Bacteria, the tiniest free-living cells, are so small that a single drop of liquid may contain 50 million of them
The little "m's" on "M&M's"® Chocolate Candies weren't printed on the candies until 1950. They were originally printed in black, not white. It wasn't until 1954 that the "m's" became the color they are today
When British film companies buy a product called "Kensington Gore," they are purchasing artificial blood, used for special effects - this fake blood was even used in the American horror classic "The Shining" (Pictured below is an iconic scene from "The Shining" using gallons of fake blood)
The flag of the U.K. is properly known as the Union Flag. It is only called the Union Jack when it is flown from the jack mast of a ship
In 1874, the first animal purchased for the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago was a bear cub, bought for $10
When blind cellarmaster Dom Perignon discovered Champagne in 1668, he said, "Oh, come quickly. I am drinking the stars"
The corkscrew was invented by M.L. Bryn in 1860 (Pictured below is a corkscrew manufactured and sold circa 1910)
The letter "W" is the only letter in the alphabet that doesn't have just one syllable – it has three
The last American president to sport facial hair was William Howard Taft, who left office in 1913 - He had a mustache
Ninety percent of all volcanic activity occurs in the oceans. In 1993, scientists located the largest known concentration of active volcanoes on the sea floor in the South Pacific. This area, the size of New York State, hosts 1,133 volcanic cones and sea mounts. Two or three could erupt at any moment
Researchers claim that the color light-green is effective in relieving the feelings of "homesickness"
Milk snakes lay about 13 eggs — in piles of animal manure
The average fox weighs 14 pounds
A Scottish term for someone who is sullen or bad-tempered is “dorty”
Giant hornet workers capture a variety of insects, including bees and yellow jackets, to feed their young. Workers strip back bark from shrubs – a favorite is lilac. As they girdle the branches, they lick the sap from the torn edge (Pictured below is a giant hornet hard at work)
Madame Marie Curie was the first person ever to win two Nobel Prizes. Her first was in physics (1903) and the second in chemistry (1911). Reportedly, she used part of the prize money to re-wallpaper and to install a modern bathroom into her Paris home
The shoestring was invented in England in 1790. Prior to this time, all shoes were fastened with buckles
The whistling swan has more than 25,000 feathers on its body
Prepared mustard can be stored for at least 2 years
When we look at the farthest visible star we are looking 4 billion years into the past – the light from that star, traveling at 186,000 miles a second, has taken many years to reach us
Some female cockroaches incubate their egg cases in their bodies until they are ready to hatch. These babies stay with their mothers a day or two after they are born
The term “classroom” didn’t come into use in the United States until after 1865
Insects consume 10 percent of the world's food supply every year
NEWS FEED:
The Milwaukee teachers' union filed an equal-rights lawsuit in August challenging health-insurance cutbacks by the budget-challenged Milwaukee Public Schools. The union was denouncing the elimination of Viagra as discrimination against men
People who accidentally shot themselves: Daniel McDaniels, 31, Sarasota, Florida, "trying to ward off a skunk." Sanford Rothman, 63, Boulder, Colorado, while sleepwalking. Reserve police officer Kenneth Shannon, 68, Gary, Indiana, in the hand while loading his gun (and the bullet went on to hit his partner)
(October 2010). Sheriff's deputy Miguel Rojas, Crestview, Florida., in the leg while firearms training (2010 July). Darrell Elam, 52, Peshastin, Washington, in the buttocks as he holstered his gun (2010 August). A 48-year-old woman, Clover, South Carolina, in the jaw while trying to kill a rat (2010 September). A 25-year-old man, Juneau, Alaska, in the head after jokingly telling friends that there is "one way" to find out whether a gun is loaded or not (2010 November)
The New Jersey Government Record Council ruled in December 2010 that the town of Somerset had overcharged Tom Coulter in 2008 by $4.04 on the $5 it collected for a compact disc of a council meeting and must issue a refund. The town estimates that it spent about $17,000 fighting Coulter's appeals (and paying his attorney's fees)
The man reported to police in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2010 November as "indecent[ly] expos[ed]" sitting in his car at a traffic light, masturbating in view of a woman in the next car, was Charles Lickteig II, 48, who is supervisor of a LaGrange, Ky., correctional facility's sex-offender treatment program
