Mary Jo Bellner Swartzberg
According to an online source, “The human brain’s capacity for information storage is estimated to be around 2.5 petabytes (PB), which is equivalent to about 2.5 million gigabytes.” This information storage includes not only facts, but also memories, experiences, emotions, and patterns. Here are some fascinating factoids to help you achieve your 2.5 million gigabyte quotas:
• The llama is a cousin to the camel.
• During the Great Depression, more people moved out of the United States than to the United States, a record that still stands today.
• The first home garbage disposal was invented in 1927 and was taken to market in 1938.
• Considered rare, only one out of every 1,000 eggs will have two yolks.
• The largest library in the world is the Library of Congress, with 173 million items.
• About five trillion plastic bags are used globally each year, which amounts to 160,000 plastic bags used every second worldwide. The United States uses over 100 billion plastic bags each year.
• There are approximately 39,000 golf courses in the world.
• Between 13 to 17 billion quarts of popcorn are consumed each year in the United States, which is an average of about 43 to 68 quarts per person.
• The longest war in history was the Iberian Religious Wars (or Reconquista), which lasted for 781 years, from 711 to 1492 CE, during which time the European Christian kingdoms fought the Muslim kingdoms.
• The most popular U.S. president was John F. Kennedy, followed by Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton.
• The first pie, made with grains and honey, originated around 6000 BCE in Egypt; the first crust with a filling—a chicken pie—dates to before 2000 BCE in Sumaira. The Romans enhanced the concept with a top crust and a bottom crust in order to preserve the pie.
• The first (documented) tennis match was in 1877, the Wimbledon Championship. Tennis can be traced back to the 12th century in France, as a handball game.
• On average, a woman in the U.S. spends about $25 to $30 per month on skincare products and creams, with millennials spending more than older generations. However, some women spend as much as $2,000 to $10,000 annually.
• The United States has the distinction of being the country that consumes the most sugar, on a per capita basis. People consume about 126.4 grams of sugar daily. Note: A teaspoon of sugar contains 4 grams of sugar.
• California leads the country in commercial cut-flower production—about 76% of all cut flowers grown in the U.S.
• Yuma, Ariz., is the sunniest place in the contiguous United States, with an average of 4,000 hours of sunlight per year. It also is the sunniest place on earth!
• The oldest settlement in Arizona is Old Oraibi, a Hopi town in Navajo country, which has been inhabited for over 800 years. But Tucson, which was founded in 1775 and incorporated in 1877, is the oldest incorporated city in Arizona.