1

Elvis & Priscilla

Image: pasja1000

Elvis (2022) is an original script based on the life of Elvis Presley, directed by Baz Luhrmann, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. On the other hand, Priscilla (2023) is based on the autobiography Elvis and Me, written by Priscilla Presley and directed by Sofia Coppola.

Although based on the life of the same public figure, the two films have their unique tone, extremely distinct executions, and different goals in mind. While Elvis focuses on the King of Rock and Roll himself and covers a lot more ground, Priscilla is much more intimate and has his wife and her experience at the center of the plot.

2

Top Gun & Iron Eagle

Image: LCdr. David Baranek, U.S. Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

You've almost certainly seen Top Gun at some point. The 1986 hit that launched a young Tom Cruise to stardom as naval aviator Pete "Maverick" Mitchell was the highest-grossing title of that year, even though it was not only competing with a very similar film but wasn't even the first to be released.

Four months earlier, Iron Eagle , the story of brave fighter pilots battling in the skies, had been premiered. Although the Jason Gedrick-starring film had three sequels, none came close to the $1 billion mark that Top Gun grossed.

3

The Truman Show & EDtv

Image: Nathy dog

The Truman Show (1998) and EDtv (1999), both about a man whose life is filmed 24 hours a day for a TV show, were inspired by the then-emerging reality television.

While Truman is unaware that his life has been broadcast since he was a baby, Ed Pekurny is fully willing to air his daily life on TV —at least at first. Perhaps that lack of mystery, combined with a premiere just a few months after The Truman Show , meant that EDtv couldn't win over the audience. Would it be more popular if it had premiered earlier? Maybe, but it's hard to deny that The Truman Show is a masterpiece that will go down in cinema history.

4

Capote & Infamous

Image: Eric Koch for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Truman Capote was a seminal writer in American literature. His life is full of exciting stories, so it's not surprising that his biography inspired several movies and TV series. Yet, in the case of Capote (2005) and Infamous (2006), this happened almost simultaneously.

Even more unusual, both films chose to tell the author's process that led him to interview the killers of the Clutter family and that would later become his most successful work, In Cold Blood . Capote stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toby Jones gives an excellent performance in Infamous . Which was your favorite?

5

Deep Impact & Armageddon

Image: Javier Miranda

In the summer of 1998, Deep Impact hit the cinemas, and just a few months later, Armageddon was released. Since both movies have similar plots —basically a comet or asteroid threatens to destroy the Earth—we can focus on which one had the better cast. On one side, you have Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood, Tia Leone, and Morgan Freeman. On the other, Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi, and Liv Tyler team up to save the world.

Looking at the box office returns, however, it's clear which one reigned supreme. Armageddon became the highest-grossing film that year, even though it received mostly negative reviews and was criticized for its scientific inaccuracies. All that said, Armageddon and Deep Impact are the pairing to go with if you're ever in the mood for a double feature.

6

Saving Private Ryan & The Thin Red Line

Image: Chief Photographer's Mate (CPHOM) Robert F. Sargent, U.S. Coast Guard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1998, Saving Private Ryan was one of the defining films of the year and captivated audiences with its heart-wrenching story and realistic portrayal of World War II. Shortly after making a fortune at the box office and scoring 11 Oscar nominations, The Thin Red Line hit the cinemas.

Both films feature similar themes and setups, but while Steven Spielberg’s take is a bit commercial and has a more straightforward narrative, the nearly three-hour-long version of Terrence Malick is more on the artistic side. That said, and despite the unfortunate coincidence, both movies are worth seeing if you like crude, realistic depictions of war.

7

The Prestige & The Illusionist

Image: jasper benning

For some reason, magic, a centuries-old form of entertainment, had its revival at the beginning of the 21st century thanks to cinema. While The Illusionist (2006) tells the story of Eisenheim, a Viennese magician who must confront Prince Leopold to avoid being discredited, The Prestige (2006) focuses on two rival magicians competing to win over late 19th-century London audiences. The two films, though different in style and tone, are excellent for any magic enthusiast.

8

Churchill & Darkest Hour

Image: Barthelemy de Mazenod

England's most famous Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, is one of the most revered leaders of World War II. Proof of that are the biographical films Churchill and Darkest Hour , released in 2017. Although both follow the same historical figure, they are very different in style, tone, and setting.

Churchill , starring Brian Cox, focuses on the last period of his wartime career, before the Normandy invasion. Released later but set earlier in time, Darkest Hour portrays Winston Churchill, played by Gary Oldman, as he holds the fate of Western Europe at the beginning of the war. The latter film turned out to be the more successful of the two, even winning an Academy Award for best actor.

