Great Big Story visited with David Wilde, the managing director of the historic organ company Henry Willis & Sons, which has been in business since 1845. Wilde explains the process by which they craft the pipes, speaks about how the length of the pipe affects the pitch of the sound and expresses the incredible pride…
Two Rescued Tortie Kittens Join the Growing Feline Family of the Lovable Cat Duo Cole and Marmalade
The amazingly lovable feline duo of Cole and Marmalade has doubled in size with the addition of Jugg and Zig Zag, two tiny tortie kittens rescued separately from each other. People have always told us that Cole and Marmalade needed a sister… well we disagree, we decided they need TWO! We’re excited to announce that…
Lord of the Rings Superfan Spends Six Years Constructing an Energy Efficient Hobbit House
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jim (@hobbithollowjim) on May 11, 2018 at 1:12am PDT Jim Castigan, a construction professional and superfan of Lord of the Rings, spent six years constructing a Hobbit Hollow home of his dreams in the Dutchess County town of Pawling, New York. The house was originally intended…
The Inspiration for the Iconic Bossa Nova Tune ‘Girl From Ipanema’ Talks About Being Immortalized In Song
Helo Pinheiro, the young woman who was the inspiration in 1962 for the bossa nova song “Girl From Ipanema”, sat down with Today host Hoda Kotb to talk about being immortalized in such an iconic song. Pinheiro told Kotb that she was not aware at the time that a song was being written about her….
How The Grateful Dead’s Brilliant ‘Wall of Sound’ Changed the Quality of Live Shows From That Point On
Music writer Polyphonic, who makes incredibly informative video essays on an ongoing basis, explained how The Grateful Dead‘s short-lived, but brilliant sound system known as the “Wall of Sound” changed the sonic quality of live performances from that point on. The Wall of Sound was the brainchild of audio engineer (and chemist) Owsley “Bear” Stanley,…
The Bill Murray Stories, A Candid Film About How the Legendary Actor Randomly Drops In on Regular Life
In the documentary The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned From a Mythical Man, director Tommy Avallone takes a candid look at the legendary actor and his uncanny ability to randomly drop in and seamlessly insert himself into other people’s lives. This wonderful ad-hoc habit of his is the stuff of urban legends, sometimes legends…
The Talented Family Behind the Brightly Colored, Highly Imaginative Papier-Mâché Monsters of Mexico City
Great Big Story went to Mexico City to talk to the very talented Linares family of cartoneros, creators of wonderful alebrijes – great big, imaginative, brightly painted papier-mâché monsters. The idea came to Pedro Linares as speaking monsters while he was comatose in 1936. Once he recovered, Pedro set about to create this unique trade,…
How Fake Neighborhoods and Mistaken Borders on Google Maps Lead to Real Life Consequences
Half as Interesting explains how fake neighborhoods and mistaken border designations as they appear on Google Maps can have real life consequences. In one extreme example, war between Nicaragua and Costa Rica almost erupted due a mapping misunderstanding. Google had mistakenly placed the wrong borders around Calero Island, making the island appear to belong Nicaragua,…