History Main / GeniusBonus

* "WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania3SummerVacation": The decrepit-looking plane that carries the monsters to the Bermuda Triangle is identified as "Gremlin Air Flight 19". There's a reason they picked that number-- [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_19 Flight 19]] was a group of US Navy planes that disappeared in the Triangle in 1945.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'': When Carl goes down in the stair lift, the music is "La Habanera" from ''Theatre/{{Carmen}}'', which is about how love is unpredictable. Some of the lyrics are "if you don't love me, I love you, but if I love you, beware". Carl doesn't like Russell or Doug but ends up loving them both; and he loves Muntz, who will try to kill him.

* GeniusBonus/LiveActionFilms

* WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}: From 1899 to 1902, Colombia suffered a civil war known as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_Days%27_War Thousand Days' War.]] The war was caused by numerous political ideologies warring against the governing structure of the country for varying reasons, and caused over a hundred thousand deaths. [[spoiler:Based on the timing of the war historically and its infamously high death toll, there is significant possibility that Pedro was murdered by a member of one of the various political parties in a desperate effort to buy his wife and children time to escape. Knowing this detail makes an already heart-wrenching scene even more devastating.]]

* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' is loaded with these, to the extent that some have called it a series of obscure references that occasionally involve jokes, rather than the other way around.
** There's even a crowd-edited site "Explain xkcd" devoted to explaining each and every xkcd comic to help you unravel it all.

** Then there's "[=SouthWest=] Pacific", which is about Calvin performing in a school play. What does the title mean, then? Well, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII there was an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_West_Pacific_theatre_of_World_War_II area]] entitled South West Pacific, where many important things happened. The wartime definition for this? A ''theater''.

[[caption-width-right:350:EEqualsMCHammer not good enough for you? Twilight Sparkle does [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_dilation#Hyperbolic_motion time dilation]].]]

* Dennis Miller has spoken of liking to say things like "the Middle East situation is less stable than Creator/CrispinGlover", knowing that few of his listeners will have seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dYjdKbMT_c Glover nearly kick Letterman in the head]], but that the few who have are saying, "Thank you for making that joke".
* Creator/TheFiresignTheatre is notorious for this; e.g. "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradox#The_dichotomy_paradox Antelope Freeway, one mile. Antelope Freeway, one half mile. Antelope Freeway, one quarter mile.]]" And so on.

*** The story of the sunken city and how [[spoiler:Vine was forced to believe he was a princess named Dahut]] is actually [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ys based off the mythical city of Ys]] which became the basis of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_cath%C3%A9drale_engloutie the Sunken Cathedral prelude by Debussy]].

* In Jeconais' Harry Potter fanfic ''Happily Ever After'', a knowledge of psychology will let the reader suspect the main plot twist well ahead of its reveal in-story. [[spoiler:No reputable or competent psychologist would give a diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder for a ''six-year-old child''. The diagnostic criteria specifically requires that the patient be at least 18 years of age to be diagnosed, as several of the possible symptoms are not atypical behavior for small children and are only alarming if they persist unchanged through adolescence and into adulthood. Of course, Gabrielle's psychologist is actually the BigBad and misleading her parents for his own Svengali-esque agenda, which is exactly why he did it.]] In addition, the ''Quibbler'' building's elevator uses [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_number Catalan numbers]].

* ''[[Fanfic/TheWritingOnTheWall The Writing On The Wall]]'' describes the building that the titular writing is in some detail, making note of metallic thorns built around the place and a room full of warnings in dozens of ancient dead languages. [[spoiler: Only people familiar with [[http://www.damninteresting.com/this-place-is-not-a-place-of-honor/ a proposal for a real life nuclear waste depository]] will realize that the building really is before the end. The text of the eponymous writing itself is a genius bonus as it is derived from the same proposal.]] Brr.

