12 Trivia Tidbits for Sunday, May 5, 2024
Toss them down in the couch cushions with those old tortilla chip crumbs, and vacuum them up with the Dustbuster that is your brain!
Marie Curie’s Unbeaten Nobel Prize Collection
Curie, famous for her work in radiation, is still the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two separate fields. In 1903, she won the Nobel Prize for Physics, and in 1911, the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
A Literally Goated Holiday
Towns in Sweden erect huge Julbock, or “Yule Goats,” built from straw, every year. The most famous is in a town called Gavle, and it stands 40 feet tall.
Chupa Chups’ Serious Design Chops
Though not as popular in the U.S., the lollipop brand Chupa Chups is ubiquitous in many parts of the world. It doesn’t hurt that they’ve got a great logo, and they should: It was designed by Salvador Dali.
William Howard Taft Probably Wishes More People Remembered This
Taft is the only person to have served as both the President of the United States and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But sorry, bud, but you got stuck in a bathtub once and that’s all anyone is going to remember.
The Muppets’ Sinister Secret
And by sinister, I’m referring to the word’s roots, meaning “on the left side.” (Bonus trivia!) Have you ever noticed that most of the Muppets are left-handed? There’s a simple reason: Most of their puppeteers are right-handed, which means that hand is used to control the face.
Disney
The Oldest U.S. Newspaper in Circulation Today
The Hartford Courant, still available in Connecticut today, was first published in October 1764, under the name The Connecticut Courant.
Hartford Courant
Why You’ll Never See A Two-Year Scotch in the U.K.
In the U.K., Scotch whisky must be aged for a legal minimum of three years.
Goodbye, Sweet Frustrating Prince
The last ever VCR was manufactured in July 2016 by Funai Electric.
The Real Year Out of A Disaster Movie
It might sound like the start of an ecological blockbuster, but in 1816, there really was no summer. A volcanic eruption in Indonesia upset the global climate and dropped the global temperature by two to seven degrees Fahrenheit, with devastating results worldwide.
Coca-Cola Isn’t the Only Medicine-Turned-Food
The fact that Coca-Cola started as medicine is a popular bit of trivia, but a little less well-known? So did ketchup. It was said to cure diarrhea and… jaundice?
When New York’s Five Boroughs Were Formed
New York’s existed for a long time, but it only became the five-borough conglomeration we know today on January 1, 1898. New York, which then only included Manhattan and the Bronx, absorbed the city of Brooklyn, the county of Queens and Staten Island, then known as Richmond County.
Asia Is Fine With Thirteen, Less So With Four
You wouldn’t be too surprised to see an American elevator skip the 13th floor out of superstition. If you’re in an Asian country, though, you might be more confused to see the fourth floor missing. In much of the continent, the number four is considered unlucky because it sounds like the word for death.