Reno, Nevada is further west than Los Angeles, California
On average, 1 out of every 55 Canadian women will give birth in their car on the way to the hospital
Apple Computers distinctive logo of the white apple was not it's original logo- not even the iconic rainbow-colored apple was the original- the first logo was a scene of Sir Isaac Newton sitting under a tree with an apple about to fall on his head (Legend has it that he was literally hit on the head with an apple and that led to the concept of gravity)
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the only two men who signed the Declaration of
Before scientists were able to genetically engineer bacteria capable of producing human insulin, those who were afflicted with insulin dependent diabetes often used insulin from pigs
The hole in your shirt that you put your arm through is called an armsaye
That baritone voice behind the Jolly Green Giant’s “ho-ho-ho” in the television commercials that air in the US and in the UK belongs to the late Elmer “Len” Dresslar Jr., a Chicago-area jazz singer
The first U.S. dog guide was a German
Though the U.S. only makes up 5% of the world’s population, the country houses nearly 25% of the world’s prison population
James Baskett, the African-American actor who played Uncle Remus in Disney’s film, Song of the South, was not able to attend the film’s premiere in Atlanta, Georgia, because it was a racially segregated city at the time
One way lima beans defend themselves is by emitting a chemical warning system against spider mites (which eat lima beans) that attracts predators of spider mites, which then in turn defends the lima beans
Actress Uma Thurman’s father was the first known westerner to become an ordained Buddhist monk
The White House was originally called the President’s Palace. Theodore
The length of your ring finger in comparison to your index finger indicates the amount of testosterone you were exposed to as a fetus. Longer ring fingers, more testosterone
While Antarctica is very cold, it’s not all ice and snow. About 1,200 square miles of the continent are made up of “dry valleys,” where mountains and ridges keep out any precipitation
Bugs Bunny was the second cartoon character to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Lions, tigers, and pumas rarely suffer from hairballs since their diet includes a fair amount of grass, as well as the bones of their prey. The combination helps thoroughly cleanse their digestive tracts
While it’s probably the best-known waterfall in North America, Niagara Falls is only the 23rd highest on the continent
The Duckbill Platypus is one of the few mammals to produce venom. Both males and females have a pair of spurs on their hind limbs. The male’s pair of spurs delivers a cocktail of poisons that, while excruciatingly painful, is not lethal to most animals (Pictured is a male playtypus, with a beaver-like tale and a duck-like bill - visible on the upper right side of the picture is the left hind leg with a spur that can release poisonous fluid)
According to the Beer Institute in Washington, D.C., a combination of federal, state and local taxes accounts for almost 43% of the cost of every bottle of beer sold in the United States
Ninety percent of all species of animal that have become extinct have been birds
In Britain, the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551, which has not yet been repealed, states that every citizen must attend a Christian church service on Christmas Day, and must not use any kind of vehicle to get to the service
In astronomy, a white dwarf is the dense, burned-out remains of a star- a stellar corpse
The windmill originated in Iran in C.E. 644- It was used to grind grain
NEWS FEED:Stories of epic sportsmanship warm the public's heart, but there is also epic "cut-throat," such as by Monrovia (Calif.) High School girls' track coach Mike Knowles. Knowles's team had just been defeated for first place in the last event of the April league championship meet by a record-setting pole vault by South Pasadena High School's Robin Laird, edging her team over Monrovia, 66-61. But then Knowles noticed that Laird was wearing a flimsy, string "friendship" bracelet, thus violating a national high school athletics' "jewelry" rule. He notified officials, who were forced to disqualify Laird and declare Monrovia the champion, 65- 62. "This is my 30th year coaching track," Knowles said later. "I know a lot of rules and regulations"
Second Comings: Old Forge, Pennsylvania., February (Jesus appearing in a bucket of sauce at Brownie's Famous Pizzeria). (2) Lockport, New York, December (joint appearance of Jesus and Mary in an orange,
sliced open on Christmas morning). (3) Rockford, Illinois, April (Jesus appearing in the MRI of a thoracic spine examination). (4) Brownsville, Texas, May (Mary appearing on bark from a tree toppled during a storm). (5) Salford, England, February (Jesus appearing on a frying pan following the burning of a pancake). (6) Old Hatfield, England, February (Jesus appearing on a partially burned log in a fireplace)
A Treasury Department inspector general reported in June that, out of 2.6 million applicants for federal mortgage relief, 14,000 "home buyers" wrongly received tax credits and that in fact, 1,300 of them were living in prison at the time of filing, including 241 serving life sentences. Sixty-seven of the 14,000 received tax credits for the same house, and 87 more potentially fraudulent tax-credit applications were filed by Internal Revenue Service employees
More than a half-million children in the U.S. take antipsychotic medicines, and (reported the New York Times in September) "Even the most reluctant [doctors] encounter a marketing juggernaut that has made antipsychotics the nation's top-selling class of drugs by revenue, $14.6 billion last year, with prominent promotions aimed at treating children." In one psychiatrist's waiting room, observed the Times reporter, "[C]hildren played with Legos stamped with the word Risperdal" (an antipsychotic made by Johnson & Johnson). (The company, which recently lost its patent on the drug, said it has stopped handing out the toys--which it insisted were not toys at all but advertising reminders for doctors
