Monday, January 31, 2011

Fact #92: Temperature affects your appetite


People are more likely to be hungry if they are cold. The body generates heat with food intake, so when you don't eat, you are more likely to be cold and hungry.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Fact #90: The harmonica is the best-selling musical instrument in the world


The harmonica, aka the mouth organ, originated in the 1800s throughout Europe. It has since become very popular.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Fact #89: Tug of war was an Olympic sport


Between 1900 and 1920, tug of war was an official Olympic sport. Individual clubs, not countries, could enter the event. In the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, all three medals were won by American clubs. The last gold medal in tug of war was awarded to Great Britain, in Antwerp in 1920.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Fact #88: Alaska was purchased for 2 cents an acre


Once known as "Seward's Folly", Alaska was purchased for about $7.2 Million dollars in 1867, or about 2 cents an acre.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Fact #87: Jenga is Swahili for "to build"


Jenga, the game of physical and mental skill, is the second best selling game of all time.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Fact #86: Shaq received his degree from LSU in 2000 in General Studies, not History


While at LSU, Shaq studied business. He later returned back to LSU in 2000 and received his degree in General Studies. History must have been left out of this program. After returning home from a visit to Greece, Shag was asked if he visited the Parthenon. He responded, "I can't really remember the names of all the clubs we went to."

Monday, January 24, 2011

Fact #85: Lebron James shoots right-handed, but writes left-handed


Lebron was taught to shoot a basketball right handed as a child, but has always written with his left hand.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Fact #84: Someone high up in JetBlue really likes the Jets


Recently, airline company JetBlue announced a new route from New York to Pittsburgh, right about the same time the Jets and Steelers are set to play for the AFC championship, which is later today. The flight number is 1969, named for the last time the jets were in the Super Bowl.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Fact #83: The ZIP in ZIP code means Zone Improvement Plan


The US postal service introduced ZIP codes in 1963, in order to make mail travel more efficiently.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Fact #82: The heaviest pumpkin ever weighed in at 1810 pounds


In October of 2010, a man in Wisconsin cultivated a giant pumpkin, weighing 1810 pounds, smashing the previous record by 85 pounds.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Fact #81: Lipstick contains fish scales


A common ingredient in lipstick is pearl essence, and it is the silvery stuff in fish scales. They make the lipstick shimmer.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Fact #80: Albert Einstein's brain was 15% wider than normal


The 20th century genius, Albert Einstein, is widely regarded as one of the smartest men in history. His brain has been subject to much research. Canadian researchers discovered that his brain was 15 percent wider than the average brian.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Fact #79: Chewing gum while cutting onions prevents crying


When chewing gum, people breathe through their mouth, which eliminates onion fumes from entering into your nose - the cause of tears from onions.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Fact #78: Kangaroos can jump up to 30 feet long


Kangaroos have been measured jumping about 10 feet high and 30 feet long, with ease. Also, kangaroos cannot walk backwards.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Fact #77: Waynes World was filmed in 2 weeks


Most movies take 4-6 months of filming, yet the geniuses from Aurora, Illinois only took two weeks to film.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Fact #76: Brett Favre is the only NFL Grandfather


At 40, Brett Favre became the only grandparent in the NFL when his daughter Brittany had a baby in April of 2010.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Fact #75: Procrastination means what you think it does in Latin


Procrastination comes from the Latin verb procastinare, literally meaning "to put off until tomorrow."

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Fact #74: The Battle of Antietam was the single bloodiest day in American history


Fought on September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam was the deadliest single-day battle in American history, with over 23,000 casualties.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Monday, January 10, 2011

Fact #71: Saffron is the world's most expensive spice by weight


Saffrons price tag comes not from its lack of availability, because it's easily cultivated. Its expensive due to the extensive labor involved in harvesting and preparing it for storage.

80,000 flowers are needed to obtain one pound of Saffron.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Fact #70: Christopher Columbus thought manatees were mermaids


On this day, January 9th, in 1493, Christopher Columbus mistook manatees for mermaids in his journal. He described them as "not half as beautiful as they are painted."

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Fact #69: Almonds are a member of the Peach family


Most people think almonds are nuts, but they are actually more closely linked to peach pits. They are fruits of the deciduous, meaning they fall off trees. Almonds, peaches, apricots and plums are all member of this lineage, the Rosaceae family.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Fact #68: Snooki is Chilean

Nicole Polizzi, aka Snooki, was born in Santiago, Chile. She was later adopted and raised by Italian American parents.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Fact #67: Brazil has more Avon representatives than military members


Brazil, the apparent land of beauty, has about 500,000 members in their armed forces, and about 700,000 Avon sales representatives. Brazil is Avon's 2nd largest market, after America.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Fact #66: Three Mile Island is not three miles long



Three Mile Island, home to a major nuclear accident in 1979, is only about 2 miles long. The name comes form its 3 mile downriver distance from Middleton, Pennsylvania on the Susquehanna river.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Fact #65: Golf balls reach speeds up to 200 MPH


Your typical golfer hits the golf ball about 170 MPH off the tee. The world record speed was 204 MPH by Canadian long drive champion Jason Zuback in 2010.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Fact #64: The first CD pressed in America was Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen


Bruce Springsteen made history in September of 1984, when his Born in America CD became the first CD pressed and sold commercially in America.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Fact #63: Camels have three eyelids


Camels have three eyelids to protect them from sandstorms in the desert. The first two eyelids have long lashes to comb out sand, and the third eyelid is transparent so the camel can see even in high winds.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Fact #62: The Times Square Ball has been dropped since 1907


Since 1907, Times Square has hosted the ball dropping. However, during World War II in 1941 and 1942, the ball dropping ceremony did not happen due to wartime restrictions on electricity. A large crowd still gathered, and shared in a minute of silence to signify the new year.