* Some of the religious jokes in Episode 8 of WebVideo/HellsingUltimateAbridged come from this, including Integra's mocking suggestion to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther 'nail a formal protest to Maxwell's door']], or the Temple Beth Zion's taunting reference to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhineland_massacres Rhineland Massacres.]] [[note]]ya schmucks![[/note]]

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13182877/3/Dobby-s-Deceit Dobby's Deceit]]'' Harry complains that Dobby wanted to set the bounceback destinations of his anti-apparation ward to ''inside'' Mount Etna, Antarctica and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlegraean_Fields the Phlegraean Fields]].
* In ''Fanfic/SkyholdAcademyYearbook'', in the noir installment ''Bright Jewels, Chained City,'' the detectives think that "Sophia Perennis" is the name of a possible suspect. As it's eventually revealed, this actually means "absolute truth." In the real world, this Latin phrase is one of the core concepts of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perennial_philosophy perennial philosophy]].

* WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}: From 1899 to 1902, Colombia suffered a civil war known as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_Days%27_War Thousand Days[='=] War]]. The war was caused by numerous political ideologies warring against the governing structure of the country for varying reasons, and caused over a hundred thousand deaths. [[spoiler:Based on the timing of the war historically and its infamously high death toll, there is significant possibility that Pedro was murdered by a member of one of the various political parties in a desperate effort to buy his wife and children time to escape. Knowing this detail makes an already heart-wrenching scene even more devastating.]]

** At the end, Pocahontas gives John Smith something from Grandmother Willow's bark to "help with the pain" after [[spoiler: he took a bullet for Chief Powhatan]]. Willow bark is traditionally an ingredient used in aspirin and can be used for pain relief on its own too.

** In one scene, Anton Ego stops himself from doing a SpitTake while drinking wine. Close inspection of the bottle reveals it's a real-life rare wine, [[https://www.decanter.com/learn/wine-legend-chateau-cheval-blanc-1947-369917/ Cheval Blanc 1947]], and far too expensive to waste on a spit-take.

** The double-headed eagle, the primary symbol of the Imperium, is a triple-whammy. It has been a symbol of many empires throughout the ages, such as Byzantine, Russian, Austrian and so on. It's also eerily similar to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reichsadler_der_Deutsches_Reich_(1933–1945).svg Reichsadler]], a symbol of Nazi Germany. Lastly, for thousands of years it has been a very popular symbol in the Anatolia region -- the very same one the Emperor is said to originate from.

** "quote the fights historical from Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical" -- He has only read about them in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifteen_Decisive_Battles_of_the_World The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: from Marathon to Waterloo ]] but can't even remember the timeline. Also, a categorical order memorization is no big deal, just remember that Salamis was a naval battle and you're good.

* At the very end of ''Theatre/{{Urinetown}}'', the Narrator, Officer Lockstock, concludes the tale of [[spoiler:the eventual decay and collapse of the town's society when people are allowed to use water without restraint]] by shouting "''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusian_catastrophe Hail Malthus!]]''" This is a reference to a Malthusian Catastrophe, which is ''exactly'' what Urinetown illustrates.

** Doki Doki has character files, which are absolutely vital in completing the main game. However, these files are all .chr files, which isn't an actual file type. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/visualnovels/comments/71z0i9/doki_doki_literature_club_has_more_to_it_than_we/ Some people on Reddit]] figured out that, when opened in a text editor like Notepad, these files are all puzzles needed to [[spoiler: reveal the secret of Project Libitina]].
*** Sayori's file needs to be [[spoiler: converted into an .ogg audio file, then the sound produced needs to be put through a visualizer. You end up with a QR-code, which, when scanned, leads to the [[http://www.projectlibitina.com/ Project Libitina-website]].]]
*** Yuri's file is [[spoiler: a string of garbled letters and numbered when opened in a text editor, but converting that from [=Base64=] to normal text reveals a {{creepypasta}} written by Dan Salvato about a 19 year-old girl who becomes a murderer.]]
*** Natsuki's file was originally [[spoiler: a .png file, which, when color-inverted, flipped 180 degrees then wrapped around a 3D cone and viewed from the top, reveals an unfamiliar woman's face]].
*** Just like Natsuki's, Monika's file was originally [[spoiler: a .png, but converting it into a png-file reveals a picture of a flaming ring with a block of black and white squares in the centre. This block can be converted into binary, which, when translated, reveals another [=Base64=]-code. Translate that, and you end up with a transcript of a short, one-sided conversation, in which someone (persumably Monika) tells you that "everyone else is dead", and that it's "time to be a [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] hero", ending with "2018"]].

