Lots and lots of lists of quick and quirky historical facts, from the Stone Age to the Internet Age! Leave it to Uncle John to find a new way to make history fun and exciting! This quirky collection of lists is the latest volume in the Bathroom Reader’s bestselling history series. Over 500 fact-packed pages will breathe life into history’s most famous (and most unusual) stories. History buffs, trivia hounds, and readers looking for an educational snack will love learning about some of history’s greatest—and strangest—events. In one great book, you’ll find: * Two famous pioneering trails * Three one-armed men who lent a hand * Four famous folks who literally died laughing * Five horrifying medieval punishments * Six photographic firsts * Seven hotel rooms where history was made * Eight disgusting secret ingredients * Nine famous trains * Ten places you can’t go * Eleven disasters that changed the world * Twelve fast food firsts, and much, much more!

From cannibals to conspiracy theories to the origin stories of candy, a compendium of thousands of fun facts to read behind closed doors! Our readers asked for it, and here it is: Uncle John’s first collection of his greatest short facts and quick reading material. Open up to any page of Extraordinary Book of Facts and you might find a list of, say, obscure words (“exocannibals” eat enemies; “indocannibals” eat friends). Flip to another page and there’s a whole bunch of facts about how long things take (a yak’s gestation period: 258 days). On another page: kid facts (the average four-year-old laughs 400 times per day; grownups, about fifteen). Get smarter and laugh a lot more with this amazing collection that features thousands of great facts, plus word origins, myth-conceptions, conspiracy theories, and much, much more. Arranged for simple and speedy reference, this book is the perfect companion for trivia buffs and knowledge junkies everywhere!

Sit down and relax with Uncle John's Biggest Ever Bathroom Reader. This hardcover edition of the bathroom reading series will bowl you over. No more frantic searches at the last minute for that perfect magazine. No more agonizing choices between light reading and serious stuff. This biggest ever volume has combined two previous Bathroom Readers in their entirety, Uncle John's Great Big Bathroom Reader and Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom Reader. It has more entertainment, humor, trivia, science, history, and pop culture than ever before. Among lots of other topics, you can read about: * Why the White House is White * Strange Medical Conditions * The History of the Bra * The Origin of the Miss America Pageant * Weird Tales of the Ouija Board * The Hair Museum * Why Thanksgiving is in November * Why Popcorn Pops * The Origin of Pop Tarts. Its all there in Uncle John's Biggest Ever Bathroom Reader!

This 34th annual edition of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader offers an all-new collection of fascinating trivia, strange-but-true oddities, and the ever-popular stories of dumb crooks! Uncle John’s Hindsight Is 2020 Bathroom Reader is packed with tons of new articles from the worlds of pop culture, history, and science to help you get everything out of your system the next time you visit the throne room! Articles range in length from a single page to extended page-turners, each as entertaining as the last. From iconic television roles that almost weren’t to the origins of comic books, this 34th edition of fascinating trivia, hilarious lists, and notable quotes compiled by Uncle John and his team at the Bathroom Readers’ Institute will set your mind free to roam the world—and you won’t even need to leave the house!

It’s an actual fact—Uncle John is the most entertaining thing in the bathroom! Uncle John and his team of devoted researchers are back again with an all-new collection of weird news stories, odd historical events, dubious “scientific” theories, jaw-dropping lists, and more. This entertaining 31st anniversary edition contains 512 pages of all-new articles that will appeal to readers everywhere. Pop culture, history, dumb crooks, and other actual and factual tidbits are packed onto every page of this book. Inside, you’ll find . . . Dogs and cats who ran for political office The bizarre method people in Victorian England used to resuscitate drowning victims The man who met his future pet—a stray dog—while running across the Gobi Desert Searching for Planet X—the last unknown planet in our solar system Twantrums—strange Twitter rants that had disastrous effects The true story of Boaty McBoatface And much more!

Grab some quiet time for yourself and enjoy hundreds of pages of the world’s most twisted trivia! The crackpot staff at the Bathroom Readers’ Institute has scoured the worlds of pop culture, politics, sports, history, and more to bring you Slightly Irregular, the seventeenth all-new edition in the best-selling series. As always, the articles are divided by length for your sitting convenience. So turn thine eyes away from the shampoo bottle, O bathroom reader, and let Uncle John pepper your brain with these absorbing articles . . . * Women in space * The origin of Kung Fu * The CIA’s secret coup * The great windshield epidemic * Spider eggs in the brain, and other urban legends * What went down at Woodstock * Freedom of McSpeech * How to kill a zombie, and much more!

Uncle John is heeding the call of nature! So pack a rucksack, and let’s head outside! It’s a wild world out there, and the folks at the BRI want to explore it with you. From hornywinks to Dracula orchids, from alluvium to zymogen, Uncle John is embarking on a back-country safari to track down the wackiest, weirdest, silliest, and most amazing stories about the natural world. It’s 448 wild pages of great outdoor facts, strange stories, incredible science, and fun quotes and quizzes. You’ll feel the fresh mountain air energize you as you read about… * An ape that fries burgers and a lizard that plays video games * The explosive history of America’s deepest (and bluest) lake * The search for the mysterious rhinoceros dolphin * How to distinguish a mushroom from a toadstool * Cats vs. birds: the Feline-Avian War * A waterfall that turns toys to stone * The history of dirt And much, much more!

Uncle John channel-surfs through America’s favorite pastime: television. What does Homer Simpson call “friend…mother…secret lover?” Television, you meathead! Here comes your wacky neighbor Uncle John to present TV the way only he can. From test patterns to Top Chef, from My Three Sons to Mad Men, as well as TV news, advertising, scandals, sitcoms, dramas, reality shows, and yadda yadda yadda, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Tunes into TV is “dy-no-mite!” Read about… * Gilligan’s seven deadly sins * The inside story of TV’s first commercial * What goes on behind the scenes of Jeopardy! * The most incredibly bizarre shows from around the world * Why Gene Roddenberry tried to beam the original Star Trek cast into space * What reality show producers don’t want you to know * How the King of Late Night crushed his competition * What really went down on the island of LOST * Unexpected sitcom fatalities * TV’s greatest chimps And much, much more!

Our first all-new edition to top 500 pages, this was the Bathroom Reader that made the publishing world stand up and take notice—these guys are here to stay. Also appearing for the first time in Giant 10th Anniversary is our famous “Extended Sitting Section,” a series of extra-long articles for those truly leg-numbing experiences. There are also plenty of short and medium articles covering a whole host of topics, including little-known history, pop science, myth-conceptions, celebrity rumors, comedian quotes, and, of course, really dumb crooks. Read about… * The anatomy of laughter * Is your name your destiny? * The history of the electric guitar * What really happened at Roswell * The Politically Correct quiz * The secret of Nancy Drew * Legendary TV flops * Why you itch And much, much more!

Presents a collection of brief articles on a wide variety of topics designed especially for bathroom reading.