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

[phkrause]

The Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVDs have a disclaimer at the beginning
given by Whoopie Goldberg. She explains that the cartoons are a product of their
time and contain racial and ethnic stereotypes that have not been censored
because "editing them would be the same as denying that the stereotypes
existed".

James

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Greyhounds are universal blood donors. Most greyhounds have a blood type that
can be given to almost any other breed of dog on the planet.

James

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Body "detox" or "cleanse" products don't work; it's just a marketing tactic. There
is no scientific or medical evidence to support any of the claims made by juices,
teas, shakes, ionic foot pads, or other products that promise to remove toxins
from the body. Aside from that, your body already has a built-in detox system,
where your liver, kidneys, skin, and other natural defenses do the job on their
own.

James

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"L'appel du vide" is when you have self-destructive thoughts for a split second –
like swerving your car into oncoming traffic or imagining yourself jumping when
you're standing at the edge of a cliff even though you would never really do it.
The phrase literally translates as "the call of the void".

James

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There are 328 people named “Abcde” in the United States.
It’s pronounced “ab said dee”.

James

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The Reuben sandwich is a grilled sandwich composed of corned beef, Swiss
cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread.
One origin story holds that Reuben Kulakofsky, a Jewish grocer residing in
Omaha, Nebraska, was the inventor, who served the sandwich at his weekly
poker games held in the Blackstone Hotel from 1920 through 1935. The
participants, who nicknamed themselves "the committee", included the hotel's
owner, Charles Schimmel. The sandwich first gained local fame when Schimmel
put it on the Blackstone's lunch menu, and its fame spread. In Omaha, March
14 was proclaimed Reuben Sandwich Day.

James

[phkrause]

The King family owns the “I Have a Dream” speech and has gone to court to
protect its copyright. King himself obtained rights to his speech a month after he
gave it in 1963 when he sued two companies that were selling unauthorized
copies. Under the law anyone who wants to hear or use the complete “I Have a
Dream” speech must buy a copy sanctioned by the King family, which receives
the proceeds.

James

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You have holes in your bottom eyelids. The punctum drains excess tears into
your nose, which is why your nose runs when you cry.

James

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BMW stands for Bavarian Motor Works, or, translated into German, Bayerische
Motoren Werke. If you’re a little rusty on world geography, Bavaria is a southern
state in Germany where BMW originally started making airplane engines in 1917.
After the end of World War I, BMW was forced to cease aircraft-engine
production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty. The company
consequently shifted to motorcycle production in 1923, followed by automobiles
in 1928. If Bavarian Motor Works is too formal for your taste, their automobiles
are nicknamed Bimmers, while the motorcycles are often called Beemers (or
Beamers).

James

[phkrause]

James Buchanan was the 15th president of the United States, and served in
office from 1857 to 1861. Buchanan is the only U.S. president who never
married. In 1819, Buchanan became engaged to Ann Coleman, the daughter of a
wealthy iron mogul. Amidst rumors that Buchanan was seeing other women,
Coleman broke off the engagement. She died shortly thereafter, leaving
Buchanan brokenhearted. Buchanan vowed to never marry, and he never did.
During Buchanan’s time in the White House, his niece Harriet Lane assumed the
responsibilities of first lady. James Buchanan is the only president to remain a
lifelong bachelor in U.S. history.

James

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Chins are something uniquely human. Big, small and sometimes dimpled,
everyone has a chin. While it may seem odd, humans are in fact the only animals
that have one. Gorillas don't have them. Chimpanzees don't have them. Even the
Neanderthal, our nearest evolutionary relative, didn’t have chins —their faces
simply ended in a flat vertical plane. The bony nub that juts out from the bottom
of the lower jaw is unique in the animal kingdom, and although scientists have
proposed several theories over the years as to why, the chin remains a mystery.

James

[phkrause]

Dave Thomas is best known for founding the Wendy's hamburger restaurant
chain. One of the greatest influences on his life was Colonel Sanders, founder of
Kentucky Fried Chicken. Thomas worked under the Colonel at a handful of
Kentucky Fried Chicken locations in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1962, Thomas
invested in and was placed in a managerial position of four KFC’s that were
failing. By 1968, Thomas had increased sales in the restaurants so much that he
sold his shares back to Sanders for $1.5 million. This experience would prove
invaluable to Thomas when he opened his first Wendy's a year later.

James

[phkrause]

In 1887, Coca-Cola distributed what is widely agreed to be the very first coupon,
for one free glass of Coca-Cola, then priced at five cents. The coupons were
mailed to homes across the country, handed out on the street by Coca-Cola
salesmen, and placed inside magazines. It is estimated that between 1894 and
1913, more than 8.5 million coupons were redeemed at soda fountains
nationwide and Coca-Cola and the “coupon” become household names. The
coupon helped transform Coca-Cola from an insignificant tonic into a
market-dominating drink.

James

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Lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II is the only person named Oscar to win an "Oscar"
at the Academy Awards. Oscar Hammerstein was perhaps the most influential
lyricist of the American theater. Major musicals for which he wrote the lyrics
include Showboat, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music.
Hammerstein won two Oscar awards in the Best Original Song category, one for
“The Last Time I Saw Paris” from Lady Be Good in 1941, and a second award for
“It Might as Well Be Spring” from State Fair in 1945.

