1

"Yada, yada, yada" ( Seinfeld )

Though the phrase "yada, yada, yada" already existed in the 1990s, dating back to the 1940s, it was not nearly as common as it is today. It was after the April 24, 1997, Seinfeld episode, where a character constantly uses the phrase, that it became globally known , turning it into a common catchphrase for glossing over boring or irrelevant details.

2

"It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!" ( The Adventures of Superman )

The iconic Superman opening was originally part of the 1940s Superman radio show, and it carried over to the television series. While the series was extremely popular, this catchphrase became a trope of its own beyond the Superman phenomenon and a go-to quote for any instances of unidentified flying objects.

3

"To boldly go where no man has gone before" ( Star Trek )

There is no doubt that "Space, the final frontier" is _Star Trek_’s most quoted and recognizable line, but its application to real-life situations is quite restricted by the allusion to space. The last line of the iconic intro, though, has also become a more easily adapted catchphrase of its own , even for those who aren’t into sci-fi or haven’t seen the show.

4

"Winter is coming" ( Game of Thrones )

HBO’s famed TV adaptation of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series is one of the most successful shows of all time, and many of its elements have become part of popular culture. "Winter is coming", the motto of House Stark and one of the taglines of Season 1, is now a ubiquitous catchphrase for impending challenges and difficulties.

5

"How you doin’?" ( Friends )

It isn’t just the phrase, but Joey Tribbiani’s (Matt LeBlanc) Italian-American accent and flirtatious attitude that have made this seemingly plain greeting iconic . Out of the many hilarious and easily recognizable Friends quotes, Joey’s preferred pickup line is embedded in the minds of a whole generation.

6

"Cowabunga" ( The Howdy Doody Show & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles )

Coined as the angry retort of a Native American chief in the 1950s The Howdy Doody Show and adopted by Californian surfers as a celebration, most people nowadays instantly associate "Cowabunga" with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , and with good reason, as it was popularized globally via the animated show. While later reboots tried to replace it with other catchphrases, "cowabunga" remains indelibly tied to the Ninja Turtles.

7

"D'oh!" ( The Simpsons )

Can a TV catchphrase become so popular as to change a dictionary? It can if it’s said by Homer Simpson. Repeated more than a thousand times across the 37 seasons of The Simpsons , "D’oh!" is so ingrained in the English language that it has been incorporated into the Oxford Dictionary.

8

"You rang?" ( The Addams Family )

This iconic line was created by accident. In the original 1960s The Addams Family , lanky butler Lurch was supposed to be mute, but after actor Ted Cassidy ad-libbed the famous "You rang?", the producers found it hilarious and went with it. The phrase eventually transcended the Addams Family universe and became a popular catchphrase on its own.

9

"Is that your final answer?" ( Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? )

The only entry of this list that comes from a game show, "Is that your final answer?" became the catchphrase of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? with host Regis Philbin in the 1990s and 2000s, and is now a common way of asking "are you sure about it?".

10

"What's up, Doc?" ( Looney Tunes )

One of the most popular catchphrases, but not the only one, by Bugs Bunny in Looney Tunes , the widespread popularity of "What’s up, Doc?" has had a lasting influence. First aired in the 1940s —with "Doc" as a common slang term similar to ‘pal’ or ‘dude’— it was the "what’s up" part that caused a cultural shift , with the popularity of the greeting evolving into "wassup?" in the 1990s and even inspiring the name of the messaging app WhatsApp.

1

"One small step" vs. "Man, that may have been a small one…"

Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface with his carefully planned line: "That is one small step for a man , one giant leap for mankind." Pete Conrad from Apollo 12 decided to have some fun with that.

Conrad was short, and he had bet a reporter five hundred dollars that he could say whatever he wanted when he stepped down. This is the line he went for, as documented in NASA transcripts: "Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that is a long one for me ."

2

Apollo 12 and the lightning strike that tried to end everything

Apollo 12 was struck by lightning not once but twice, only 36 seconds after launch. The electrical surge wiped out telemetry in Mission Control.

