Arts & Culture
Why Did Sailors Wear Bell-Bottom Pants?
176
Article
Bell-bottoms have long been synonymous with sailors in the U.S. Navy: Just picture Sailor Jack, the patriotic mascot who first appeared on boxes of Cracker Jack in 1918, or Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly dancing and singing in the 1945 musical Anchors Aweigh. During World War II, songwriter Moe Jaffe even reworked the lyrics of a bawdy 19th-century English sea shanty into “Bell Bottom Trousers,” a song about a woman’s love for her sailor, who wore “bell bottom trousers, coat of navy blue.” The Navy first authorized wearing bell-bottom denim dungarees in 1901 as an ...Read More
-
Arts & CultureArticle26The Greatest April Fools’ Pranks in History
No one knows for sure when the concept of April Fools’ Day originated. It may have sprung from the Roman spring festival of Hilaria, a time of merriment and mischief-making…
-
Arts & CultureArticle24Why Was Turtle Soup Once Considered a Delicacy?
From the mid-18th century until the mid-20th century, turtle soup was one of the most luxurious dishes in European and American cuisine. It frequently appeared on the tables of wealthy…
-
Arts & CultureArticle13The Best Historical Movies for History Buffs
Just as we’ll never run out of history to study, nor will we run out of historical movies to watch anytime soon. Filmmakers have always looked to the past for…
-
Arts & CultureFact12The “L.A. Times” spoiled the winners of the 12th Academy Awards.
The internet may have made spoilers more common, but it certainly didn’t invent them. Back in 1940, for instance, the Los Angeles Times accidentally revealed the winners of the 12th…
