Category Archives: Featured Facts

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

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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

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 […]

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What Causes Dew?

Now You Know

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 […]

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4th Of July Facts

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]

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

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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

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 […]

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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”

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 […]

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

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 […]

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