Walker Art

Did you know Cheerios used to be called Cheerioats? Sometimes the first choice for a name isn’t always the right one. Buzzfeed’s list looks at the names of products, fictional characters, songs, books, apps, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Do you prefer Eggos over Froffles?

American actor Woody Strode in Stanley Kubrick’s film ‘Spartacus’ (L) and the person after whom he was named: Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States of America.

Know any kids named Barack? In Time’s “Now You Know” feature, Merrill Fabry looks at the history of Americans naming their children after Presidents, and what happened to it. Cameos by the ANS’ own Cleve Evans and Frank Nuessel!

In episode 446 of the Mental Floss List Show, John Green shares the name origins of 39  America’s cities. How many of these did you know? They’re not as straightforward as you might think!

You know the name, but why the number?FlickrCC/Mike Mozart

Why is it called Chanel No. 5? What happened to numbers 1 to 4? Take this fun and informative quiz from Business Insider, and find out the history of these 13 “numbered” brand names.

Actress Sofía Vergara is now facing a historic lawsuit from her pre-implanted eggs, Emma and Isabella. In a “right-to-live” lawsuit filed in the state of Louisiana, it is claimed that not allowing the eggs to be born is essentially depriving them of their inheritance. What began as a nasty custody dispute has erupted into an explosive discussion over whether and when an en vitro fertilized egg can be legally recognized as a “juridical person”. According to Vergara’s lawyer, the fact that Nick Loeb, the actress’s former partner and co-progenitor, has given personal names (Emma and Isabella) to the fertilized eggs was simply done to “garner sympathy from the public and the courts.”

Every year, many people go through the legal challenges of changing their names. Here’s a snapshot of a few of the New Yorkers who changed their names in 2016.