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MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Hit Movies Are Called “Blockbusters”

When you hear the word “blockbuster” mentioned, it’s usually about movies, (either a flick that was a huge box office success or a certain now-defunct chain of video rental stores). Yet, while the word’s meaning is pretty innocuous now, “blockbuster” actually used to describe something pretty dark.

Back in the 1940s, “blockbusters” were actually large, destructive World War 2 bombs. TIME magazine first printed the word “blockbuster” in 1942, in a November 29 article about an Allied bombing in Italy. That particular nickname was given because of the bomb’s ability to annihilate an entire city block. Then, as the bombs continued to drop throughout the war, the name “blockbuster” caught on & began being used to refer to anything particularly explosive or elaborate.

More recently, the 1975 movie Jaws is widely considered to be the first summer blockbuster. But Hollywood’s association with the word predates Jaws by a few decades. Before “blockbuster” meant a box office hit, it was used to describe any bold or noteworthy production. By the mid-50s, film producer Max E. Youngstein had defined a blockbuster to be any movie that earned over $2 million.

Nowadays, there’s no predetermined amount that a film needs to make before being considered a blockbuster. Overall, movies that earn big box office bucks fit the definition, even if their content isn’t particularly explosive.

But, now that you know this blockbuster Mundane Mystery, if you’ve got one you’d like solved, send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Clocks Run “Clockwise”

As you look up at the clock & will it to hit 5:00pm as quickly as possible, do you ever wonder: why do clocks run “clockwise”? Who decided that that was the direction they should go?

Think about it: in most of our revered sports (baseball, NASCAR, horse racing, most forms of skating, and more), we’re used to seeing things move in a counterclockwise direction. So, why do clocks go the opposite way?

Well, before the advent of clocks, humans used sundials to tell the time of day. Here in the northern hemisphere, shadows on sundials rotated in the direction we now call “clockwise”. So, since the clock was originally created here in the northern hemisphere, the clock’s hands were built to mimic the natural movements of the sun & how it threw shade around a sundial.

If the clock been devised in the southern hemisphere, things would’ve been very different. What we know as “clockwise” would’ve been “counterclockwise”, as the sun & shade move in the opposite direction from what they do here in the northern hemisphere.

And now you know!

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Is Something “Brand Spanking New”?

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “You just won a brand-new car” on many a game show. You might have told a friend before about a “brand spanking new” TV you bought. Or, because you listen to WFRE, you’ve definitely heard Brooks & Dunn proclaim how they’re a “Brand New Man”.

But, are “brand” & “spanking” really necessary? Doesn’t “new” get the message across just fine on its own? Why do we say something is “brand new” or “brand-spanking new”? And who brought corporal punishment into the mix?

The “brand” in “brand new” doesn’t refer to the manufacturing of something. Back in the 16th century, “brand” meant “a burning piece of wood”, so something that was “brand new” would’ve been anything that had just come out of a forge or furnace, like metalwork and/or pottery.

“Spanking” was an English word from the 17th century, which originally referred to something extraordinary. So, for something to be “brand-spanking new”, it couldn’t just be new, it also had to be remarkable. For better or worse, it actually has nothing to do with the verb “spanking”, or the act of popping someone on their backside.

And now you’ve learned something brand spanking new!

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or email [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning

WFRE PODCAST #10: Hammocks, Confessions, and Sticky Quarters

Ten episodes of excellence! Gabby has childhood confessions, Pat mixed up his cookies, and Laura talks about quarter pranks from when she was a kid. Have you ever been rind-ed?

Laura-ism: “Spitting replicas.”

Tom @ Longshot’s Kentucky Derby Party – https://www.wfre.com/amp-events/tom-longshots-kentucky-derby-party/

Featuring: Gabby (Weekdays 10a-3p), Laura (Weekdays 7p-Midnight), and Patrick Hanes (Midnight-5a).

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