Category Archives: Quick Facts

Velociraptors Had Feathers

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and More Interesting Velociraptor Facts Text Version It has long been suspected that Velociraptors had feathers, but the evidence proving this has only come very recently.  That evidence came from a discovery in September of 2007 of a forelimb fossil of a Velociraptor that had quill knobs, similar to those found on birds.

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Where the Band Name ZZ Top Came From

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting ZZ Top Facts Text Version The name ZZ Top, according to band member Billy Gibbons, came from a tribute to B.B. King.  The band originally were going to call themselves “Z.Z. King” in King’s honor, but then decided it was too similar to B.B. King.  Because B.B. King was at […]

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Who Invented the Modern Golf Ball

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting Golf Ball Facts Text Version The modern golf ball, with a wound core, was invented by Coburn Haskell in Cleveland, Ohio in 1898.  While most of these little anecdotes turn out to be false or are unlikely, supposedly, Haskell was to play golf with the superintendent of B.F. Goodrich, Bertram […]

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Why the Web is Called the World Wide Web

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Find Out About the First Website Ever Made Text Version Berners-Lee, the creator of the Web, chose the name “World Wide Web” because he wanted to emphasize that, in this global hypertext system, anything could link to anything else.  Alternative names he considered were: “Mine of Information” (Moi); “The Information Mine” (Tim); and […]

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How Harry Houdini Died

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting Houdini Facts Text Version Harry Houdini died in Detroit, Michigan on Halloween in 1926.  Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t die in a performance, but rather died of a ruptured appendix.  Houdini had been suffering from appendicitis for several days when J. Gordon Whitehead decided to test Houdini’s claim that […]

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How Fruit Butters Are Made

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn the Difference Between Jelly and Jam Text Version Fruit “butters” are generally just a variety of jelly.  All the fruit is strained out to leave the juice.  The juice is then heavily enriched with a variety of things, such as pectin, and then can be whipped or cooked down until it becomes […]

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The Origin of M&Ms

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn What the M’s in M&Ms Stand For Text Version The “M&M” was modeled after a candy Forrest Mars, Sr. encountered while in Spain during the 1930s.  During the Spanish civil war there, he observed soldiers eating chocolate pellets with a hard shell of tempered chocolate.  This prevented the candies from melting, which […]

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Navel Oranges

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and for more Interesting Facts About Oranges Text Version Navel oranges are named for their belly-button-like formations on the opposite side from the stem.  As a general rule, the bigger the navel in the orange, the sweeter it will be.

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What People With Down’s Syndrome Used to Be Called

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn the Difference Between an Idiot, a Moron, and an Imbicile Text Version Before “Down’s Syndrome” was called such, people with Down’s syndrome were called “Mongolian idiots” and the syndrome itself was called “mongolism”.  This comes from the fact that people thought that Down’s syndrome individuals resembled Mongolians.  So next time you feel […]

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The Origin of the Twinkie

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Read More Interesting Twinkie Facts Text Version Twinkies were created in 1930 as ladyfinger-shaped spongecakes.   They were first thought up by James A. Dewar, the vice president of Continental Bakeries who sold under the Hostess brand.  Dewar sought to put the machines used to make cream filled strawberry shortcake to good use when […]

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