On August 27, 1859 the first oil well was drilled in the United States. Which state was the well drilled in?
The first commercially successful oil well in the United States was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania on August 27, 1859—launching the modern petroleum industry. The well produced 25 barrels a day (now a single U.S. fracking well can pump 1,000+ barrels daily).
In 1952, Albert Einstein was offered but declined the presidency of which country?
After Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann (a chemist and Zionist leader), died in 1952, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proposed Einstein as a symbolic figurehead. Though Jewish and a supporter of Zionism, Einstein was not Israeli and had no political experience. Einstein (a German-born U.S. citizen) never lived in Israel, though he helped found the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Opened in 1905 in New York City, this has been acknowledged by the Pizza Hall of Fame as the first pizzeria in the United States.
The first pizzeria in the United States, acknowledged by the Pizza Hall of Fame, is Lombardi’s—opened in 1905 in New York City’s Little Italy by Gennaro Lombardi, an Italian immigrant from Naples. Lombardi’s began as a small grocery in 1897, selling tomato pies wrapped in paper to factory workers. By 1905, it became a licensed pizzeria with a coal-fired oven—the secret to its crispy crust!
On November 30, 1954, Ann Hodges from Talladega County, Alabama became the first woman in history to
The Hodges meteorite crashed through the roof of her home, bounced off a radio, and hit her while she was napping on the couch. It left a large bruise but didn’t cause serious injury. This is the only documented case of a human being hit by a space rock in modern history! The meteorite sparked a legal battle over ownership—Ann’s landlord tried to claim it, but she eventually won. However, she later donated it to the Alabama Museum of Natural History, where it’s still displayed today.
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Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated by well-known stage actor John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865 at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. What was the name of the play Lincoln was watching when he was shot?
Did you know that John Wilkes Booth timed his attack to coincide with one of the play’s biggest laugh lines? He knew the theater well and waited for a moment when the audience’s laughter would muffle the sound of his gunshot. The line was delivered by actor Harry Hawk, who was alone on stage saying, "Don’t know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal—you sockdologizing old man-trap!" The word "sockdologizing" (a humorous, old-fashioned term meaning "decisive" or "final") triggered loud laughter—and that’s when Booth fired.
The world’s first television commercial aired on July 1, 1941, before the beginning of a baseball game in New York between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. It was only 10 seconds long. What was the advertisement for?
The world’s first TV commercial, which aired on July 1, 1941, was a 10-second ad for Bulova watches. The simple ad featured a shot of a clock with the Bulova logo over a map of the U.S., while a voiceover declared: "America runs on Bulova time!" The game it aired before (Dodgers vs. Phillies) was also historic—it was the first MLB game ever televised!
Which country was the first to print paper money?
The first country to print paper money was China, during the Tang Dynasty (around the 7th century AD). However, it became more widespread during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD) when the government issued the world's first state-backed paper currency to replace heavy metal coins. When Marco Polo visited China in the 13th century, he was amazed by paper money and wrote about it in his travels, introducing the concept to Europe—though Europe didn’t adopt it until the 1600s!
What is the name of the Malaysian national currency?
Malaysia was one of the first countries to introduce polymer banknotes (starting in 1998), which are tougher, waterproof, and harder to counterfeit than paper bills. Some Ringgit notes have holograms, color-shifting ink, and even raised Braille dots for the visually impaired!
How many moons does the planet Venus have?
Venus and Mercury are the only planets in our solar system without moons. Scientists aren’t entirely sure why, but theories include: Proximity to the Sun: The Sun’s gravity might have stolen or destroyed potential moons. Violent Past: Venus may have had moons long ago, but collisions or its backward spin (yes, it rotates opposite most planets!) could have doomed them. Venus does have a "quasi-moon"—a tiny asteroid called 2002 VE68 that orbits in a weird, corkscrew path near Venus. But it’s not a true moon!
Which U.S. WW2 General competed in the pentathlon in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics?
Patton finished 5th overall, but his performance was remarkable. He might have medaled if not for a controversy in the shooting event: He insisted one of his bullets missed the target because it went through the same hole as a previous shot. Judges ruled it a miss, costing him points.
The island of Saipan is a commonwealth of which country?
The island of Saipan is part of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in political union with the United States. Though Saipan flies the U.S. flag, its people can’t vote for president and have no voting reps in Congress—yet they follow most U.S. laws. Locals are U.S. citizens by birth, but the island’s laws on immigration and minimum wage are different from the mainland.
On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant created the worlds first national park. What was the name of the park?
Yellowstone sits atop one of the world’s largest active volcanic systems. If it erupted today, it could cover the U.S. in ash and change the global climate! (Don’t worry—scientists say it’s not due for another few thousand years.)
