Pop Culture Poison
In 2003, Britney Spears told us she was “slipping under” in this hit that’s been called one of the best pop songs of the 21st century
What is Toxic?
This ancient Greek philosopher was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock in 399 BCE
Who was Socrates?
In 1966, the Mamas & the Papas began with the line, “All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray,” in this autumn anthem.
What is "California Dreaming"?
Stan Lee’s 1962 creation Peter Parker didn’t get his powers from a planet or a potion, but from the bite of this radioactive creature
What was a spider?
On this day in 1987 the US TV series "Full House" debuted -- it starred John Stamos and this stand up comedian
Who was Bob Saget?
INAUGURAL ADDRESSES: A New Deal Democrat in his youth, this president stated, "Government is not the solution to our problem"
Who was Ronald Reagan?
In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” this is what Romeo buys from an apothecary before visiting Juliet’s tomb
What is poison?
In Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap and And Then There Were None, she often turned to this alkaloid poison derived from the foxglove plant
What is digitalis?
“Seasons change, and so did I” is a lyric from “No Time,” by this Canadian rock group that also gave us “American Woman.”
Who is The Guess Who?
Before he was the big green guy smashing through cities, Dr. Bruce Banner was blasted with gamma rays to become this Marvel character
What was The Hulk?
On this day in 1962, this American songwriter hosts a "Hootenanny at Carnegie Hall" -- Bob Dylan shares the bill
Who was Pete Seeger?
THE 7 ANCIENT WONDERS: The oldest of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, they're also the only ones still standing today
What are the Pyramids?
In the 1989 dark comedy Heathers, Veronica and J.D. trick Heather Chandler into drinking drain cleaner, disguised as this everyday beverage
What is a cup of coffee?
This colorless, tasteless poison was nicknamed “inheritance powder” in 19th-century Europe for its popularity in discreet family murders.
What is arsenic?
According to this 1963 Andy Williams classic, it's the hap-happiest season of all
What is "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"?
In 1954, this Japanese movie monster was awakened and mutated by nuclear testing, becoming a pop culture icon with atomic breath.
Who is Godzilla?
The American Revolutionary War patriot who said, "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country", was hanged by the British this day in 1776 for spying
Who was Nathan Hale?
BY THE NUMBERS: In the 1800s Carl Wunderlich got this number by averaging over a million readings from armpits of 25,000 patients
What is 98.6 degrees?
Walter White didn’t just cook meth: in “Breaking Bad,” he also used this natural bean-derived toxin to eliminate rivals
What is ricin?
In the 1800s, wallpaper dyed with this arsenic-based green pigment slowly poisoned Victorian households
What is Scheele’s Green (or Paris Green)?
“A Hazy Shade of Winter,” later covered by The Bangles, was originally written and performed by this group in 1966
Who are Simon and Garfunkel?
This 1984 cult film from Troma Entertainment gave us a mop-wielding janitor who mutates into a hideous crime-fighting hero after falling into a vat of waste
What is The Toxic Avenger?
On this day in 1921, the Music Box Theatre in NYC premiered -- it was built specifically to showcase the works of this Russian-born American composer (1888-1989) of Broadway and popular songs
Who was Irving Berlin?
U.S. STATES: It's the only state whose state bird has a major city in its name
What is Maryland?
In Greek mythology, Hercules defeated this swamp-dwelling monster whose blood was so poisonous that it later killed him
What is Hydra?
The Borgia family, infamous during the Italian Renaissance, were said to use this poison — sometimes hidden in rings — to dispatch political enemies
What was cantarella?
"There is a season/ Turn! Turn! Turn!” — a #1 hit for The Byrds — borrowed most of its lyrics straight from this book of the Bible
What is Ecclesiastes?
In the 1958 horror classic The Fly, this actor plays a scientist whose botched teleportation experiment leaves him with the head and arm of an insect
Who was Vincent Price?
On this day in 1975, a second assassination attempt on US President Gerald Ford by this woman fails in San Francisco
Who is Sara Jane Moore?
AFRICAN COUNTRIES: This country of more than 230 million people is home to the Kanuri, Edo & Igbo ethnic groups
What is Nigeria?