Granula, the first breakfast cereal, was introduced in 1863; to be able to chew it, you had to soak it overnight.
Bill Gates bought his first successfu…
Bill Gates bought his first successful OS, MS-DOS from someone who created it for their company as a placeholder, it was originally called QDOS or Quick and Dirty Operating System. His mother was on the United Way board with the Chairman of IBM so she got him to help Bill.
After the assassinations of his brothers…
After the assassinations of his brothers President John F Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy; Senator Ted Kennedy lived the rest of his life in fear of being assassinated as well and would jump at loud noises and dive for cover at the sound of a car backfiring.
45 years ago, ahi (tuna) were caught…
45 years ago, ahi (tuna) were caught for fun and ground into pet food. In Japan, tuna was called neko-matagi, meaning “fish that even a cat would disdain.”
McDonald’s initially was a barbeque….
McDonald’s initially was a barbeque restaurant when it first opened. They had lots of competition as a barbeque shop and dealt with tight profit margins which caused them to close for a few months. They then reopened as a burger restaurant.
The 2005 film ‘Hostel’ damaged Slovakia’s…
The 2005 film ‘Hostel’ damaged Slovakia’s representation and tourism economy so badly that director Eli Roth was invited to an all expenses paid trip to clear false allegations the film made about the country, such as it being a ‘crime riddled, corrupt, lawless, poor and dangerous’ place.
In 1429, King Charles VII of France…
In 1429, King Charles VII of France exempted the town of Domrémy from paying taxes “forever”, after a promise to Joan of Arc. Taxes were imposed again during the French Revolution.
President Ulysses S. Grant was nearly…
President Ulysses S. Grant was nearly bankrupted by a Ponzi scheme a year before his death, and was saved from near-destitution by partnering with Mark Twain on his memoirs
Caffè sospeso (“suspended coffee”) is….
Caffè sospeso (“suspended coffee”) is a tradition in Naples, sometimes regarded as obsolete, whereby someone pays for two coffees but only receives one, leaving a coffee to be given to anyone who walks in and inquires whether a caffè sospeso is available.
The King of Norway’s firstborn…
The King of Norway’s firstborn, Princess Märtha Louise, is a self-described ‘clairvoyant’. She has started a school for communicating with angels and dead souls, and is currently dating a self-described shaman.