Factropolis -- A new fun fact every day!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The dial on the prototype of the rotary telephone contained numbers 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, and special character "Z."


See also:
- AT&T: A Brief History

keywords: almon strowger, bell system, telegraph, phone, bell telephone laboratories, pulse dialing, science and technology, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Monday, June 29, 2009

Frank Capra's beloved film 'It's a Wonderful Life' was originally conceived as a trilogy.


See also:
- The Internet Movie Database

keywords: james stewart, donna reed, lionel barrymore, henry travers, george bailey, mr. potter, history, entertainment, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Sunday, June 28, 2009

Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, hid the document inside his dumbwaiter when he took writing breaks.


See also:
- The Thomas Jefferson Foundation

keywords: president, virginia, monticello, slavery, martha wayles skelton, sally hemings, sally hemmings, history, government, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Saturday, June 27, 2009

Famed pirate Blackbeard, a fancier of Siamese cats, likely brought the breed to America more than 150 years before they were officially introduced.


See also:
- The Cat Fancier's Association

keywords: entertainment, animals, history, pirates, edward teach, famous people, pets, nature, queen anne's revenge, piracy, kittens, naval, combat, maine coon, cornish rex, laperm, selkirk rex, tonkinese


Friday, June 26, 2009

Gas chromatograph analysis of sediment cores from the bottom of Loch Ness supports the theory that a population of large creatures could live there.


See also:
- NOVA: The Beast of Loch Ness

keywords: science and technology, nature, culture and places, nessie, cryptozoology, loch ness monster, scotland, cryptid, plesiosaur


Thursday, June 25, 2009

The space shuttle Challenger's "black box" was found on a Florida beach by a Norwegian dentist.


See also:
- NASA.gov

keywords: science and technology, history, government, nasa, space shuttle disaster, space flight, christa mcauliffe, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Wednesday, June 24, 2009

In 1949, a Maine lobsterman slipped into a diabetic coma and was eaten by his catch.


See also:
- American Diabetes Association

keywords: nature, crustacean, diabetes mellitus, insulin, claw, buoy, lobster pot, animal rights, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Lee Harvey Oswald was a homing pigeon enthusiast.


See also:
- PBS: Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald?

keywords: history, famous people, government, president, assassination, assassin, dallas, jfk, john f. kennedy, jack ruby, lee harvy oswald, texas school book depository, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Monday, June 22, 2009

Most bank robberies occur on Tuesdays.


See also:
- What to do in a bank robbery

keywords: crime, criminal, robber, heist, vault, money, currency, theft, holdup, stick up, dye pack, getaway, police, jail, prison, arrest, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Sunday, June 21, 2009

Confusion was so rampant on the set of Lawrence of Arabia, whole sets were built and then dismantled before they were even filmed.


See also:
- Lawrence of Arabia

keywords: entertainment, film, hollywood, history, movie, peter o'toole, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Saturday, June 20, 2009

Benjamin Franklin was challenged to more than a dozen duels in the course of his lifetime. He never accepted a single one.


See also:
- PBS: Benjamin Franklin

keywords: science and technology, history, famous people, government, author, politician, printer, scientist, philosopher, publisher, inventor, civic activist, diplomat, enlightenment, poor richard's almanac, american revolution, declaration of independence, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Friday, June 19, 2009

The supply ship Isabella, laden with beer, accompanied the NiƱa, the Pinta and the Santa Maria during the first 53 days of Columbus' historic voyage.


See also:
- Christopher Columbus

keywords: history, food and drink, famous people, culture and places, government, spain, spanish, sail, sailing, voyage, america, queen isabella, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Thursday, June 18, 2009

Ancient Mesopotamian soldiers were paid with wooden coins.


See also:
- British Museum: Mesopotamia

keywords: science and technology, history, culture and places, government, currency, war, warrior, battle, military, archaeology, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Rabbits are sexually stimulated by the scent of talcum powder.


See also:
- The Humane Society

keywords: nature, bunny, bunnies, mammal, talc, mating, sex, reproduction, animal, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day


Tuesday, June 16, 2009

George Washington never wore wooden dentures - but his horse did.


See also:
- The White House

keywords: history, famous people, government, united states of america, first president, false teeth, continental army, cherry tree, american revolution, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day