Play Dough
Playboy Playmate of the Month modeling payouts:
1959-1960: $500
1961-1965: $1,000
1966-1967: $2,500
1968-1969: $3,000
1970-1977: $5,000
1978-1983: $10,000
1984-1989: $15,000
1990-today: $20,000
Just Do It
The Nike “swoosh” logo was created by Carolyn Davidson, a freelance graphic design student, in 1971.
She was paid $35.
The Foarest City
Cleveland is misspelled. The Ohio city was named for Gen. Moses Cleaveland, the leader of the crew that surveyed the local territory. But when the town’s first newspaper, The Cleaveland Advertiser, was established in 1830, the editor found that its title was too long by one letter — so he unceremoniously dropped an A.
(Image: Wikimedia Commons)
No Beach Vacations
Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan are doubly landlocked — each is surrounded entirely by other landlocked countries.
Starting in either place, you’d have to cross at least two borders to reach a coastline.
Snow Miser
The world’s tallest snowman was Angus, King of the Mountain, built in Maine in 1999. He stood 113 feet 7 inches tall.
In Lithuania, a snowman is called “a man without brains.” Last winter, protesters made 141 snowmen in their capital — one for each member of parliament.
Television Privileges
Emmy Award trophies are made at the maximum-security El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas.
The Power of Community
Francis A. Johnson of Darwin, Minn., started a ball of twine in March 1950 and kept going for 29 years. The ball is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 17,500 pounds.
That’s impressive, but it’s also inspiring. Frank Stoeber of Cawker City, Kan., heard about Johnson’s achievement and started his own ball. Sadly, when he died in 1974, Stoeber’s ball measured 11 feet — just short of his goal.
But, in fine Frank Capra style, Cawker City built an open-air gazebo over the ball and began holding a “Twine-a-Thon” every August to increase it.
They’ve succeeded. The Cawker City ball now incorporates 1,325 miles of twine … and weighs 17,554 pounds.
Sunburn Alley
In Nevada, U.S. Route 50 is known as “The Loneliest Road in America.” Because of the barren terrain and low traffic, AAA warns its member to stay off the road unless they’re sure of their survival skills.
There are only five towns along the road, and all of them offer “Route 50 Survival Kits.” Stop in all five and you’ll get a survival certificate signed by the governor.
A Rodent Condo
The largest known beaver dam was discovered near Three Forks, Mont.
It was 2,140 feet long, 14 feet high, and 23 feet thick at the base.
To Boldly Go
Captain Kirk never actually said “Beam me up, Scotty” in any Star Trek episode or movie.
Low Expectations
The first Harry Potter book was given a print run of only 1,000 copies.
Today, these copies are valued at between £16,000 and £25,000 each.
Point Nemo
If you want to be really, really alone, head for 48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W in the South Pacific Ocean. That’s “Point Nemo,” the point in the ocean farthest from any land. You’ll be in the middle of 22,405,411 square kilometers of ocean, an area larger than the entire former Soviet Union.
The point on land farthest from any ocean is at 46°16.8′N 86°40.2′E, outside the Chinese city of Urumqi, in the Dzoosotoyn Elisen Desert. It’s 1,645 miles from the nearest coastline.
Palindrome Years
2002 was a palindrome year — it reads the same forward and backward.
They occur only once a century. The next one will be 2112.
Homebodies
Only about 400 people have ever left Earth’s atmosphere. Only 12 have walked on the moon.
Early Training
The 1987 film Predator starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura.
Both went on to become United States governors.
Oh, Terrific
Cockroaches are some of the hardiest insects on the planet. They can survive without food for a month, and can live without their heads for up to a week. They can hold their breath for 45 minutes, and they have a very high resistance to radiation.
And they make group decisions.
