There are towns called Michigan City in Indiana and Mississippi, but not in Michigan.

At the height of the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force had a secret plan to show its military might by blowing up a nuclear bomb on the moon.

“Noodling” is a term for the way some redneck guys catch fish. They wade out into the river and feel for holes in the river floor. When they find a catfish hole, they stick their hands in there and pull out these monster catfish.

Young men of ancient Rome let their first beards grow until their 20th birthday, when it was cut off and offered to household gods.

Thanksgiving is still getting started in China. Urban Chinese know about the holiday, but it’s often associated with superstitions about “gods of the kitchen.”

This article appears in August 29 • 2003.

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