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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Kirk Douglas in 1956. The dimple in his chin is so deep it has its own gift shop. Don't they say that doing what you love keeps you young? If they don't, they ought to, as the lives of some of the celebrities we note this week stand as living proof of the connection between doing what you do and a long lifespan. We'll start with the "babies" of the group, Christopher Plummer and Dick Van Dyke, who turn 81 and 85 respectively on Friday. Plummer and Van Dyke have pretty much done it all in their time, from dramas to farces to musicals Plummer's classical theatre chops are a little more developed, but Van Dyke's sitcom of the 1960s is still recognized as one of the finest and most influential ever, so we'll call it a draw. Next on our list is spring chicken Eli Wallach, who turns 95 on Tuesday. Wallach began his acting career in the 1950s, with a series of performances out of the Method school of acting that so pervaded that decade. The "Method" (which has been over-hyped and misunderstood almost from the beginning) was a school of acting that emphasized personalized and naturalistic behavior on stage and screen, breaking away from the more florid or theatrical styles that had been the norm. Its foremost proponents were actors like Wallach, Marlon Brando, and James Dean, but a modified version of it is still seen in the performances of Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, and Al Pacino. Getting back to our birthday boy, Wallach is still working, having acted in two movies this year, with (his health permitting) more on the way. The champ, though, is Kirk Douglas, who turns 96 on Thursday. Douglas hit the screen like a thunderbolt in the late 1940s, and for the next 50 years, turned in a series of dynamic and artful performances that have few rivals for energy and power. He's also been outspoken in his politics, breaking Hollywood's blacklist by employing writers who went unhired because of their politics. The stroke he suffered in 1996 has impaired his ability to speak, but he continues to work, and as recently as 2009 appeared in an autobiographical one-man show. Those aren’t the only events of note, of course. Why, Tuesday alone brings us the announcement of Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year (it's New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees), the lighting of the U.S. Capitol's Christmas tree (the White House gets its turn on Thursday, the day after President Obama appears on "MythBusters"), the Luxury Travel Expo in Las Vegas (for those of you who have so much extra money you can't help but spend it on travel), and National Cotton Candy Day. Wednesday is chock-a-block with events, too, particularly with birthdays of artists and humorists. In the former category, we have Diego Rivera (1886), the Mexican painter whose intricate and detailed murals were loaded with historical and political commentary. In the latter, we have two men whose work spans both categories and who were born on the same day in 1894. First, we have James Thurber, whose art defined the cartooning style of "The New Yorker," and whose short stories, including "The Catbird Seat" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" remain as perceptive and witty as when they were written. 1894's other multi-talented contribution is Elzie Segar, the cartoonist who created Popeye the Sailor. Segar created a unique world of comic adventures and characters that has rarely been equaled. Since his death in 1938, numerous ghosts have tried to keep the wackiness of his comic strip alive, but none have succeeded in finding his balance of thrills and laughs. We close by remembering two tragedies, one markedly larger than the other. Wednesday is the 30th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon in front of New York's Dakota Apartments. Lennon was only 40 years old, and was just resuming his music career when he was struck down, forever robbing the world of his humor and songs. The larger commemoration, is the anniversary of the December 7, 1941, bombing of the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii, an even which brought the United States into World War II. The sneak attack by the Japanese cost the U.S. more than a dozen ships and 2,042 lives. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed Congress the next morning, he called it "a date which will live in infamy," and it remains a date whose memory still resonates today. Suggested Sites... Dick Van Dyke: Step in Time! - information about Van Dyke's "musical memoir." The Death of Method Acting - film critic David Thomson provides the post-mortem. Diego Rivera Web Museum - dedicated to the painter and muralist. Thurber House - the writer's boyhood home in Columbus, OH is now a museum. John Lennon.com - we still remember.

Directory categories: Acting, Classic Hollywood Movies, Hollywood Blacklist, Cartoonists, The Beatles

