There are more than 700 species of plants that grow in the United States that have been identified as dangerous if eaten. Among them are some that are commonly favored by gardeners: buttercups, daffodils, lily of the valley, sweet peas, oleander, azalea, bleeding heart, delphinium, and

Surprisingly, there was a time that the Vatican owned shares of the Watergate complex in Washington D.C., the Pan American building in Paris, and the Hilton hotel in Rome.

Some female cockroaches incubate their egg cases in their bodies until they are ready to hatch. These babies stay with their mothers a day or two after they are born.

Crabs and other crustaceans can escape danger by simply discarding an injured or trapped limb.

Few heroes have garnered the following of the people as did John F. Kennedy. A powerful speaker, his memorable inaugural speech has left it's mark on history for all time: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Springing from Irish forefathers, Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, ...Read more

In 1889, the first coin-operated telephone, patented by Hartford, Connecticut inventor William Gray, was installed in the Hartford Bank. Soon, "pay phones" were installed in stores, hotels, saloons, and restaurants, and their use soared. Local calls using a coin-operated phone in the U.S. cost

The hardiest of all the world's insects is the mosquito. It has been found in the coldest regions of northern Canada and Siberia, and can live quite comfortably at the North Pole. It is equally at home in equatorial jungles.

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel by Mary Shelley, first published in London in 1818 but more often read in the revised third edition of 1831. It's a novel infused with some elements of the Gothic and the Romantic movement and was also a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the Industrial Revolution. The story ...Read more

According to witnesses, film comedian W. C. Fields drank two quarts of martinis a day, even when working on the movie set. In his final years, he suffered from cirrhosis and kidney trouble, and had to wear heavy makeup in his last films to conceal the swollen veins and "gin blossoms" on his face

The winning term "checkmate" comes from the Arabic phrase shah mat, meaning the king is dead.

As with boot cut hems, the trend began in Europe and spread rapidly around the world. Today both boot cut and flare leg pants remain popular both in denim and higher quality office wear. In menswear straight leg also gave way to boot cut looks, again initially in Europe, and has made it's leap into flare leg, for officewear, the same as what ...Read more

It did indeed; the poster was released in the mid 80s and prompted a total recall because of the picture painted in ice-cubes at the bottom right corner. The artist who designed the picture put this in as a joke, and it went through unnoticed until someone spotted it on the back of a Coke truck.

Pharaoh ants are a serious nuisance pest in hospitals, rest homes, apartments, hotels, grocery stores, and other buildings. They feed on a wide variety of foods including soft drinks, greases, jellies, honey, shortening, peanut butter, fruit juices, baked goods, dead insects, and even shoe polish. Also, pharaoh ants gnaw holes in silk, rayon, ...Read more

In the 1850s, Ohio was the nationa (tm)s largest wine producer. Although its remaining 3,000 acres of vineyards are but a fraction of what they once were, Ohio remains the largest wine producer in the Midwest.

In 1937 the emergency 999 telephone service was established in London. More than 13,000 genuine calls were made in the first month.

Lemon grass is a traditional flavoring used in Thai cooking. It grows in stalks and has a subtle, bright, delicate flavor that is lemon-like. It is also used as a flavoring in some beers.

Because Napoleon believed that armies marched on their stomachs, he offered a prize in 1795 for a practical way of preserving food. The prize was won by a French inventor, Nicholas Appert. What he devised was canning. It was the beginning of the canned food industry of today.

Venezuela's Angel Falls are a mile high. They were originally discovered from an airplane.

Contrary to popular belief, most teenagers do not use marijuana. Among students surveyed in a yearly national survey, only about one in six 10th graders report they are current marijuana users (that is, used marijuana within the past month). Fewer than one in four high school seniors is a current

An observation about film-making from director Peter Bogdanovich: "John Ford said that the best things in pictures happen by accident. And Orson Wells said that a director is a man who presides over accidents."