Tempestt Bledsoe was born Aug. 1, 1973 in Chicago.

Her acting career started when she as just 4 years old. She was in various commercials for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes. When she was 9 years old, she auditioned for The Cosby Show and got the part of the fourth child, Vanessa Huxtable.

The premier of The Cosby show was on September 20, 1984, when Bledsoe was 11 years old. The show was a huge success to viewers all over the US. It not only was full of comedy, but also redefined America’s perception of African-American families. The Cosby Show had its final season in 1992.

After The Cosby Show, Bledsoe took time off from acting to complete her degree at NYU. She then moved to Los Angeles and ended up hosting her own talk show called The Tempestt Bledsoe Show in 1995. Bledsoe continues to appear on television. In 2006 she was on Celebrity Fit Club and in 2009, she and her boyfriend appeared on Househusbands of Hollywood.

The success of the Cosby Show was a good starting job for Bledsoe, and to some she will always be Vanessa Huxtable.

Learn more:
Tempestt Bledsoe's IMDB Profile

Ever wonder who invented that handy little fly swatter you arm yourself with on a hot summer day?

You may not know that the first fly swatter was invented almost 120 years ago. According to patent history, Robert R. Montgomery filed a patent for the “fly killer” in October of 1899 in Decatur, Illinois. As the patent explained, the first design consisted of an oblong piece of wire netting fixed onto a long rectangular wooden handle using screws. While many different versions of fly swatters existed before the “fly killer,” this model was the first to receive a legal patent in the United States. So the next time you swat one of those pesky insects in your house with your fly swatter, don’t forget to thank Robert R. Montgomery.

Learn more:
View the original patented design

Wearing pants today? How about a coat? Carrying a backpack? Chances are you used a zipper.

The zipper made its international debut at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. At the time, its inventor, Whitcomb Judson, called it the “clasp-locker.” Sadly, Judson died long before his invention picked up its zippy name and took the world’s apparel by storm.

But his legacy lives on. You can thank Judson every time you zip instead of button or tie.

Learn more:
Want to know more about the history of the zipper?
Curious how the zipper really works? Take a trip to HowStuffWorks.com to read an informative article or watch a short video.
Wonder why so many zippers say YKK? It’s the brand name of the world’s biggest zipper maker! Check out the YKK website.

Jason Kipnis was born April 3, 1987, in Northbrook. He attended Glenbrook North High School, where he played on the varsity baseball team for three years. During his junior year, he broke the school record in home runs with 11. He was selected to the all-conference team that season and was named to the all-state team his senior year.  

Kipnis attended the University of Kentucky and then Arizona State University, where he earned the PAC-10 Newcomer of the Year award in 2008 and the PAC-10 Player of the Year award and was named a First Team All-American in 2009.

Kipnis was drafted in the second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cleveland Indians, and spent only two seasons in the minor leagues before being called up to the major leagues in 2011. He is currently the starting second baseman for the Cleveland Indians and was voted to the 2013 All-Star game. He has a .263 career batting average with 44 home runs with Cleveland.  

Learn more:
Jason Kipnis Cleveland Indians Bio

You got it! Grammy nominated Susan Kay “Suzy” Bogguss, was born and raised in Aledo, Illinois, a small town of only 3,700.

Bogguss began her music career at the age of five, when she joined the Angel Choir at her hometown church. Shortly thereafter, she took up multiple instruments, including piano, drums and guitar. She later attended both Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State University, graduating with a degree in metalsmithing.

In 1985, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a career in music. In a short time, she became a headlining performer at the Dollywood theme park. During this time, she also produced her first of several demo recordings, one of which caught the attention of Jim Foglesong, President of Capitol Records.

Bogguss signed with Capitol and continued on to release eight studio albums, working with other artists such as Lee Greenwood, and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

In 1999, after a Grammy nomination, and several gold records, she left the record label, but she continues to produce music under her own label, Loyal Dutchess, as well as through a collaboration with Compadre Records.

Learn more:
The official Suzy Bogguss website
Want to keep up with Suzy? Check out her facebook page, for tour dates, videos, music and more!