Until the advent of modern refrigeration, the most popular flavor of ice cream was rhubarb.
Fuck replaced OK as the most universally understood English word in 2003.
More rutabagas are consumed annually for industrial extracts and derivatives than for food.
Men’s shoes have not been made in size 12 1/2 since the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, who wore that size.
You know, Beware of Doug, it’s perfectly okay to put more than one “fact” in a post rather than posting 13 times in a row.
Sorry. I was going for a kind of low-grade performance art. It’s hard to read, though, so I will refrain in future.
Technically, that only applies to lands that were not part of Rupert’s Land (the drainage basin of Hudson’s Bay). Thus much of southern Alberta, for example, was not included in the Canadian leases.
Rupert’s Land was sold by the HBC to Canada in 1870. Areas of Ru that were south of the 49th parallel were leased to the United States.
Technically, that only applies to lands that were not part of Rupert’s Land (the drainage basin of Hudson’s Bay). Thus much of southern Alberta, for example, was not included in the Canadian leases.
Rupert’s Land was sold by the HBC to Canada in 1870. Areas of Rupert’s Land that were south of the 49th parallel were leased to the United States. The valley of the Red River of the North, plus a small portion of Montana, will be returned to Canada at the same time as the Alberta and BC leases expire.
The situation in the Oregon Country is more complex. Apparently Russia and Spain still have claims to areas there as well. The US government denied the Russian claim especially during the Cold War, but quiet negotiations have resumed in The Hague.
You fell for it. Gary’s post was another fake ‘fact.’ 13 facts in one post is not OK at all.
The gaps in Shakespeare’s biography can be remedied by reading early modern Arabic texts from Egypt, where Shakespeare spent a few years as a merchant.
Scientists are loathe to admit that “indigo” as part of the color spectrum was invented merely to create the nifty mnemonic device “Roy G. Biv.” Indigo is really an intermediate shade between blue and purple (violet).
Mathematicians are developing an alternative form of math that will allow for calculations that divide by 0, just as work with imaginary numbers was developed. Natalie Portman, who studied mathematics in college, has persuaded Chuck Norris to aid in this monumental effort so that no hole in the space-time continuum will be created.
Horses make exceptional tap dancers when fitted with special tap dancing shoes because the noise startles them so readily. However, putting tap dancing shoes is considered animal cruelty in 7 states because the natural consequence of breaking a leg for a horse is, of course, death.
Forget about cars and planes, you can just walk from the tip of South America to New York City, Moscow, Paris, Thailand, or South Africa, China, India or around most other places in the world if you have enough time and a good pair of boots (This one is almost true).
Until the invention of the VIOLATION flag, most parking meters were equipped with alarm bells.
Men whose names are shorter than their wives’ names have a distinct income advantage over men whose names are longer.
The formula for ranch dressing is essentially an edible version of the formula for Liquid Paper®, exclusive of seasonings.
If you remapped your body in Mercator projection, your head would account for 37% of your surface area.
Elton John once had a fling with a very closeted TV actor, and even wrote a song for him, but later recorded it with changed lyrics.
The original line was “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.”
Portland actually won the competition for the 1932 World’s Fair, but the governor of Oregon refused to allow a Soviet Pavilion in his state and the financially strapped International World’s Fair Commission could not proceed without Soviet funds.
The original idea for Mr. Potato Head was Mr. Rutabaga Head, but the Russet Lobby made the inventor an offer he couldn’t refuse.
I understand they also had a hand in naming the official color for U.S. Army leather goods “russet brown.” After the reinstatement of Selective Service in 1940, the War Department enlisted advertisers to come up with a publicly acceptable replacement for the traditional military term, “shit brindle brown.” The Idaho Potato Board won the contest.
Moses couldn’t put a straight part in his hair unless he soaked his head first so the hair was wet.
Dick Cheney is actually a telepathic alien with mind control powers. On Earth, he only found one person he could fully control.
Cecil Adams will be on Dancing With the Stars next season, but he’s using a pseudonym.
A group of futurists, fashion designers, sociologists, and hairdressers formed a think tank to determine the big trends for 2011. They predict that by May, 30% of men will be shaving only one side of their face (the left side for straight men, right side for gay men), and the hot hairstyle for women will be the mullet.