Interesting facts

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Our modern interpretation of Santa Claus with a red outfit and white beard is due in large part to holiday Coca-Cola ads that began in 1931. (coca-cola.com)

 

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Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, wasn’t the first to introduce Christmas trees to Britain from his native Germany—Queen Charlotte did that in the late 1700s. But, Victoria and Albert are credited with popularizing the custom in the mid-1800s. (royal.uk)

 

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Buckingham Palace in London, England, has 775 rooms, including 78 bathrooms. (royal.uk)

 

[Lilofan]

On a recent flight from Chicago to Iceland, a female passenger went to the airplane bathroom to test for covid ( she had test kits ) after getting a feeling of a very sore throat. Her test came out positive and she had a good heart. She locked herself in the small bathroom for the remainder of the flight ( 5 hrs ) to quarantine away from the other passengers.

 

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The White House in Washington, DC, has 132 rooms, including 35 bathrooms. (whitehouse.gov)

 

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It takes 570 gallons to paint the exterior of the White House. (whitehouse.gov)

 

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The teddy bear is named after President Theodore Roosevelt. After he refused to shoot a captured black bear on a hunt, a stuffed-animal maker decided to create a bear and name it after the president. (nps.gov)

 

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Lincoln Logs were created by John Lloyd Wright, son of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, in the 1920s. They were named after Abraham Lincoln, who grew up in a log cabin. (nps.gov)

 

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Play-Doh started out as a wallpaper cleaner before the head of the struggling company realized the non-toxic material made a good modeling clay for children and rebranded it. (museumofplay.org)

 

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In the 1940s, a retired schoolteacher came up with Candyland to entertain children who were hospitalized from polio. Because its color system required no reading, young kids could easily play. (toyhalloffame.org)

 

[jaklgreen]

I read something interesting. All of the fossil fuels that are in the Earth are the only ones that will be. The reason why is because, back in those times, there were no mushrooms or fungi that break down living matter like it does now. So we will never turn into sludge in the way that the dinosaurs did because of mushrooms.

 

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People started wearing pajamas, originally spelled “pyjamas,” instead of nightgowns so they’d be prepared to run outside in public during World War I air raids in England. (bbc.co.uk)

 

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At Medieval Times dinner attractions, you eat with your hands because people didn’t use utensils in the middle ages. (medievaltimes.com)

 

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Freelancers originally referred to self-employed, sword-wielding mercenaries: literally “free lancers.” (merriam-webster.com)

 

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We shake hands to show we’re unarmed. (bbc.co.uk)

 

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Although no longer connected to the beer company, Guinness World Records was founded by the managing director of Guinness Brewery in the 1950s. (guinnessworldrecords.com).

 

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Michelin stars are highly coveted by elite and upscale restaurants the world over—but they’re actually given out by the Michelin tire company, the same one whose mascot is the marshmallow-like Michelin Man. If you want to get fancy, pronounce it in the original French, “mich-LEH.” (michelin.com)

 

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More people visit France than any other country (Spain is second; the US third). (e-unwto.org)

 

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You can still stay at the world’s oldest hotel, Nisiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Japan, which was founded in 705 AD. (guinnessworldrecord.com)

 

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The longest place name in the word, at 85 letters, is “Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu,” New Zealand. Locals just call it Taumata Hill. (newzealand.com)