That's all she wrote. (Photo by Jonathan Blocker) In the beginning, it was just the Yahoo! Directory -- of course, it wasn't called "the directory" then: it was just Yahoo!. And when David and Jerry's pet dissertation-stalling project became more work than they could manage on their own, they assembled a team of unusual helpers. These "surfers" were a strange assortment -- ex-librarians, inquisitive generalists, obsessive-compulsives -- but they shared a few key traits: curiosity, an endless appetite for knowledge, and a passion for organizing information. Their goal (beyond satifying their own curiosity) was to help other users of the fledgling Internet find what they needed... even if they didn't know they needed it. The Spark wasn't there from the beginning, but once it launched, it seemed that it had been inevitable. For years we surfers had been discovering new and niche and surprising topics, digging deep into the Web for more information, and packaging it neatly for others to enjoy. It was a logical step to write a little snippet about a new category we'd created, or a new interest or event we'd learned about. Over the years we wrote short posts that barely scratched the surface, and near-novellas that gave readers plenty to think about. We wrote in character, in verse, in visual form, and by committee (sharing our memories, pet peeves and embarrassing secrets). Sometimes we even dropped the snark and wrote from the heart about personal experiences. Since February 2005, over 1,000 posts have been written by more than 50 surfers (only we're not called "surfers" anymore: we're now "editors"). We've had a marvelous time researching and writing and sharing, and we hope you've enjoyed it, too. If we've managed to spark any new interests or introduce you to anything previously unknown -- even if we've simply entertained you when you've stopped by our little corner of Yahoo! -- then we've done our jobs. But just as The Spark was an inevitable extension of our Directory work, it was also inevitable that eventually we'd have to move on as Yahoo! evolved. The Spark's run is over, and so we say farewell. Thank you, dear readers, for joining us over the last half a decade. On a personal note, as one of the original writers, a sometimes-editor, and a previous team leader for The Spark, I'd like to thank the dozens of people who have contributed in any way over the years. Special thanks go out to Lisa Eckstein and Heather Poyhonen, who each took the helm for a time, leading with cheer and patience, and to long-time editor Gordon Hurd, who helped us find our voice and contributed some of the best/worst puns I've ever heard. Most of all, my thanks go out Dave Sikula, who was not only an original team member and our fearless leader to the end, but at times a one-man Spark all on his own. He said more than any of us -- in number of posts and words-per-Spark -- so it's only fitting that he should get the last word: "It's been our pleasure and privilege to bring you the best in web results, fun facts, and just plain stupid stuff. If I may speak personally, I'd like to thank one of the finest groups of editors and writers ever assembled, whose passion, expertise, and humor are still reflected on these virtual pages. The Spark may be gone, but that spirit lives on. Thanks for the memories."     - Dave Sikula Suggested Sites... The Spark Archive - old Sparks live on.

Directory categories: The Spark

Archived under: Blogs, Internet, Nostalgia, Recaps, The Spark, Writers, Writing, Yahoo!, Yahoo! Directory

