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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Upside down? Right-side up? Beats the hell out of us It's quiet this week. As we look over our files, we see little of consequence. We assume folks are still getting into an autumnal mood, but we persevere and submit herewith our own events and commemorations of the week. Monday: We begin the week by noting it's a big one for Thomas Edison. On this date in 1878, his company made electricity available for household usage. In 1931, on this day, he died, and Thursday marks the 131st anniversary of the demonstration of his first light bulb at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, now known as "Edison." It's a notable week for other inventions, too. For example, in 1954, Texas Instruments introduced the transistor radio. Up until the '50s, radios were big bulky things, full of vacuum tubes and wires. With the invention of the transistor in 1947, it was suddenly possible to make radios, televisions, and pretty much anything electronic small and portable. The transistor radio came along just in time for post-war teenagers to carry rock and roll music anywhere, driving their parents and other adults crazy. And Friday will mark the anniversary of the creation of the first Xerox image in 1938. Before then, people actually had to write or type things on a sheet of paper to duplicate them. Now, plagiarism is only the push of a button away. Speaking of "crazy," "The Talk" debuts on CBS today, featuring Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Leah Remini, Julie Chen, Holly Robinson Peete, and Marissa Jaret Winokur in a show that's absolutely nothing like "The View." (We mention that it's also World Menopause Day - completely in passing ...) While we've mentioned science, let's not forget art. In 1896, the world's first comic strip, "The Yellow Kid," debuted. It wasn't so much a "strip" as a daily cartoon featuring something outlandish in society that the otherwise-mute Kid would comment on with writing on his nighshirt. What he would have had to say about Henri Matisse's "Le Bateau," we can only imagine. It went on display at New York's Museum of Modern Art on this day in 1961 - and it wasn’t until 116, 000 viewers and 47 days had passed that someone noticed that the painting had been hanging upside down. We finish by noting it's Alaska Day, commemorating the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States in 1867. (No jokes about seeing Russia from your house, please ...) Tuesday: Only two events of note today. One is the 1745 death of Jonathan Swift, the cleric, novelist, and satirist who gave us "Gulliver's Travels" (whence originated our corporate name) and "A Modest Proposal." One is tempted to hope he was eaten by cannibals, but, alas, he met his end via a stroke. In 1945, Harris Glen Milstead was born in Baltimore. Glenn led an ordinary life until he met aspiring filmmaker John Waters, who cast him as "The Smoking Nun" in his film "Roman Candles," renaming him "Divine," the name he used the rest of his life. Divine was described by "People" magazine as the "Drag Queen of the Century" (though was there that much competition?) and spent the rest of his career going from one outlandish role to another in Waters' films before his untimely death at the age of 42. Wednesday: We have three seasonal events today that are absolutely appropriately for this time of year. In 1967, Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin, took out their home-movie camera, photographed a guy in a gorilla suit, and claimed they’d filmed a Bigfoot. The veracity of the footage has been the subject of debate ever since, though we're prepared to say it's a fake. In the otherwise-sleepy hamlet of Circleville, Ohio, the annual Circleville Pumpkin Show will begin its four-day run today. Since 1903, the festival has presented thousands of these flavorful squashes to an adoring public who come for the sculpting, bands, and beauty contests, but who stay for the World’s Largest Pumpkin Pie, baked fresh every year by Lindsey’s Bake Shop. In 1882, Bela Blasko was born in Lugos, Romania. At 12, the stage-struck Bela dropped out of school, became an actor, and changed his last name to Lugosi. As Bela Lugosi, he was a matinee idol in his own country, before coming to America in 1921. He worked as a laborer and occasional actor until 1927, when his continental good looks and accent made him a natural for the title role in the Broadway production of “Dracula." While the play was a smash hit, and led to a Hollywood contract, his accent baffled casting directors, who could see him only as a romantic vampire, and he was soon type-cast in horror films. Despite some occasional “straight” roles (most notably in 1938’s "Ninotchka," his career quickly headed to not-very-good parts in B-pictures, usually parodying his image. He always gave his utmost, even when the material was sub-par, as in his final films with Ed Wood, Hollywood’s worst director. He died of a heart attack in 1956. Thursday: More unrelated (but still interesting) events for the day: In 1849, the first tattooed man to be put on public exhibit, James F. O’Connel, was put on display at the Franklin Theatre in New York City. Not sure what more can be added to that. Except perhaps noting that today is Reptile Awareness Day, so we encourage you to go out and be aware of some reptiles -- perhaps while enjoying a big plate of nachos, since it’s also the International Day of the Nacho. Friday: When we compile these lists, we’re overwhelmed with celebrations of "National This Day" and "International That Week," so imagine our surprise and disappointment when we discovered that one of our sources lists October 22 with this note: “There are no holiday events on record for this day,” Is it possible that only one day out of 365 is bereft of some kind of celebration? It may be true, though (alas!), as the only other events of note we could find are the 107th birthday of Stooge Jerome "Curly" Howard, and the fact that it’s International Stuttering Awareness Day. Curly is probably the most popular of all the Stooges, combining a unique physical and vocal style into a characterization that was breathtakingly bold in the 1930s and has been a boon to adolescent boys (of all ages) in the decades since. Saturday: Looking for something fun to do today? We have three suggestions. 1) Celebrate the 80th anniversary of the world’s first miniature golf tournament in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The tournament was won by J.K. Scott, though the record neglects to state whether he was better shooting through the windmill or the castle. 2) If you’re near Oklahoma City, you might join the Ghouls Gone Wild celebration headlined by The Flaming Lips and participate in their annual March of 1000 Flaming Skeletons. Be warned, though, you’ve got to handle a live torch - and those costumes can be flammable. 3) You can celebrate Mole Day. The “Mole” is a method of counting the Avogadro number - 6.02 x 10 to the 23rd power of anything. Amodeo Avogadro discovered that the number of molecules in a mole is the same for all substances, which allows chemists are able to precisely measure quantities of chemicals in the lab. Mole Day is intended to help everyone become enthusiastic about chemistry. If you understood a word of that, the first two events may be too strenuous for you, so our advice is to stick with the chemistry. Sunday: To finish off the week, we’ll note the near-irony of it being the Feast of Good & Plenty, because yes, we had a number of good events this week, but not plenty of them. It’s also World Origami Day, which somehow runs through November 11 (must be that those origami artists are able to fold time and space, as well as paper). Speaking of folding, we also have to mention that, on this day in 1901, Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. How she didn’t end up folded herself is one of the miracles of the age - especially considering she did it to celebrate her 63rd birthday. She’d sent her cat over the falls in her specially-padded barrel the day before, and when the feline emerged unscathed, she figured it was safe enough for her. Mrs. Taylor suffered a cut on her head, but was otherwise unharmed, though she did tell the press, "If it was with my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat. I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces than make another trip over the Falls." If all the above sounds like a lot of baloney, we merely note the appropriateness of today being National Bologna Day, and leave you make up your own mind. See you next time! Suggested Sites... Did Thomas Edison Really Invent the Light Bulb? - probably not. Xerox This! - how Chester Carlson produced the first electrophotographic image. All Recipes: Pumpkin Pie - we'll have ours with whipped cream, please. Patterson Bigfoot? - the Bigfoot movie debunked. Miniature Golf Courses - a state-by-state list.

