12 Shreds of Trivia We Found on the Floor of the Knowledge Factory
Your brain hungers for information! Feed it here!
The Alaskan Town Where Most People Live in One Building
The majority of the 200 residents of Whittier, Alaska, live in a single 14-story building named Begich Towers. Hopefully not too many of them are musicians.
The Constellation Also Known As “The Queen”
Because it’s named for a queen from Greek mythology, the constellation Cassiopeia is also sometimes referred to as “The Queen.” Pretty sweet nickname, though not nearly as cool as “The Big Dipper.”
Thank God the “War On Christmas” People Weren’ t Around Yet
Theodore Roosevelt once attempted to ban Christmas trees because he thought it was contributing to deforestation. If Biden tried this, the country would drown in blood.
Lightning Bolts Have A Thickness?
I’ll admit, I’ve never once wondered about the precise girth of a lightning bolt. I sort of assumed that kind of measurement didn’t apply. I was wrong, and the average lightning bolt is around one inch wide. Good luck verifying.
The U.S. State With the Shortest Border Shared With Canada
The meager 42 miles of Pennsylvania that runs along the coast of Lake Erie is the shortest shared border with Canada of any state. It’s also one of the most inconvenient places to cross, I imagine.
A President With A Penchant for Skinny-dipping
John Quincy Adams had a daily habit of skinny-dipping in the Potomac River. This would be the easiest opportunity to see a president’s genitals until Bill Clinton was elected.
Santa’ s Very Apt Canadian Postal Code
If you want to send a letter to Santa Claus in Canada, you can use his official, government-issued postal code: H0H 0H0. Now that’s just plain fun!
The Namesake of Willie Nelson’ s Guitar
Willie Nelson’s most famous guitar has been an integral part of his entire career, as you can clearly see by looking at it. It’s named “Trigger,” but not after a gun, but after Roy Rogers' horse of the same name. Though if a horse looked like that, it probably would have long been taken out back and shot.
The Intelligent Way to Talk About Earwax
Want to talk about how much earwax you have in polite company? Don’t we all! Just call it by its scientific name, cerumen.
Velcro Is A Brand Name
We all know that Kleenex is a brand name, even if it’s used interchangeably with the word “tissue.” Less people might know that the same is true for Velcro. “Velcro” is a specific brand of what are known as “hook and loop” fasteners. You can see why they’re named that in the disconcertingly zoomed in image above.
We Predicted Neptune Before We Saw It
The idea of predicting a massive planet before it had ever been observed? That seems like fuel for a witch fire. In the case of Neptune, however, a French astronomer named Urbain Le Verrier predicted Neptune’s location. He sent a letter to a German astronomer telling him where he thought Neptune was, and asking him to use his observatory’s telescope. It was found before the end of the day, and only 1 degree from where Le Verrier said it would be.
The Oldest World Currency Still in Use
The Great British Pound is the oldest world currency that’s still used as legal tender today. It's been in use since the year 790 A.D., which kind of explains why they weren’t so hot on those dumb Euros.
