Carte blanche, which means unconditional authority or power, was coined during the mid 1600s and literally means in French “blank document.”

A bird sees everything at once in total focus. Whereas the human eye is globular and must adjust to varying distances, the bird's eye is flat and can take in everything at once in a single glance.

The now-extinct ancestor of the horse, eohippus, had a short neck, a pug muzzle, and stood no higher than a medium-sized dog.

Every time a ton of steel is recycled, it means 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,000 pounds of coal, and 40 pounds of limestone will not have to be mined from the Earth.

In ancient times, any Japanese who tried to leave his homeland was summarily put to death. In the 1630s, a decree in Japan forbade the building of any large ocean-worthy ships to deter defection.

The SS Andrea Doria was an ocean liner for the Italian Line with a gross tonnage of 29,100 and a capacity of about 1,200 passengers and 500 crew. For a country attempting to rebuild its economy and reputation after World War II, the Andrea Doria was an icon of Italian national pride. Of all Italy's ships at the time, Andrea Doria was the largest...Read more

St. Nicholas was bishop of the Turkish town of Myra in the early fourth century. It was the Dutch who first made him into a Christmas gift-giver, and Dutch settlers brought him to America where his name eventually became the familiar Santa Claus.

President Franklin Pierce was arrested while in office for running over an old woman with his horse, but his case was dropped due to insufficient evidence in 1853.

The saguaro is a protected plant under Arizona state law. So are the other varieties of native cactus and most of the desert trees. But on private property, it's perfectly legal to mow them down and grind them into mulch. The State Department of Agriculture tries to discourage the practice. Some cities impose tougher requirements. Developers say...Read more

Rattlesnakes gather in groups to sleep through the winter. Sometimes up to 1,000 of them will coil up together to keep warm.

The song "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" was written by George Graff, a German who had never visited Ireland in his life.

According to lead Munchkin Jerry Maren, the "little people" on the set of The Wizard of Oz (1939) were paid $50 per week for a 6-day work week, while Toto received $125 per week. During filming, Toto was stepped on by one of the witch's guards, and had a double for two weeks. A second double was

The only house in England that the Queen may not enter is The House of Commons, as she is not a commoner. She is also the only person in England who does not need a license plate on her vehicle.

Godiva Chocolates were launched in 1926 in Brussels, Belgium, when master chocolatier Joseph Draps founded, with his family, a chocolate company named in honor of the 1040 A.D. legend of Lady Godiva. Draps had perfected a unique formula of rich, smooth chocolate. With an eye for detail, he launched elegant, European shell-moulded designs and ...Read more

Over one in nine cars in the U.S. will be in a collision in any given year. More than 50 percent of all accidental fatalities are vehicle-related.

The famous Eden-Roc Hotel, in Cap D’Antibes in the French Riviera, is often described as the most fabulous hotel in the world. The President of the Republic, Arab princes, stars of the stage and screen – all have stayed here in this security-conscious Shangri-La where credit cards are not recognized, and hard cash is the only currency. Sara ...Read more

Comedienne-turned-talk-show-hostess Rosie O’Donnell reportedly took the role in the film Exit to Eden after learning that sex symbol Sharon Stone had turned it down.

Young cockroaches need only a crack as thin as a dime (about .5mm wide) to crawl into. Adult males can squeeze into a space of 1.6mm or the thickness of a quarter. Pregnant females need the most space to hide: 4.5mm or a space as tall as two stacked nickels.

Leonardo da Vinci was the first to suggest using contact lenses to see back in 1508.

Today's oldest form of horse is the Przewalski, or Mongolian Wild Horse. Survivors of this breed were discovered in the Gobi Desert in 1881.