June 22, 2016

Orville Wright was piloting a plane that crashed causing the first airplane fatality. On September 17, 1908 during a demonstration flight, an aircraft flown by Orville Wright nose-dived into the ground from a height of approximately 75 feet, killing Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge who was a passenger. This was the first recorded airplane fatality in history. One of two propellers separated in flight, tearing loose the wires bracing the rudder and causing the loss of control of the aircraft. Orville Wright suffered a broken left thigh and several broken ribs but eventually recovered from his injuries. Selfridge, who was Secretary of the Aerial Experiment Association, suffered a crushed skull and died a short time later.

June 21, 2016

De Beers launched its famous slogan "A Diamond is Forever" in 1947. Copywriter Frances Gerety came up with the famous phrase in 1947 for De Beers, and a successful campaign using the slogan drove diamond sales and solidified the gem's reputation as a symbol of love and commitment. The phrase has been part of popular culture for decades, used in every single De Beers engagement ad for years. In 2000, Advertising Age magazine named “A Diamond Is Forever” the best advertising slogan of the 20th century. Today, the phrase still appears on the De Beers web site.

June 20, 2016

President William Howard Taft has the honor of being America's heaviest leader, weighing in at over 335-340 pounds toward the end of his Presidency. After he became stuck in the White House bathtub, Taft ordered a new one installed. The replacement was big enough to hold four grown men of average size. It was replaced in 1952 with a modern tub of similar size. Beyond his weight, Taft is remembered for being the first U.S. president to throw a pitch on the opening day of baseball season, and the only President who also served as a Supreme Court justice. He was the first president to be buried in Arlington Cemetery, and the first to have a funeral broadcast on the radio.

June 19, 2016

The male seahorse does something highly unusual in the animal kingdom; they get pregnant and deliver their offspring. Scientists don't have a clear reason why seahorses evolved this way, but they theorize this is one of the ways seahorses try to help the species survive. The male seahorse is equipped with a brood pouch on the ventral, or front-facing, side of the tail. When mating, the female seahorse deposits up to 1,500 eggs in the male's pouch. The male carries the eggs for 9 to 45 days until the seahorses emerge fully developed, but very small. Once the seahorses are released into the water, the male's role is done and he offers no further care and often mates again within hours or days during the breeding season.

June 18, 2016

The Mall of America (MOA) is a shopping mall owned by the Triple Five Group and is the largest mall in the United States. It is located in Bloomington, Minnesota. Opened in 1992, the mall receives over 42 million visitors annually, the most of any mall in the world. Mall of America became the largest shopping mall in total area and largest in total store vendors in the United States when it opened. The Mall of America's 42 million annual visitors equal roughly eight times the population of the state of Minnesota. As one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world, Mall of America features—520 stores, 50 restaurants and attractions galore, including Nickelodeon Universe, the nation's largest indoor theme park.

June 17, 2016

Once upon a time in Holland, tulips were used as currency. During the 1620’s, tulips reached such a state of popularity in Holland that they actually created one of the world’s first economic bubbles. During what is known as the Dutch Golden Age, a single Viceroy tulip bulb had a value equivalent to $1,250 in current American dollars. According to the 1841 book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by British journalist Charles Mackay, a single tulip bulb was once given in exchange for 12 acres of land. “Tulip mania”, as it became known, didn’t last and at some point in the mid 1630’s, people questioned the value in paying a fortune for a flower that would inevitably die and subsequently, the market crashed.

June 16, 2016

Once upon a time in Holland, tulips were used as currency. During the 1620’s, tulips reached such a state of popularity in Holland that they actually created one of the world’s first economic bubbles. During what is known as the Dutch Golden Age, a single Viceroy tulip bulb had a value equivalent to $1,250 in current American dollars. According to the 1841 book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by British journalist Charles Mackay, a single tulip bulb was once given in exchange for 12 acres of land. “Tulip mania”, as it became known, didn’t last and at some point in the mid 1630’s, people questioned the value in paying a fortune for a flower that would inevitably die and subsequently, the market crashed.

June 15, 2016

Disk jockey Alan Freed is widely credited with coining the term “rock and roll” to describe the uptempo black R&B records he played as early as 1951 on Cleveland radio station WJW. Freed is commonly referred to as the "father of rock 'n' roll" due to his promotion of the style of music, and his introduction of the phrase "rock and roll", in reference to the musical genre, on mainstream radio in the early 1950s. In 1952, Freed was one of the people who put together the Moondog Coronation Ball, a Cleveland concert that is now considered the first-ever rock and roll concert. His career was destroyed by the payola scandal that hit the broadcasting industry in the early 1960s.

