Featured Facts

Category Archives: Featured Facts

10 Bizarre Facts

June 26, 2012 Noreen

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Where the Word Meme Comes From

June 25, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out where the word meme comes from. In its early days, “meme”, which incidentally is often mispronounced as “me-me” or “meh-meh”, but in fact should be pronounced “meem”, primarily was only known and used by certain academics, but today this neologism is beginning to reach widespread use thanks to describing the viral spread of jokes, ideas, etc. […]

This Day in History, 1374: Thousands of People on the Streets of Aachen, Germany Suddenly Suffer from the “Forgotten Plague”, Dance Mania

June 24, 2012 Daven Hiskey

This Day In History: June 24, 1374 Amidst our people here is come, the madness of the dance. In every town there now are some, who fall upon a trance. It drives them ever night and day, they scarcely stop for breath. Till some have dropped along the way, and some are met by death. [A 17th century poem about […]

This Day in History: After Facing One Batter, Babe Ruth Punches an Umpire for Throwing Him Out of the Game. Ruth’s Replacement Then Throws a No-Hitter

June 23, 2012 Daven Hiskey

This Day In History: June 23, 1917 On this day in history, 1917, Babe Ruth was on the mound for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park against the Washington Senators. He threw four straight balls, at least as far as the umpire, Clarence “Brick” Owens, was concerned, walking Ray Morgan. Ruth thought the second and the fourth pitch were […]

Can Honey Go Bad or Make You Sick?

June 23, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Barefootangel asks: “I read your report on honey and have a question. Yesterday (June 21, 2012) I went to a farmer’s market and while there I tried a teaspoon of raw honey. It left an awful taste and certainly did not taste like good honey. I helped my grandfather with his hives and know how honey should taste. After leaving […]

What Causes Dew?

June 21, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Abi asks: What causes dew to form on grass and why does dew only form in the mornings? Actually, dew can form at any time; it just needs the right weather/temperature patterns to make it happen. However, nighttime is usually the primary period when the factors that cause dew to form are just right. Although, as an example of when […]

Rum Helped Spur the American Revolution

June 20, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Rum helped spur the American Revolution as well as the Australian Rum Rebellion. It is estimated that around 3 gallons of rum were consumed per person per year in the American colonies shortly before the American Revolution. Rum production was also colonial New England’s largest industry. The passing of the Sugar Act in 1764, also known as the American Revenue […]

4th Of July Facts

June 19, 2012 Noreen

Embed This Infographic<a href=”http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/06/4th-of-july-facts/”><img title=”4th Of July Facts” src=”http://www.todayifoundout.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/10-Interesting-4th-Of-July-Facts-copy.jpg” alt=”10 Interesting 4th Of July Facts” width=”610″ border=”0″ class=”nopin” /></a>[Source: Today I Found Out]

As a Teenager, the Inventor of PEZ Created One of the World’s First Ready-Made Cake Mixes

June 19, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out, as a teenager, the inventor of the PEZ confectionery created one of the world’s first ready-made cake mixes, popularly selling it throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The teenager was Eduard Haas III. Haas III’s grandfather, Eduard Haas I, was a doctor who invented a type of “light” baking powder which he advocated over yeast in recipes as […]

You Can Survive Being Exposed to the Near Vacuum of Space for About 90 Seconds With No Longterm Damage

June 16, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Myth: The instant you’re exposed to the near vacuum of space, you’ll lose consciousness, your blood will start to boil, and you’ll explode. (Other variations on this myth include you freezing near instantly from the extreme “cold” of space.) In fact, so long as you don’t try to hold your breath, which would result in your lungs rupturing and thus […]

The Female Prostitute That Rose to Become One of the Most Powerful Pirates in History and Whose Armada Took on the Chinese, British, and Portuguese Navies… and Won

June 13, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out about the prostitute that rose to command a huge armada that controlled the South Chinese Sea and the Guangdong province. While female pirates weren’t uncommon off the coast of Asia in the 18th and 19th centuries, one woman stood above them all. Her birth name isn’t known, but this Cantonese pirate went by the name Ching […]

10 Totally Random Interesting Facts

June 6, 2012 Noreen

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This Day in History: Future U.S. President Andrew Jackson Kills Charles Dickinson for Publicly Calling Jackson a “Worthless Scoundrel, a Poltroon and a Coward”

May 30, 2012 Daven Hiskey

This Day In History: May 30, 1806 On this day in history, 1806, Andrew Jackson dueled with famed marksman Charles Dickinson, killing him, after Dickinson insulted Jackson in a variety of ways including calling Jackson’s wife of bigamist. This latter point was a sore spot for Jackson as his wife really had married him while she was still married to […]

This Day in History: 45 People Were Killed, Including 38 Elementary School Students When a Disgruntled School Board Member Bombed the Bath Consolidated School

May 18, 2012 Daven Hiskey

This Day In History: May 18, 1927 On this day in history, 1927, 55 year old school board treasurer Andrew Kehoe, with his farm in the process of being foreclosed, murdered his wife, burned down his house, then blew up part of the Bath Consolidated School building, which at the time contained around 236 students. He then committing suicide by […]

10 Fascinating Human Body Facts: Part-3

May 16, 2012 Noreen

Embed This Infographic[Source: Today I Found Out] Click Here for Part 1: 10 Interesting Things About The Human Body Click Here For Part 2: 10 Fascinating Facts About The Human Body

Jim Gentile Becomes the First Major League Baseball Player to Hit a Grand Slam in Back to Back Innings

May 9, 2012 Daven Hiskey

This Day In History: May 9, 1961 Yesterday Josh Hamilton tied an MLB record with 15 other players, hitting four home runs in one game. Something even more rare happened on this day in history, Baltimore Orioles first basemen, ‘Diamond’ Jim Gentile, managed to hit a grand slam in two consecutive innings (the 1st and the 2nd inning, both home […]