Saturday, May 14, 2011
The first product to have its barcode scanned was a packet of gum!
The first item sold after being scanned with a UPC barcode was a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Gum, at a price of 67 cents. The sale occurred at 8:01 a.m. on June 26, 1974 at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio. The gum is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington D.C.
Vinegar can help to stop a nosebleed.
The acetic acid in the vinegar will gently cauterize the inside of the nose and stop the flow of blood. You can also fight off your nosebleeds by having more zinc in your diet, a task that can be accomplished by consuming more whole wheat bread. Vitamin K helps your body with blood clotting, so you should also try to consume more dark-green leafy vegetables, and having more Vitamin C will reduce your chances of getting a nosebleed in the first place. If you already have a nosebleed, you can also apply pressure to your upper lip. This is where a major blood vessel that travels to your nose is located, so if you hold a piece of cotton against it, you can slow down the bleeding.
A Jewish man recommended Adolf Hitler for the Iron Cross award.
For his service in World War I, Hitler was initially decorated with the Iron Cross, Second Class in 1914. Four years later, however, he was recommended for the advanced version of the award, the Iron Cross, First Class. The future dictator and notorious anti-Semite was recommended for this distinction by Hugo Gutman, a Jewish assistant to one of Hitler’s senior officers. This award was rarely ever given to a Gefreiter, which is the German equivalent to “private” in the U.S. military.
23 million chickens are killed for food in the U.S. every day.
That’s 269 birds turned into KFC every second! Modern chickens are also bred to be abnormally heavy, which means that many cannot support their own body weight. The California Poultry Federation estimates that 30 chickens are consumed per Californian! All in all, 9 million chickens are slaughtered for food per year, which makes up 90% of the total land animals that are killed for human consumption.
Everyone actually pronounces Dr. Seuss’s name wrong!
The good doctor, originally named Theodor Seuss Geisel, attended Dartmouth College in 1921. Soon after enrolling, he joined the school’s student humor magazine, the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern. He rose through the ranks of the publication and soon achieved the title of editor-in-chief. This success was short-lived however, seeing as Ted was forced to resign after he was caught drinking gin with some friends in his room - a major no-no during the time of Prohibition. To overcome his mistake, Geisel continued writing for the magazine in secret, under the pen name of “Seuss,” his middle name (the “Dr.” got added later on).
Strangely enough, we’ve all been pronouncing his pseudonym wrong! As Americans, we see Seuss and like to say “Sewss.” However, seeing as it is a German name, it should really be pronounced “Soice” - the way Geisel said it himself! Ted eventually switched this anglicized pronunciation himself, since most people already said it that way and it “evoked a figure advantageous for an author of children’s books to be associated with - Mother Goose.”
Alexander Liang, one of his fellow writers on the Jack-O-Lantern, wrote this short poem about the authentic pronunciation:
Strangely enough, we’ve all been pronouncing his pseudonym wrong! As Americans, we see Seuss and like to say “Sewss.” However, seeing as it is a German name, it should really be pronounced “Soice” - the way Geisel said it himself! Ted eventually switched this anglicized pronunciation himself, since most people already said it that way and it “evoked a figure advantageous for an author of children’s books to be associated with - Mother Goose.”
Alexander Liang, one of his fellow writers on the Jack-O-Lantern, wrote this short poem about the authentic pronunciation:
“You're wrong as the deuce
And you shouldn't rejoice
If you're calling him Seuss.
He pronounces it Soice!”
The smallest state in America has the longest official name!
That’s right - Rhode Island’s official state name is “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations”. You may think this moniker is scarcely used, but it actually appears on several of Rhode Island’s official documents, including its state seal and the original Royal Charter issued by King Charles II in 1663! The full name harkens back to the unification of the “Providence Plantations” settlement with nearby communities into a singular government. Last fall, members of the state legislature voted to keep the word “plantations” the official name, despite the fact that it is reminiscent of Rhode Island’s role in the slave trade.
A British double-agent from Spain gave the Nazis fake intel while the Nazis gave him the Iron Cross award and paid him $340,000.
