Quick Fact #437
What Causes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Gina asks: What causes SIDS and how can it be prevented? Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is every new parent’s fear. It’s defined as “the sudden death of an infant under age 1 that cannot be explained after a thorough investigation has been conducted, including a complete autopsy, an examination of the death scene, and a review of the clinical […]
Read moreThe Makers of Barbie Used to Sell a Doll Whose Breasts Grew When Her Arm Rotated
Today I found out that the makers of Barbie used to sell a doll whose breasts grew when her arm rotated. Yes, you read that correctly. It was 1975 and the doll was called “Growing Up Skipper”. When you rotated her arm, she grew an inch taller and her small breasts grew out of her plastic chest. She could return […]
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Quick Fact #435
How Each NFL Team Got its Name (NFC)
Nothing short of a room decorated in team gear epitomizes a National Football League fanatic better than an internal database of useless trivia spanning your team’s history. Read on for the origin of the nickname of your favorite NFC team. NFC East Dallas Cowboys (431-287-2) Super Bowl: (5-3) Noteworthy: With the 1st and 9th all-time rushing leaders in Emmitt Smith […]
Read moreHow Each NFL Team Got its Name (AFC)
With the 2013 NFL season set to begin in just over three months, it’s time to start collecting trivial facts to help spice up the trash talk in your fantasy football league. Read on for the origin of the nickname of your favorite AFC team. AFC East Buffalo Bills (323-393-4) Super Bowl: (0-4) Noteworthy: Alums include O.J. Simpson, Jim Kelly […]
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Quick Fact #433
Michael J fox – Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
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Quick Fact #431
Ben & Jerry- spirit of america / Shutterstock.com
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Quick Fact #429
How Your Body Detects When It’s Low On or has Too Much Oxygen
James asks: Is it true that your body has no mechanism for detecting oxygen levels directly and instead measures carbon dioxide levels? That’s not entirely correct, but the human body does care more about carbon dioxide levels, than oxygen levels, something which might be surprising to some given that the purpose of breathing is to provide our bodies with the […]
Read moreThe Cicada Invasion is Here
They’re coming. If you live on the Eastern seaboard of North America, prepare this summer for a large-scale invasion of a species of cicada (“cicada” being the Latin for “tree cricket”) that hasn’t happened in 17 years. You will probably hear them before you see them, as a male swarm of these insects can produce noise at over 100 dB. The […]
Read more10 Interesting Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Ben Franklin
Ben Franklin was a man of many and varied accomplishments- a Renaissance man in the grand tradition of Leonardo da Vinci. He was a writer, scientist, musician, inventor and innovator, despite only ever receiving 2 years of formal schooling. His ideas and principles helped shape his fledgling nation, and his diplomatic skills assured the newly born United States of America […]
Read moreBefore He Was President, JFK Was a Bestselling Author and Won a Pulitzer Prize
Most remember John Fitzgerald Kennedy as our youthful and inspiring 35th President who, with his elegant wife, turned the White House into Camelot until his assassination in November 1963. But what few today recall is that long before his presidency, JFK was a well-respected author and even won the Pulitzer Prize for history in 1957 with Profiles in Courage. Born […]
Read moreThe Great Chicago Fire Wasn’t Started by a Cow
Myth: The Great Chicago Fire was started by a cow. The Great Chicago Fire destroyed 3.3 square miles of Chicago, Illinois, burning for two days in 1871—between October 8th and October 10th. It killed hundreds of people, left more than 100,000 homeless (nearly one third of Chicago’s residents at the time), destroyed roughly 17,000 buildings, and caused a couple hundred […]
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