The flight looked doomed until flight controller John Aaron said the now legendary instruction: "Try SCE to Aux." Conrad responded with, "What the hell is that?" because almost no one remembered what SCE meant.

Luckily, Alan Bean understood what to do. He flipped the switch, the instruments rebooted, and Apollo 12 kept flying.

3

Apollo 13 was just as dramatic as the movie showed

The explosion of an oxygen tank in Apollo 13’s service module really did turn the mission into a race against time. The line "Houston, we have a problem" is Hollywood’s adaptation, however. The real line, spoken by Jack Swigert and repeated by Jim Lovell, was "Houston, we have had a problem."

Other real drama: the crew used the Lunar Module as a lifeboat, battled rising CO₂ levels, manually aligned the spacecraft using Earth’s horizon, and returned home with only a sliver of battery life left.

4

Apollo 16 astronauts drove a moon rover like teenagers with a new car

The lunar rover was a marvel: lightweight, foldable, and capable of reaching 13 to 18 km/h depending on conditions.

John Young and Charlie Duke from Apollo 16 were so thrilled with it that Mission Control had to repeatedly remind them not to drive too fast on uneven terrain.

Duke even recorded one of the wildest moments of the program when Young yelled, "Look at that… look at that!" as dust flew up behind them.

5

The dust that drove astronauts nuts

Moon dust is sharp, sticky, and electrostatically clingy. Astronauts from Apollo 11 onward complained that it smelled like burnt gunpowder and got everywhere. Harrison Schmitt from Apollo 17 suffered "lunar hay fever" after breathing dust tracked into the cabin.

NASA later became mildly obsessed with studying how dangerous that dust might be… and it turns out it is genuinely abrasive to suits and could be risky to lungs.

6

Apollo 11 and the computer that said "nope"

Just minutes before landing on July 20, 1969, the Apollo Guidance Computer flashed a "1202" program alarm. In non-NASA terms, the computer was overloaded and essentially panicking .

But guidance officer Steve Bales had trained for this exact situation and cleared the crew to proceed. Armstrong later said this call was one of the mission’s most decisive moments. So yes, the first Moon landing almost got canceled by a stressed-out computer.

7

The golf shot that echoed through history

On Apollo 14, Alan Shepard smuggled a makeshift golf club head along with two golf balls.

On the moon, he attached it to a sample collection tool and made the most famous swing in the Solar System. The ball truly did travel far, although probably not the "miles and miles" Shepard joked about. Still, it remains the only round of lunar golf ever played.

8

Apollo 15’s postal controversy

The Apollo 15 astronauts carried unauthorized stamped envelopes to sell to collectors later.

This became a scandal when the deal came to light. NASA was furious, the crew was reprimanded, and the agency tightened rules on what astronauts could take to space.

The event is fully documented and remains one of the strangest side stories of the program.

9

Twelve people walked on the moon

Between 1969 and 1972, exactly twelve astronauts walked on the lunar surface.

The list, in chronological order, is: Armstrong, Aldrin (Apollo 11), Conrad, Bean (Apollo 12), Shepard, Mitchell (Apollo 14), Scott, Irwin (Apollo 15), Young, Duke (Apollo 16), and Cernan and Schmitt (Apollo 17). Cernan remains the last human to have walked on the Moon.

10

The last moonwalk included a love letter

During Apollo 17, Gene Cernan traced his daughter’s initials TDC on the lunar dust.

As he said his farewell words on the Moon, he hoped the world would continue exploring. His last line: "We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind."

1

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

Image: Nik Shuliahin

It sounds crazy today, but the Louisiana Purchase almost doubled the size of the United States overnight. Thomas Jefferson, at the time, the third to occupy the position of President of the United States, bought the massive 828,000 sq mi territory from France for $15 million, securing vital land and resources.

The purchase, however, didn’t mean that the United States also gained control of the totality of the territory, as it was inhabited by Native Americans. But in any case, the acquisition paved the way for westward expansion, providing a vast area for exploration and settlement, while enhancing America's geopolitical influence.

