Fact of the day thread

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Today's fact. It took the editors of the first Oxford English Dictionary five years to reach the word ant.
 
Today's fact. Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice had a pet snake named Emily Spinach. She liked to carry it around the White House in her purse and take it out at unexpected moments.
 
Today's fact. As comedian Bob Hope lay on his deathbed in 2003, his wife Dolores asked where he’d like to be buried. His reply: “Surprise me.”
 
Today's fact. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world. It can grow more than a meter a day.
 
Today's fact. Golf legend Jack Nicklaus earned his nickname, the Golden Bear, thanks to his size and blond hair. Conveniently, it was also the name of his high school mascot.
 
Today's fact In the late 1800s, residents of Corinne, Utah could buy divorce papers from a vending machine for $2.50.
 
Today's fact. The U.S. Senate's Rule XIX, which dates back to 1902, states that a U.S. Senator cannot insult their colleagues.
 
Today's fact. Like casinos, shopping malls are intentionally designed to disorient visitors. The feeling of losing track of time and geography inside a mall is called the Gruen Transfer.
 
Today's fact. Scientists say that the best time to take a nap is between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
 
Today's fact. The verb "unfriend" appeared in 1659.
 
Today's fact. Koalas’ fingerprints are virtually indistinguishable from human ones.
 
Today's fact. Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt once sneaked out of a White House event, commandeered an airplane, and went on a joyride to Baltimore.
 
Today's fact. Astronauts on Mars won’t just make plans based on temperature—they’ll also need to consider tau, the level of particulate matter in the atmosphere. High tau levels will block sunlight to solar-powered rovers.
 
Today's fact. If you adjust for inflation, Gone With the Wind is the highest-grossing movie of all time, earning approximately $1.8 billion.
 
Today's fact. Your nostrils alternate in which one takes in more air when you breathe, which is why one often feels more congested than the other.
 
Today's fact. Nineteenth-century British surgeon George Merryweather thought leeches could forecast the weather. He showcased his "tempest prognosticator," which utilized leeches, at the Great Exhibition in 1851, but it never gained popularity.
 
Today's fact. In 1777, fireworks lit up the sky above Philadelphia to mark the first anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
 
Today's fact. Honeybees emit a teeny 'whoop!' noise when they bump into each other.
 
Today's fact. Female cicadas have occasionally mistaken the sound of power tools for mating calls, leading them to swarm around people operating lawn mowers.
 
Today's fact. The space between your eyebrows is a glabella. That’s also the name of the bone underneath that space that connects your brow ridges.
 
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