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Rosa Parks. They wouldn't even let her sit while booking her. Yesterday, we called attention to three historical wits (Swift, Twain, and Wilde), and today is the turn of more contemporary comics. Wednesday is the 75th birthday of filmmaker Woody Allen, and would have been the 70th birthday of comedian Richard Pryor. Allen is the Academy Award-winning director of such movies as "Annie Hall," "Bullets Over Broadway," "Radio Days," and "Hannah and Her Sisters." He'a been nominated for 16 Oscars (winning three), and has directed actors (Penelope Cruz, Michael Caine, Diane Keaton, Mira Sorvino, and Dianne Wiest – twice) to six. Pryor was the pioneering stand-up whose earthy and vulgar routines brought new life to live comedy in the 70s. He was loved and emulated by his peers (Jerry Seinfeld called him "The Picasso of our profession," and Bob Newhart described him as "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years"). As loved as he was by comedians and audiences, Hollywood didn't seem to know what to do with him, and, with only a few exceptions, his films were not always good. Plagued by addictions during his later life, he succumbed to multiple sclerosis at the age of 65. Pryor and Allen aren't the only ones celebrating birthdays today. In 1891, James Naismith was trying to control a group of rowdy kids who were stuck indoors at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith nailed a couple of peach baskets to the walls, and invented "basket ball," thus giving birth to the hoops we know today. The game has changed slightly in the ensuing century, and will see a notable event Thursday when LeBron James makes his return to Cleveland, as the Heat take on the Cavs. We expect chaos to ensue, which is an odd way to begin National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month. Perhaps a round of Bingo would help everyone get along. Conveniently, December is "Bingo's Birthday Month," which aims to call attention one of America's other favorite pastimes. If even more stress reduction is needed, fans can concentrate on soccer, as there are few diversions that are more sleep-inducing. Fortunately, FIFA will be on hand to remind us of the "beautiful game," as they'll be announcing on Thursday the unfortunate cities chosen to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. We were surprised to see that France isn't in the running to host either of those competitions, but the French will be busy Thursday commemorating both Napoleon Bonaparte's 1804 self-coronation as Emperor of France, and the anniversary of the death of the Marquis de Sade, the aristocratic writer who lived a, shall we say, interesting lifestyle, that 200 years later, is still too hot for prime time - and for The Spark. Let's move on to something a little more wholesome - holiday shopping, for example. And what would the holidays be without toys and ties? December is both Safe Toys and Gifts Month and National Tie Month. While we all want kids to be healthy and safe, we kind of long for the days of our youth when toys were made of metal with sharp edges, or loaded with cannonballs. Oh, well, better to stick with a nice cravat for Dad. It's dull, but won't put his eye out. We tip our hats to three notable women over the next couple of days. Thursday would have been the birthday of the ultimate opera diva Maria Callas. Callas was born in New York in 1923 and by her 30s, had become one of the biggest names in opera history. Unfortunately, her singing and acting style - not to mention her fiery temperament and life off-stage - made her highly controversial. On December 1, 1952, the New York Daily News reported that former Army GI George Jorgensen had returned from Denmark as Christine Jorgenson, becoming the first person to undergo a widely-publicized sexual reassignment surgery. Jorgensen spent the remaining 37 years of her life lecturing and performing as a cabaret singer, delivering such tongue-in-cheek numbers as "I Enjoy Being a Girl." Three years later, African-American civil rights worker Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give her seat to a white passenger. Her arrest sparked a boycott of the entire Montgomery bus system that ended only when a Supreme Court order ruled that Montgomery's segregated bus system unconstitutional. A iconic fictional woman made her debut on December 2, 1947, when Tennessee Williams' masterpiece, "A Streetcar Named Desire" opened on Broadway. While Marlon Brando's brutish Stanley Kowalski got a lot of attention, the play actually focuses on the travails of the DuBois sisters, Stella and Blanche. Blanche DuBois came to represent the epitome of the cracked Southern belle, whose genteel ways cwere no match for the modern world. The role spans a wide emotional range, and has always been catnip for actresses wanting to test their mettle, including Jessica Tandy (the original), Vivien Leigh, Jessica Lange, Ann-Margret, Rachel Weisz, and Cate Blanchett. In what may - or may not - be a notable event for women, we note in passing that December 1, 1953, saw the publication of the first issue of "Playboy" magazine. At sundown on Wednesday, Hanukkah begins. This eight day celebration commemorates the rededication of Jerusalem's Second Temple in the 2nd century BCE. Lastly, we note that December 1 is both World AIDS Day and the Day (With)Out Art. The former is dedicated to raising awareness of AIDS and HIV, while the latter is devoted to the artists who were lost to AIDS and the works of art they never produced. Suggested Sites... Woody Allen.com - he just doesn't seem like the kind of guy to have a website. Richard Pryor.com - nor does he. And yet, they do. Dr. James Naismith, Inventor of Basketball - with Naismith's original thirteen rules. Napoleon's Coronation - all about Napoleon's crowning achievement. The Montgomery Bus Boycott - a victory for the people.

