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"Our life is what our thoughts make it."
- Marcus Aurelius

AUG 2011

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8/1/11     The point system was invented by Francois-Ambroise Didot (1730-1804). He improved on a previous system of measurement, the Fournier system, and devised the Didot point system of 72 points to the French inch. He also introduced the idea of distinguishing type sizes by points, e.g. 12-point or 24-point, as opposed to the use of classical names. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/2/11     The U.S. Census Bureau hired nearly 700,000 people to conduct interviews for the 2010 Census. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/3/11     Plastic bags are easier to recycle and require less energy to produce than paper bags. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/4/11     The only president to be unanimously elected was George Washington (1732-1799). He also refused to accept his presidential salary, which was $25,000 a year. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/5/11     According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Alaska consumes more energy per capita than any other state. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/6/11     H.G. Wells was the first to use the term 'atomic bomb' (1914) and 'ground zero' was first used in reference to the devastation left by an atomic bomb (particularly Hiroshima). The term 'nuclear bomb' encompasses both 'atomic bomb' and 'hydrogen bomb.. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/7/11     One of the greatest predictors of love is proximity. Physical closeness leads to increased emotion, and it is not unusual to hear stories of bosses falling in love with their secretaries. On the other hand, scientists now think that at a critical time in childhood (sometime between ages 4-6), boys and girls who live in close proximity lose their ability to fall in love with each other, perhaps preventing the destructive act of mixing one's DNA with close kin. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/8/11     By 2010, at least 35 million children will have lost one or both parents to AIDS. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/9/11     Only three countries in the world (Kosovo, Taiwan, and Vatican City/The Holy See) are not United Nations members. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/10/11     Alaska is the largest of the United States, but among the least populated. The 49th state to join the Union (January 3, 1959), Alaska contains Point Barrow, the northernmost point of the U.S. and Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America. Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 for about $7 million or two cents an acre. Its name comes from the Aleut word 'alakshak', meaning peninsula.. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/11/11     Horses like music but are selective in their taste. They prefer calming or cheerful instrumental music, but are agitated by loud music such as rock. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/13/11     Little League started in 1939 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, by Carl E. Stotz and brothers Bert and George Bebble. The league originally included boys age 8 to 12, but girls have been admitted since 1974. The Little League now includes a senior division for players age - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/14/11     The top three stressful cities in America are Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; and New York, New York. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/15/11     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 RandomHistory.com
8/16/11     During a Mars winter, almost 20% of the air freezes. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/17/11     Of the thousands of chemical agents in tobacco smoke, more than 50 have been proven to cause cancer. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/19/11     The 1883 eruption of the Krakatau volcano in Indonesia is thought to have released 200 megatons of energy, the equivalent of 15,000 nuclear bombs. Even though the island was uninhabited, the eruption killed 36,000 people as the result of burning ash showers and huge tsunamis. It generated the loudest sound historically reported. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/21/11     It was so cold at Ulysses S. Grant's presidential inauguration that the canaries that were supposed to sing at the inaugural ball froze to death. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/22/11     Monkeys use vocalizations, facial expressions, and body movements to communicate. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/23/11     Wine facilitated contacts between ancient cultures, providing the motive and means of trade. For example, the Greeks traded wine for precious metals, and the Romans traded wine for slaves. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/24/11     Portuguese sharks live at depths of 12,000 feet, which is over two miles deep. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/25/11     In Australia, swimsuits are known as 'cossies.' In the UK and Ireland, they are called 'togs.' - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/26/11     The founder of German opera is Christoph Willibald von Gluck (1714-1787) who was a major force in moving opera away from unnatural and dramatic practices to more realistic performances. He influenced greats such as Mozart and Wagner. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/27/11     The biological symbol for the male sex, a circle with a small arrow protruding from it, is also the symbol for the planet Mars. The two components of the symbol are designed to represent the shield and spear of Mars, the Roman god of war. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/28/11     Insects such as termites and ants provide 10% of the protein consumed worldwide. Where insects are an integral part of a diet, they contribute as much as 40% of protein. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/29/11     A 'cork-tease' is someone who constantly talks about the wine he or she will open but never does. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/30/11     The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is currently investigating whether colleges are discriminating in favor of boys in order to achieve gender balance. Colleges have found that when a college has 60% girls, high school boys stop applying there. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
8/31/11     In almost every country worldwide, the life expectancy for women is higher than for men. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

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