12 Farm-Fresh Trivia Tidbits for Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Cigarettes may have been bad for public health, but they were great for photography.
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Touch Screens in Cars Are More Than Just Annoying, They’re Dangerous
A touch screen dashboard is a great way to make idiots feel like they’re piloting a spaceship, but they’re extremely unsafe. One study found that drivers can take up to 40 seconds to complete a dashboard task on a touchscreen, and the European New Car Assessment Program has barred cars with full touchscreen dashboards from receiving a perfect safety rating.
When Should You Not Brush Your Teeth?
Some dentists encourage you to avoid brushing your teeth directly after puking, or 60 minutes after eating something sugary, as the high acidity of your mouth can cause your toothbrush to scratch off your enamel.
How Do You Get Drivers to Stop Speeding?
One proposed law would require new cars to beep at the driver when they hit 10 miles per hour above the speed limit. Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed that bill in California.
Type-1 Diabetes Can Be Genetically Modified Into Oblivion
Scientists were able to extract a woman’s stem cells, modify them into insulin-producing islet cells, then inject them back into her. Within three months, she was producing an appropriate amount of insulin and was able to safely eat sugar for the first time.
Cigarette Smoke Is the Key to Great Sports Photography
There’s a signature blue haze in the background of some legendary basketball, boxing and other indoor sports photos up until the 1970s and 1980s. That effect came from hovering cigarette smoke, and disappeared when states started banning smoking indoors.
The Most Losses in MLB History
The Chicago White Sox broke the 62-year-old record for most losses in a single season, clocking in at 121. But few outlets are talking about the silver lining: They experienced the thrill of victory on 41 different occasions.
Who’s Hosted ‘SNL’ the Most?
Alec Baldwin has hosted a record 17 times.
Who Has Appeared As the Musical Guest the Most Often?
Dave Grohl has appeared a total of 16 times, as part of Nirvana, the Foo Fighters and as a special guest.
The 3,000-Light-Year-Long Laser Pointer
The black hole at the center of a supergiant elliptical galaxy known as Messier 87 is shooting out a blue beam of plasma that stretches over 3,000 light years.
The First Official James Bond Bar
The 007, a pop-up bar in London’s Burlington Arcade, is basically an Applebee’s for guys who wish women still couldn’t open their own bank accounts. It’s decked out in classic 1970s style, and has movie memorabilia all over the walls.
The Necktie Was Once an Instrument of War
Croatian mercs wore a specific type of neckerchief during the Thirty Years’ War in the17th century. The French turned it into the cravat, and New York City haberdasher Jesse Langsdorf created the modern necktie in the 1920s.
So Was the Cardigan
Led by Lord Cardigan, a division of the British army fighting the Russians in the 19th century Crimean War were outfitted with a knitted wool coat that caught on among civilians after all the killing was done.