In what must have been one of the greatest trollings in world history, Joan Pujol Garcia, a Catalan from Spain, offered the Nazis information on British troop movements. The catch was, he was in Spain the whole time, and he made up everything. Garcia, also known as “Garbo” to British intelligence, was working as a double-agent, who aided the British war effort by sending bad information to the Germans.
Most notably, Garbo told German intelligence that the D-Day invasion would not take place in Normandy, and would instead come from the Pas-de-Calais. To keep the Germans from catching on, he later sent them the real plans for the Normandy invasion, but only after it was already too late to use it. For his “efforts”, the Germans even awarded him the Iron Cross, making Garbo one of the only people to receive both the German Iron Cross and the British MBE award. In addition to the award, Garbo and his network of agents in Britain (all fictional characters) received a total of $340,000 US from the German government. Garbo had 27 fictitious agents operating under him during the war. To allay suspicions, every time one of his “agents” missed a valuable piece of information, Garbo would just kill him off. The Germans would then pay the “widow” a pension.
Most notably, Garbo told German intelligence that the D-Day invasion would not take place in Normandy, and would instead come from the Pas-de-Calais. To keep the Germans from catching on, he later sent them the real plans for the Normandy invasion, but only after it was already too late to use it. For his “efforts”, the Germans even awarded him the Iron Cross, making Garbo one of the only people to receive both the German Iron Cross and the British MBE award. In addition to the award, Garbo and his network of agents in Britain (all fictional characters) received a total of $340,000 US from the German government. Garbo had 27 fictitious agents operating under him during the war. To allay suspicions, every time one of his “agents” missed a valuable piece of information, Garbo would just kill him off. The Germans would then pay the “widow” a pension.
Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey the national bird of the United States.
Here is an excerpt from a letter Franklin sent to his daughter that expresses this desire:
"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America... He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."
There are weird similarities between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.
- Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
- Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
- Both were shot in the back of the head in the presence of their wives.
- Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.
- Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
- Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
- Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.
- Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
- Lincoln was shot in the Ford Theatre. Kennedy was shot in a Lincoln, made by Ford.
- Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse. Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran
and hid in a theater. - Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
Cracking your knuckles does not actually hurt your bones or cause arthritis. The sound you hear is just gas bubbles bursting.
Cracking your knuckles (or any of your joints) can have therapeutic benefits. When you crack one of your joints you are pulling the bones that are connected at the joint apart from each other. This process stimulates your tendons, relaxes your muscles, and loosens your joints. Chiropractors do this for spinal joints when your back is sore and stiff, but you can do this on your own for your knuckles, toes, knees, neck, etc.
Unfortunately, there can be too much of a good thing. Cracking your knuckles will never lead to arthritis (despite what your mom keeps telling you), but scientists have discovered that it can cause tissue damage in the affected joints. Knuckle-cracking pulls your finger bones apart which stretches your ligaments. Too much stretching of your ligaments will cause damage to your fingers akin to the arm injuries sustained by a baseball pitcher who throws too many pitches. In addition to making your hand really sore, this ligament damage can also result in reduced grip strength.
How does this work? Your joints, the places in your body where you can bend, are where your bones intersect and are held together by ligaments. These joints are surrounded by a liquid called synovial fluid. When you stretch your ligaments by pulling the bones apart to crack your knuckles a gas in the synovial fluid escapes and turns into a bubble. This process is called cavitation. Cavitation ends when the bubble eventually bursts, producing that popping sound we know and love. After that, your joints won't be able to crack for another 25-30 minutes while the gas gets reabsorbed into the synovial fluid.
Unfortunately, there can be too much of a good thing. Cracking your knuckles will never lead to arthritis (despite what your mom keeps telling you), but scientists have discovered that it can cause tissue damage in the affected joints. Knuckle-cracking pulls your finger bones apart which stretches your ligaments. Too much stretching of your ligaments will cause damage to your fingers akin to the arm injuries sustained by a baseball pitcher who throws too many pitches. In addition to making your hand really sore, this ligament damage can also result in reduced grip strength.
