| Portable Press / The Bathroom Readers Institute An imprint of Printers Row Publishing Group 10350 Barnes Canyon Road, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121
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Copyright 2018 Portable Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Printers Row Publishing Group is a division of Readerlink Distribution Services, LLC. Portable Press, Bathroom Readers Institute, and Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader are registered trademarks of Readerlink Distribution Services, LLC.
All correspondence concerning the content of this book should be addressed to Portable Press / The Bathroom Readers Institute, Editorial Department, at the above address.
Publisher: Peter Norton Associate Publisher: Ana Parker
Publishing / Editorial Team: Vicki Jaeger, Lauren Taniguchi, April Farr, Kelly Larsen, Kathryn C. Dalby, Carrie Davis, Leah Baltazar Editorial Team: JoAnn Padgett, Melinda Allman, Dan Mansfield Production Team: Jonathan Lopes, Rusty von Dyl
Created and produced by Javna Brothers LLC
Interior design by Lidija Tomas
Cover design by Adam Devine
Endpaper design by Rusty von Dyl
Dedicated to our parents, Claire and Stephen Javna, who taught us to love facts
I never apologize. Im sorry, but thats just the way I am. Homer Simpson
eBook ISBN: 978-1-68412-498-5
eBook Edition: July 2018
OUR REGULAR
READERS RAVE!
I absolutely love your books. I learn more from them than I do from any other history book or book Ive ever read. You keep printing them and Ill keep buying them.
Bill M.
I enjoy all the humor, information, and triviaand the fact that most of the articles are short enough to finish while visiting my Reading Room.
Dave G.
I love these books. The way theyre written makes facts and trivia fun.
Julia K.
I have enjoyed many issues of Uncle Johns Bathroom Readers over the years (Im 82) and always look forward to a new one. My son-in-law (also a nut who loves your books) gave me the new one a week ago and I dove into it as soon as I got to the bathroom! Thank you very much.
Richard G.
Big fan here. I love everything you publish. Youre my fun encyclopedia. Never stop doing what you do.
Terry D.
Your books bring my family a lot of pleasure.
Lou B.
I own about 30 of your books. I read them partly for entertainment, but mostly to illustrate my sermons (Im a preacher). Thanks for your help over the years.
Jeff S.
Im near the end of this book and Im eagerly awaiting the next one.
Jon L.
CONTENTS
Because the BRI understands your reading needs, weve divided the contents by length as well as subject.
Shorta quick read
Medium2 to 3 pages
Longfor those extended visits, when something a little more involved is required
*Extendedfor those leg-numbing experiences
ACTUAL & FACTUAL
Short
Medium
Long
BATHROOM NEWS
Short
Medium
CREATURE FEATURES
Short
Medium
CUSTOMS & SUPERSTITIONS
Short
Medium
GOVERN-MENTAL
Short
Medium
HISTORY MAKERS
Short
Medium
Long
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Short
Medium
Long
ITS A WEIRD WEIRD WORLD
Short
Medium
Long
ITS JUST BUSINESS
Short
Medium
Long
LANGUAGE & LINGO
Short
Medium
GOOD SPORTS
Short
Medium
MISTAKES WERE MADE
Short
Medium
MMMFOOD
Short
Medium
MOUTHING OFF
Short
Medium
ORIGINS
Short
Medium
POP SCIENCE
Short
Medium
Long
POP-POURI
Short
Medium
PUBLIC LIVES
Short
Medium
Long
READING & WRITING
Short
Medium
Long
STRANGE CRIME
Short
Medium
Long
SURVIVAL MODE
Short
Medium
Long
TECH-NO
Short
Medium
THATS DEATH
Medium
Long
THE BIG SCREEN
Short
Medium
THE MEDICAL FIELD
Short
Medium
Long
THE SMALL SCREEN
Short
Medium
TOYS & GAMES
Medium
WORDPLAY
Short
Medium
As a matter of fact
GREETINGS, FELLOW
TRIVIA HOUNDS!
Were happy to have you with us for our thirty-first annual edition:
A while ago, I was talking with some of the info-nerds here at the Bathroom Readers Institute about the fact that facts are the building blocks of the Bathroom Readerthe atoms that bind this book series together. But theres another facet of the fact that I find fascinating: facts are fun! In fact, sharing a few facts here and there can make you sound like a know-it-all without actually having to know it all. (Thats one of Uncle Johns secrets.)
Quick story: I recently ran in to my old friend Sheila Burns, who asked me what Im working on these days. A new Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader, I told her. Really?!? she exclaimed. How long have you been writing these books? Thirty-one years, I replied. Then came the question Im asked most often: Is there even anything new to write about? Havent you covered everything?
Quite the opposite, Sheila. Theres a whole universe of stuff out there to write about, and our dedicated writers are constantly mining it from books, magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, the Internet. Were like the Terminator: If theres an interesting fact out there, we