The World’s Favorite Color of Crayon is Blue
According to a survey done by Crayola in the year 2000 that over 25,000 people voted in, the world’s favorite Crayola crayon color is blue. Crayola Facts
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Tom Cruise’ Real Name is Thomas Mapother IV
Tom Cruise’ real name is Thomas Mapother IV. Tom Cruise certainly has a little better ring to it. Interestingly, Cruise actually wanted to be a priest (and not for Scientology). Mapother seems to fit better in that line of work. When he was 14, he even enrolled in seminary. His switch to acting after leaving seminar seems to have worked […]
Read moreMost Streets in Japan Don’t Have Names
Today I found out most streets in Japan don’t have names. In Japan, they use a very different addressing system than is used in most Western countries. Rather than streets having names (the space in between blocks), they give blocks numbers and leave the space in between the blocks, streets, nameless. (There are some exceptions to this where certain streets […]
Read moreThe Teen Who Played Jake Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the Nephew of Former MLB Star Kenny Lofton
Cirroc Lofton, who played Jake Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, is the nephew of six time All Star in the Major Leagues Kenny Lofton. Cirroc starred in Deep Space Nine from 14 years to 20 years old. Outside of Deep Space Nine, he has appeared in The Hoop Life, on Showtime, and Soul Food, also on Showtime. […]
Read moreThere is an ATM in Antarctica
There is an ATM at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, about 840 miles from the South Pole. Not surprisingly, this ATM is the most southern ATM in the world. The most northern ATM in the world is in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, which is about half way between Norway and the North Pole (about 800 miles from the North Pole). The world’s […]
Read moreWhy Japan has so Many Earthquakes
Japan is located along the Pacific “ring of fire”, on the edges of several continental and oceanic tectonic plates. This is an area of high seismic and volcanic activity from New Zealand, up through Japan, across to Alaska, and down the west coasts of North and South America. Japan’s specific location in this “ring”, causes frequent earthquakes as well as […]
Read moreThe Inventor of the Pringles Can was Buried in One
Today I found out that the inventor of the Pringles can was buried in one (part of him, anyway). Upon his death in 2008, just 20 days shy of his 90th birthday, the inventor of the Pringles can, Fredric J. Baur, was cremated. In keeping with his wishes, his family placed some of his ashes in a Pringles can (not all […]
Read moreWhere the Word “Spell” Comes From
The word “spell” comes from the Proto-Germanic “spellan”, meaning “to tell”, which in turn gave rise to the Old English “spellian” and then “spell”. The first recorded instance of spell, being used to indicate writing or reciting the individual letters of a word, was in the early 15th century. It would later be given the meanings “incantation” (late 16th century) […]
Read moreTed Bundy Grew Up Thinking His Mother was His Sister
Along with Eric Clapton and Jack Nicholson, Ted Bundy was another famous person to have grown up thinking his mother was his sister. His father is unknown. His mother claims that it was a sailor she met named Jack Worthington, but his family suspected that was a cover up story and his real father is his grandfather, Samuel Cowell, who […]
Read moreMr. Rogers Swam Nude at Public Swimming Pools on a Daily Basis for Most of His Life
Mr. Rogers was a vegetarian. He didn’t smoke or drink or seem to have any major vices. He also stayed married to the same woman until his death; their marriage lasted 47 years. About the only even slightly “scandalous” thing Mr. Rogers seemed to do, which he revealed in an interview, was that he swam laps completely in the buff […]
Read moreAbout Half a Billion Twinkies are Produced by Hostess Every Year
Despite their slightly unhealthy nature (150 calories each; with quite a dose of fat included), Hostess now churns out more than 1000 Twinkies per minute or about 500 million per year. The cakes are each baked for 12 minutes; injected with cream; flipped over so the round bottom is now the top; then packaged for shipping. Twinkie Facts
Read moreEric Clapton was to Meet Up with Jimi Hendrix on the Night Hendrix Died; He was Also With Stevie Ray Vaughan On the Night He Died
Today I found out Eric Clapton was to meet up with Jimi Hendrix on the night Hendrix died. He was also with Stevie Ray Vaughan on the night he died. Clapton was good friends with Jimi Hendrix and was supposed to meet him on the night of Hendrix’ death at a Sly and the Family Stone concert. Clapton had bought […]
Read moreTNT Will Turn Your Skin Yellow
TNT is poisonous and skin exposure will generally cause irritation and your skin will turn bright yellow or orange. Further, if you eat TNT, your pee will turn red and look like blood, though it is not. During WWI, munitions workers who handled TNT were called “canary girls” or “canaries” because their skin that was exposed to the TNT turned […]
Read moreHow Long it Takes Light from the Sun to Reach the Earth
Light travels from the Sun to the Earth in about 8 minutes and 19 seconds. While it only takes 8 minutes and 19 seconds for the light from the surface of the sun to reach us, it actually takes about 10,000-170,000 years for a photon to travel from the core of the sun to the surface. Sources and Further Reading
Read moreThe Word “Droid” is a Registered Trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd.
Today I found out the word “droid” is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. Shortly before Verizon launched their “DROID” line of mobile devices, Lucasfilm Ltd. swept in and filed a trademark on October 9, 2009 for the term “Droid”. Specifically claiming the term for: Wireless communications devices, including, mobile phones, cell phones, hand held devices and personal digital assistants, […]
Read moreThis Day in History: Sports Illustrated Publishes an Article Alleging Pete Rose Bet on Major League Baseball Games
This Day In History: March 21, 1989 On this day in history, 1989, Sports Illustrated published an article alleging that Cincinnati Reds Coach and former star baseball player Pete Rose bet on Major League Baseball games. Pete Rose started managing in 1984, while he was still a player, and continued on managing until 1989, with the latter three years of […]
Read moreWho Invented Baseball?
The myth that baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday has been widely spread since 1907 and even today is sometimes stated by such people as former Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig. For instance, in 2010 he stated: “As a student of history, I know there is a great debate whether Abner Doubleday or Alexander Cartwright really founded the game […]
Read moreThis Day in History: Robert H. Goddard Performs the First Flight Test of a Liquid Fueled Rocket
This Day In History: March 16, 1926 On this day in history, 1926, Robert Goddard performed the first flight test of a liquid-fuel rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts. This gasoline and liquid oxygen fueled rocket burned for about 20 seconds before lifting off from the ground and subsequently rising to a height of 41 feet, reaching a top speed of 60 mph. […]
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