Fact of the day thread

[Pete]

Today's fact. The Square Dance is the official state dance (or folk dance) of 24 states.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. President Jefferson hated formal affairs so much that he would often greet foreign dignitaries while wearing pajamas.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. The Truman Show Delusion is a mental condition marked by a patient’s belief that they are the star of an imaginary reality show.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. A black cat crossing your path (from right to left) is considered good luck in Germany.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. Kea parrots spread warbles when they’re in a good mood, making them the first known non-mammal species to communicate with infectious laughter.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. Since founding the Imagination Library in 1995, Dolly Parton has donated 100 million books to children.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. The world’s oldest surviving piano is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The instrument dates back to 1720, and was made by an Italian man named Bartolomeo Cristofori.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. The first item sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. PEZ candies were originally anti-smoking mints.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. Venetia Burney, who at age 11 suggested the name “Pluto” for the ninth planet in our solar system, lived to see it demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. Harriet Tubman was the first woman to lead a U.S. military raid.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. For decades, artist Al Hirschfeld hid the name of his daughter Nina in his drawings for The New York Times and elsewhere. He'd add the number of times her name appeared to his signature, creating a game for readers, who would try and find each appearance.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. Fish cough.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. Ben Franklin’s formal education ended at 10 years old.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. Thumbs have their own pulse.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. Every tiger has a unique set of stripes that can be used to identify it, similar to human fingerprints.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. In 1985, Aretha Franklin's voice was declared a "natural resource" of the state of Michigan.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. Foreign Accent Syndrome is a rare side effect of brain trauma. Patients speak their native language in a foreign dialect.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. In 1953, it took 27 hours to create one PEEPS Marshmallow Chick. The same process takes six minutes today.

 

[Pete]

Today's fact. During WWI, German measles were called "liberty measles" and dachshunds became "liberty hounds."