FACT-OF-THE-DAY ARCHIVE
"Our life is what our thoughts make it."
- Marcus Aurelius
FEB 2017

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DATE	FACT OF THE DAY
2/1/17	The lobotomy, from the Greek lobe=of brain + tome=slice, was one of the most popular types of brain surgery ever invented. Neurologist and psychiatrist Walter Freeman (who was not a surgeon) simplified the surgery by taking an icepick through the eye sockets instead of through drilled holes in the skull. He chose an icepick because regular surgical tools made at the time kept snapping off inside of people’s heads. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/2/17	In A.D. 1281, a hurricane killed 100,000 Mongols who were attacking Japan. The Japanese thanked their storm gods for the kamikaze, which means divine wind from the gods. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/3/17	A bird's lungs are much more complicated and efficient and take up more space than those of mammals, such as humans. A human's lungs compose about 1/20 of its body, but a bird's takes up 1/5. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/4/17	By law, the only people eligible for citizenship in Sparta were direct descendants of the original Doric settlers. Because of this, there were never more than about 6,000-7,000 male citizens in Sparta, compared with up to 40,000 in Athens. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/5/17	Storms on Saturn can last for months or even years. A long-lived 2004 storm on Saturn, named the "Dragon Storm," created mega-lightning 1,000 times more powerful than lightning on Earth. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/6/17	The largest U.S. bill ever in circulation was the $10,000 bill, which was issued until 1945. As of May 30, 2009, only 336 of these large bills have been known to survive. Salmon P. Chase is depicted on the bill. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/7/17	It is estimated that the single "White Christmas" by Irving Berlin is the best selling single of all time, with over 100 million sales worldwide. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/8/17	The name Italy comes from the word italia, meaning "calf land," perhaps because the bull was a symbol of the Southern Italian tribes. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/9/17	Those born under the sign of the dog in Chinese astrology are considered to be loyal and discreet, though slightly temperamental. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/10/17	Modern plastic surgeons are exploring the potential of cloning technology as a method of body rejuvenation and are looking into the secrets of the growth within the womb where scarless growth and healing take place. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/11/17	The state of Wyoming is the deadliest state for drinking and driving, with just over 13 drunk-driving fatalities for every 100,000 people occurring each year. New York experiences the least amount of drunk-driving fatalities, with only 2.06 per 100,000 residents. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/12/17	Google Inc.'s first employee was Craig Silverstein, a fellow computer science graduate student at Stanford. He was hired September 1998. He currently serves as director of technology at Google. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/13/17	A 2011 study showed that women who drink two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day were 15% less likely to develop depression over a 10-year period than those who drank one cup of coffee or less per week. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/14/17	There are nearly 160 distinctive breeds and types of horses around the world, but the Arabian horse is unique in that it is the purest of all of the breeds. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/15/17	Many children with autism have a reduced sensitivity to pain but may be extra sensitive to sound, touch, or other sensory stimulation - which may contribute to a reluctance to being cuddled or hugged. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/16/17	According to the APA, women are the abusers in about 14% of child sexual abuse cases reported among boys and 6% of cases reported among girls. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/17/17	The "Three Little Pigs" - released May 27, 1933, and produced by Walt Disney - was seen as symbolic of the Great Depression, with the wolf representing the Depression and the three little pigs representing average citizens who eventually succeeded by working together. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/18/17	Gerald Ford was the first person to be both vice president and president without being elected by the people. He was appointed vice president when Spiro Agnew resigned and he succeeded to the presidency when Nixon resigned. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/19/17	Because their society was largely an oral rather than a written culture, ancient Hawaiians would learn values and history through trained storytellers. Because the stories were considered sacred, listeners were not allowed to move once a story began. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/20/17	Almost half of the children adopted internationally are infants, compared with 2% of the children adopted from domestic foster care. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/21/17	To keep from overheating, penguins pant like dogs to cool off. They also ruffle their feathers and hold their wings away from their bodies. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/22/17	Google uses over 1 million computers for its operation and handles over 1 billion search requests - per day. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/23/17	Vitamins are grouped according to their solubility in either fat or water. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble, meaning they need fat to be absorbed into the body and can be stored in the body. Vitamin B complexes and Vitamin C are water soluble and, because they cannot be stored in the body, they must be replaced every day. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/24/17	Everyone's brain starts out as female. The brain of males begins to become masculinized around eight weeks after conception by the male hormone testosterone. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/25/17	One of the most famous missing person's cases was Charles Lindbergh's baby. On March 1, 1932, his 20-month-old son, Charlie, was taken from his crib. Though a ransom was paid, the child was not returned and his body was found 72 days later. The tragedy inspired Congress to pass the Federal Kidnapping Act, also known as the Lindbergh Law, to make kidnapping across state lines a federal offense. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/26/17	Salt is the most common seasoning mentioned in the Bible. Salt was a vital mineral that was not only essential to life, but also preserved other foods critical for survival. Salt was so important that it was also often used as a form of currency or as a unit of exchange. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/27/17	Americans eat more popcorn than any other country. Most of the popcorn eaten around the world is grown in the United States. - Provided by FactRetriever.com
2/28/17	The Raramuri people of Northern Mexico make their sleeping arrangements so that they can wake during the night to discuss their dreams with one another. - Provided by FactRetriever.com

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