A collection of factoids, misinformation, and the utterly trivial.

Did you know ...

The first television commercial for a toy was aired in 1952, and was for "Mr. Potato Head"?



(You supplied your own potato!)

Did you know the first microwave oven was created by a communications engineer. He accidentally melted a candy bar in his pocket when he stood in front of a microwave transmitter.

Quote from: Brooke777 on December 14, 2012, 11:43:57 AM
Did you know the first microwave oven was created by a communications engineer. He accidentally melted a candy bar in his pocket when he stood in front of a microwave transmitter.

Hence the name, "RadarRange."

Ah, the good ol' days!

Did you know that the reason why the Emu and Kangaroo is in the Australian National Emblem is because that they are incapable of walking backwards? Hence, always moving forward.

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on December 14, 2012, 01:47:00 PM
Ah, the good ol' days!

Oh, pshaw, that's Phottoshopped. Real Lawn Darts stick in much further!

Veteran horror actor Vincent Price only played a vampire once

Pony Express Riders had to weigh less than 125 lbs (56.7 Kilos)
Riders were paid $100 - $125 per month ($100 dollars in 1860 would equal $23,594  in today's value)

The B25 Mitchell bomber is the only warplane to be named after someone who was court martialled.

That black bears come in more colors than any other North American mammal. They can come in
black,brown,cinnamon,blonde,blue-grey and white.

Quote from: SarahM777 on December 15, 2012, 05:43:57 AM
Pony Express Riders had to weigh less than 125 lbs (56.7 Kilos)
Riders were paid $100 - $125 per month ($100 dollars in 1860 would equal $23,594  in today's value)

Did you know that Benjamin Ficklin, sometimes credited as one of the originators of the Pony Express, operated an express stagecoach service after the Civil War, which ran from Arkansas to California?

He founded a town here in Tom Green County, to "serve that enterprise", which was named for him (Ben Ficklin) after his untimely demise caused by a fish bone. The town served as the county seat until it was destroyed by a flood in 1882 (in which over sixty people drowned) - at which time San Angelo became the new county seat (the Ben Ficklin courthouse was moved, stone by stone, and reassembled in San Angelo, where it served as a high school... today the building is gone...).

All that remains of Ben Ficklin today is a park and a street bearing it's name, and the cemetery (moved to higher ground following the flood...).

Very interesting fella - Ben Ficklin: someone should write a biography.

That the pony express riders had a pouch called a mochila,in that pouch they carried 20 lbs of mail along with a water sack,a bible,a horn to alert the next station,a revolver,and a choice of a rifle or another revolver.