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...read more

In the early 19th century, experts on the complete British home agreed that a household of husband and wife with three children and the money to support it should have a staff of 24: housekeeper, cook, lady's-maid, nurse, two housemaids, laundry maid, still-room maid, nursery-maid, kitchen maid, scullion, butler, valet, house-steward, coachman, two grooms, one assistant groom, two footmen, three...read more

Developed in 1914 by George Bunting, Noxzema was originally sold as Dr. Bunting's Sunburn Remedy.

Experts claim that the word "vampire," an Old Slavic verb meaning "to fly," probably entered the English language in the early 18th century. "The Vampyre," a short story published in 1819 by English Doctor John William Polidori made the creature a cultural icon

Of...read more

The kea, a bird native to New Zealand, has a particular affection for rubber. Stories abound in which the kea pecks away at the rubber of a vehicle's windshield wipers, though birds reportedly release their grip if the driver accelerates past 40 miles per hour

Television viewers remember Ray Charles's endorsement of Pepsi in a series of commercials first broadcast in 1989. What they may not...read more

For eggs to be called jumbo, a dozen of them must weigh more than 30 ounces. Extra large eggs must weigh at least 27 ounces, and large eggs must weigh at least 24 ounces per dozen. Other egg sizes include medium (more than 21 ounces), small (18) and peewee (15).

Florida has more billboards than does any other state, with Ohio and Michigan in second and third places. Alaska, Hawaii, Maine and Vermont...read more

WWAX, a radio station in Duluth, Minn., tried a 5-day experiment in which the typical talk and music formats were disbanded in favor of playing nothing but commercials. The station eventually gave up all commercials, all the time, and switched to an "easy listening" format

Lemons have a pH level of 2.3 to 2.6 while apples range from 3.0 to 3.3. Other foods and their pH levels are as follows...read more

Some of the animals that are specifically forbidden as food in the Bible's Old Testament include eagles, vultures, ravens, owls, swans, bats, weasels, mice, tortoises, ferrets, snails and moles.

In a study of 49 stadiums, it was found that 70 percent of the companies that named a stadium (like Taco Bell Arena) saw their stock price increase after the naming. Researchers theorize that the effect...read more

An entrepreneurial Canadian farmer, Frazier Mohawk, started selling advertising space on the sides of his Jersey heifers in 1984. Each cow placement cost $500 for a year's use.

The U.S. exports 326,000 tons of chicken feet to China each year

The average human visits the restroom six to eight times per day.

One horsepower is supposed to be the average rate at which a horse does work, but since...read more

The Australian thorny devil, a spiky ant-eating lizard, consumes an average of 2,000 ants per day

Historians have documented 5,000 lynchings of blacks in America from 1882 to 1968. Of those, Mississippi had the most (581), followed by Texas (493) and Georgia (431).

Instead of toilet paper, Nazi war criminal Hermann Goring only used handkerchiefs. He bought them in bulk.

Fiberglass is actually...read more

The spork, a combination spoon and three-pronged fork, was patented in 1970 by the American Van Brode Milling Company

The 1936 General Motors bus on which Rosa Parks made history when she refused to relinquish her seat was eventually sold at auction for $492,000.

In the 20th century, there were roughly 110 million war-related deaths.

On the night that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, he had...read more

In his book "Five Hundred Good Points of Husbandry," published in 1573, Thomas Tusser presents 10 characteristics of the perfect cheese: "Not like Gehazi, i.e. dead white, like a leper; not like Lot's wife, all salt; not like Argus, full of eyes; not like Tom Piper, 'hoven and puffed;' not like Crispin, leathery; not like Lazarus, poor; not like Esau, hairy; not like Mary...read more

The average person eats 60,000 pounds of food in a lifetime, the equivalent in weight of six elephants.

The Olympics were such an important part of ancient Greek culture that the first year in the Greek calendar coincided with the first-known Olympic games held in 776 B.C

With 2.3 million Americans in prison, the United States - a country with 5 percent of the world's population - has 25 percent...read more

Fatty food, frequently referred to as "comfort food," really does make the human body happy. That's because the body absorbs fats more slowly than it does carbohydrates, which makes people feel full longer. As long as the body feels full, it releases hormones that communicate contentment.

Japan has the oldest citizenry of any country in the world with a median age of 43.8. The next...read more

Colonel Harlan Sanders wasn't a real colonel. His highest military grade was private. But he had been named a colonel in the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels in 1935 by Governor Ruby Laffoon. Pope John Paul II was named a colonel in the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels in 1965.

On average, people in developed nations spend about 90 percent of the time indoors

Bestsellers definitely...read more

On British roads, drivers mow down an average of 273 hedgehogs each day.

