In 1949, the magazine ‘Popular Mechanics’ predicted that computers in the future ‘may have only 1000 vacuum tubes’ and weigh 1.5 tons compared to the ENIAC, which had 18,000 tubes and weighed 30 tons.
Facts
2020 didn’t feature the first…
2020 didn’t feature the first Toilet Paper Panic. In 1973, Johnny Carson made a joke about a toilet paper shortage, causing people to hoard enough to cause an actual nationwide shortage.
The melon drop scam was a con that…
The melon drop scam was a con that targeted Japanese tourists. Scammers would buy a watermelon for a low price and then bump into an Asian tourist and charge them about $100 for the broken melon. This is due to the higher fruit prices in Japan. These days the scam involves any broken item.
In 1914 the first residential air….
In 1914 the first residential air conditioners cost between $10k and $50k (or $120k to $600k inflation-adjusted). By the 1960s, they were as low as $416 (or $4k inflation-adjusted). Since then, heat-related deaths in the U.S. have declined by 80 percent.
Due to casino distributions, every…
Due to casino distributions, every Seminole Indian child born is a multi millionaire when they turn 18 years old.
After Motown mega group The Temptations fired…
After Motown mega group The Temptations fired lead singer David Ruffin he snuck on stage during a live show, grabbed the mic and sang a full song, stunning the band and the audience. The band hired more security but Ruffin kept finding ways to sneak on stage, grab the mic, and sing a song.
The word “laconic” comes from Laconia…
The word “laconic” comes from Laconia in Greece, where the people were known for terse, witty remarks to level (or troll) others. After invading Greece, Philip II of Macedonia asked Sparta if he should come as friend or foe. Their reply was “Neither.” After this Phillip sent a message to Sparta saying “If I invade, Laconia will be destroyed.” Sparta replied with “If.”
Subway’s parent company is called…
Subway’s parent company is called Doctor’s Associates Inc. because co-founders Peter Buck has a Ph.D. in nuclear physics and Fred DeLuca, who was 17, hoped to become a medical doctor.
Japanese scientists hypothesized that…
Japanese scientists hypothesized that zebras’ stripes deter insects. So they painted black and white stripes on cows and striped cows had about 50% fewer biting flies land on them than unpainted cows.
From 1945 to July 1946, Hungary had the highest…
From 1945 to July 1946, Hungary had the highest inflation ever recorded. The highest banknote value went from 1,000 Pengő in 1944 to 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 Pengő in mid-1946. At this time, the total value of all Hungarian banknotes in circulation combined amounted to $0.00001 USD