June 14, 2016

Paul McCartney was the only member of The Beatles to graduate high school; he was an Art major. John Lennon failed his final exams by just a few points, but was accepted to Liverpool Art College on his headmaster's personal recommendation. McCartney has been recognized as one of the most successful composers and performers of all time. More than 2,200 artists have covered his Beatles song "Yesterday", more than any other copyrighted song in history. A two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a 21-time Grammy Award winner, McCartney has written, or co-written, 32 songs that have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

June 22, 2016

Which U.S. state is the smallest (by area) in the union? A. South Carolina B. Rhode Island C. Connecticut D. Delaware B. Rhode Island Rhode Island may be the smallest in area, but Wyoming weighs in with the fewest residents - less than 500,000.

June 21, 2016

Which animal is responsible for the most deaths in North America on average? A. Deer B. Spiders C. Dogs D. Cows A. Deer Oh, deer! The animal responsible for an average of 130 deaths annually is the innocuous deer, but don't fear its bite or hooves. The unfortunate meeting of deer and cars usually are responsible for those deaths.

June 20, 2016

Which of the following phobias is not one of the 10 most common in the U.S., according to psychologists? A. Heights B. Needles C. Water D. Animals/Insects B. Needles Don't be scared! The National Institutes of Health found that critters - animals, insects, etc. - topped the list of fears, but needles didn't appear in the top 10.

June 19, 2016

Which musician has not been charged with murder at some point in his life? A. Snoop Dogg B. Sid Vicious C. Phil Spector D. Tupac Shakur D. Tupac Shakur Although he had his share of legal troubles ranging from sexual assault to weapons charges, Tupac Shakur was never charged with murder in his lifetime.

June 17, 2016

When did the average price of gas hit its peak? A. 1981 B. 1993 C. 2008 D. 2014 C. 2008 The average price of gas peaked in July 2008. It averaged $4.38 a gallon.

June 16, 2016

Which famous burger boasts a whopping 1,160 calorie count? A. Burger King Fire-Grilled Whopper B. Sonic Drive-In SuperSonic Double Cheeseburger with Mayo C. McDonald's Big Mac D. Wendy's Son of Baconator Hamburger B. Sonic Drive-In SuperSonic Double Cheeseburger with Mayo The Mac, the Whopper and the Baconator don't look so bad when next to the Sonic Drive-In SuperSonic Double Cheeseburger (with mayo). It tallies an incredible 1,160 calories.

June 15, 2016

If a meteorologist predicts "high barometric pressure," what sort of weather should be expected? A. Snow B. Rain C. Calm D. Tornadoes C. Calm Come on, get higher. High barometric pressure indicates calm weather.

June 14, 2016

Which company is the world's largest distributor of toys? A. Toys R Us B. Amazon.com C. McDonald's D. Oriental Trading C. McDonald's Talk about a Happy Meal! McDonald's restaurants are the largest distributors of toys in the world.

June 13, 2016

Complete Casey Kasem's famous American Top 40 Countdown signature sign off: "Keep your feet on the ground, and..." A. ...keep reaching for the stars. B. ...keep your head in the clouds. C. ...keep your eyes on the prize. D. ...keep dreaming. A. "...keep reaching for the stars." Right after playing the number-one song of the week, Kasem would recite his famous line: "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars."

June 13, 2016

Although the early part of the century saw many individual store credit accounts, a credit card that could be used at more than one merchant was not invented until 1950. Diners Club, was founded in 1950 by Frank X. McNamara, who was inspired to create the card after he was embarrassed when he forgot to bring his wallet to a restaurant. Diners Club became the first independent credit card company in the world. By 1951, there were 20,000 Diners Club cardholders. Diners Club Card purchases were made on credit, but it was technically a charge card, meaning the bill had to be paid in full at the end of each month. Source: Business Insider

June 12, 2016

The DeLorean DMC-12 sports car was used to propel Marty McFly and Doc to the future in the Back to the Future film franchise. In the feature film series, Dr. Emmett Brown builds a time machine based on a DeLorean DMC-12 car, to gain insights into history and the future. The time machine requires a power input of 1.21 jigowatts (gigawatts) to operate, originally provided by a plutonium-fueled nuclear reactor. The DeLorean DMC-12 was the brainchild of automotive engineer John Z. DeLorean, who founded the DeLorean Motor Company in 1974. DeLorean Motor Company filed for bankruptcy in 1982. Approximately 9,200 cars were built, consisting of three model years, 1981, 1982 and 1983.

June 11, 2016

Avis is a rental car provider that was founded by Warren Avis in 1948 with three cars at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Their corporate slogan "We Try Harder" was adopted in 1962 to make a more positive reference of Avis' status as the second largest car rental company in the United States, at the expense of its larger competitor The Hertz Corporation. The slogan was used for 50 years before a re-branding in 2012. The “We Try Harder” ads were an instant hit and became one of the most famous campaigns in advertising history.