In the ancient Greek Olympics, married women were forbidden from attending. Any who violated the decree faced being hurled off a nearby mountain

Although most people know only of the river Styx, the Greek underworld actually has five rivers: Acheron, the river of woe; Styx, the hated river; The Phlegethon or flaming river;...read more

Not everything tastes like chicken. For instance, flesh of the tapir is said to taste like beef, and puma is most often compared to veal in flavor. Armadillo meat is said to taste like rabbit and wombat like pork. Baby wasps supposedly taste like scrambled eggs, and kangaroo meat is often said to taste like venison

After King Henry VIII had his marriage to Anne of Cleves annulled, he paid her 4,000...read more

In the 17th century, certain orders of monks were forbidden from eating chocolate as it was feared that the food might be too stimulating

When Napoleon and his army invaded Russia in 1812, they did so as a means of defeating England. That's because Napoleon was slowly bankrupting England through a trade boycott, but Russia's Czar Alexander I refused to comply with Napoleon's Continental...read more

Vulture vomit, which contains one of the most unpleasant aromas in the animal world, is known to have killed dogs that have come in contact with it.

Although only 3 percent of world aircraft departures originate in Africa, nearly a third of fatal airliner accidents occur there, making the continent the most dangerous place to fly

At least four animals can't vomit: rats, rabbits, the house mouse...read more

Research on monkeys has found that the more dominant, high-ranking macaques were less likely to become hooked on cocaine. Scientists hypothesized that the dominant monkeys got a natural rush from being aggressive and domineering.

The average American male watches about 29 hours of television each week. The average American female watches 34 hours of television or almost 5 hours a day

The Great...read more

"Omnia dicta fortiori, si dicta Latina," or "everything sounds more impressive when said in Latin."

The suicide rate in U.S. cities with legalized gambling is, on average, twice as high as it is in cities without legalized gambling.

When Charles Lindbergh made his record-setting transatlantic flight in 1927, he carried with him five sandwiches and two canteens of water.

Macy's...read more

Female knot-tying weaverbirds look for neatness and will reject males that have built shoddy nests. A shunned male may take a nest apart and completely rebuild it in order to win the affections of the female.

J.M. Barrie, author of "Peter Pan," did not like the taste of Brussels sprouts but often ordered them at restaurants: "I cannot resist ordering them," Barrie is reported...read more

Charles Sherwood Stratton, better known as General Tom Thumb, was the star of P.T. Barnum's circus. He was 3 feet, 4 inches tall when he died.

At least 1 in 3 U.S. corporate executives reports spying on employees' e-mail.

In Great Britain, two-thirds of all meals eaten outside the home are curries, and London has more Indian restaurants than do Bombay and Delhi

Odds are that 68 percent...read more

Russia has more physicians per capita than does any other country in the world. The United States, however, has the most psychiatrists, psychologists and dentists

Of all North American corporate sponsorships, 67 percent goes to sports while only about 6 percent goes to the arts.

Although Prohibition was repealed on Dec. 5, 1933, the state of Mississippi didn't allow liquor sales until 1966...read more

A performer's body parts can be valuable assets. For instance, Jimmy Durante's nose was insured for $140,000, and Betty Grable's legs were insured for $250,000. But Fred Astaire beat them both with feet that were insured for $650,000.

Vice President Andrew Johnson may be the only vice president to have taken the oath of office while under the influence. The New York Herald-Tribune called...read more

Wisconsin has more bars per person than any other state in the nation. On a somewhat unrelated ranking, Wisconsin has the nation's second highest number of UFO sightings.

Bottle-nosed dolphins display their affection for each other by butting heads

The letter system for naming batteries, created by the American National Standards Institute, ranges from AAAA to G. But most consumers don't...read more

Black vultures may be stricter about monogamy than any other members of the animal kingdom. For instance, biologists have observed that when one vulture tries to fool around with a bird other than its partner, the offender is immediately attacked by every other vulture nearby

The state of New York requires 900 hours of training in order to become a licensed hair braider. But a New York emergency...read more

In a list of common office complaints from American workers, "office too cold" ranks number one. The number two complaint is "office too hot."

Of Texas's 254 counties, 46 are still completely dry, allowing no liquor or beer sales of any kind.

Erich Weiss, better known as Harry Houdini, died on Oct. 31, 1926, (Halloween) of acute appendicitis. He was 52 years old.

Male...read more

Wheat, which has been cultivated for more than 7,000 years in every continent except Antarctica, is the world's most widely grown plant.

President Calvin Coolidge was a man who knew what he wanted in life. For instance, Coolidge failed to properly propose to his future wife, Grace Goodhue. Instead, he simply told her, "I'm going to be married to you."

Medieval Times entertainment...read more

A university project to translate all of Elvis's songs into the ancient Sumerian language ran into trouble with the song "Blue Suede Shoes" as the Sumerians had no shoes, let alone any that were blue or suede. The problem was finally solved with the new title "Sandals of Sky Blue Leather."

Instead of the Big Mac, McDonald's franchises in India serve the mutton Maharaja...read more

More than 8,000 people are bitten by poisonous snakes each year in the U.S. The bites are rarely fatal, however. On average fewer than 10 snake-bite victims actually die.

The medical term for a hangover - veisalgia - combines the Norwegian term for "uneasiness following debauchery" with the Greek word for "pain."

McDonald's franchises in Korea offer a specialty pork Bulgogi...read more

The world's busiest McDonald's is Russia's Pushkin Square franchise

Americans spend more than $4 million in each day on goods produced by prison labor.

The term "the real McCoy" is attributed by historians to bootlegger Bill McCoy, who was known for the quality of his scotch.

Benjamin Franklin may have been a genius, but he was largely self-educated, attending school only...read more