|
| December 31, 2005
| Astronomy
FactID: 514
|
Rated
4.25 stars
from 20 votes
|
|
Pluto is the only planet in the solar system that has never been visited by a spacecraft.
On January 11, 2006, NASA is scheduled to launch the New Horizons mission. It should reach the planet, which is only 1/150th the volume of Earth, by mid-2015. After completing the 3-billion mile journey, the spacecraft will map Pluto and Charon, its moon.
|
more Astronomy
|
 Link |
 Email Fact |  IM Fact
|  Source: Popular Science and NASA
|
|
| December 30, 2005
| Science
FactID: 513
|
Rated
4.53 stars
from 17 votes
|
|
A "nautical mile" is technically the angular distance of 1 minute of arc (1/60th of one degree) on the Earth's surface. It has been defined as 6,080 feet even though an arcminute is different lengths at different latitudes (since the Earth bulges at the equator).
A "knot" is a measure of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour (or about 1.15 mph). The name comes from the knots tied in the log line used with the sand glass. The log line was thrown onto the sea and the knots in the line were counted as they ran out during the sand glass interval.
|
more Science
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: Nautical Units and Angles webpage
|
|
| December 28, 2005
| Astronomy
FactID: 507
|
Rated
4.07 stars
from 14 votes
|
The total amount of radiation energy from outside the solar collected by all the radio telescopes on Earth since collecting began (in 1951) is less than the energy of a single snowflake striking the ground.
|
more Astronomy
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
|
|
| December 27, 2005
| Society
FactID: 511
|
Rated
4.00 stars
from 7 votes
|
|
The average American family has $8,100 of total credit card debt. If they paid only the minimum amount due each month, this would take approximately 30 years to pay off.
31% of the credit card industry's profits came in the form of late-payment fees, over-limit fees, etc.
|
more Society
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: Bankrate.com
|
|
|
|
|
| December 26, 2005
| Astronomy
FactID: 506
|
Rated
4.60 stars
from 15 votes
|
|
Only 12 people have ever walked on the Moon.
Starting with Apollo 11 in 1969 ("One small step for man...") and ending with Apollo 17 in 1972, NASA fulfilled the vision that Jules Verne had speculated about over 100 years ago!
|
more Astronomy
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: Astronomy Picture of the Day by NASA
|
|
| December 24, 2005
| Computers
FactID: 505
|
Rated
3.74 stars
from 23 votes
|
|
Almost half of people online have at least three e-mail accounts.
In addition, the average consumer has maintained the same e-mail address for four to six years.
|
more Computers
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: DoubleClick study via DMNews article
|
|
| December 23, 2005
| Entertainment
FactID: 504
|
Rated
3.50 stars
from 10 votes
|
|
The search term "Hurricane Katrina" was the second most searched phrase on Google in 2005.
Number 1 was... "Janet Jackson" -- and wasn't that Superbowl 2 years ago??
See an earlier FactMe! fact for even more fun.
|
more Entertainment
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: Google Zeitgeist
|
|
| December 22, 2005
| Business
FactID: 503
|
Rated
4.47 stars
from 15 votes
|
In 2005, Google is expected to sell $6.1 billion in ads, more than any U.S. newspaper chain, magazine publisher or TV network.
|
more Business
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: Goldman Sachs via AdWeek
|
|
|
|
|
| December 20, 2005
| Technology
FactID: 502
|
Rated
3.40 stars
from 10 votes
|
|
In 1985, for the first time, more U.S. TV sets were sold with remote controls than without.
And according to a previous fact, 2003 was the first year digital cameras outsold traditional ones.
|
more Technology
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: AdWeek
|
|
| December 19, 2005
| History
FactID: 501
|
Rated
4.42 stars
from 12 votes
|
|
The Germans started the Christmas tree tradition in the 16th century.
It was even the German Martin Luther that thought of adding lighted candles to the tree: "Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles," according to the History Channel.
|
more History
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: The History Channel via Asha Rangaraj
|
|
| December 15, 2005
| Business
FactID: 500
|
Rated
4.12 stars
from 8 votes
|
|
PepsiCo earns only 20% of its revenue from carbonated soft drinks, while these products make up 80% of Coca-Cola's revenue.
Take a look at PepsiCo's full list of brands.
|
more Business
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: The Economist
|
|
| December 11, 2005
| Entertainment
FactID: 499
|
Rated
4.00 stars
from 3 votes
|
|
The average feature film produces $33 million in US box office receipts, while the average family film generates $90 million.
Most surprising, the average digitally-animated film generates $225 million at the box office.
|
more Entertainment
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: FastCompany article
|
|
|
|
|
| December 10, 2005
| Computers
FactID: 498
|
Rated
3.71 stars
from 14 votes
|
|
Around 1% of the world's 650 million corporate e-mail accounts are plugged into hardware and software that forwards incoming messages to a mobile device. And about 3.65 million of them use a BlackBerry.
An estimated 126 million employees use Microsoft Outlook on desktop.
|
more Computers
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: ZDNet
|
|
| December 3, 2005
| History
FactID: 494
|
Rated
4.33 stars
from 9 votes
|
|
William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the U.S.A. (1909-1913) was the only US President who also served as a Chief Justice on the Supreme Court.
He was also the largest US President at 350 pounds and 6 feet. On several occasions he got stuck in his bathtub, prompting the installation of a new bathtub that could fit all the men that installed it.
|
more History
|
Link |
Email Fact | IM Fact
| Source: Whitehouse.gov & Reference.com
|
View the archives
|
