mr. Boddy. Good luck!

Take the Quiz: Name the Clue Characters

When the digital camera came along, the long-reigning king of photographic convenience, the Polaroid camera, was dethroned. It would take another decade or so for digital technology to so rob the point-and-shoot Polaroid of its market share that it effectively died as a consumer product – and this month we mourn its passing. The last roll of instant Polaroid film will roll off the line sometime very soon, though aficionados will never admit that it became obsolete. The Polaroid’s funky colors and fisheye close-ups could create the tamest of family snapshots or the weirdest of pop art pieces (Warhol loved his Polaroid camera, and for years snapped pants-down crotch-shots of any visitors to his Factory who would submit to his prying lens).

It’s a technology responsible for a million unintentional masterpieces, most certainly lost to time and trash and garage sales; those that are found are treasured, and sometimes end up in the pages of magazines like Found or on this very website. Peppered throughout this blog are some of our favorite Polaroids, courtesy Found magazine:

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On January 20th, a new president will take office in Washington, DC. There will be a big parade, a swearing-in ceremony, and boxes moving in and out of the White House. Then the balls begin at night. Inaugural balls were once the most elegant and sophisticated affairs in the nation, although they were joyous occasions, too. Now they are a once-in-a-lifetime event, because so many people who attend say they won’t ever do that again!

For the inauguration of George Washington in 1789, the custom of the inaugural ball hadn’t yet been established. A fancy dress ball was held in New York a week after he was sworn in. Washington particularly enjoyed dancing the minuet. A good time was had by all, and subsequent presidents (or First Ladies) strove to match the elegance of the celebration. Dolley Madison, wife of James Madison, was the first president’s wife to attend inauguration ceremonies, and the first First Lady to host an official inaugural ball, in 1809. Tickets for the event cost $4, equivalent to $50 today. Madison had experience in this area, as she had played White House hostess for president Jefferson on several social occasions. In fact, Madison was the first woman to be referred to as the First Lady.

Ulysses S. Grant’s inaugural ball in 1869 became a free-for-all as too many guests competed for too little food until a fight broke out! Grant’s 1873 ball didn’t fare even that well. A temporary building was constructed to accommodate the anticipated crowd, and temperature outside plunged to four degrees below zero. The food froze, the champagne was slushy, and worst of all, 100 canaries brought in to sing froze to death!

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When the evenings are slow in the town of Mayberry (which is most of the time), the locals occasionally get together to play cards. No money changes hands, of course, since that would be against the law. They just play a variety of games - dealer’s choice - and the winner of each game scores 5 points. The night ends when the winning player reaches 100 points.

On this particular night, five Mayberry residents - Andy, Barney, Bee, Goober, and Otis - gathered down at the filling station for the after-hours game. When the dust settled ended, and the last bottle of orange pop was gone, the winner had scored the required 100 points, while second place had 75 points, followed by 60 points, 45 points, and 30 points bringing up the rear.

Based on the following three clues, can you determine who won the game and how many points each player scored?

1. Barney’s scored more than twice as many points as Goober did.

2. Otis scored an odd number of points.

3. Bee’s score was exactly 30 points higher than Andy’s score.

Here’s the SOLUTION.

How to convert your car to run on trash with a homemade biomass converter. Just like Doc Brown in Back to the Future! (via Gizmodo)
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How cool would it be to be a buyer for Think Geek? In this interview, meet John Frazier, the guy who looks for cool toys all day.
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Ann Edie has a guide dog, but he’s a horse named Panda. Parrots, pigs, monkeys: who decides what kind of creatures can be considered service animals? (via Metafilter)
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Blow soap bubbles in cold weather and watch them freeze and break! Or see pictures from someone who did just that.
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The Iguana That Darwin Never Saw. It’s an evolutionarily distinct species that lives only on one volcano, and it’s endangered. Oh, and it’s pink!
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You’d be surprised to see what TV newscasters do during commercial breaks. Maybe they’re trying out for a variety show. (via I Am Bored)
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The not-silent killer: noise pollution. You may not be aware of the amount of stress all those sounds have on your heart.