Here are some fun facts to help get you through the day and look like the most informed person at the water cooler…
Fun (or not-so-fun) Facts:
- Scientists think bananas were domesticated more than 7,000 years ago on the island of New Guinea.
- Will Ferrell’s dad was a musician with the Righteous Brothers.
- To save money during World War One, Woodrow Wilson got rid of the White House groundskeepers and kept a flock of 48 sheep on the lawn to chew the grass. The wool sheared from the sheep was sold at auction to raise money for the Red Cross.
- Pixar animated 20,622 balloons to carry the house in the movie“Up” . . . even the ones on the inside of the giant bunch that you can’t see.
- The University of Vermont is referred to as UVM . . . but that doesn’t stand for “University of Vermont.” It stands for the motto, Universitas Viridis Montis, which is Latin for “University of the Green Mountains.”
(Frontiers in Plant Science / Biography / White House History / Wired / UVM)
Strange and trending news:
- Today is National Croissant Day. And National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.
- A man driving a stolen car fell asleep in the parking lot of the San Diego Police Department. (???) The cops woke him up . . . asked why he was there . . . and he said he was tired, and it seemed like a safe place to rest. Officers searched the vehicle and found drugs and a pipe inside. (Full Story)
- A woman in Seattle returned home on Friday to find that a man had broken in . . . and was bathing in a bathtub, fully clothed. (Full Story)
- A man in Brazil supposedly faked his death earlier this month . . . just so he could see who would attend his funeral. (Full Story)
- Word has it that Domino’s is officially adding “Loaded Tots” to its national menu next month, just in time for the Super Bowl. (Full Story)
- People in their 20s and 30s are sharing the realities they wish their parents understood. Most of them involve how things are much different now than they were 20 to 30 years ago. (Buzzfeed)
- Progressive and State Farm are refusing to write policies for some older Hyundai and Kia models because they’re too easy to steal. (Full Story)
- Sheetz convenience stores are “reviewing” their smile policy, which said they wouldn’t hire anyone with “obvious missing, broken, or badly discolored teeth.” They initially defended it, saying that smiles are important to the customer experience. (Full Story)