Alex Trebek only missed one day in 37 years of hosting 'Jeopardy!'

'Jeopardy!' was conceived as a way to earn back skeptical audiences' trust

In the wake of the ‘50s scandals, networks were reluctant to greenlight new quiz shows. Merv Griffin’s wife suggested he flip the formula on its head, providing contestants with the answers (the exact act that had led to the scandals) and asking them to provide the questions. “Jeopardy!” premiered in 1964, effectively reviving the genre. It eventually became the top-rated quiz show in history with 23 million viewers.

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

The best wrong answers from 'Jeopardy!'

“Jeopardy!” is known for its geniuses, but that doesn’t mean every minute of the show is an illustration of brilliance. This compilation corrects some of the funniest incorrect responses from contestants, making for over 10 minutes of hilarity.

The remarkable journey of 'Jeopardy'-winner Harvey Silikovitz

Harvey Silikovitz first auditioned for to play on "Jeopardy" in 2001. Twenty-four years later, Silikovitz got the rare chance to appear on the show and won a whopping $23,600 cash prize. Read his journey to see how the attorney went from initially hating the game show to becoming a "Jeopardy" champion.

Some of the 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek's best quotes

"The secret to happiness, of course, is not getting what you want; it's wanting what you get."

10 ways David Letterman changed late-night TV

Late-night TV is an American institution with its own tropes and traditions. While Johnny Carson is often noted as the model for late-night hosts, the modern notion of the format owes just as much (if not more) to David Letterman, who redefined the model in the early 1980s. This list from ABC News ranks the 10 ways Letterman accomplished that, using one of Letterman's classic bits to honor the man's legacy.

Wally Feresten is the man behind the show's iconic cue cards

“SNL” obsessives are familiar with the show’s cue cards, which occasionally appear on air in fourth-wall-breaking segments. They might even recognize Wally Feresten, the man who’s been handwriting (and holding) them since 1990. This podcast interview delves into Feresten’s curious life behind the scenes at “SNL” and his unexpected turns in front of the camera.

Every ‘SNL’ host who's doubled as musical guest

This chronological list details every entertainer who’s both hosted and performed as musical guest through the show’s five decades. You’ll find some interesting tidbits, like Paul Simon breaking ground as the first to do it in 1975, and some serious headscratchers, like Garth Brooks performing as his alter ego Chris Gaines.

One pop-culture historian fooled the nation with a fake origin story of April Fools' Day

In 1983, Joseph Boskin, a professor at Boston University, was interviewed by the Associated Press to discuss the history of April Fools'. Boskin shared a made-up story about a jester who took over Rome for a day and proclaimed that April 1 would henceforth serve as 24 hours of silliness. AP published the fib about "King Kugel," creating buzz and confusion for news outlets around the country.

In its early years, HBO didn't air 24/7

In its earliest incarnation, HBO only aired content for about nine hours daily. After each day's programming, it'd play a cozy animated bumper. The network changed course when its primary competitor Showtime began airing for 24 hours in 1981.

Hitchcock's TV show emphasized the director's playful yet suspenseful tone

"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" was a television series that aired from 1955 to 1965, offering viewers weekly bites of the director's unnerving storytelling. Hitchcock acted as host, framing the short films with his haunting voice and gothic language.

Radio DJ Casey Kasem was the voice of Shaggy on 'Scooby-Doo'

He pioneered the "American Top 40" radio model, but his iconic voice also appeared on "Scooby-Doo Where Are You?," the long-running animated TV show. Interesting: Kasem, a vegan, once quit the role in protest after being pressured to do a Burger King commercial, though he eventually reprised it years later.

Watch Bill Nye's debut as the 'Science Guy' on 'Almost Live!'

Knowing that Nye explained scientific concepts as a volunteer at the Pacific Science Center, host Ross Shafer suggested Nye perform scientific demonstrations to fill the time left by a canceled guest. "You could be, like, Bill Nye the Science Guy," said Shafer.

For 'Secret Lives of Orangutans,' David Attenborough became the oldest Emmy Award winner

In 2025, won the Outstanding Daytime Personality, Non-Daily category at 99 for his work documenting a group of apes in the jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia. The previous record had been held by Dick Van Dyke, who won at 98 for his guest appearance on "Days of Our Lives" in 2024. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

The Tony Awards were founded by Brock Pemberton

A Kansas boy who went on to become a groundbreaking Broadway producer, Brock Pemberton is also the founder of the Tony Awards. He went from a prodigious Midwestern newspaper reporter to a New York drama critic and quickly caught the attention of a local producer, who offered Pemberton a job and kick-started his decades-long Broadway career, which included cofounding the influential American Theatre Wing.