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Since February of 2005, The Spark has (mostly) been here five days a week, bringing you, our thousands of loyal readers, the odd, the unusual, and the just plain interesting. Over fifty Yahoo!s, past and present, have offered their expertise to entertain and enlighten you. We asked some of those writers to stroll down memory lane and mention some of their favorite Sparks of years past. Mitzi: I'm partial to "Smile! You're on Candid Camera," because I used to love the show as a kid and it's kind of a forerunner of reality shows. "Burns Night" was my first crack at writing a poem for The Spark, and "The Cottingley Fairies" -- just because I love fairies. Amy: I enjoyed the hunt: Digging about on the Internet looking for quirky, engaging content about something of interest to me. There was always something new to be learned -- and usually a moment (moments) of incredulity. I got to write about things I legitimately cared about ("Wheelin' to Work") as well as things I just found flat-out amusing (and which allowed for a bit of childish humor), like "Happy __________ Month." What can I say? The Spark was fun, attracted a special (cool, radicular) group of people, and gave me a chance to get published by a major Internet company. Not too shabby, eh? Liz G.: I've enjoyed writing about odd and obscure stuff. I never would have guessed I'd have an excuse to write about balloon animals, nudity, shaving, or even fertility in Russia -- for work! The Spark has also allowed me to champion causes, and to learn a thing or two. It's been a blast. Mike: As an original member of the On the Web/The Spark team, and the first and longtime image editor, I have seen this little engine grow and change in every way. But the best thing about working on The Spark is that I developed some halfway decent writing skills. I produced a few pieces that I'm fairly fond of (and also had a blast researching and writing) such as: my "TV Themes" piece (not to mention its two sequels), Superhero Fashion, a "Big Lebowski" piece (as The Dude), My Favorite Christmas Things, even the Olsen Twins (which a fellow Spark writer never let me live down), and one of my early pieces, the wonderful Wilhelm Scream -- the sound that I will never forget or miss in a movie, as it now stands out like Keanu Reeves' bad acting. I have also enjoyed several of my colleagues' pieces as well, but I'd rather just talk about me. ;-) Heather S.: It's been a fun year and a half writing for The Spark. Although I've written about some rather unusual topics, my favorite article has to be the one about food porn. It might have been all those highly enticing photos of gourmet meals, or the fact that I was really hungry while I was writing it, but it was a great deal of fun to write. All hail The Spark! Michelle: The Spark let me (get paid to) research micronations, chest hair fashion, sleeveface, buzzards, and lolcats. I got to write about things near and dear to me, like procrastination, board games, accordions, roller skating, treasure hunts, swearing, and hating clowns. I spent a surprising amount of time writing about fruitcakes, pirates, Halloween, and crafts, and I got to stir up arguments about caffeine, waiting tables, and vegetarian Thanksgiving meals. I wrote and punctuated badly, using fake words, and sometimes in verse. Everyone should have this much fun at work! Goodbye, Spark, old buddy. Adrienne: Though it has been many years since I contributed to The Spark, there are still some stories that I love to follow: the search for extraterrestrial life, science catching up to our imaginations, and finding new ways to explore our solar system. Dave: There are probably too many pieces to mention. I was particularly fond of the Tarzan piece and the Spark written entirely in limerick form, and I was more than happy to recap my appearance on Jeopardy. I was always good for snark, and was really proud when I was accused of being un-American for slamming the odious Miley Cyrus, but I also took potshots at the "Batman" TV show, toy safety, and the whole town of Branson, Missouri. I could also mention the Tunguska Event, the 1918 Flu Epidemic, failed assassins, the peccadilloes of Supreme Court justices, and the history of bananas, but I think I'll go with Godzilla and my salute to Vin Scully as my legacy pieces. Speaking personally, I'd like to thank everyone who contributed over the last half-decade, the writers and editors (particularly Lisa, Heather, and Michelle), and also all the folks who (unknowingly) lent us links and images. We couldn't have done it without them. Most of all, I'd like to thank you, our loyal readers, for sticking with us and giving us the chance to share a few minutes of cool stuff with you every day. Suggested Sites... The Spark of Yahoo! - five years of bringing you things you didn't know you wanted to know about. The Spark Writers - the people who brought you The Spark. The Spark: "Clip Show" - the day we changed our name from "On the Web" to "The Spark." You Tube: "So Long, Farewell" - the Von Trapps say it all for us.

Directory categories: The Spark, Collaborative Blogs, Writing, Creative Writing

Archived under: Blogs, History, Internet, The Spark, Writers, Writing, Yahoo!

