Everybody was on a leverage bender.

FORBES

Academy members flipped for the thriller at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, but then went on a serial infatuation bender with almost every other eventual Best Picture player.

CNN: Oscar winners: Analysis of who won

In an episode of the comedy "Portlandia, " a couple played by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein go on an epic "Battlestar Galactica" bender, losing a job and their grip on reality in the process of watching 75 episodes straight.

WSJ: Binge Viewing: TV's Lost Weekends

Another problem brought on by a late-night bender: When breaking down alcohol, your body pumps out lactic acid and other byproducts that impede the production of glucose (sugar) and electrolytes (salts and other minerals that keep your body functioning properly).

FORBES: Magazine Article

Having a suitcase fall on your head in an airplane or getting whiplash in a fender bender might give you a mild brain injury.

FORBES: There's No Such Thing as a 'Mild' Concussion. (Or Is There?)

Thomas Bender, a professor of history and humanities at New York University, wants us to focus instead on what makes the United States the same.

ECONOMIST: American history