Yes, it is that time of year again. When the ski's are filled with "Patang" and you have to do your best to keep yours up. [more inside]
posted by hadjiboy on Jan 13, 2009 - 15 comments

Psychotherapy in the Age of Obscene Wealth
posted by Weebot on Jul 9, 2008 - 67 comments

The mustard yellow belt returns to the U.S. It just wouldn’t be the 4th without the annual Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest. This year’s event was especially exciting, featuring not only a win by California gurgitator Joey Chestnut, but a record-breaking 66 dogs consumed in twelve minutes. Former six time champ Takeru Kobayashi, who had reportedly been nursing a sore jaw, took second place, with 63 red hots downed, in spite of a last-second “reversal of fortune.” Truly a proud day.
posted by Gilbert on Jul 4, 2007 - 33 comments

The history of cake has been long and varied, and many have interesting histories. Some are misleadingly named. However, few have had as mysterious and interesting a history as one of the 20th century's most famous cakes, the Chiffon.
From the always wonderful Rake Magazine.
posted by wander on Feb 13, 2007 - 23 comments

Famous Divinity School Dropouts
posted by caddis on Sep 8, 2006 - 24 comments

Remember this picture? Arguably the most famous flag raised since this one was, and apparently its now gone missing. And now the three firefighters who didn't know they were being photographed won't talk to the press about a flag appraised to be worth over $500K.
posted by allkindsoftime on Aug 31, 2006 - 49 comments

"Famous people who died in aviation accidents" -- notables and not-so-notables who have perished in crashes in the last 100 years.
posted by persona non grata on Jul 16, 2006 - 46 comments

ASmallWorld is a very exclusive world, where participants seek advice on where to charter a private jet for a single person and use 'summer' as a verb. This invite-only website for the well-connected, famous, or just stinking rich has an alternate however. When an aSmallWorld member is no longer welcome, they are unceremoniously dumped to a less restricted set of forums called aBigWorld. I don't expect to get an invite anytime soon, so I can't tell you of their Illuminati-like plans to keep their lofty power. (via1, via2)
posted by Kickstart70 on Aug 12, 2005 - 45 comments

NNDB is an intelligence aggregator that tracks the activities of people we have determined to be noteworthy, both living and dead.
posted by Dean Keaton on Jan 29, 2005 - 21 comments

Famous for Being Famous - is an article on the artist, Giotto, argued to be among the first "celebrities." Giotto studied with the painter Cimabue and is said to have been an early influence on Leonardo da Vinci. Although not currently as well-known as Michaelangelo, for instance, Giotto's fame in his day was great, as evidenced by writings by Dante and Boccaccio.
posted by grapefruitmoon on Dec 5, 2004 - 5 comments

Sacco and Vanzetti et al. The amazing Famous Trials website, compiled as a labor of love by University of Missouri law professor Douglas Linder, is a motherlode of information on historically significant trails, ranging from Galileo to the Amistad to Lenny Bruce. It features not only official transcripts, but also equally intriguing details such as a map of the railroad cars in the Scottsboro Boys trial, Klan documents from the Mississippi Burning case, and opinion polls related to the My Lai courts martial.
posted by foxy_hedgehog on Nov 30, 2004 - 8 comments

Famous Diamonds [Tripod page, but a really good one]
posted by Pseudoephedrine on Sep 7, 2004 - 9 comments

Wow. The little Afghani girl whose eyes captivated a nation back in 1985 (when her portrait graced the cover of a National Geographic magazine) has been located (alive!).
posted by silusGROK on Mar 12, 2002 - 38 comments

Famous Name Changes What a turn off when you find out Paul David Hewson, Vincent Damon Furnier, William Michael Albert Broad are your favorite rockers (inside)
posted by Voyageman on Dec 20, 2001 - 18 comments

Great Scot! Who are the 100 greatest Scots of the 20th century? Vote, then come back here to post your choice, justify it, and discuss. (What is a "great Scot" anyway?)
posted by feckless on Sep 5, 2001 - 31 comments