During the French Revolution France established a state-sponsored atheistic religion called the Cult of Reason to replace Catholicism. It only lasted about a year and was later banned by Napoleon.
The largest stadium in history…
The largest stadium in history, the Circus Maximus, built in 6BC Rome, it had a capacity of 300,000 spectators. The largest modern stadium, Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, holds a mere 150,000 spectators.
William Howard Taft was the last…
William Howard Taft was the last president elected that had a mustache. No president since then has had a mustache because research does show that women feel a guy with facial hair seems less attuned to their issues.
A train traveling from west to east…
A train traveling from west to east is lighter than traveling from east to west thanks to the Eötvös effect.
A Dunkin’ Donuts marketing campaign….
A Dunkin’ Donuts marketing campaign in South Korea released coffee aromas while their commercials played on buses and increased sales by 29%.
Eugene Debs, aka Convict No. 9653…
Eugene Debs, aka Convict No. 9653, was the only candidate to ever run for US president…from prison! Debs, imprisoned under the Espionage Act for his antiwar agitation during WWI, won nearly 1M votes in the 1920 election as a candidate for the Socialist Party.
The “Shell” in Royal Dutch Shell…
The “Shell” in Royal Dutch Shell came from the company which merged with Royal Dutch who’s business was importing and selling seashells – The “Shell” Transport and Trading Company.
A town in Nevada still sounds a “sundown siren”…
A town of Minden, Nevada still sounds a “sundown siren” at 6pm every evening, originally signifying that Native Americans were required to leave town by 6:30pm or face jail or fine.
In the “Yankee Doodle” song, “macaroni”….
In the “Yankee Doodle” song, “macaroni” does not refer to pasta. It is an 18th-century description of men who dress effeminately.
In fall when some tree leaves change…
In fall when some tree leaves change color, the brown-red-yellow is actually their real color. The green was the chlorophyll used to absorb sunlight that is now broken down and reabsorbed into the trunk to save energy and reuse for next year’s new leaves.