Directory categories: Inventors, Talk Shows, Cult Movies, Cryptozoology, Candy

Archived under: 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 19th Century, Actors, Alaska, American History, Animals, Anniversaries, Art Museums, Artists, Arts, Authors, Autumn, Beauty Pageants, Bela Lugosi, Biographies, Birthdays, Books, Brands, Broadway, Cameras, Candy, Cartoonists, Celebrations, Celebrities, Cities, Comic Strips, Conspiracies, Cover Ups, Creativity, Cross-dressing, Dead Celebrities, Delicatessen, Design, Disease, Eating, England, Entertainment, Events, Festivals, Fiction, Filmmaking, Food and Drink, Halloween, Health, History, Hoaxes, Holidays, Horror, Horror Films, Humor, In Character, Invention, Inventors, Issues and Causes, Jack-O-Lanterns, Literature, Media, Medicine, Men, Miniature Golf, Monsters and Creatures, Movies, Mysteries, Mythology and Folklore, New York, Nostalgia, Paranormal, Pink Flamingos, Pranks, Pumpkins, Radio, Rock and Roll, Scams, Science, Scientists, Small Towns, TV, Technology, The Three Stooges, Tourist Attractions, United States, Urban Legends, Vampires, Vegetables, Weird Stuff, Women, Writers, Writing, Yahoo!

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We hope we passed the audition (Photo by C.P. Storm) Today we take a moment to say goodbye. 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. But, as times change, so must The Spark. Now, we're not going away altogether; we're just changing our mission to help you better find the resources for the things you want to know about. Over the last five years, over fifty Yahoo!s, past and present, have offered their expertise to entertain and enlighten you. As part of our farewell, 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 here, 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's 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. Dave: There are probably too many pieces to mention. I was particularly fond of the Tarzan piece, 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 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. So that's it. We are outta here. We'll be back soon with an all-new Spark, but the old order has changed. 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. You Tube: "I'll Be Seeing You" - ...but we'll be back!

Directory categories: Robert Burns, Public Nudity, Joel and Ethan Coen, Food and Drink, Vin Scully

Archived under: 1910s, 1950s, Accordions, Actors, Alex Trebek, Assassins, Balloons, Bananas, Batman, Blogs, Branson, Caffeine, Cats, Clowns, Coen Brothers, Crafts, Criminals, Death, Entertainment, Epidemics, Fairies, Fashion, Film Production, Filmmaking, Flu, Food and Drink, Fruitcake, Godzilla, Grammar, Hair, Halloween, Health, In Character, Jeopardy, Keanu Reeves, Limericks, Micronations, Miley Cyrus, Monsters and Creatures, Music, Mysteries, Mythology and Folklore, Nostalgia, Olsen Twins, Paranormal, Phobias, Pirates, Poetry, Roller Skating, Russia, Safety, Scotland, Secrets, Sleeveface, Sportscasters, Supreme Court, Swearing, TV, Tarzan, Thanksgiving, The Spark, Toys, Vegetarian, Vegetarianism, Vin Scully, Weird Stuff, Writers, Yahoo!, Yahoo! Directory

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