9

K-9 & Turner and Hooch

Image: Martin Podsiad

In 1989, there were not one but two films that portrayed police officers teaming up with a dog to fight crime. The first was K-9 , starring Jim Belushi as the angry police detective Michael Dooley. Instead of taking a human partner, Dooley decides to get a German Shepherd named Jerry Lee. From there, all kinds of antics ensue.

Just a few months later, Tom Hanks played a meticulous police investigator who's forced to take a troublesome dog who's the only witness to a horrible crime in Turner and Hooch . Obviously, a lot of the humor from both of these movies stems from the erratic behaviors of their titular canines. So, if you are into dog jokes, then you'll probably find something to like here.

10

No Strings Attached & Friends with Benefits

Image: cottonbro studio

In 2011, two romantic comedies were released centered around the idea of friends casually hooking up to end up realizing they were in love. No Strings Attached had Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher in the leading roles, while Friends with Benefits starred Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake.

Although they are practically the same movie, they had some success. Both of them made about 150 million at the box office. However, if you have a problem telling them apart, don't worry, you are not alone!

1

Ronald Reagan: The Jelly Bean Fanatic

Ronald Reagan kept a jar of jelly beans on his desk in the Oval Office and on Air Force One . Blueberry was his favorite flavor, and 3.5 tons of jelly beans were shipped to Washington for his 1981 inauguration.

The Jelly Belly company even created a special blueberry flavor just for Reagan's presidential inauguration. Cabinet meetings apparently featured bowls of the colorful candies, and Reagan would munch on them during crucial policy discussions.

2

John Quincy Adams: The Naked Swimmer

John Quincy Adams had a rather unusual morning routine that would absolutely not fly today. The sixth president would wake up early, walk down to the Potomac River, strip off all his clothes, and go for a refreshing swim .

Legend has it that a female reporter once caught wind of this habit and sat on his clothes until he agreed to give her an interview. Adams apparently took it in stride, though one imagines the Secret Service would have a collective heart attack if any modern president tried this stunt.

3

Teddy Roosevelt: The One-Man Zoo

Theodore Roosevelt ran a wildlife sanctuary at the White House . His kids had a veritable menagerie that included a badger, guinea pigs, snakes, and even a one-legged rooster. There are also claims that he kept a bear and a hyena in the House. Oh, and let's not forget about the pony that his son Quentin once took up in the White House elevator.

When President Roosevelt's son Archie fell ill and was confined to bed, his brothers Kermit and Quentin decided to cheer him up by bringing their pony, Algonquin, up to his room via the White House elevator. The plan nearly backfired, though: Algonquin became so captivated by his own reflection in the elevator mirror that getting him out proved to be quite the ordeal.

4

Thomas Jefferson: Ice Cream Pioneer

After his time in France, Jefferson returned with a fancy ice cream recipe and became one of the first Americans to popularize it . He reportedly had an 18-step process for making the stuff.

The Founding Father loved ice cream so much that he designed a special ice house at Monticello, though its purpose went beyond just frozen treats. The structure stored ice and snow harvested from the Rivanna River to refrigerate fresh dairy and meats throughout the year, with ice cream being just one of the delicacies it made possible.

5

Andrew Jackson: Profanity Parrot Owner

Andrew Jackson's pet parrot, Poll, learned a colorful vocabulary from Old Hickory himself. When Jackson died in 1845, the parrot attended his funeral. Unfortunately, as some witnesses declared, Poll had to be removed from the service because the bird wouldn't stop cursing loudly at the mourners.

You have to wonder what that scene was like—somber grieving interrupted by a parrot dropping f-bombs left and right. It's both mortifying and hilarious to imagine the reverend trying to continue the eulogy while this feathered menace squawks profanities from the corner.

6

Gerald Ford: The Model President

Before Gerald Ford became president, he was a legitimate male model . In the 1940s, the future president appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.

Ford had been a star football player at the University of Michigan, and his athletic build and fame caught the attention of photographers. He modeled to make extra money, appearing in fashion spreads and looking quite dashing, we might add.

7

LBJ: The Presidential Prankster

Lyndon B. Johnson owned an amphibious car that could drive on both land and water. His favorite party trick was to drive guests around his Texas ranch and then pretend the brakes had failed as they headed straight toward a lake . People would scream in terror as the car splashed into the water.

Then, to everyone's shock and relief, the car would simply start floating. Johnson would burst into laughter while his passengers tried to recover from their near-death experience.

