During Prohibition, President Warren Harding hosted liquor parties, and the Senate Library had a secret bar behind one of its walls. But not all were corrupt. Rep. Thomas Blanton tried to have the Washington Post prosecuted for printing George Washington's recipe for beer

The design and wording on U.S. wine labels is overseen by the American Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, an agency that also oversees government work to reduce the criminal use of firearms.

In 1998, Kmart's U.S. sales revenues matched the estimated budget of the Russian military.

Before Benjamin Franklin's image was put on the half-dollar coin in 1948, U.S. Mint director Nellie Ross had considered putting him on the penny to honor his maxim, "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Angora wool doesn't come from sheep. Instead, Angora is harvested from domesticated rabbits. The rabbits are sheared every three months, and each one is expected to produce about 12 ounces of white, black, blue or fawn wool each year.

The practice of handling poisonous snakes during church worship services has killed about 80 people since the early 1900s.

Polar bear fur is transparent. It appears to be white because of the way in which it reflects light.