Directory categories: Film Directors, Comedians, Games, French History, Civil Rights Movement

Archived under: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 19th Century, AIDS, Actors, Adventure, American History, Ancient History, Anniversaries, Apparel, Athletes, Authors, Baseball Players, Basketball, Biographies, Birthdays, Black History, Board Games, Broadway, Celebrations, Celebrities, Civil Rights, Cleveland, Clothing and Accessories, Comedians, Dead Celebrities, Dictators, Directors, Disease, Entertainment, Europe, European History, Events, Fiction, Filmmaking, France, Games, Hanukkah, Health, History, Holidays, Human Rights, Humor, In Character, Issues and Causes, Legal Cases, Literature, Mark Twain, Men, Movies, NBA, Napoleon Bonaparte, Newspapers, Nostalgia, Opera, Performing Arts, Playboy, Profanity, Religion, Sex and Sexuality, Singers, Soccer, Sports, Toys, Women, World Cup, Writers, Writing

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All right; so those weren't Oscar Wilde's last words - but they should have been We'll start the day by mentioning three of the wittiest men who ever lived. It's the birthday of both Jonathan Swift (b. 1667) and Mark Twain (b. 1835), and the anniversary of the death in 1900 of Oscar Wilde. Swift was the Irish cleric and satirist who wrote "A Modest Proposal" (which purportedly advocated that the cure for Irish economic woes was selling its children to be eaten) and "Gulliver's Travels" (which started out as a satire of European politics, but has evolved to become fodder for Jack Black to show once again how annoyingly unfunny he is). We've written about Twain in previous Sparks, but we’ll add once again that his "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is considered by many to be the "Great American Novel," and that his autobiography was published a couple of weeks ago. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was one of Ireland and England's most celebrated wits, with an epigram for every occasion. He wrote plays, books, and poems, including one of the most perfect comedies ever, "The Importance of Being Earnest." In 1895, at the height of his fame, he was arrested and tried for his homosexuality, and eventually sentenced to two years of hard labor. A broken man by the time he was released in 1897, he left London, ending his days in a  shabby Parisian hotel. On a less gloomy Gallic note, we note that on this day in 1886, the Folies Bergère staged its first revue. The theatre was dedicated to music hall and vaudeville-type performances, and in its time has featured such stars as Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, Elton John, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and even Benny Hill. If you're looking for racier entertainment, we can point you to a double shot today, as CBS will air the annual "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show," and the 2011 Pirelli calendar will be released. The TV show, a parade of beautiful women walking the runway in their underwear is a beloved holiday tradition for men (and lingerie-loving women) everywhere, while the Pirelli calendar offers many of the same models, only sans the underwear, in artistic photos. (We'd offer more links to the calendar, but this is a family-friendly blog, after all.) We're so family-friendly, that we'll offer some programming to counter the fashion show. Tonight also brings the annual airing of the stop-motion animated classic, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and NBC's special "Christmas in Rockefeller Center," which will feature appearances by Susan Boyle, Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, Jackie Evancho, Josh Groban, Annie Lennox, Kylie Minogue, and Jessica Simpson The extravaganza will climax with the lighting of the Center's tree (this year, it's a 74-foot Norway spruce from Mahopac, New York). The weather forecast for New York on Tuesday evening calls for rain and a low of 53°F, not exactly winter weather, so we guess it's appropriate that the U.N.'s Climate Change Conference is being held this week in sunny Cancun, Mexico (Tuesday's forecast high: 82°F). Speaking of "hot," Tuesday is the 28th anniversary of the release of Michael Jackson's "Thriller," which became the biggest-selling album of all time, in addition to inspiring prisoners around the globe to replicate Jacko's signature moves. As unique as Michael Jackson in their own ways were Winston Churchill and Irma S. Rombauer. Churchill was the Nobel Prize-winning author, historian, orator, and two-time British Prime Minister who led his country through World War II (and was promptly bounced out of office afterward as thanks) and whose 136th birthday occurs today. Rombauer was the St. Louis teacher and housewife whose cooking classes were so popular that, on this day in 1931, she self-published her book of recipes under the title "The Joy of Cooking." The book has never been out of print, and although it has undergone numerous revisions and alterations in the decades since, it remains one of America's favorite cookbooks. Finally, we remind you that today is Computer Security Day, so take a moment to check your security settings and virus updates, won't you? We want to see you back safely next time. Suggested Sites... After Reading: Prison, Publication, and Personal Letters - letters to and from Oscar Wilde after his release from prison. Folies Bergere Stages First Revue - a show featuring "scantily clad chorus girls" was "a tremendous success." Boy, times sure have changed ... CBS: Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - ... yep, they sure have. Wikipedia: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Special - is it Hermie the Elf, or Herbie? About.com: Computer Safety Tips - stay virtually safe.

Directory categories: Authors, Playwrights, Paris, Rockefeller Center, Cookbooks

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