2

Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)

Image: Charles Marion Russell

Commissioned by Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark then embarked on a mission to map the newly acquired lands and find a viable route to the Pacific. Their legendary journey revealed the rich diversity of the western territories and established crucial relationships with Native American tribes.

Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman, played a crucial role as an interpreter and guide, helping the expedition navigate difficult terrain and gain trust with native tribes, significantly contributing to the mission's success. Ultimately, their detailed reports opened the frontier to future explorers and settlers.

3

The Oregon Trail (1811-1869)

Image: Dana Davis

Originally laid around 1811 by fur trappers and traders, the Oregon Trail soon became a critical route for thousands of emigrants moving west. Spanning over 2,000 miles from Missouri to Oregon, it was a perilous journey marked by harsh landscapes and, more often than not, disease.

Despite the hardships, the trail was improved to become passable by wagons, and it facilitated the mass migration of over 400,000 settlers during its peak, significantly contributing to the population growth and development of the Western United States.

4

California Gold Rush (1848-1855)

Image: Viviana Rishe

The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 triggered a massive influx of fortune seekers to California. The Gold Rush not only boosted the economy but also accelerated California's admission claim as the 31st state in 1850.

While prospectors initially used simple techniques like panning, the increasing complexity of gold extraction eventually required significant financing, favoring mining companies. And though the gold rush generated wealth worth tens of billions in today's dollars, only a few became rich; most participants earned little more than they had started with.

5

Homestead Act (1862)

Image: Kevin Butz

Signed by President Abraham Lincoln, the Homestead Act offered 160 acres of public land to settlers willing to farm it for five years. The policy primarily encouraged individual farmers who were looking to operate their own farms, as opposed to slave owners who sought to buy large tracts of land and use slave labor.

The legislation encouraged widespread migration to the Great Plains, accelerating agricultural development and expanding American settlements across the West.

6

Building of the Transcontinental Railroad (1863-1869)

Image: Johannes Plenio

The completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 revolutionized transportation in the United States. Connecting the East and West coasts, it facilitated trade, travel, and communication.

The extensive railroad network was built by three private companies on public lands, financed with federal bonds and various subsidies. Instrumental in the nation's economic growth, the Transcontinental Railroad also helped forge a sense of national unity and identity in the American consciousness.

7

The Great Sioux War (1876-1877)

Image: Popular Graphic Arts

Also known as the Black Hills War, the Great Sioux War was a series of conflicts between the United States and the Sioux tribes. The war was sparked by the encroachment of settlers and gold prospectors on Native lands, a conflict that had been escalating since the early 19th century.

Despite many Native American victories, such as the Battle of Little Bighorn - better known as Custer's Last Stand -, the war ultimately ended in the tribes' displacement. The conflict officially finished with the Agreement of 1877, in which the Sioux tribes were forced to cede property rights of their lands to the federal government, while clearly demarcated Indian reservations were established.

8

Oklahoma Land Rush (1889)

Image: Raychel Sanner

On April 22, 1889 - soon after the signing into law of the Indian Appropriations Act, which freed over two million acres of land for settlement - thousands of settlers raced to claim land in the Oklahoma Territory during the first of several land rushes.

Those who followed the rules and waited for the official start of the land rush were known as "boomers," while "sooners" sneaked into the territory before the designated time, risking penalties but gaining advantageous claims. This sparked hundreds of legal contests that had to be settled at local land offices or even by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

9

The Dawes Act (1887)

Image: Boston Public Library

The Dawes Act aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual allotments. While intended to promote agriculture and integration, it resulted in the loss of tribal lands and culture.

The act was a controversial effort to reshape Native American society in the image of European-American settlers. It wasn’t until the Indian Reorganization Act, passed during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, that Native Americans regained some of their rights to own land collectively and form self-government.

10

Closing of the Frontier (1890)

Image: Aaron Burden

In 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau declared the frontier closed, as there was no longer a discernible frontier line. This marked the end of a significant era of American expansion.

The closing of the frontier signified the nation's transition from a period of exploration and settlement to one of modernization and industrialization.