Confetti has come a long way in 120 years
When the first confetti was made is still a mystery, but we know it was already a big deal in 1905. Police ordered its sale stopped and bars closed when…
Author: Rick Good
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader's money, real estate, and business coverage.
Happy New Year (whenever it might be)
The new year begins on January 1 — or does it? Let’s back up to early spring in 1750, when winter frost and ice were giving way to new growth and longer…
Welcoming the New Year with the bubbly
It is said that about 1680 in a French monastery Dom Perignon made a great discovery. He called to his fellow monks, “Come quickly! I am drinking stars!”…
It’s the All-American food: Cook your hamburger thoroughly
As you slide the spatula under that hamburger, you might be thinking about that great sandwich. You might be more concerned about something else: E. coli…
Headaches linked to inactivity
Norwegian surveys of more than 68,000 people show that being sedentary may increase the risk of developing frequent headaches. Over an 11-year period,…
Healthier turkey sandwich
If you’ve added a few extra pounds over the holidays, you may want to cut calories and preserve the taste of foods at the same time. When it comes to a…
January is National Blood Donor Month: Blood banks begin search for donors
For children, January is a month for sledding and building snowmen. For blood banks it is a time of searching. With snowstorms, holidays, increased…
Keep your feet warm; avoid a cold
A number of studies show that feeling generally cold outside or indoors will not cause a cold. Having cold feet, however, can make you more likely to get…
Weight loss drugs may help lower cancer risk
Drugs in the GLP-1 agonist class such as Ozempic and Wegovy have already transformed diabetes and obesity treatment, and now researchers say that they may…
Alzheimer’s drug trial halted
Texas-based biotechnology firm Cassava Sciences has halted an advanced clinical trial for the experimental Alzheimer’s drug simufilam after it failed to…