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The holiday season generates thoughts and memories relating to families and the home, so it’s no wonder many holiday-centric movies so prominently feature a home. Some of these beloved homes are figments of set designers’ imaginations. The mundane two-story suburban home of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” was a set, and even the lovely stone farmhouse from the 1945 romantic comedy “Christmas in Connecticut” was a set.

Old brands never die — they just fade away until someone figures a way to capitalize on the nostalgia for them. From candy to retailers, even the biggest names can fall out of favor. Some disappear forever while others just become harder to find. Eventually — if enough folks start playing "remember when?" — someone will take notice and try to cash in. Remember Narragansett Beer? Rhode Island-based Narragansett Brewing opened for business in 1890. In 1981, the original Cranston brewery was closed and due to poor management by Falstaff (which had bought the brand in 1965) andproduction came to...

This is not a genuine vanity just because everyone is asking the question: what's the deal with Paul Ryan's hair? He used to look like a conservative Kennedy but WTH? Sorry for being a newbie.

These are just a few examples to get us started: The Harlem Globetrotters was the brainchild of promoter-coach Abe Saperstein in the mid- to late-1920s. He thought the name gave them the right amount of appeal, mystique and prestige despite the fact, or perhaps, because of the fact, that he and his original players all came from, Chicago, not New York. And their headquarters was in Chicago too. Teens who own dogs get more physical exercise than teens who don't. If you have a bottle or jar top that won't unscrew, just run it under the hot water faucet for...

Happy Broderick Crawford day, fellow FReepers.

Alabama Donald W. Stewart Democratic Defeated in primary, Republican victory Jeremiah Denton (Republican) 50.2% Jim Folsom, Jr. (Democratic) 47.1% Alaska Mike Gravel Democratic Defeated in primary, Republican victory Frank Murkowski (Republican) 53.7% Clark Gruening (Democratic) 45.9% Florida Richard Stone Democratic Defeated in primary, Republican victory Paula Hawkins (Republican) 51.7% Bill Gunter (Democratic) 48.3% New York Jacob K. Javits Republican Defeated in primary, Republican victory Al D'Amato (Republican) 44.9% Elizabeth Holtzman (Democratic) 43.5% Jacob K. Javits (Liberal) 11.0%

Piloted spaceships, planetary probes, and space telescopes fascinate people. That’s easy to understand since these spacecraft make the discoveries of our time. Nevertheless, this is only the proverbial “tip of the iceberg” since they account for less than 10% of all spacecraft ever launched. What are the other 90% for? Who launched them and for what purpose? It’s worth noting that it is impossible to establish a definitive number of spacecraft launched since it depends of how you count them. Answering these questions tells us a lot about what’s going on in space. For example, more than a quarter of...

On March 17, ignore the green beer and leprechauns. There's more to St. Patrick's Day than silly stereotypes. Here's what you should know about the Irish and their big day: Q. Who was St. Patrick? A. Saints preserve us, he was English. Patrick (A.D. 385-461) was born in Britain and taken to Ireland as a slave. After he escaped, a vision told him to return and bring Christianity to the Irish. He is one of Ireland's patron saints, and patron saint of Nigeria. Q. Did he drive the snakes from Ireland?

Carly Simon has ended nearly 40 years of speculation by finally naming the man who inspired her hit "You're So Vain" - her target was gay record label boss David Geffen. The song, which catapulted the singer to fame in 1972, was rumored to be about one of her ex-boyfriends, who include Hollywood legend Warren Beatty and rocker Sir Mick Jagger, but she had persistently refused to name the man behind the track. But Simon has now revealed who was so vain by giving fans a cryptic clue in an acoustic version of the song, which features on her upcoming...

In the days before electrolysis, the metal could only be extracted from its ore, bauxite, by a process involving pure sodium; itself an exceptionally rare and expensive metal. As a result, he would tell us, the king of France kept two sets of cutlery for dinner: everyday fare and minor functionaries dined with golden knives and forks, whereas for special occasions and particularly honoured guests, the aluminium would be brought out. It is a measure of how times change that today some 36 million tonnes of aluminium are produced globally every year, making it abundant enough to be practically disposable....

Law and Order episode and quote needed

Crowds are swarming to see the new, "rebooted" Star Trek movie. But there are many facts about the popular epic that most casual fans don't know: Star Trek featured many memorable cast members and characters over the years. Star Trek had several incarnations. The most popular series of the franchise was Star Trek: SG1. The least popular? Star Trek: 1999. The first interracial kiss on American television was between Capt. Kirk and Lt. Sulu.     The original show only broadcast 13 episodes before it was canceled by Fox. The starship "Enterprise" was named after the first Space Shuttle. Show creator...

In honor of Trivia Days (April 17-19), enjoy these cocktail tidbits!

Know your presidents? If you need to brush up on your history before taking the quiz, check out our portraits of America's leaders.

• He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics • He was known as "O'Bomber" at high school for his skill at basketball • His name means "one who is blessed" in Swahili • His favourite meal is wife Michelle's shrimp linguini • He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father • He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed • He has read every Harry Potter book • He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali • He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice...

Charles A. Comiskey, the "Old Roman," doubted the truth of the rumors that his team's general manager, William "Kid" Gleason, brought to him. He had reason to doubt these rumors because he thought he had assembled a great team. They were the 1919 White Sox. Eddie Collins at second base and Ray Schalk as catcher were considered unequaled in the American League. In left outfield, Comiskey had "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, the illiterate, charismatic South Carolinian who had maintained a .356 batting average since coming to the majors. Spitballer Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams were pitchers. The infield consisted of...

Here we go, folks! Good luck to everyone! The game will end at 43 minutes after the hour, and the winner will be named just as fast as I can sort out the answers. Remember, the answer to EVERY clue is a single letter of the alphabet. Please answer with (clue number) - (letter). Thanks! And the clues are: The Clues. The answers are, in all cases, a single letter of the alphabet. Please answer with (clue number) - (letter) for any questions you care to answer. Some are easy; some are very difficult. Good luck! 1) Zuider? 2) Kaboo?...

There's a problem playing any sort of trivia on-line, these days. You can easily hop onto Google, or Ask, or wherever, and look things up. Here is an attempt at a trivia game that is, more or less, Google-proof. The game is entirely fair, and accurate. Some questions are dead lock cinches, others are much harder. A few are ''within context'', meaning that there might be several correct answers BUT the incorrect answers will be ''weeded out'' by answers to the other questions. Rules? Simple. Associate the various clues with ONE, just one, letter of the alphabet. Please answer in...

L.M. Boyd, the master gatherer of random facts whose Grab Bag column entertained generations of Sunday Chronicle readers, died on Monday at his Seattle home. He was 79. Louis Malcolm Boyd was known as "Mal" to his friends in Seattle, where he wrote a daily column that was syndicated in 400 papers until he retired in December 2000. The column was called Grab Bag only to readers of The Chronicle, which began carrying it in its Sunday Punch section in 1968. In other towns, it went by other names: Checking Up, Draw Up a Chair, or Fact or Fancy. For...

       It's Trivia Time!!!by Phil (pcottraux) and Barb (Max)This weekend we thought we'd try something a little different.Instead of posting a "theme", we'd like to throw some trivia out there and see what sticks. If you're interested (no pressure) we'd like to ask you some fun questions to help us all get to know each other a little better.Please keep your answers fun and lighthearted.  We'd like to keep things light and enjoyable for everyone.Here we go!!!....drum roll....1.  If you were going to be stuck on a deserted island, what five things would you take with you?  What would...