Dry ice does not melt. It sublimes, which means it goes directly from solid form to gaseous form.

The first Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages were three inches wide and eighteen inches long. You made your own bandage by cutting off as much as you needed.

The Irish harp tradition is particularly special because of its ancient method of oral transmission – all teaching of the instrument is done "by ear". This method allows performers to be creative and individualistic within the Irish style.

Pablo Picasso was born dead. His midwife left him on a table. Picasso's uncle brought him to life with a lung full of cigar smoke.

Dr, John Gorrie of Appalachicola, Florida, invented mechanical refrigeration in 1851. He patented his device on May 6, 1851. There is a statue which honors this "Father of Modern Day Air Conditioning" in the Statuary Hall of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

Marketing experts say there is often no relationship between a TV ad's likability and sales. In fact, a company's ability to generate a strong reaction from consumers can increase product awareness. Despite the public's negative reaction to super-hunk Fabio's wooden performance in margarine TV ads in 1996, the company kept him on for a time as a...Read more

One of the best-preserved Greek temples is in Italy at Paestum, just south of Naples and Sorrento. Founded as the city of Poseidon in the sixth century B.C., this was a key stop on an important trade route. The Romans conquered and took it over in the third century B.C., changing its name to Paestum. Malaria-carrying mosquitoes kept the location...Read more

More education means longer life. Research shows that college graduates live longer than people who did not complete high school.

The nation of Chile’s name is from an Indian word, Tchili, meaning “the deepest point of the earth".

The flagship known as Queen Anne's Revenge belonged to the famous pirate, Blackbeard. The ship sank in 1718. Blackbeard's real name was Edward Teach.

Internally at Kellogg, the pastry was known as a "fruit scone." The company later changed the name to Pop-Tarts, intended to be a pun on the "pop art" craze of the time. It also makes it clear that they're to be used in the toaster, as they "pop" out."

Samuel Beckett's play Breath is the shortest recorded play ever written, consisting of 35 seconds of human cries and breathes.

What do bats' wings, elephants' ears, flamingos' legs, rabbits' ears, goats' horns, and human skin all have in common? They radiate heat to providing cooling for the animal.

It has been estimated that the typical American will spend an average of 2 years of his/her life reading newspapers.

Most common sports drinks are the equivalent of sugar-sweetened human sweat. That is, they have the same salt concentration as sweat (but are less salty than your blood). An increase of as little as 1 percent in blood salt will cause you to become thirsty.

The official time ball for the U.S. is on top of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. As early as 1845, the U.S. Navy dropped a time ball every day at noon from atop a building on a hill overlooking Washington, D.C. People from many miles away could set their watches at noon. Ships anchored in the Potomac River could check their ...Read more

El Greco ("The Greek", 1541 – April 7, 1614) was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. He usually signed his paintings in Greek letters with his full name, Domenicos Theotokopoulos, underscoring his Greek origin. While some regard his work as a precursor of both Expressionism and Cubism, others find it so individual ...Read more

Because baby pigs grow so quickly, a succession of 48 little pigs were used in the title role during the filming of the 1995 movie hit "Babe."

The morality of the game must have appealed to the Victorians, who took to the game when it was published in 1892 in England. Called Snakes and Ladders, the game play was pretty much the same but some of the vices and virtues were renamed according to Victorian ideals. So Penitence, Thrift and Industry elevated a player up a ladder to squares ...Read more

The ruby, sapphire, emerald, and aquamarine are not specific minerals. The ruby is the red and the sapphire is the blue variety of corundum. An emerald is the green variety and an aquamarine is the blue variety of beryl.