Monday, August 28, 2023

How “Chuck Norris Facts” Gave Birth to the Modern Meme

Not exactly surprising: the person who created Chuck Norris Facts was a high school senior at the time. Somewhat more surprising: the person who created Chuck Norris Facts now works in AI research, and is smart, funny, and thoughtful—a (non-Chuck Norris) fact that makes Ryan Hockensmith’s profile much more than a trifle.

The site continued to take off, and he came home from Brown after his first semester still a little baffled by his own creation. He remembers sitting in his parents’ living room one night during the break, watching “Lost” and wondering what was in the hatch, when the phone rang.

“Ian, the phone is for you,” his mom yelled.

“I’m watching something,” Spector said. “I’ll call them back.”

Then she said something that made him forget all about the hatch. “Ian, pick up the phone,” she said. “It’s Chuck Norris’ wife.”



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