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"Here's looking at you, kid." On this weekend dedicated to two favorite American pastimes - shopping and food - we ask you to take a moment to think of Sylvan N. Goldman, as Saturday will mark the 26th anniversary of his death. Mr. Goldman was a major stockholder of the Piggly-Wiggly supermarket chain and invented the shopping cart. For various reasons, his customers didn't want to use the carts, so his solution was to hire fake shoppers to wheel them around the stores to show others how useful they could be. Obviously, it worked. The excitement of Thanksgiving has now passed, and while history tells us that Yahoo! will see search spikes today on both food poisoning and the location of your nearest pizza parlor, many of us will concentrate on the primary events of this season: shopping and not shopping. As consumers head to the disorienting wonderland that is the mall (and we note that Friday is the 145th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"), both of these pastimes will make big headlines in the media. For those who are pro-shopping, today is "Black Friday," the day of the year that sees the highest number of sales transactions. Let it be noted, however, that the day the most money changes hands is the Saturday before Christmas (though with Christmas falling on a Saturday this year, it’s anyone’s guess what the biggest day that will actually be). Monday is, of course, "Cyber Monday," when workers will waste a good portion of the day shopping online, rather than doing actual work (like writing The Spark). On the other hand, Friday is also "Buy Nothing" Day, which reminds us all to not feed the corporate beast that drives this holiday frenzy and to concentrate on either the message of the season or home-made gifts. Consider a cake (since it's also National Cake Day), or even donuts to commemorate the 2002 passing of Verne H. Winchell, who founded the Winchell's Donuts chain in 1948, and was known as "The Donut King." Whatever you eat, be sure to brush afterwards - and celebrate Friday's National Flossing Day. Someone who’s probably doing all he can to ignore this weekend is Eldrick "Tiger" Woods, since Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the car crash that sent his whole word spiraling. Perhaps he can use the occasion to get his aura read and see his future. Fortunately for him, Sunday is International Aura Awareness Day. Failing that, he may want to head to New York for the first preview of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." The musical, with a score by Bono and The Edge, has been plagued by budget problems (its estimated cost is $65 million, nearly four times the usual for a big Broadway show) and severe injuries to cast members. "Break a leg!" might not be the best thing to wish this particular cast, but their misfortunes so far might make Tiger feel better. A number of birthdays fall on this weekend. Saturday sees what would have been the 88th birthday of cartoonist and "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz (who died in 2000 the night before his final strip ran), as well as the 67th "birthday" of the Slinky. The flexible toy was invented by engineer Richard James in 1943, and its initial lot of 400 units sold out in a mere 90 minutes. Despite its limited uses (just how many staircases can it walk down?), the Slinky has remained a perennial toyland favorite. Saturday would have been the 70th birthday of martial arts superstar Bruce Lee. It's also the 100th anniversary of New York's Pennsylvania Station. Penn Station was a grand and imposing structure that welcomed millions of visitors and immigrants to Manhattan in the days when train travel was king. In 1963, despite a vigorous campaign to save it, the station was torn down to make room for the fourth Madison Square Garden, a mistake many in the city have rued in the decades since. Monday sees the birthday of movie choreographer supreme Busby Berkeley (1895), and Sunday brings us a trifecta of masters of their craft: "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart turns 48; Randy Newman, the Academy Award-winning composer (and writer of the greatest song ever written about Los Angeles), turns 67 (he's as old as the Slinky!); and Paul Shaffer, David Letterman's longtime bandleader, who's personally played with pretty much every major rock performer of the century, and whose group is the house band for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony turns 61. For us, though, the most significant anniversary of the weekend is the November 26, 1942 opening of "Casablanca" at New York's Hollywood Theatre. Still considered one of the greatest films ever made, "Casablanca's" mixture of heroism, humor, and self-sacrifice, combined with indelible characters and lines has never been equaled in the many years since. They truly don't make 'em like that anymore. Suggested Sites... Lewis Carroll Society of North America - 'tis brillig. Doughnuts: A Definitive History - personally, we prefer "donuts." Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark - the first video. Dangerous or not, it looks interesting. Slinky.org - "the physics lab in a box." Roger Ebert: Casablanca - it amounts to a lot more than a hill of beans.

Directory categories: Piizza Recipes, Leftover Turkey Recipes, Male Golfers, Cartoonists, Classic Hollywood Movies

Archived under: 1920s, 1940s, 1960s, 1980s, 19th Century, Actors, Alice in Wonderland, American History, Anniversaries, Artists, Athletes, Authors, Baking, Biographies, Birthdays, Books, Broadway, Bruce Lee, Buildings, Business, CIA, Cartoonists, Celebrations, Celebrities, Christmas, Comic Strips, Composers, Dance, David Letterman, Dead Celebrities, Directors, Donuts, Eating, Entertainment, Events, Fiction, Filmmaking, Food and Drink, Golf, Health, History, Holidays, In Character, Internet, Invention, Inventors, Late Night TV, Literature, Martial Arts, Movie History, Movies, Music, Musicals, Musicians, New York, Nostalgia, Paranormal, Performing Arts, Pizza, Restaurants, Rock and Roll, Scandals, Shopping, Spider-Man, Superheroes, Talk Show Hosts, Thanksgiving, The Spark, Trains, U.K. History, United Kingdom, Vintage, Writers, Yahoo!, marriage

