November had its own share of surprises, and as I skimmed back through everything I learned this month, a few things really jumped out. From lost media to the backstories of some of our favorite products, these were the moments that made me stop and go, “Hold on… wait… what?!” Here’s a quick roundup of the facts from the past month that stood out the most:
1.
When Back to the Future first hit theaters in 1985, it didn’t end with the words “To Be Continued.”
3.
Siri was an app that was available on Apple’s own App Store until the company decided to buy it in 2010.
7.
Ray-Ban’s iconic Wayfarers were almost discontinued in the 1970s due to poor sales. They were only saved because in the early ’80s, Ray-Ban signed a $50,000 a year deal with a product placement company to get them featured in movies and TV shows.
9.
When Star Wars: A New Hope premiered in theaters, there were audience members who knew EXACTLY what was going to happen because they had read the novelization six months earlier.
10.
The Rolling Stones’s tongue and lips logo wasn’t meant to be iconic. It was a college student’s £50 design that the band shrugged and approved because they needed something quickly.
11.
The Sims was almost canceled, and in fact only gained interest after a journalist witnessed a lesbian kiss during a demo run at E3.
12.
Gregory Maguire, who wrote the book Wicked, on which the musical and movie are based, was inspired to write the book by tragic real-life events.
14.
George Lucas helped complete Jurassic Park, and while working on the movie’s post-production, he was inspired to start developing the Star Wars prequels.
15.
The first movie ever made about the Titanic was released just a month after the real ship sank, and starred an actual survivor of the disaster.
17.
Ranch dressing was invented by a plumber and his wife, who later ended up buying a ranch called Hidden Valley.
18.
The US got different Beatles’ albums than the UK and the rest of the world did. In fact, most Americans wouldn’t hear the albums correctly until 1987.
20.
And lastly, Mister Rogers helped save the VCR by submitting a statement on behalf of Sony to the Supreme Court.