June 10, 2016

Pac-Man is an arcade game developed by Namco and first released in Japan on May 21, 1980. Pac-Man is often credited with being a landmark in video game history, and is among the most famous arcade games of all time. In the game, bonus items, usually referred to as fruits appear on the maze. The fruits in the original Pac-Man are, in order: Cherry (100 points), Strawberry (300 points), Orange (500 points), Apple (700 points), Melon (1000 points). Pac-Man has the highest brand awareness of any video game character among American consumers, recognized by 94 percent of them.

June 9, 2016

On January 27, 1984, Michael Jackson was filming a Pepsi Cola commercial, when pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire, causing second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars and had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter. Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated his $1.5 million settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California. Its Michael Jackson Burn Center is named in his honor.

June 8, 2016

Tim Berners-Lee is a British computer scientist who is credited with inventing the World Wide Web (WWW). Berners-Lee enabled a system to be able to view web pages (hypertext documents) through the internet. He also serves as a director for the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) which overseas standards for the internet and World Wide Web. In 2004, Berners-Lee was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his pioneering work. As the inventor of the World Wide Web, he was named in Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th century.

June 7, 2016

Born and raised in Georgia, Jimmy Carter was an officer in the Navy, a peanut farmer, and the 39th President of the United States. Carter’s parents owned a peanut farm and warehouse outside the small town of Plains, Georgia. After the death of his father in 1953, Jimmy Carter resigned his naval commission, forgoing a promising military career, and returned to Plains to help his family. He spent the next several years reviving the family-owned peanut warehouse business, farming, and assuming the responsibilities previously exercised by his father. Carter resuscitated the family farm and became active in community politics. Carter would go on to become the 39th President of the United States.

June 6, 2016

On the morning of June 6, 1944, Allied forces staged an enormous assault on German positions on the beaches of Normandy, France during World War II. The invasion is often known by the famous nickname "D-Day," yet few people know the origin of the term or what, if anything, the "D" stands for. According to the U.S. military, "D-Day" was an Army designation used to indicate the start date for specific field operations. In this case, the "D" in D-Day doesn’t actually stand for anything—it’s merely an alliterative placeholder used to designate a particular day on the calendar. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.

June 5, 2016

Reyn Guyer, Charles Foley and Neil Rabens invented the game for Milton Bradley in 1966. The pair originally called it Pretzel. Unfortunately, Pretzel was also the name of a toy dog currently on the market. When it was discovered that the name was not available, the Milton Bradley Co. chose "Twister". Submitted for patent and marketed by Milton Bradley in 1966, Twister became a success when actress Eva Gabor played it with Johnny Carson on television's The Tonight Show on May 3, 1966. In 1967 Twister was named the "Game of the Year".

June 13, 2016

What was Jennifer Beals' Flashdance character's day job? A. Construction worker B. Secretary C. Waitress D. Welder D. Welder By night, Alex Owens was an exotic dancer, but by day, she worked as a welder. What a feeling!

June 12, 2016

What is the heaviest internal organ in the human body? A. Heart B. Liver C. Stomach D. Intestine B. Liver Don't like liver? Too bad - weighing in at 3.5 to 4 pounds, the liver is the heaviest internal organ. The skin is the heaviest organ overall.

June 11, 2016

What is the name of the protagonist in J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye? A. Holden Caulfield B. Atticus Finch C. Patrick Bateman D. Dean Moriarty A. Holden Caulfield Troubled teen Holden Caulfield was the protagonist of the 1951 novel.

June 10, 2016

Which of the following is NOT a celebrity baby name? A. Moxie B. Pilot C. Two D. Memphis C. Two Two's a crowd, but Tu isn't. Num3rs actor Rob Morrow actually named his daughter Tu - as in Tu Morrow. Moxie Crimefighter Gillette is the progeny of Penn Gillette; Pilot Inspektor is Jason Lee's son; and Memphis Eve is Bono's daughter.

June 9, 2016

January is a national awareness month for all the following causes except... A. Thyroid Awareness Month B. Cervical Health Awareness Month C. American Heart Month D. National Birth Defects Prevention C. American Heart Month You'll have to wait until February to commemorate American Heart Month, but January does commemorate thyroid awareness, cervical health awareness and birth defects prevention.

June 8, 2016

To which mammal's brain is a cat's brain most similar? A. Dog B. Human C. Dolphin D. Mouse B. Human Think you're not cat people? Including identical areas in the brain responsible for emotion, cats' brains are most similar to human brains.

June 7, 2016

A. Guiding Light B. Days of Our Lives C. Young and the Restless D. General Hospital A. Guiding Light Originally begun as a radio show in 1937, Guiding Light transitioned to TV in 1952 and aired its final episode in 2009.