James

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Candid Camera was a popular and long running hidden camera reality television
series. Created and hosted by Allen Funt, the comedy series started as a radio
show called “Candid Microphone” in 1947 before making the transition to
television in 1948. The show involved hidden cameras filming ordinary people
being confronted with unusual situations. When the practical joke was revealed,
victims were told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."
The series paved the way for other hidden camera shows like Punk’d, Impractical
Jokers, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers and The Carbonaro Effect.

James

[phkrause]

Kentucky-based KFC is one of America’s most popular fast food chains, but the
United States isn’t the company’s biggest market. China is actually home to the
most KFC stores in the world, with more than 5,600 locations. In 2017, the
company generated almost $5 billion in China. According to Yum China, the
company that operates KFC in China, the fast food chain is the largest in the
country. In 1987, it became the first Western restaurant chain to open in China. It
has since expanded rapidly in China, which is now the company's single largest
market.

James

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Subway is kind enough to keep a store counter on its website, and they currently
claim 41,053 restaurants in 101 countries. That’s a lot of sub sandwiches!
McDonald’s, the world's second-biggest fast-food chain, currently counts
approximately 37,241 restaurants worldwide. In the United States, there are
23,637 Subways compared to 14,146 McDonald's locations. Subway’s lax
real-estate requirements & franchising model have allowed for fast expansion
since the brand’s founding in 1965. Clearly, McDonald’s and Subway are the two
dominant players in the fast food franchise industry, and control nearly one-third
of all fast-food locations.

James

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The U.S. didn’t install the 911 emergency number until 1968.

James

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The Bodyguard is the best-selling soundtrack album of all time, selling over 45
million copies worldwide. The album is most notable for Whitney Houston’s
version of "I Will Always Love You". The single spent 14 weeks at number one on
the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The soundtrack later went on to win the
Grammy Award for Album of the Year and was certified 18× Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America. The film was Houston's acting debut
and was the second-highest-grossing film worldwide in 1992.

James

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After the Apollo 1 fire, NASA needed to rebuild its devastated Apollo program.
They approached Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts, for permission to use
Snoopy as their mascot for safety. Shultz agreed, and granted NASA permission.
Starting in 1968, a Silver Snoopy metal pin hitched a ride with every astronaut. In
1969, Apollo 10 selected Snoopy as their official mascot, petting his nose for luck
before launch. The flight modules took on names of Peanuts characters, with
Charlie Brown as the Command Service Module, and Snoopy as the Lunar
Module.

James

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Virginia has the honor of being the birthplace of the most U.S. presidents, with
eight. The list of U.S. Presidents born in Virginia include George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison,
John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson. Virginia was the wealthiest and
most populous state in country’s earliest days which explains why so many of the
young nation’s first few leaders came from there. To date, only 21 states have
been the birthplace of a commander in chief.

James

[phkrause]

Epistaxis is the medical term for nose bleeding. Bleeding can range from a trickle
to a strong flow, and the consequences can range from a minor annoyance to
life-threatening hemorrhage. "Epistaxis" is a Greek word meaning "a dripping,"
especially of blood from the nose. About 60% of people have a nosebleed at
some point in their life. Nosebleeds are rarely fatal, accounting for only 4 of the
2.4 million deaths in the U.S. in 1999. Nosebleeds most commonly affect those
that are younger than 10 and older than 50.

James

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You might not know it, but the Die Hard movie was based on a book called
Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, which was published in 1979. It turns
out that Nothing Lasts Forever is actually a sequel to a book called The
Detective, published in 1966 which was made into a movie of the same name.
The movie starred—you guessed it—Frank Sinatra as the main character,
Detective Joe Leland. Because Die Hard was technically a sequel, they were
contractually obligated to offer Frank Sinatra the leading role. He was 73 years
old at the time and gracefully turned the offer down. Instead, Bruce Willis was
cast in the leading role, with the character renamed to John McClane instead of
Joe Leland.

James

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Lonnie Johnson invented one of the most successful toys of all time, the Super
Soaker water gun. Johnson developed the toy after-hours while working for
NASA as a systems engineer for the Galileo mission to Jupiter and the Cassini
mission to Saturn. Despite his busy days, Johnson continued to pursue his own
inventions in his spare time. After tinkering with the invention of a high-powered
water gun, Johnson introduced the Super Soaker in 1990. The wildly successful
toy has racked up retail sales of more than $1 billion.

James

 

[phkrause]

Mailboxes Turned Blue in 1971 People who have been around since before 1971
probably recall that mailboxes weren’t always blue. Collection boxes for the U.S.
mail were green or red originally. Most were painted a uniform dark green around
1909 with the idea that the color would not be confused with fire or emergency
equipment. The boxes changed to a drab olive green following World War I
because the paint had been donated to the U.S. Postal Service by the U.S.
Army. Later collection boxes were painted a patriotic, red, white and blue starting
in 1955.

James