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Everything you need but the mouse (Photo by kevin rawlings.) The next two days are devoted to quitting. Jimmy Kimmel has declared Wednesday to be National UnFriend Day; 24 hours dedicated to going through your social network pals and deleting the ones you don't really know. Speaking for ourselves, we're on the verge of 800 Facebook friends and 2,500 Twitter followers, all of whom are dear, close, personal friends, so we'll pass, thank you. More importantly, though, Thursday is the annual Great American Smokeout, on which we encourage all our friends who smoke to quit. Trolling the Internet for hours on end may not be the healthiest activity, but it beats the heck out of inhaling toxic gasses. If you are quitting, perhaps you can ease the cravings for that next coffin nail by baking some bread. After all, Wednesday is Homemade Bread Day, and we think even the most committed smoker would agree that a loaf of freshly-baked bread tastes better than a dose of nicotine. Combine that loaf with a jug of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau (which will be released on Thursday), and you have the makings of a nice little snack - or a dandy poem. Two birthdays of note. Wednesday would have been Rock Hudson's 85th birthday. Hudson was the devastatingly handsome leading man of the 1950s and '60s who starred in numerous romantic comedies (usually opposite Doris Day), soap opera weepers - and even Howard Hughes' favorite movie, "Ice Station Zebra." (Hughes so loved the movie that he bought a Las Vegas television station just so he could have them screen it any time he wanted to see it - even if it meant breaking into other programming.) Society's attitudes and the workings of the movie industry kept Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr. of Winnetka, Illinois) deeply-closeted, and in 1985, he became the first major public figure to announce he had AIDS. Another gay icon, novelist Marcel Proust, died on November 18, 1922. Proust's novel "À la recherche du temps perdu" (usually known in English as "Remembrance of Things Past," but more properly translated as "In Search of Lost Time") caused a sensation when it was published in seven volumes from 1913 to 1927. Its use of multiple viewpoints and stream-of-consciousness influenced such writers as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, and is generally considered one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. Our other "birthday" of note actually isn't. On November 18, 1928, Walt Disney's cartoon, "Steamboat Willie," starring Mickey Mouse, premiered in New York at what is now the Broadway Theatre. It is usually stated that "Willie" was both the first Mickey cartoon (it was actually the third) and the first cartoon with synchronized sound (although other cartoons had had soundtracks as early as 1924). That said, though, the Walt Disney Company considers the 18th to be Mickey's birthday, so who are we to argue? Thursday will also see the announcement of People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" for 2010. We would be surprised to see this year's honor go to Tom Cruise. (Not that we don't like Mr. Cruise; we'd just be surprised ...) Regardless of whether he's named or not, we're sure Tom can take comfort in it also being the fourth anniversary of his wedding to Katie Holmes. (We only hope Oprah and her couch have recovered by now.) Suggested Sites... Smokefree.gov - hints and tips on how to quit smoking. How to Make Bread from Scratch - how much simpler could it be? Beaujolais Nouveau: History Behind the Third Thursday in November - so what's the big deal about some new wine? Mickey Mouse - the official history and evolution of the world's most famous rodent. How People Magazine Picks Its "Sexiest" Winner - apparently, it's scientific.

Directory categories: Internet, Anti-Smoking, Bread Recipes, Wine, Animated Characters

Archived under: 1910s, 1920s, 1950s, 1960s, 19th Century, AIDS, Actors, Alcohol, Animation, Anniversaries, Authors, Baking, Books, Bread, Cartoonists, Cartoons, Celebrations, Celebrities, Comedians, Dead Celebrities, Disease, Disney, Events, Food and Drink, France, Gay History, Internet, Literature, Mickey Mouse, Movie History, Movies, Oprah, Recipes, Recluses, Sex and Sexuality, Social Networking, TV, Talk Show Hosts, Twitter, Wine, Writers, Writing

