Here's your (not so) totally useless fact(s) of the day:

[phkrause]

Hypnagogia is the state in between being awake and asleep.

[phkrause]

OMG was added to dictionaries in 2011, but its first known use was in 1917.

[phkrause]

In Greek mythology, it was believed that redheads turned into vampires after they died.

[JoeMo]

9 hours ago, phkrause said:

In Greek mythology, it was believed that redheads turned into vampires after they died.

You mean that's not true??

[phkrause]

On September 2, 1969, America’s first automatic teller machine (ATM) made its public debut, dispensing cash to customers at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York. A Chemical Bank advertisement boasted "On Sept. 2 our bank will open at 9:00 and never close again." Chemical's ATM, initially known as a Docuteller was designed by Donald Wetzel and his company Docutel. Chemical executives were initially concerned that customers would resist having machines handling their money. ATMs went on to revolutionize the banking
industry, eliminating the need to visit a bank to conduct basic financial transactions.

[phkrause]

Today begins Palindrome Week, which means that every date reads the same
backward as it does forward! 9.10.19, 9.11.19, etc. through 9.19.19

[phkrause]

The boiling point for water at the top of Mt. Everest is 162°F, about 50 degrees
below the boiling point at sea level.

[phkrause]

The aurora australis is the southern version of the aurora borealis. Tasmania,
New Zealand, and Antarctica are a few of the best places to scope out the
Southern Lights from land.

[phkrause]

A cough can propel saliva droplets as far as 20 feet at speeds up to 25 to 50 mph.

[phkrause]

The 100 folds in a chef’s toque are said to represent 100 ways to cook an egg.

[phkrause]

Modern TVs don't get static because, when an electromagnetic wave is offset, the TV can guess what wave it was meant to be and correct it.

[phkrause]

Despite the optical illusion, the Gateway Arch is exactly as wide (630 feet) as it is tall.

[phkrause]

The frequency of a cricket's chirps correlates with the air temperature in degrees fahrenheit. Just count the number or chirps in 15 seconds and add 37.

[phkrause]

Madam C.J. Walker is thought to be America’s first self-made female millionaire. Born to sharecroppers in 1867, she made her fortune selling beauty products for black women.

[phkrause]

Great white sharks rarely survive in captivity. Experts suspect the electricity in buildings interferes with the animals' electrosensory systems—though that hasn't stopped some aquariums from trying, and failing, to display them.

[phkrause]

Each year, the Moon moves away from Earth by about four centimeters.

[phkrause]

The Lollipop was named after one of the most famous Racehorses in the early 1900s, Lolly Pop.

[phkrause]

If you put two straws in your mouth, one inside a drink and one outside it, you won’t be able to drink through either straw.

[JoeMo]

If you stand with your right foot and right shoulder against a wall, you will not be ablt to pick up your left foot and remain standing.

Also, it is impossible to lick your own elbow unless you are double jointed or have a VERY long tongue.

[phkrause]

In 1888, the Thomas Adams Gum Company introduced the very first vending
machines to the United States. The vending machines were installed on the
elevated subway platforms in New York City and sold Tutti-Fruiti gum. The
machine itself was very primitive compared to the vending machines of the
twenty-first century. It included a coin slot, a shelf for the product to be distributed
to the consumer, and two levers that when pushed down, activated the system
inside. Soon, vending machines were available that offered almost everything,
including cigarettes, hot meals, and stamps.

[phkrause]

It's almost impossible to change someone's mind using facts. This happens due
to "motivated reasoning", a psychology term that refers to the way people usually
believe whatever they want to believe and use the flimsiest piece of evidence to
justify that belief, even when there is plenty of verified evidence to disprove it.

[JoeMo]

5 hours ago, phkrause said:

It's almost impossible to change someone's mind using facts. This happens due
to "motivated reasoning", a psychology term that refers to the way people usually
believe whatever they want to believe and use the flimsiest piece of evidence to
justify that belief, even when there is plenty of verified evidence to disprove it.

This is not a useless fact; it is a very useful fact in understanding differences of opinion.

[phkrause]

Juicy Fruit gum, an early version of Cracker Jack, and the Ferris Wheel all made their debuts at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

[phkrause]

Modern brunch was first proposed in 1895 as a post-hangover meal.

[phkrause]

Sleep literally cleans your brain. During slumber, more cerebrospinal fluid flushes through the brain to wash away harmful proteins and toxins that build up during the day.

James