Page 247 – Today I Found Out

The Current Version of the U.S. Flag was Proposed by a High School Student Who Initially Received Only a B- for His Design

July 11, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out the most recent version of the United States’ flag was designed by a high school student who initially received only a B- for his proposed design. In his own words shortly before he died on Dec 12, 2009, Bob Heft recounted to StoryCorps the tale of his design being chosen among about 1,500 submitted to become […]

Origin of the Term Jaywalking

July 9, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out where the word “jaywalking” came from. For those not familiar with this term (i.e. many people outside of the United States), jaywalking is when, “A pedestrian… crosses a street without regard to traffic regulations.” (OED) For instance, depending on where one lives, it may be against the law to cross a street where there is a […]

This Day in History: The Final Space Shuttle Launch

July 8, 2012 Daven Hiskey

This Day In History: July 8, 2011 On this day in history, 2011, the space shuttle Atlantis launched from the Kennedy Space Center to deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. Atlantis touched down at 5:57 AM EDT on July 21, 2011, closing 30 years and 135 missions performed by the Space Shuttles. Throughout their run, a total […]

Many Crosswalk Signal Buttons Don’t Do Anything Anymore

July 7, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out many crosswalk signal buttons actually don’t do anything when you press them. They are only there to give you something to press, called “placebo buttons”. In New York City, for instance, an estimated 90% of these pedestrian crossing buttons do nothing. You’ll find the same trend in most major cities, particularly in the United States. The […]

What Causes Lactose Intolerance

July 6, 2012 Scott

Today I found out what causes lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance is simply the body’s inability to digest lactose. Lactose is a disaccharide, or a molecule made up of two types of sugars, in this case, glucose and galactose. Most people have an enzyme (a protein molecule that breaks down other molecules) lactase in their digestive systems. This enzyme breaks down […]

15 Quick Sleep Facts

July 6, 2012 List25

Note: This is a guest post contributed by List25.com. People getting only 6 to 7 hours of sleep every night have a longer life expectancy than those who sleep 8 hours. Both whales and dolphins literally fall half asleep. Their brain hemispheres take turns so they can continue surfacing to breathe. The world record for not sleeping was set by […]

Facts Lists

Crocodiles Really Do Shed Tears When They Eat

July 5, 2012 Scott

Today I found out crocodiles really do shed tears when they eat. It has been known for centuries that crocodiles weep while eating. One of the earliest references to this comes from the 14th century bestseller The Voyage and Travel of Sir John Madeville, where the author writes In that country and by all Inde be great plenty of cockodrills, […]

The Melody for the Star Spangled Banner was Taken From a Drinking Song

July 4, 2012 Daven Hiskey

The melody that would be borrowed for the Star Spangled Banner was extremely popular and well known at the time the future U.S. national anthem was penned. It is known to have been used for at least 84 popular songs in the United States alone, including Adams and Liberty – The Boston Patriotic Song and the subsequent tune Jefferson and […]

The Famous “I Want You” Uncle Sam Picture from WWI was Drawn by James Montgomery Flagg

July 4, 2012 Daven Hiskey

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Quick Facts

Outside of the Act of the Declaration, the Text of the Declaration of Independence Wasn’t Considered All that Significant Until the Mid-19th Century

July 4, 2012 Daven Hiskey

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Quick Facts

10 Common Misconceptions Dispelled- Part 5

July 2, 2012 Noreen

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How Honey Bees Keep Their Hives Warm Given That They are Cold Blooded

June 30, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out how Honey bees keep their hives warm even though they are cold blooded. Up until only a few years ago, it was thought by many scientists that Honey bee hives were kept warm by pupae in the brood and that the bees would often congregate there to warm themselves up from the pupae. Recently, this was […]

The Great Depression and WWII Helped Make Popcorn a Popular Snack in the U.S.

June 29, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Popcorn saw its biggest surges in popularity during times of duress, particularly during the Great Depression and WWII. The former of which because popcorn was an extremely cheap snack, being one of the few snack items many families could afford. So while many in the snack industry struggled through the Great Depression, the popcorn industry thrived. Popcorn saw another huge […]

Microwaves Convert Vitamin B12 to Something Unusable by Humans

June 28, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Microwave ovens convert Vitamin B12 to an inactive form unusable by humans. From a practical standpoint, this means typically around 30-40% of the Vitamin B12 in microwaved foods gets converted during the time it spends being heated or re-heated in a microwave oven. On the flip-side, spinach loses about 77% of its Vitamin B9 when cooked in a normal stove, […]

Quick Facts

Telegraphic Spam was Extremely Common in the 19th Century

June 28, 2012 Daven Hiskey

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Quick Facts

The Ewoks were Named after the Native American Tribe Miwok

June 28, 2012 Daven Hiskey

The Ewoks in Star Wars were named after the Native American tribe Miwok. The Miwok’s lived in the Redwood forest that is the setting for the Endor scenes on Return of the Jedi. It has also been suggested that Princess Leia’s bun hair style was also of Native American origin, based on the Hopi Indian “Squash Blossom” hair style that […]