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Goodnight to the creature who swims in the lake. Goodnight to the killjoys who think she's a fake. Thursday, we noted the anniversary of Route 66, and until the federal government decommissioned it, the various highway departments in the states through which the road ran kept it in good shape. Not every such department is as fastidious, though. For example, there's the Oregon Highway Division, which on November 12, 1970, decided that the best way to destroy a rotting sperm whale that had beached itself before dying was to blow it up, an incident which led to one the greatest memes in Internet history: "the exploding whale." While the whale parts made for a gloppy, smelly mess, the resulting patterns might well have resembled a masterpiece by Sunday's birthday boy, Claude Monet. Born in 1840, Monet was part of the revolutionary school of painting (taking its name - "Impressionism" – from of one of Monet's pictures) that was notable for depicting the effects of light on objects and places and making unique personal statements through their canvases. Friday must be a day for creatures. In 1933, Hugh Gray took the first known photos of the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. While some deny the existence of "Nessie," we are convinced she is alive and well. Not so benign a creature was Joseph McCarthy, the senator who took paranoia, ignorance, and character assassination to new heights. Sunday would have marked his 102nd birthday. McCarthy was, by all accounts, an unpleasant man, and through his unceasing attempts to smear anyone who opposed him as a Communist, he managed to give his name to both an era and a political tactic. Censured by the Senate in 1954 for his actions, he eventually drank himself to death in 1957. Almost as unpleasant as Sen. McCarthy is Yanni, the New Age musician whose calming tunes are as soporific as the situation comedies of Sherwood Schwartz. Both men celebrate their birthdays on Sunday, so perhaps Mr. Schwartz (responsible for such sitcoms as The Brady Bunch" and "Gilligan's Island") and Mr. Hrysomallis (Yanni's real name) will spend the night before their 94th and 56th birthdays, respectively, watching something more energetic, like UFC 122. (The idea of Yanni screaming himself hoarse over wrestlers is pretty delicious.) Of course, it's possible that the men might celebrate with a trip, though we wouldn't suggest one as energetic as that begun on November 14, 1889, when pioneering female journalist Nellie Bly (aka Elizabeth Cochrane) began her successful attempt to travel around the world in fewer than 80 days, in emulation of Jules Verne's Phileas Fogg. Nellie completed the trip in a mere 72 days. An appropriate feat this week especially, as National Geography Awareness Week begins on Sunday. Newspapers around the world covered Nellie's trip, but the BBC couldn't have - because it didn't exist. The venerable network begin its radio service in 1922, some 33 years after her voyage. They've made up for it in the decades since with continuous news and entertainment. One of the stories we're sure they covered was the marriage of actress Carmen Electra and basketball player Dennis Rodman, wed in Las Vegas (where else?) in 1998. Unfortunately, the happy couple couldn't make a go of it, and they were divorced four-and-a-half months later. Something else that couldn't last (in spite of surviving about 500 years) was the Inca Empire, which saw the beginning of its end in 1533, when Francisco Pizarro's Spanish conquistadors arrived in Cajamarca, Peru, to show the natives who the new bosses were - a feat not unlike that performed by single women upon single men on Sadie Hawkins Day, which debuted in Al Capp's comic strip, "Li'l Abner" in 1937. Sadie Hawkins was the "homeliest gal" in Abner's hometown of Dogpatch. When she turned 35, her father declared that there would be a race with all the town's unmarried men being pursued by its unamrried women. Any bachelor who was caught was doomed to matrimony. We end the week by noting that Saturday is World Kindness Day, and noting the 1952 death of a woman who must have been one of the kindest people ever: Margaret Wise Brown. Brown was a writer of children's books, who, in collaboration with such artists as Clement Hurd, turned out such classics as "Goodnight, Moon" and "The Runaway Bunny," which have calmed and enriched the bedtimes of millions of children. Suggested Sites... The Exploding Whale - apparently, it's not just Oregon. Wikipedia: The Loch Ness Monster - all the arguments, pro and con, on Nessie. Edward R. Murrow: A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy - Murrow takes McCarthy down. Around the World in Seventy-Two Days - Nellie Bly's charming account of her global adventure. 20 Shortest Celebrity Marriages - compared to some of these, Dennis and Carmen had a golden wedding anniversary.

Directory categories: Whales, Master Painters, New Age Music, Geography, Chiildren's Literature

Archived under: 1900s, 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, 19th Century, Actors, American History, Animals, Anniversaries, Artists, Arts, Athletes, Authors, Basketball, Biographies, Birthdays, Books, Cartoonists, Celebrations, Celebrities, Children´s Literature, Comic Strips, Comics, Communism, Communists, Conspiracies, Cover Ups, Dead Celebrities, Entertainment, Events, France, Government, History, Hoaxes, Holidays, In Character, Internet, Journalism, Journalists, Las Vegas, Literature, Media, Men, Monsters and Creatures, Music, Musicians, Mustaches, Mythology and Folklore, NBA, Nellie Bly, News, Nostalgia, Paranormal, Politics, Pranks, Radio, Republican Party, Scotland, Secrets, Sitcoms, Sports, TV, Travel, U.K. History, U.S. Senate, UFC, United Kingdom, United States, Urban Legends, Videos, Villains, Weddings, Weird Stuff, Whales, Women, Wrestlers, Wrestling, Writers, Writing, Yanni, marriage

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