ZZ Top Played the Square Dance Band in Back to the Future III
##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting ZZ Top Facts In Back to the Future III, ZZ Top played the Square Dance Band.
Read more
LEGO Stole Their Bricks From Kiddicraft’s Patented Self Locking Building Bricks
##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting Lego Facts In the late 1940s, a company called Kiddicraft began manufacturing “Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building Bricks”, which were patented by Hilary Harry Fisher Page. Kirk Kristiansen, the founder of LEGO, came across these bricks in a demo he was shown of an injection molding machine. He then copied these bricks […]
Read morePablo Picasso’s Full Name Is 103 Characters Long
##EMBED## Text Version: Pablo Picasso’s full name was Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso Click Here for the source and to learn more about Picasso
Read moreSouth African Earthworms Can Grow as Large as 22 Feet Long
Today I found out South African earthworms can grow as large as 22 feet long, with the average length being about 6 feet long. The largest one ever found so far, being 22 feet long, was found on a road side in 1967. Other varieties of large earthworms include the Giant Gippsland earthworm of Australia, which grows about 3 feet […]
Read moreA Typical Human Gut Contains About 100 Trillion Bacterial Cells
Today I found out the human gut contains about 100 trillion bacterial cells, about 10 times as many cells as make up the human body. The human gut is basically sterile until you are born. For the first year of your life, the cultures of bacteria and other microbes in your gut fluctuate wildly and begin settling down around the […]
Read moreThe “S.O.S” in S.O.S Brand Scrub Pads Stands for “Save Our Saucepans”
Today I found out that the “S.O.S” in S.O.S brand scrub pads stands for “Save Our Saucepans”. The name was originally thought up by the wife of the creator of the S.O.S pad, Ed Cox. In 1917, Cox was an aluminum pot salesman. When Cox would introduce himself to potential new customers, he would give them a little steel wool […]
Read moreIn 1842, Ada Lovelace Wrote the World’s First Computer Program
Today I found out that Ada Lovelace was the world’s first computer programmer all the way back in the mid-1800s, writing the world’s first computer program in 1842. She was also an accomplished mathematician, which was obviously quite rare for women in the era she lived. Lovelace was the only legitimate daughter of Lord Byron, though she never knew him […]
Read moreWhat a White Dwarf Is
##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn Why the Hottest Part of the Summer is Called the “Dog Days” Text Version A white dwarf is a former star that is nearing the end of its life-cycle, with no further nuclear fusion going on at its core. Once most stars have used up the fuel at their core, they go […]
Read more“Wiki” is Pronounced “We-key” not “Wick-ee”
##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn Where the Word “Wiki” Comes From Text Version The proper pronunciation of “wiki” is actually “we-key” and is often mispronounced as “wick-ee”.
Read moreWhy the Same Side of the Moon Always Faces the Earth
##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn Why the Moon Looks Bigger on the Horizon Text Version The Moon always has the same side pointing towards the Earth due to its rotation speed matching its orbit around the Earth exactly. This isn’t by chance and it wasn’t always this way. When the Moon first formed, its rotation speed was […]
Read moreWhere “Upper Case” and “Lower Case” Came From
##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn What the Dot Over the Lower Case Letter “i” is Called Text Version The terms “upper case” and “lower case” actually come to us quite recently, from the early days of the printing press. At this time, the letter blocks themselves were stored in specially organized boxes called cases. By convention, the […]
Read moreTsunamis Are Not The Same As Tidal Waves
Myth: Any big surge of water from the oceans is called a tidal wave; the terms “Tsunami” and “Tidal Waves” mean the same and are interchangeable. Tsunamis are mistakenly called tidal waves because, when approaching land, they look as a tide which suddenly rushes away and crashes back in a form of a huge wave. It is true that both […]
Read moreWhat the “Sleep” In Your Eyes Is
Today I found out what causes the “sleep” or “eye crusties” you may have around your eyes in the morning. “Sleep” is a type of “rheum”, which is the name for discharge from your nose, mouth or eyes during sleep. More specifically, eye rheum is known as “gound”. Gound is made up of a mixture of dust, blood cells, skin […]
Read moreWhat Harry Houdini’s Real Name Was
##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting Harry Houdini Facts Text Version Harry Houdini’s real name was actually Erik Weisz. When his family immigrated to America, they changed the spelling to Ehrich Weiss, which eventually resulted in people calling him “Ehrie” and later “Harry”. He picked “Houdini” as his professional name in homage to the French magician […]
Read moreWhy Spicy Foods Can Cause Your Nose to Run
Today I found out why spicy foods can cause your nose to run. In most spicy foods, this is thanks to the same chemicals that cause the burning sensation on your tongue, namely capsaicin or allyl isothiocyanate. Capsaicin is chemical found in fruits of the genus Capsicum, which includes peppers. It is present, usually in relatively high amounts, in the […]
Read more“Hangover” Originally Meant “Unfinished Business”
##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn What Causes a Hangover Text Version “Hangover” was a common term in the 19th century meaning “unfinished business”. Around the early 20th century, the common meaning shifted slightly to mean as it does today.
Read moreWhat Candy Corn is Made Of
##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn Where the Word “Witch” Comes From Text Version Candy corn is made from sugar, corn syrup, glaze, egg whites, honey glycerin, mineral oil, wax, and salt, with coloring added. Each piece of candy corn contains about 6 calories. About 20 million pounds of candy corn is sold annually, the vast majority of […]
Read moreWhere the Word “Cookie” Comes From
##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn Why Crackers Have Holes Text Version The word “cookie” comes from the Dutch “koekjes” which came from the Dutch “koek”, meaning “cake”; cookie was introduced to English in the very early 18th century. It is thought this term caught on more in the United States due to the strong Dutch heritage in […]
Read more