12 Pieces of Trivia That Your Aunt Heard You Liked, So She Got Them for You as a Birthday Present
You’ve Probably Smelled Brimstone Before
Don’t let the biblical name fool you, brimstone isn’t a magical substance. It's just an old-fashioned name for sulfur.
Speed Up Your Diner Coffee Order
“50-50” is classic diner slang for a coffee with half-and-half.
The Trick to Spotting Trick Dice
On a proper six-sided die, two opposite sides will always add up to seven.
Where Six Flags Got Its Name
From the same place it got its start: Texas. The “Six Flags” are the flags of the countries that have governed Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, The Republic of Texas, The United States and the Confederacy (whoops!).
The Winner of the First-Ever NBA Game
The game took place in 1946, and the New York Knickerbockers scored a victory over the Toronto Huskies.
De Niro Da Saxophone Player
Robert De Niro learned how to play the saxophone for the movie New York, New York, though his sax playing in the final film was still replaced with a professional’s.
The First Ever Television Sports Event
It was a baseball game between Columbia and Princeton in 1939.
The Smallest Bone in the Human Body
Despite their general floppiness, your ears do indeed contain small bones, including the stapes, the smallest bone in the body.
Becoming A London Cab Driver Isn’t A Walk Down Easy Street
To become a cab driver in London, hopefuls study for years in order to pass a detailed test on London’s streets and landmarks known as “The Knowledge.”
They Didn’t Start With Scotch Tape
3M, known mostly around offices these days, started as a mining company, and its name stands for “Minnesota Mining and Manafacturing.”
Scarabs Are A Little Less Regal Than You’d Think
Based on the ancient Egyptian’s reverence for them, you might not immediately guess that the scarab is a dung beetle.
Uranus Almost Had Another Name
The astronomer who discovered Uranus wanted to call it “George’s Star” for King George III, but instead, it was unfortunately forever known as Uranus.