Entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. converted to Judaism following his recovery from a car accident in 1954 in which he lost one of his eyes. Davis’s interest in the faith was spurred by stories of Jewish history that entertainer Eddie Cantor shared during convalescence visits.
Sammy Davis Jr. and Caroll O’Connor had the first inter-racial same-sex kiss on television.
Charles Carroll of Carrollton (Maryland) was the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Independence Rock in Wyoming is so named because travelers on the Emigrant Trail tried reach it by the 4th of July.
Several countries’ national days are not their independence days, like France, Libya, and Ireland (whose national day is the feast day of its patron saint)
Cinco de Mayo is also not Mexico’s independence day, but is advertised as such in ads for Corona Beer.
Mexican beers like Corona are typically served with limes because originally the bottle caps were steel and would leave a ring of rust around the mouth.
Englishmen, especially sailors, got the nickname “Limeys” because of the Royal Navy’s practice of serving them fresh limes to stave off scurvy.
Englishmen would add limes and gin to their tonic water to kill the taste of quinine, a bitter chemical used to cure malaria.
“Mad Dogs and Englishmen” was a signature tune of English entertainer and bon vivant Noel Coward.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen is Joe Cocker’s 1970 live album.
Rabies is also known as hydrophobia, as one of its symptoms is an aversion to water.
Though the reason is unknown, a craving for ice to chew can be a symptom of iron-deficiency anemia.
“I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass… and I’m all out of bubblegum.” is a quote from the movie They Live starring Rowdy Roddy Piper, a pro wrestler.
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was Pink Floyd’s first album.
Floyd Pepper, the guitarist for the Muppet Show band, was named for Pink Floyd and the Beatles Sgt Pepper album.
The Great Waldo Pepper was a film starring Robert Redford as a barnstorming pilot.
James Cagney came out of a 20 year retirement to play police commissioner Waldo in Milos Forman’s “Ragtime.”
Actress Lea Michele, now being acclaimed for her work in the TV series Glee appeared on Broadway at the tender age of 11, playing Tateh’s daughter in the original Broadway cast of the musical version of “Ragtime.”
E.L. Doctorow named the character of Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in Ragtime, played by Howard Rollins in the film and Brian Stokes Mitchell in the Broadway musical, after the character Kohlhaas in Tales of Hoffmann; he much later introduced the character of Coalhouse Walker, Sr., in his novel about Sherman’s MARCH.