12 Small Cubes of Trivia to Be Consumed Posthaste
Feast your eyes! And in turn, your brain!
Avon Started With Books, Not Makeup
The origin of makeup giant Avon wasn’t in cosmetics. The founder, David H. McConnell, was a bookseller who offered beauty products as add-ons. He soon found out, in what feels like a heavy-handed statement about humanity, that most people were way more interested in looking good than reading books.
The Hardest Substance in the Human Body
You’d probably assume that the hardest substance in the human body, at least if you’re not telling a filthy joke about my dear sweet mother, are the bones. You’d hope that, at least. But the bones are beaten out by another substance: tooth enamel.
The Only Unmarried President
Generally, it seems the American public would prefer a married president. After all, with what Kennedy and Clinton got up to on the side, one can only imagine the chaos of a bachelor-in-chief. To date, the only president to never marry was James Buchanan.
The Origin of the Term “First Family”
First family as a moniker for the president and his immediate kin seems so perfect it must have originated long ago. It’s, in fact, much more recent than you’d think: It only became popular on the back of a 1962 comedy album, titled as such, about the Kennedys.
Fascinating Hot Wheels Collector Lingo
Got a weird uncle who’s really into Hot Wheels? Well, impress him with a bit of inside lingo next time you see him: the original, 16-car Hot Wheels line-up is known to collectors as the “Sweet 16.”
Who the Hell Is Johnny Hendrix
With a name like Jimi Hendrix, the man was destined to be a rock star, am I right? No, I am not. Jimi was born Johnny Allen Hendrix, but was renamed James, or “Jimmy” by his father. The removal of an m and the replacement of a y with a hard-rockin i was thanks to a later manager. Next you’ll tell me those guys’ names weren’t really “The Experience.”
Jiminy Cricket Much Prefers the Disney Version
Disney is known for cleaning up some of the less-than-adorable bits of the stories they recreate, and Pinocchio is no exception. In the original book, Jiminy Cricket meets an untimely end when Pinocchio gets tired of his nagging and kills him with a hammer. Yeesh.
The Origin of the Term “Rope-A-Dope”
Muhammad Ali was an expert in the “rope-a-dope” technique, using the ropes to evade punches and tire out an opposing fighter. What people might not know is that he also invented the term, with the first recorded usage being when Ali told a sportswriter he “might just put the rope-a-dope” on an opponent.
The Point(s) At Which A Stag Becomes A Royal
Points on a stag refer to the number of, well, points on their antlers. Among European red deer, those that cross certain thresholds when it comes to antler points earn themselves a new title: 12 points makes them a “Royal,” 14 an “Imperial” and 16 a “Monarch.” Only if the points are evenly distributed across both sides, of course. If they’re uneven, well, that’s just gross.
Scalene Triangles Are Probably Jealous of Isosceles’ Fame
We all remember, at least vaguely, what an isosceles triangle is, thanks to endless repetition of the importance of the Pythagorean Theorem from our math teachers. You might have forgotten (because why wouldn’t you) its strange, uneven brother, the scalene triangle, where every side, and accordingly, every angle, has a different measurement.
The Meaning of Judo
The name judo comes from the Chinese jou-tao, which means “gentle way.” Which, sure, though I doubt it would feel that way anywhere off padded mats.
Lewis and Clark Weren’t Their First Names
I’m sure the smarty-pants among you are clamoring and cawing, asking what kind of IDIOT wouldn’t know that Lewis and Clark weren’t their first names. But for the quiet ones among us who may have had a propensity to nap in certain classes, I cast no judgment. Just know, now, that their full names were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. To be fair, Meriwether Lewis is a straight up backwards name.