June 6, 2016

Approximately how many serial killers have there been in the United States in the past century, according to the FBI? A. 50 B. 150 C. 300 D. 400 D. 400 The FBI estimates there have been 400 serial killers, amassing up to 3,860 victims.

June 5, 2016

How did mob boss Al Capone die? A. Syphilis B. Old age C. Gunshots D. Pneumonia A. Syphilis Surprise - Capone was felled by complications of syphilis, which, at the end of his life, rendered his faculties like that of a 12-year-old child.

June 4, 2016

Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942, Muhammad Ali became an Olympic gold medalist in 1960 and the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964. He changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Cassius was allocated the name Muhammad Ali as a follower of Islam by the movement leader, Elijah Muhammad. Arguably boxing's most celebrated athlete, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali was also known for his public stance against the Vietnam War and his longtime battle with Parkinson's disease. Muhammad Ali died yesterday at the age of 74 in Phoenix, Arizona. R.I.P. Muhammad Ali (January 17th, 1942 - June 3rd, 2016)

June 3, 2016

Joe DiMaggio's endorsement of Mr. Coffee in the 1970s served to boost sales of the coffeemaker and earn DiMaggio the nickname of "Mr. Coffee." DiMaggio was the spokesman and face of the electric drip coffee makers for over 20 years. Vincent Marotta, the CEO of North American Systems, which manufactured Mr. Coffee at the time, recruited DiMaggio for the advertising campaign. Despite his commercials for Mr. Coffee, Joe DiMaggio rarely drank coffee due to ulcers. However, when he did drink coffee, DiMaggio preferred Sanka instant coffee, rather than the coffee brewed by Mr. Coffee machines.

June 2, 2016

Thomas & Friends (previously known as Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends) is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor. Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was the first storyteller of Thomas & Friends, and arguably the one most frequently associated with the show. He narrated the first and second seasons of the television series and was the first to actor to play Mr. Conductor in Shining Time Station. Starr did not return for the third series of Thomas, citing an interest in focusing on his musical career. He was replaced by George Carlin.

June 1, 2016

On April 7, 1940, Booker T. Washington became the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp. The 10 cent stamp was part of the Famous American Commemorative series issued in 1940. Born a slave on a Virginia farm, Washington rose to become one of the most influential African-American intellectuals of the late 19th century. In 1881, he founded the Tuskegee Institute, a black school in Alabama devoted to training teachers. The Post Office Department (POD) selected Tuskegee Institute, founded by Washington, to host the stamp's first day of issue ceremony. The POD honored Booker T. Washington once again in 1956, the centennial of his birth.

May 31, 2016

The highest rated single television broadcast in U.S. history is the 150-minute long final episode of M*A*S*H (the country's first ever and, to date only, regular primetime television series to be watched by more than 100 million American viewers for an episode), transmitted on primetime by CBS on 28 February 1983, viewed at a peak conclusion by 125 million American viewers (or 60.2% of American households and at least 77% of the total U.S. television viewers). It still stands as the most watched finale of any television series.

May 30, 2016

The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress in 2000, asks Americans, wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day, to pause in an act of national unity for a duration of one minute. The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather, it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died in service to the United States.

June 4, 2016

Which Bruce Springsteen song was used referred to in speeches without permission for the 1984 re-election of Ronald Reagan for the president of the United States? A. No Surrender B. I'm on Fire C. Born in the U.S.A. D. Born to Run C. Born in the U.S.A. Ronald Reagan's campaign unwittingly mentioned the hit "Born in the U.S.A." while campaigning for his re-election. They were not aware the singer is a staunch liberal - nor did they listen to the lyrics, apparently.

June 3, 2016

The westernmost point of the 50 United States is in which state? A. California B. Hawaii C. Alaska D. Oregon C. Alaska Westward, ho! Alaska is the farthest point west in the U.S. Rumor has it you can see Russia from some folks' houses there!

June 2, 2016

Which child actor did actress Mila Kunis date for eight years prior to her relationship with Ashton Kutcher? A. Corey Haim B. Corey Feldman C. Jonathan Taylor Thomas D. Macaulay Culkin D. Macaulay Culkin Talk about playing house! Kunis was Home Alone with Macaulay Culkin for eight years.

June 1, 2016

Which fellow musicians are rumored to be the subject of Ed Sheeran's song "Don't"? A. Taylor Swift and Harry Styles B. Ellie Goulding and Niall Horan C. Jessie J and Zayn Malik D. Kayne West and Kim Kardashian B. Ellie Goulding and Niall Horan One Direction member Niall Horan and Sheeran's rumored love interest at the time, Ellie Goulding, are supposedly the subject of the cute ginger's hit "Don't."