FACT-OF-THE-DAY ARCHIVE
"Our life is what our thoughts make it."
- Marcus Aurelius
MAY 2014

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DATE FACT OF THE DAY 5/1/14      Anorexia can stunt growth, cause osteoporosis, delay sexual development, cause kidney and heart problems, lower blood pressure, and cause chest and stomach pain, heartburn, constipation, and death. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/2/14      When Melville Bissell invented the carpet sweeper, "Bisselling" (rather than "vacuuming") carpets became a popular term. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/3/14      Approximately every 11 years, the sun reverses its overall magnetic polarity: its north magnetic pole becomes a south pole, and vice versa. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/4/14      The largest and strongest known predatory fish in the sea, the Great White shark (also called White Death), can grow up to 30 feet long and is the only fish that lifts its head out of the water as if to investigate surface objects. Its jaw is six times stronger than a wolf's and has about two-thirds the biting strength of a Tyrannosaurus Rex's jaw. The Great White is responsible for 30-50% of all deadly attacks on humans. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/5/14      Nutrients are divided into two major groups: macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients include protein, carbohydrates, water, and fats. Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/6/14      Ancient doctors would test for diabetes by tasting the urine of a suspected sufferer of diabetes. Sweet urine is high in glucose, suggesting the presence of diabetes. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/7/14      McDonald's is one of the largest owners of real estate in the world and it earns the majority of its profits from collecting rent, not from selling food. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/8/14      Impure or contaminated water is the leading cause of epidemics in developing countries. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/9/14      When tasting wine, hold the wine in the mouth for a moment or two and then either swallow it or, preferably, spit it out, usually into a spittoon. A really good wine will have a long aftertaste, while an inferior wine will have a short aftertaste. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/10/14      Children living with a single parent or a parent living with an unmarried partner are most at risk for child maltreatment, which is over eight times the rate of children living with married biological parents. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/11/14      There are 4.1 million women in the United States between the ages of 15 and 50 who gave birth in the past 12 months. - Provided by U.S. Census Bureau FacFinder 5/12/14      The biggest single-day loss ever in the history of the Dow occurred on September 29, 2008, when it dropped 777.68 points, or approximately $1.2 trillion in market value. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/13/14      According to a Chinese legend, silk was discovered in 3000 B.C. by Lady Xi Ling Sui, wife of the Emperor Huang Di. When a silk worm cocoon accidentally dropped into her hot tea, fine threads from the cocoon unraveled in the hot water and silk was born. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/14/14      The combination of french fries and hamburgers is a continuation of the "meat and potatoes" mentality that has been the core of American food since the eighteenth century. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/15/14      Italy's birthrate is the second lowest in the Western world. Both political and church leaders have expressed concern and have offered rewards to couples who have more than one child. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/16/14      In Egypt, both men and women wore eye make-up called kohl, which was made from ground-up raw material mixed with oil. They believed it had magical healing powers that could restore poor eyesight and fight eye infections. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/17/14      Petting dogs is proven to lower blood pressure of dog owners. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/18/14      Girls with autistic symptoms may be suffering from Rett Syndrome. The syndrome affects mainly females, because male fetuses with the disorder rarely survive to term. Development is typical until 6-18 months, when language and motor milestones are lost. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/19/14      Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear (humans have only 6). A cat can independently rotate its ears 180 degrees. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/20/14      New York and Washington have the most state residents who are unmarried - 50% and 70%, respectively. Idaho and Utah have the most state residents who are married, 60% and 59%. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/21/14      Most of Italy's natural flora and fauna has disappeared due to centuries of cultivation. Most of its natural wildlife has also disappeared due to over-hunting. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/22/14      Hindu leader Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) is considered a key figure in introducing yoga into Western culture, and his address to the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 is said to have initiated yoga's evolution in the West. The Beatles, especially George Harrison, also helped introduce yoga into the West. Additionally, the Beatles were the first to bring the sitar into rock and roll and the first to introduce Hindu melodies into modern music. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/23/14      More than 300 million people (nearly 1 in 20) live in the shadow of active volcanoes, including Mount Vesuvius in Italy, Mount Rainer in the U.S., and Popocatepetl in Mexico. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/24/14      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 RandomHistory.com 5/25/14      Memorial Day was a response to the unprecedented carnage of the Civil War, in which some 620,000 soldiers on both sides died. The loss of life and its effect on communities throughout the country led to spontaneous commemorations of the dead. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/26/14      It was not until after World War I that the Memorial Day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/27/14      The Seattle Children's Research Institute found that three- to five-year-old children who watched violent shows on TV were more likely to develop sleep problems. Sleep problems early in life increase the chances children will become obese and do poorly in school. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/28/14      The largest baby ever born weighed in at over 23 pounds but died just 11 hours after his birth in 1879. The largest surviving baby was born in October 2009 in Sumatra, Indonesia and weighed an astounding 19.2 pounds at birth. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/29/14      All 364 items in the popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" would cost $96,824 in 2010, an increase of 10.8% from the previous year. Just one of everything would cost $23,439, which is a 9.2% increase from 2009. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/30/14      Iranians have woven beautiful rugs for over 2,500 years. When creating rugs, Iranian weavers often make a mistake intentionally. They want to show their belief that "only God is perfect." After oil, Iran's second largest export commodity is carpets. - Provided by RandomHistory.com 5/31/14      There are 28 million cancer survivors worldwide. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

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