1 | The word “fizzle” started as a type of fart
According to the English Oxford Dictionaries, in the 1400s it meant “break wind quietly”.
2 | No number up to 1000 contains the letter A
But there are plenty of E’s, I’s, O’s, U’s, and Y’s.
3 | The symbol # is not officially called a hashtag or a pound
Its technical name is octothorp. “Octo” means “eight” and refers to its points, although accounts differ as to where “thorp” came from. Some claim it was named after Olympian Jim Thorpe, while others claim it was just a meaningless suffix.
4 | The French have their own name for the French kiss
Is there anything particularly interesting about this fact of kissing? The word has long since disappeared. In 2014, the word galocher, meaning “kiss with tongues”, was added to the Petit Robert French dictionary.
5 | Movie trailers were originally played after the movie
They “trailed” the feature film—hence, the name. The first trailer appeared in 1912 and was intended for a Broadway show, not a film.
6 | Mercedes invented the car controlled by a joystick
A joystick in a 1966 Mercedes F200 demo car controlled speed and direction, replacing the steering wheel and pedals. The car could also determine which side the driver was sitting on, so someone could drive it from the passenger seat.
7 | H&M actually stands for something
This is one of those interesting facts that you probably never thought about before. The clothing retail store was originally called Hennes, Swedish for “hers,” before it acquired the hunting and fishing gear brand Mauritz Widforss. Over time, the name Hennes & Mauritz was shortened to H&M.
8 | The U.S. government saved every public tweet from 2006 through 2017
Starting in 2018, the Library of Congress decided to only store tweets “very selectively”, including elections and those related to something of national interest, such as public policy.
9 | Giraffe’s tongues can be up to 20 inches long
Their dark, bluish-black color probably protects against sunburn.
10 | There’s only one U.S. state capital without a McDonald’s
Montpelier, Vermont does not have any of these Golden Arches. It also has the smallest population of any state capital, with only 7,500 residents.