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FACTS OF THE MONTH:
Charles Darwin broke his snuff habit by keeping his snuff box in the basement and the key to it in the attic.
Not only are penguins native to the frigid Antarctica, they can also be found on the Galapagos Islands, located on the equator.
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched".
Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the cab driver in "It's a Wonderful Life."
If you string a pound of spider webs together, they would encircle the earth.
Radio stations began broadcasting in 1920. It wasn't until 1922 that someone came up with the idea to sell advertising on the air.
For the first nineteen years of Crayola Crayons' existence they only made one color: black.
The original definition of "awful" was "awe-inspiring", or more literally, "full of awe".
Horses bob their heads up and down in order to see better.
NBC's "jingle", the three notes generally heard at the start of their scoreboard updates, actually predates the television network. It was created for NBC Radio, and was inspired by one of their largest sponsors at the time, and present network owner, the General Electric Corporation. The notes are G-E-C.
Despite the fact that it's the most common name in America, there has never been a President, Vice-President, Supreme Court Chief Justice or Speaker of the House of Representatives with the last name Smith.
The composers who wrote "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" and "April in Paris" never visited the countries they wrote about.
"Star Wars"s R2D2 got its name from a term used in moviemaking: "Reel 2, Dialogue 2".
Outer space officially begins fifty miles out.
A major league ballpark night game costs whoever's footin' the bill around $4000 an hour just to power the lights.
An acre of land can contain over three million worms.
The original Australian fifty-cent piece had nearly $2.00 worth of silver in it.
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OSCAR WEEK: Legendary costume designer Edith Head received 34 Oscar nominations, including at least one nomination each year from 1948-1967. She won eight times. The first year cartoon shorts were eligible to win an Oscar (1931-32), the winner went to Disney's "Flowers and Trees", the first color cartoon. Walt Disney also received an honorary Oscar the same year for his creation of Mickey Mouse. The biggest "clean sweep" in Oscar history occured with 1987's "The Last Emperor", which won in all nine categories for which it was nominated. A few films have garnered more nominations, but none of them were able to win every time. "The Color Purple" and "The Turning Point" are tied for most nominations without winning a single Oscar: eleven each. The 1967 Academy Awards were delayed two days due to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. The 1980 ceremonies were delayed one day after the assassination attempt on President Reagan. Marlon Brando ("The Godfather") and Robert DeNiro ("The Godfather, Part II") are the only actors to win an Oscar by portraying the same part: both played Vito Corleone. Bing Crosby and Paul Newman were each nominated for two separate movies playing the same character. (Crosby in "Going My Way" and "The Bells of St. Mary's", Newman for "The Hustler" and "The Color of Money".) Each won once. |
Even though the Roman Empire is one of the oldest in the world, the nation of Italy has only existed since 1861.
A real road runner bird doesn't go "beep beep". It actually makes a clicking noise.
The Chevy Nova sold miserably in Mexico until it was realized that 'Nova' translates in Spanish as "no go". They changed the name.
It is illegal in Texas to write graffiti on a cow unless you own it.
The Pilgrims would've sailed farther than Plymouth Rock, but they ran out of beer.
The mayfly has a two-hour lifespan. It has no mouth because it wouldn't live long enough to digest the food anyway.
Approximately two-thirds of the female college presidents in America are nuns.
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