Category Archives: Quick Facts

Why Animals Sometimes Eat Their Poop

##EMBED## Animals such as dogs, rabbits, rodents, gorillas, etc. often eat their poop to maintain proper health. For animals like rabbits, who eat a lot of plants, their poop contains quite a bit of undigested plant matter; so eating their poop is a nice easy way to get more out of the food they have available.  For other animals, like […]

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John Wayne’s Real Name was Marion Robert Morrison

##EMBED## John Wayne’s real name was Marion Robert Morrison.  His middle name was later changed to “Mitchell” because his parents wanted to use “Robert” as the name of Marion’s little brother.  He later acquired the nickname “Duke” (which was used in the credits of one of his filmes “Duke Morrison”) after his dog, who was named Duke.  He generally didn’t […]

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Before the 20th Century, Apples Were Rarely Eaten

##EMBED## Apples weren’t typically eaten previous to the 20th century.  Before then, apples were generally used to make alcoholic drinks.  It wasn’t until around the early 1900s, thanks to groups like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, that people popularly stopped using apples for drink and decided they should eat them.  At this time, the WCTU was campaigning against the evils […]

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Where the World’s Email Spam Comes From

##EMBED## Cisco Systems, in 2009, released the following numbers for the origins of spam by country in descending order: Brazil at 7.7%; USA at 6.6%; India at 3.6%; South Korea at 3.1%; Turkey at 2.6%; Vietnam at 2.5%; China at 2.4%; Poland at 2.4%; Russia at 2.3%; Argentina at 1.5%.  Surprisingly, you have to go all the way down to […]

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Why the Name “Montgomery Scott” was Chosen for James Doohan’s Character on Star Trek

##EMBED## The name Montgomery Scott, for “Scotty” on Star Trek, was chosen because Montgomery was James Doohan’s middle name and the character was portrayed as Scottish.  Interestingly though, Doohan himself was Canadian.  Doohan, who was a famed voice actor at the time,  presented several different accents for the character to Gene Roddenberry, but ultimately convinced Roddenberry  that the character should […]

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The Withdrawal Method was the Primary Form of Contraception Used in the World Previous to the Roman Empire

##EMBED## Previous to the Roman Empire, evidence suggests that the withdrawal method was the primary form of contraception used in the world. Incidentally, the withdrawal method is statistically only slightly less effective at preventing pregnancy than condoms (withdrawal: 82% effective vs. condoms: 83% effective, both with real world use).  The withdrawal method fell out of popularity with the Romans who […]

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How the Month “October” Got Its Name

##EMBED## October got its name from the Latin “octo”, meaning “eight”.  If this seems odd to you, considering it’s the tenth month in the modern day calendar (Gregorian), that actually used to not be the case.  It was once the eighth month (in the Roman Calendar) and the name simply carried over. Click Here for Sources and to Learn More […]

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Dr. Nick on the Simpsons was Named After the Doctor that Prescribed Narcotics to Elvis Presley

##EMBED## Dr. Nick on the Simpsons is named after the doctor that prescribed narcotics to Elvis Presley, George Constantine Nichopoulos.  Dr. Nichopoulos initially began treating Elvis in 1967 for “saddle pain” and later was hired as his personal physician until Elvis’ death in 1977.  In 1980, Dr. Nichopoulos was was indicted for over prescribing drugs to Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis […]

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What Duct Tape is Made Of

##EMBED## Duct tape is composed of three layers.  The top layer is a plastic, polyethelyne; the middle layer is a fabric mesh; the bottom layer is a rubber-based, pressure sensitive adhesive.  It was originally manufactured simply by pressing these three layers together and was named “Duck Tape”, not “Duct Tape”.   It was invented by Johnson & Johnson’s Permacel division during […]

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The Statue of William Shakespeare in Central Park was Paid for from Funds Donated from a John Wilkes Booth Performance of Julius Caesar

##EMBED## The three brothers John Wilkes, Junius Brutus (Jr.), and Edwin Booth, all critically acclaimed actors of their day, only once all three appeared in the same play together.  That was in a portrayal of Julius Caesar in 1864, with John Wilkes playing Marc Antony; Junius taking the roll of Cassius; and Edwin playing Brutus.  The funds from the above […]

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Where the Word “Echo” Comes From

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting Echo Related Facts The word “echo”, as we use it, comes from Greek mythology.  Echo was a Nymph whose job it was to talk to Hera constantly while Zeus was having affairs, thus distracting Hera.  When Hera found out, she cursed Echo to only be able to repeat what someone […]

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