12 Dino-Shaped Nuggets of Trivia Fresh From the Toaster Oven
Delicious, nostalgic, processed meat in the form of an extinct animal.
Trippin’ on Nutmeg
At high enough doses, by which I mean doses that are incredibly medically inadvisable, nutmeg can cause psychedelic hallucinations.
A Lesser-Known Roman Numeral
Most people are familiar with the basic roman numerals, but there’s a modifier they might not know, partly because huge numbers are much better expressed in other ways. A horizontal line over a numeral means to multiply that number by 1,000.
Some European Languages Can Burn You in the Bathroom
Travelers to France or Italy may have been unfortunate enough to accidentally scald their hands on a letter-labeled faucet before figuring out that “C” doesn’t stand for “cold” over there, but for chaud or caldo, meaning “hot” instead.
The Hockey Team Jason Voorhees Is Inadvertently Repping
The original, iconic hockey mask worn by Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th series is a Detroit Red Wings goalie mask.
The Oldest Continuously Operating Airport in the U.S.
College Park Airport, in College Park, Maryland, has been operating since 1909.
The First Home Video Game Console Is From An Unlikely Manufacturer
The first home video game console isn’t from any of the companies you’d expect, and it isn’t Pong. It's the Magnavox Odyssey, released in 1972.
Unexpected Sea Otter Supremacy
The sea otter is the largest member of the weasel family.
The Incredible Scientific Name of the Western Lowland Gorilla
The scientific name of the gorilla in question? Gorilla gorilla gorilla.
The Pirate With A National Park Named After Him
Jean Lafitte was a pirate (or privateer, if you asked him) who the British military asked for help attacking the U.S. from the Gulf of Mexico. Lafitte instead warned the U.S. of the impending attack, an act that eventually earned him the honor of becoming the namesake of Jean Lafitte National Park and Preserve in Louisiana.
The State That Beats California on Earthquake Numbers
Despite its reputation, California isn’t the most earthquake-prone state in the U.S. That honor belongs to Alaska.
Ulysses S. Grant’s Subtle Horse-Based Burn
In the Siege of Vicksburg, Grant stole a black pony from the estate of Joe Davis, Jefferson Davis’ brother. What did he name the little pony? Jeff Davis.
Cats Aren’t Nocturnal, But They Don’t Love the Day, Either
Housecats are actually “crepescular,” meaning that their most active hours are around the periods of dawn and dusk.