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

[phkrause]

Mark Twain was born on the day when Halley's Comet flew past Earth. He once said, "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it". Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910—the day after Halley's comet returned.

James

[phkrause]

Nikola Tesla once paid an overdue hotel bill with a box he said contained a working model of his "death beam." He warned employees never to open it, and they hid the box. Years later, after his death, the box was pried open, and it contained nothing but old electrical parts.

James

[phkrause]

The oldest known living tree in the world is named Methuselah. Its 4,853 years old.

Article and pic.

James

[phkrause]

Thomas Jefferson believed that a country's constitution should be updated every 19 years to better reflect the wishes of modern generations.

James

[phkrause]

Every year, ancient Athenians carved a tile with the name of someone they disliked. If enough people wrote the same name, that person would have ten days to flee Athens for ten years. A tile was called an 'ostrakon' in Greek, giving rise to the word 'ostracise'.

James

[phkrause]

Dogs can track the scent of their homes and owners from as far as 11 miles away. They extend their scent range by traveling in overlapping circles of familiar scents —similar to how cell phone coverage relies on coordinated signals from different cell towers.

James

[phkrause]

The original quote “A jack of all trades is a master of none” goes on to say "… but oftentimes better than a master of one”.

It had no negative connotation and meant the opposite of what it does today.

James

[phkrause]

The last time a guillotine was used in France was in 1977, the same year the first 'Star Wars' movie premiered.

James

[phkrause]

If you stare at the mirror in the dark long enough, your brain starts to make you see things. Often transforming you, or the room into something scary. This is called 'peripheral fading' or the 'Troxler Effect'.

James

[phkrause]

The oldest pub in the world is in Ireland. Records show that the walls of Sean's Bar have been around since 900 A.D. There are also records of every one of the pub's owners dating back to its 10th-century founding, more than 1,100 years ago.

James

[phkrause]

In the 1980s, Nintendo employed "game counselors". If you were stuck in a game, you could call them, and they would coach you through it.

How did we manage before the internet  ?

James

[phkrause]

Around age 23, the average person falls off what researchers call the "humor cliff"; we begin to smile and laugh less and less. The average 4-year-old laughs 300 times a day. The average 40-year-old, only four.

James

[phkrause]

The Roman Empire existed for more than 1,000 years, making it the longest lasting empire in history. For comparison, the United States is 245 years old.

James

[phkrause]

"Born a bit tired" — A late 19th-century expression used to describe someone who was habitually lazy.

James

[phkrause]

While sound can disrupt our sleep, scent cannot. You can't rely on your sense of smell to wake you up in the event of a house fire.

James

[phkrause]

A man named Juan Catalan spent 6 months in jail for the murder of a teenage girl, until his lawyer found unused footage from HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm". It proved Juan had been at a Dodger's game with his daughter 31 minutes before the murder took place, roughly 20 miles away.

James

[phkrause]

Roughly 40% of the ants in an ant colony are 'lazy' and spend most of their time waiting around.

James

[phkrause]

Wedding rings are placed on the left ring finger because, in Ancient Egypt, it was believed to be the only finger with a vein leading directly to the heart.

James

[phkrause]

Eating cheese after a meal can protect your teeth. It counteracts the acid left behind by various foods and provides a temporary coating of calcium that helps harden tooth enamel.

James

[phkrause]

A boulevard is a wide city street with trees on both sides.

A lane is a narrow road often found in a rural area.

A drive is a long, winding road that has its route shaped by its
environment, like a nearby lake or mountain.

James

[phkrause]

Sarcasm boosts creative thinking because, in order to understand it, we must overcome contradictions between the literal and intended meaning of sarcastic statements.

James

[phkrause]

Reading for 20 minutes a day exposes you to roughly 1.8 million words a year.

James

[phkrause]

In the 1980's, A&W tried to compete with the McDonald's Quarter Pounder by selling a 1/3 pound burger at a lower cost. The product failed, because most customers thought 1/4 pound was bigger.

James

[phkrause]

Nillionaire (neologism): A person with little or no money.

James

[phkrause]

In 1982, a baboon troop was struck by a tuberculosis outbreak which selectively killed the meanest and most aggressive alpha males. The remaining passive males, who were previously tyrannized by the alphas, converted the group from hostile to friendly, something never seen before.

James