*** One of Act 2's special poems is a block of redacted text with only a few letters visible, which spells out the phrase "nothing is real". However, opening this picture in Photoshop and turning up the exposure all the way reveals [[spoiler: what looks to be a diary entry from a doctor, who talks about the severe symptoms of someone named "Elyssa", and how she's screaming even louder now that there's someone with her]].
*** Natsuki's first poem in Act 2 seems like a garbled mess, but [[spoiler: when decoded from [=Base64=], reveals a poem titled "Open your Third Eye", in which the narrator takes pleasure in stabbing someone to death]].

** In the Israel spin-off episode, there are weird drawings when he talks about "spiritual reconnection". Those drawings are actually ancient engravings found at [[https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-a-strange-drawing-could-undermine-our-entire-idea-of-judaism-1.5973328 an archaeological dig at Kuntillet Ajrud, Egypt]]. The drawing is actually the engraving found at the site depicting YHWH - making it perhaps the oldest depiction of the Biblical God.

** Brillat-Savarin, mentioned [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070119 here]], was a famous gastronomist and essayist -- just the sort that a minor spark would crow about outwitting.

** Tom Siddell seems to be particularly fond of song references. Mr. Eglamore's name contains yet [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgidfxhVAFU another one]].

** The first three kids' sylladexes. Those three are commonly used data structures in computer science. Extra Genius Bonus Points goes to Rose's Tree Module, specifically an AVL tree, which mandates that the two subtrees of a binary tree must not have a height that differs by more than 1 (and consequently all the subtrees must follow this rule). As such, the auto-balance is a perfect double rotation that would be used in an AVL tree. Shame it [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002295 doesn't handle the deletion of the root element very well]], like a real AVL tree.
* ''Webcomic/TheIllustratedGuideToLaw'' does this every now and then. In its section on [[http://lawcomic.net/guide/?p=786 Duress]], for example, the members of the outlaw biker gang engage in discussions of physics and philosophy and multiple dimensions while brawling. In its section on [[http://lawcomic.net/guide/?p=710 Entrapment]], the physicist has real equations on the blackboard behind her. The first page of the section on "taking the Fifth" has a couple of math jokes like "Wow, your truncated Maclauren fits so well. [[spoiler:Of course... it's Taylor made]]," and a kitten saying "μ" (a Greek letter pronounced "mew").

* If you suck at remembering flags, you'll have trouble finding the ''Webcomic/{{Polandball}}'' comics funny. Consider then that many also include references to history, geography, politics, languages, dialects, slang, religions, movies, literature... "[[http://i.imgur.com/ItVSKTg.png Ostrakon]]" is a good example of this. The comic's punchline features a {{Pun}} on the words "ostracise" (i.e. excluding someone from society) and "Österreich", the German name for Austria. The name of the comic comes from the word ostrakon (which means "shard" in Greek) because the citizens would vote for whom they wanted to banish by writing their names on clay shards.

* ''WesternAnimation/HortonHearsAWho'': It's pretty well-known that Creator/JimCarrey likes to insert little impressions in all of his movies. Here, as Horton (played by Carrey) is being chased by the Wickersham Brothers, he randomly does an impersonation of... Henry Kissinger, of all people.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJUgu9qr8wI This clip]] features [[Series/TheKidsInTheHall Dave Foley]] delivering a monologue, in which he claims that the average temperature in Canada is 275 degrees below zero, which he quickly qualifies with, "But that's in ''Celsius.''" High school physics students are duly impressed. [[labelnote: note]]They shouldn't be. That's ''below'' absolute zero. 273.15 below is absolute zero in Celsius.[[/labelnote]]

In ''Webcomic/MenageA3''. Zii's guitar is a Telecaster...with a Stratocaster neck. Anyone knowledgable in guitars would know that this would actually make sense, since Telecaster necks are famously chubby and Zii is quite petite; it's also feasible, since Fender necks are bolt-on; and there's even precedent for it, in that Music/EricClapton played a Tele with a Strat neck while he was in Blind Faith.