The 12 Best Trivia Tidbits You’ll Find Today, Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Americans spent the most they’ve ever spent on the holidays. Perhaps related, Americans have never been more in debt than they are at this moment.
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The Beauty Pageant for Ugly People
Gurning is a competitive funny face-making competition, with judges deciding who contorted their face the most from their normal face to their “gurn.” Tommy Mattinson has won the World Gurning Championship 19 times, and said he’s now aiming for 30.
Pop Quiz: What Flavor Is Mountain Dew?
Even though it’s neon green, regular Mountain Dew is technically orange soda. Concentrated orange juice is the ingredient that shapes the flavor of the O.G. Dew, and isn’t found in any other flavor.
Credit Card Debt Hit a Record High This Christmas
According to LendingTree, 36 percent of American consumers went into debt for the holidays, owing an average of $1,181. Americans are now collectively a record-breaking $1.17 trillion in credit card debt, but managed to spend a record-breaking $989 billion in November and December.
The U.K. Was the First to Start Burning Coal — And the First to Stop As Well
Nearly 150 years after Thomas Edison cursed humanity with the first coal plant, London’s Holborn Viaduct, the U.K. became the first major economy to shut down its coal operations entirely.
The CDC Has a Favorite Vegetable
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded the watercress a 100 out of 100 on the nutrient density scale, making it the healthiest known vegetable on the planet.
For the First Time, Gene Therapy Was Used to Cure Deafness
A deaf 18-month-old from the U.K. underwent a 16-minute surgery to implant a corrected copy of a specific gene, and she can now reportedly hear nearly perfectly.
Hasbro Trademarked the Play-Doh Smell
In 2018, Hasbro trademarked the signature stink: “a sweet, slightly musky, vanilla-like fragrance, with slight overtones of cherry, and the natural smell of a salted, wheat-based dough.”
Verizon Trademarked the Smell of Their Stores
In 2014, Verizon trademarked a “flowery musk scent” to be wafted in their marquee locations, to help them stand out from “other communications and consumer electronics retailers in an increasingly crowded field.”
HOAs Are Trying to Ban Native Plants
Native plants. As in: flora that’s existed for millennia and will exist long after HOAs are sent back to Hell. Illinois had to pass a law that says HOAs can’t bar homeowners from growing the plants and flowers that occur there naturally.
A Missing Dog Found Its Way Home, and Rang the Doorbell
A grieving Florida pet owner was awakened by her doorbell at 2:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve. When she sprang from her bed to see what was the matter, she found her four-year-old German shepherd who had been lost a week earlier.
There’s Officially No Malaria in Egypt
After a century of mosquito murdering, the WHO has declared Egypt malaria-free: “The disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history.”
LG Is Probably Going to Put Ads on Your Microwave
LG and Samsung are in an arms race to get ad space on every conceivable electronic device. The latest and most egregious weapon is a 27-inch touchscreen on their newest microwaves, which they call “an immersive entertainment experience.” You can pair it with your LG oven to display what’s going on inside there, “eliminating the need to bend down and check the oven manually.”