Disney funded his first theme park by agreeing to host a weekly show on ABC

Walt Disney was determined to open a theme park, but had numerous issues with funding. A break came when ABC offered to cover a signifcant portion of the construction, though it came with a catch: Walt would host a weekly Disneyland TV show (and provide them part-ownership of the park).

The story of Marion Stokes, a woman who taped 30 years of TV

Marion Stokes was an activist archivist frustrated at the lack of a record or access to what was broadcast on TV. So in 1975, Stokes began taping the broadcasts, day and night, 24 hours a day, and continued to do so for 30 years, racking up over 70,000 tapes that span the Iran Contra crisis to the evolution of cable news. Read about her fascinating story here.

John Madden is the only broadcaster to call Super Bowls on four networks

During his long career as an announcer, Madden called 11 Super Bowls across four networks—CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC. Watch highlights from his first Super Bowl XVI in 1982.

Watch the lessons Christa McAuliffe was supposed to teach aboard Challenger

After the Challenger disaster prevented McAuliffe from teaching in orbit, educators-turned-astronauts Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold filmed her planned science demonstrations aboard the International Space Station during the 2017-18 school year.

Jeff Bezos’ biological father and mother married as teenagers—and had Jeff a year later

His biological father, Ted Jorgensen, was a circus performer at the time. He later gave up custody of Jeff and became a bicycle repairman in Phoenix, Arizona. Ironically, the last time Jorgensen saw Jeff as a child was in a Walmart where Jorgensen worked. This video dives into the relationship between Jeff Bezos and his estranged biological father, who passed away in 2015.

Tetris was launched in the US at Summer CES 1988

Tetris first appeared in the US at the 1988 Summer CES, where Henk Rogers—who would later publish and market the game—first encountered it. This interview revisits that moment, with creator Alexey Pajitnov and Rogers reflecting on how the game gained global recognition.

Kermit the Frog was originally a lizard—and was made from Jim Henson's jeans

The iconic figure was initially created for 1955's "Sam and Friends," a lead-in to "The Tonight Show" that was the debut of the Muppets. The original Kermit puppet was lizard-like and made from two articles of clothing: Henson's blue jeans and his mother's old coat.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to a health condition

Gehrig's diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that now bears his name, forced him to retire early. Weeks later, he spoke with gratitude and stated, "For the past two weeks, you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Gehrig died at the age of 37, about two years later.

The Chernobyl virus earned its name for activating on the meltdown's anniversary

Affecting Windows 95 and 98 computers, it filled gaps in the code of any program opened after infecting a computer, earning it the nickname "Spacefiller." On April 26, 1999, the virus overwrote part of the software responsible for booting up a computer, rendering it unusable.

Presidents have temporarily transferred power under the 25th Amendment during medical procedures

Section 3 of the 25th Amendment lets presidents temporarily transfer authority—without permanently giving up the office. Reagan, George W. Bush, and Biden each invoked it during medical procedures, briefly making their vice presidents acting president.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, star of 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' quit 'Saturday Night Live' after just one week to return to her old job.

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

Elk Cloner, the first computer virus to spread in public, was written as a practical joke by Richard Skrenta, a Pittsburgh high school student.

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

Mark Twain spent decades feuding with the US Postal Service, convinced its costs and regulations were bureaucratic overreach.

Watch contemporary footage covering the US-backed Shah of Iran fleeing the country in the face of the 1979 Iranian Revolution

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

How the most famous Ebola book, The Hot Zone, which sold 3.5 million copies and was translated into 30 languages, got aspects of the disease so wrong.

See a ranking of the best (and worst) Federal Reserve Chairs since 1914 out of the 16 men and women who have held the office since.

Doctors differentiate between a phobia and fear by asking patients whether their fear interferes with their day-to-day activities.

The rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson centered on federalism—the question of how much power the federal government should hold relative to the states.

The US first hosted the World Cup in 1994, a tournament that lives in soccer infamy for its poor planning and the murder of Colombian player Andres Escobar, who'd accidentally scored on his own net.

Jimmy Carter signed a 1978 bill that legalized home brewing, a move credited with kick-starting the craft beer industry.

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

Despite being favored by 87% of Americans, Congress does not have term limits.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

A researcher recently discovered an interview from 1967 between groundbreaking journalist Joan Didion and the Grateful Dead, years before the band became an institution.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.