How does this work? Your joints, the places in your body where you can bend, are where your bones intersect and are held together by ligaments. These joints are surrounded by a liquid called synovial fluid. When you stretch your ligaments by pulling the bones apart to crack your knuckles a gas in the synovial fluid escapes and turns into a bubble. This process is called cavitation. Cavitation ends when the bubble eventually bursts, producing that popping sound we know and love. After that, your joints won't be able to crack for another 25-30 minutes while the gas gets reabsorbed into the synovial fluid.
Having sex can reduce a fever because of the sweat produced.
Sex is also a pain reliever, ten times more effective than Valium: immediately before orgasm, levels of the hormone oxytocin rise by five times, determining a huge release of endorphins. These chemicals calm pain, from a minor headache to arthritis or migraines, and with no secondary effects. Migraines also disappear because the pressure in the brain's blood vessels is lowered while we have sex. So now we see that actually, a woman's headache is rather a good reason for having sex, not against it.
There is a village in England called “Bitchfield.”
The village, located in the county of Lincolnshire, is formed by two sets of buildings, known as Bitchfield and Lower Bitchfield, that are connected by a road called Dark Lane. There are indications that both settlements were larger at one time, probably back in the Middle Ages. No word on what the residents of Bitchfield are called, but I sure hope it’s not what I think it is...
A court stenographer was sent to jail for not completing a trial transcript on time!
Ann Margaret Smith was sent to jail back in 2007 for not completing the transcript for the trial of a convicted rapist by its deadline. Smith, who had already failed for several months to produce the transcript, stood trial and was held in contempt of court for not meeting the final due date. Later that week, the stenographer was released and placed under house arrest because she reportedly could not finish the work in jail because she was worried about her children. The house arrest period ended once she was finally able to complete the last 400 pages of the 1,500-page document.
Time magazine considered making Osama bin Laden its “Man of the Year” back in 2001!
For some, the fact that Time even considered this was something of a scandal. The meaning of the title “Man of the Year” or “Person of the Year” gets lost on a lot of people who assume that it’s supposed to be an honor or an award. It’s actually just recognizes people for being important, not for being a good person. The Person of the Year is the person who "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year". As we have mentioned before on this site, Hitler was the Man of the Year in 1938.
Ultimately, Time decided not to make Bin Laden the Man of the Year, even though he clearly influenced the events of 2001 more than anyone else (at least more than the actual Man of the Year, Rudy Giuliani). They decided to diminish the terrorist’s legacy instead. According to Time, “he is smaller than life, a garden-variety terrorist whose evil plan succeeded beyond his highest hopes”.
Ultimately, Time decided not to make Bin Laden the Man of the Year, even though he clearly influenced the events of 2001 more than anyone else (at least more than the actual Man of the Year, Rudy Giuliani). They decided to diminish the terrorist’s legacy instead. According to Time, “he is smaller than life, a garden-variety terrorist whose evil plan succeeded beyond his highest hopes”.
The back side of the Nobel Peace Prize depicts three naked men with their hands on each others’ shoulders.
All of the Nobel Prize medals have had the same design since 1902, with the three Swedish medals (physics or chemistry, physiology or medicine, and literature) designed by Swedish engraver Erik Lindberg. The task of designing Norway’s medal, the Nobel Peace Prize, was alternately given to Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. All of the medals depict the face of creator Alfred Nobel on the front side, but each has a different design on the reverse side. The back side of the Peace Prize has three nude males forming a fraternal bond with the inscription, “Pro pace et fraternitate gentium,” which means “For the peace and brotherhood of men.”
The world’s smallest guitar is about the size of a human blood cell!
The tiny instrument was carved out of crystalline silicon by scientists at Cornell University back in 1997. This “nanoguitar” is just 10 micrometers long, with six strings that are each 50 nanometers, or 100 atoms, wide! If the guitar’s strings were plucked using an atomic force microscope they would make a sound, but at frequencies that cannot be detected by the human ear. Anyone who is sad about this will have to track down these researchers to get them to play you the world’s saddest song on the world’s smallest violin.
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