8

William Howard Taft: Bathtub Troubles

William Howard Taft was America's heaviest president, weighing in at around 340 pounds. The most famous anecdote about him involves getting stuck in the White House bathtub , though historians debate whether this actually happened. What's definitely true is that he had a custom bathtub installed that could fit four normal-sized men.

9

Calvin Coolidge: The Prankster President

There are claims that Calvin Coolidge would sometimes press all the buttons on his desk to summon his staff, then hide to watch them run around confused, looking for him . Very mature, Mr. President.

Coolidge also had a pet raccoon named Rebecca, who walked on a leash around the White House grounds. Silent Cal might not have talked much, but his actions —and his choice in pets— spoke volumes about his quirky sense of humor.

10

Jimmy Carter: UFO Witness

Jimmy Carter once filed an official report claiming he saw a UFO . In 1969, before becoming president, Carter and a group of people in Georgia witnessed a strange, bright light in the sky that changed colors and moved in unusual ways. He was so convinced of what he saw that he filed paperwork with the International UFO Bureau.

Carter promised during his campaign that if elected, he would release all government information about UFOs. Once in office, though, he was reportedly told some things were too classified even for the president.

1

10/12

Image: Sue Winston

We know that the Bill of Rights consists of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, but did you know that Congress originally proposed 12 amendments? That's right! Yet, the states ratified only 10, leaving two out.

But here's the interesting part: One of these unratified amendments —the one concerning congressional compensation— was ratified more than 200 years later! In 1992, it became the 27th Amendment, which is also the last one.

2

World record

Image: Pierre Bamin

Our Constitution was signed in the 18th century, and while we know it's been a long time, what you might not know is that it is considered the world's oldest written national constitution still in effect today.

With various changes and amendments added over the years, this document not only defined the ideals of our nation but also earned us a world record!

3

The youngest

Image: MJ S

The men who signed this historic document were of varying ages. In fact, the age difference between the youngest and oldest signer was a remarkable 55 years!

The youngest to sign was attorney Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey, who was 26 years old at the time. Do you want to know who was the oldest? Keep reading!

4

The oldest

Image: Adam Nir

Well, as we mentioned, there was a 55-year age gap between the youngest and oldest signers of the US Constitution.

Do you know who the oldest was? That's right, Benjamin Franklin! He was a distinguished 81 years old when he signed this historic document.

5

500 copies

Image: Christa Dodoo

The original Constitution had 500 copies printed for distribution, made by the Founding Fathers themselves. They distributed those copies to members of Congress and state legislatures. Of those 500 original copies, however, only 13 are known to exist today. We have to say that, given that more than 230 years have passed, it's impressive that so many have survived!

6

How much?

Image: Jp Valery

Logically, since so few original copies remain, they ' re incredibly rare and valuable. In fact, one of these original documents was sold in 2021, and you won't believe its price!

You might have imagined it was sold for $5 million, maybe $10 million. But no, this invaluable copy went for $43.2 million. With that sale, it also became the most expensive historical document ever sold at an auction.

7

30 bucks

Image: Barry A

The person who transcribed the original US Constitution signed in 1787 had an important job, didn't he? The man who accomplished this major deed was Jacob Shallus, a clerk of the Pennsylvania General Assembly at the time. He was responsible for taking the text drafted by the Founding Fathers and transcribing it onto parchment: over 4,000 words scribbled down entirely by hand! Surprisingly, he was paid just $30 for this task.

8

Let's celebrate

Image: Kelly Sikkema

In 1789, long before Thanksgiving became an official national holiday, President George Washington issued a proclamation declaring November 26 as a day to give thanks. As it was an occasion for national gratitude, he also encouraged citizens to celebrate the birth of the new nation and the recently established Constitution.

9

A spelling issue

Image: Katherine McAdoo

Being a text from so long ago, some words —particularly proper nouns— may have changed slightly since the Constitution was first drafted. This was the case for the state of Pennsylvania, which is spelled as "Pensylvania" in the original document. However, while some may consider it a misspelling today, it was actually an accepted spelling for the state's name in the 18th century.

Fun fact: You can also find "Pensylvania" engraved on the Liberty Bell!

10

The Father of the Constitution

Image: Richard Hedrick

"The Father of the Constitution" is one of the nicknames given to James Madison, one of our Founding Fathers. And it's these very words that appear on the rare $5,000 bill.

Although this bill is no longer in circulation, if you are lucky enough to get your hands on one, you'll read "James Madison, The Father of the Constitution" next to the portrait of the 4th U.S. President.