12 Bits of Trivia We Found Under Our Car Seat When We Dropped Our Phone
Expand your mind by approximately two inches!
Pink Used to Be Associated With Baby Boys
Nowadays, as the amateur pyrotechnics display connected to any gender reveal party will confirm, the color blue is usually associated with baby boys, while pink is associated with girls. In the early 1900s, however, it was the other way around, with pink considered a “stronger color” while blue was “dainty.”
Before Domino
The pizza chain Domino’s was originally called Dominick’s, a name it inherited from the previous owner, Dominick DeVarti, when two brothers, Tom and James Monaghan, bought the first location. When Tom attempted to open more locations, Dominick refused to allow him to use the name, and so, on an employee’s suggestion, it was changed to “Domino's.”
An April 1st Tsunami That Was Definitely Not A Joke
One of the worst tsunamis in recent history was in 1946, killing 159 people in Hawaii, with effects reaching as far away as Chile. It occurred on April 1st, leading to it being sometimes called “The April Fool’s Tsunami.”
The Longest Nerve in the Human Body
Your mental picture of nerves might be little skinny networks, but one nerve, the longest in the body, is a whopper. The sciatic nerve runs from the base of the spine to the foot, and at some points, it’s as thick as your thumb.
Are They Trying to Create A Super-President?
American politics is already rife with familial connections, but there’s two presidential families you might not have known intersect: Julie Nixon, the daughter of Richard Nixon, married Dwight Eisenhower II, grandson of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Only One Man Speaks in Mel Brooks’ Silent Movie
That man? Famous actual mime, Marcel Marceau. Good bit.
Paul McCartney Was Once Deported From Japan
When Paul McCartney traveled to Japan in 1980, he brought one personal item that the Japanese police frowned upon: a half pound of marijuana, that he argued, was his personal stash. Regardless, he was hit with a smuggling charge, put in jail and then deported.
What Was the Name of the First Nintendo Console?
This is a hell of a trick question for any gamer friends you might have. The answer, obviously, would be the Nintendo (or NES), right? Nope. The answer is the incredibly unremarkably named “Color TV-Game” released in 1977.
Who Discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls?
You might think that the unearthing of the first set of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls occurred at the end of an extensive archaeological search. But actually, they were found when some teenage shepherds were fucking around near an ancient settlement. One threw a rock at a hole in a cliff and heard a clay jar break. They went to see what they’d broken and in the process, discovered a trove of 2,000-year-old scrolls.
For Greeks, It’s Tuesday the 13th That’ s Unlucky
If Jason Voorhees was Jason Vasilakis, and had a taste for spanakopita? His franchise might have been known as Tuesday the 13th instead. It’s considered an unlucky date in Greek culture, due to it being the day that Constantinople fell.
An Unusual Hiding Place for Stolen State Secrets
Whittaker Chambers was, in the 1930s, a courier who transferred stolen information to the Soviets. He defected back to the U.S. and testified against other spies, using evidence he’d kept as insurance… inside a hollowed out pumpkin. To this day, the hidden evidence is known as The Pumpkin Papers.
Loch Ness Is A Monster in Its Own Right
Loch Ness is certainly best known for its alleged housing of the Loch Ness Monster, but cryptids aside, it has its own claim to fame. It’s the largest freshwater lake by volume in the United Kingdom, which may have made it just hard enough to explore to keep that first story going.
