LONGFORM

Midnight movies go way back, and legendary drive-in critic Joe Bob Briggs helps shed light on their evolution over time.

Dread by Dawn: How Midnight Movies Became a Cultural Phenomenon, According to Joe Bob Briggs

Legendary drive-in film critic and host Joe Bob Briggs talks about the history of midnight movies, his upcoming Shudder special, ‘Joe-Bob's Haunted Halloween Hangout,‘ and more.

The gender binary looms large in this sphere.

The Sexist History of Naming Hurricanes After Women Only—And How 1970s Feminists Fought to End It

“I’m sick and tired of hearing that ‘Cheryl was no lady as she devastated such and such a town,’” Roxcy Bolton said. She wasn't alone in her exasperation.

The Murderer Who Helped Make the Oxford English Dictionary

The story of the OED’s most prolific contributor, a sex-addicted murderer who lived in an insane asylum.

When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Opened a Psychic Bookstore

The creator of Sherlock Holmes believed in ghosts so strongly he opened a bookstore devoted to educating the general public about them.

'5-25-77,' a Coming-of-Age Film Set During the Summer of 'Star Wars,' Is Finally Getting Released After 20 Years

In 2004, Johnson set out to direct a coming-of-age tale sparked by seeing an early cut of 'Star Wars.' It took nearly 20 years to see it through.

The 35 Greatest Westerns of All Time

The Western has been part of cinema since the very earliest days of Hollywood, and has produced some of the greatest films ever made. Here are 35 of them.

Viola Davis stars in 'The Woman King'' (2022).

The Agojie Amazons of West Africa: The Real Female Warriors Behind 'The Woman King'

Gina Prince-Bythewood's 'The Woman King' takes its cues from the very real Agojie warriors of West Africa.

Otto, Leslie Nielsen, and Robert Hays in 'Airplane!' (1980).

How the 1980s Became the Golden Age of Spoof Movies (And Why It Couldn’t Last)

The arrival of blockbuster movies like 'Jaws' and 'Star Wars' and the rise of the home video era allowed '80s comedies like 'Airplane!' and 'The Naked Gun' to define the spoof genre like no films before them ever could.

Slow Burn: How Elton John's "Candle in the Wind '97"—the Best-Selling Single in Music History—Became a Royal Relic

In the weeks following the death of Princess Diana, "Candle in the Wind '97" provided a form of musical catharsis. Then it simply burned out.

Bruce Lee never got to finish 'Game of Death,' so someone else did.

How Bruce Lee's 'Game of Death' Overcame the Demise of Its Leading Man

Released five years after his sudden death, Bruce Lee's 'Game of Death' used everything from camera tricks to cardboard cutouts to resurrect a legend.

How Steven Seagal Claimed His Place as the Worst Host In 'Saturday Night Live' History

For more than 30 years, 'SNL' cast members have regularly cited Steven Seagal as the worst host the show has ever had—an ignoble distinction for a program that's been on the air for half a century.

Being a night soil man was a thankless job.

How the Victorian Era's 'Night Soil Men' Kept London From Going to Waste

The fetchers of feces known as night soil men tackled a dangerous, thankless job—all in an attempt to keep Victorians unburdened by their ever-growing piles of poop.

'20 Original Hits! 20 Original Stars!' Inside K-Tel, the Innovator Behind the 'As Seen on TV' Compilation Album

If you've ever bought a best-of CD or record, you can thank Philip Kives, the pitchman who brought us '24 Great Truck Drivin' Songs.'

Marge Callaghan of the Fort Wayne Daisies slides into home plate during a 1948 game.

The Real-Life Women’s Baseball League Behind ‘A League of Their Own’

Here’s what Penny Marshall's ‘A League of Their Own’ got right (and wrong) about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

How Victorian Explorers and Pining Lovers Used Coded Newspaper Ads to Communicate

“S. lkqo. C. hgo & Tatty.” It’s gibberish to you, but not to Captain Richard Collinson.

Nintendo wasn't always about video games.

How Nintendo Conquered the Gaming World

Before Nintendo burrowed its way into millions of homes, it had to win over retailers in New York City—and the difficulty level was set to 'almost impossible.'

James Blunt at Chicago's Riviera Theater in 2006.

How James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" Became the Most Misunderstood—and Hated—Song of the 2000s

For better or worse, British singer-songwriter James Blunt has never been able to escape his signature song, the 2004 smash “You’re Beautiful,” a seemingly romantic ballad that masks a much darker meaning.

Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was into fuzz, but was not a lamestain.

'Wack Slacks': When the Media Fell for a Grunge Slang Hoax

In 1992, the mainstream media was eager to learn about the lexicon of the surging grunge scene. So a New York Times reporter phoned up an insider—who proceeded to make up a bunch of words.

Aerosmith and Run-DMC broke down walls—and musical barriers—with "Walk This Way."

How Aerosmith and Run-DMC's "Walk This Way" Forever Altered the Landscape of American Music

In the '80s, the destruction of two walls changed the course of human events. One was the Berlin Wall, which came down on November 9, 1989. The other was the wall separating Aerosmith from Run-DMC in the 1986 music video for "Walk This Way."

Steve Martin was a curious choice for the role of a mobster.

'My Blue Heaven,' Steve Martin's Comedic, Spiritual Sequel to 'Goodfellas'

In 1990, two movies based on the life of mobster Henry Hill hit theaters. 'Goodfellas' had Martin Scorsese. 'My Blue Heaven' had Steve Martin.

Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins surrounded by his creations.

Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and the Great Dinosaur Utopia of Victorian England

Hawkins was the Steven Spielberg of his time—an artist and visionary who created an immersive world where giants still walked the Earth.

A smattering of Mary Renault's bestsellers

Mary Renault, the Bestselling Gay Novelist in the Age of McCarthyism

In 1953, Renault penned the UK's "first openly homosexual novel by a serious writer"—and that was just the beginning of her groundbreaking career.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy performs during the halftime show at 1999's Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami.

Flipping Out: Revisiting the 1990s Swing Revival

In the late ’90s, young people across America fell hard for swing, a musical genre that hadn’t been popular since before their parents were born.

'The Wreck of the 'Gloucester' off Yarmouth, 6 May 1682' by Johan Danckerts circa 1682.

The Shipwreck of HMS ‘Gloucester’—Whose Sinking Nearly Killed James II—Has Been Found After More Than 300 Years

Ships sank all the time in 17th-century Britain. But this one carried the future James II—and the tragedy was partially his fault.

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