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02/24/2025

If ever there was an extreme sport, it’s volcano surfing! Equipment is a board or sled specially designed for navigating through the rough terrain found on the abrasive slopes of a volcanic mountain. The boards are similar to a snowboard but contain an extra layer of lamination to reduce friction. Durable jumpsuits are worn to protect the body from abrasions and burns. Goggles are required to shield the eyes from the wind, ash, and debris, and a face cover prevents dust and ash from going up a surfer’s nose and into the mouth.

You can learn more about volcano surfing, wings, and the Oscars, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!

12/16/2024

The filming of Buddy’s first day in New York actually took place on the last day of the shoot. To obtain the stunned looks of the pedestrians, the director, a cameraman, and a costumed Ferrell drove around Manhattan, and Ferrell jumped out of the car to mingle with random real-life people. The Lincoln Tunnel and the 59th Street bridge were both still open to the public, and the sight of Ferrell in his tights and waistcoat as he walked through traffic created several minor collisions among distracted motorists.

You can learn more about Elf, the movie, other elves, and the human life from beginning to end, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!

12/10/2024

Which state is the snowiest? Surprise! It’s Vermont, followed by Maine, New Hampshire, and Colorado. Alaska comes in 5th. Not surprisingly, Hawaii and Florida are at the bottom of the list.

You can learn more about snow, blinking, and Wilson Bentley, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!

12/02/2024

The first vehicle in production to break the 200 mph (322 km/hr) mark was the Ferrari F40 in 1987. Since then, the 300 mph (483 km/hr) target has been surpassed. The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport has a speed exceeding 305 mph (490.8 km/hr) and the Swedish Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut has reached 330 mph (531 km/hr), breaking the 0 to 250 mph (402 km/hr) record in June, 2024 in 19.2 seconds. But the Devel Sixteen sports car, designed in United Arab Emirates by Devel Motors with a 5,007-horsepower, V16 engine, claims the title of fastest, with the manufacturer maintaining that the car can reach 347 mph (550 km/hr), with a 0 to 60 time of 1.8 seconds. In 1908, when Ford introduced its Model T, the top speed was 40-45 mph (65-70 km/hr), a spectacular speed for its time. The luxury cars of the 1920s really picked up the pace when the Rolls-Royce Phantom I exceeded speeds of 90 mph (145 km/hr) and the Duesenberg Model J topped 100 mph (161 km/hr).

You can learn more about 'the fastest & slowest' ... antibiotics, and dirt, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!

11/27/2024

11/18/2024

The Mona Lisa

The painting was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian museum worker who had been hired to make protective glass cases for several pieces of artwork. Peruggia hid inside a closet until after the Louvre closed, and after hours, he wrapped the masterpiece in his work smock, and walked out of the museum the next morning. The painting’s absence went unnoticed for 26 hours. Peruggia hid the Mona Lisa in a trunk in his apartment for two years before returning to Italy, where it was kept in his Florence residence. The thief believed he had done a service to his country by returning the painting to its homeland, and expected a reward for it. He contacted the owner of an art gallery, where the painting was authenticated and kept for “safekeeping.” The owner contacted the police, and Peruggia was arrested. Because many hailed him as a “patriot,” his sentence was light – just one year and 15 days, of which he served seven months. After over two years of searching by more than 60 detectives, the Mona Lisa was returned to its permanent home in the Louvre.

You can learn more about the Mona Lisa, tears, and the Louvre, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!

11/12/2024

The oldest ice skates ever found were extracted from the bottom of a lake in Switzerland and carbon-dated to 3000 B.C., making them over 5,000 years old. However, it’s thought that a primitive form of skating first became common around Finland around 4,000 years ago.

The first skates were made of long animal bones cut flat on the bottom and polished smooth, with holes drilled for straps to attach them to the foot. Wooden poles thrust between the legs provided propulsion.

You can learn more about ice skating, small pox, and flight endurance, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!

11/04/2024

The honor of most expensive animated film in the world belongs to Disney's 2010 feature "Tangled," based on the German Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Rapunzel." The production took six years and cost the studio $274 million. Fortunately, the film earned $592 million worldwide in its initial release. The challenge of animating "Tangled" lay in the difficulty of creating a program for the character's long hair. A hair simulation program called Dynamic Wires was finally used.

You can learn more about animation, plagues, and Snow White, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!

10/29/2024

The average person of typical hygiene standards has about 100,000 bacteria on every square inch of skin. Every human walks around emitting a cloud of bacteria to the tune of around 37 million aerosolized bacteria per hour.

You can learn more about microbes, backfires, and other random facts, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!

10/23/2024

Paper money is printed by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing at two locations, Washington, D.C. and Fort Worth, Texas. These two facilities combined use an extraordinary 9.7 tons of ink every day. The ink’s ingredients are top secret as a measure to prevent counterfeiting. Despite their name, the bills aren’t paper at all, but rather 25% linen and 75% cotton, since paper would fall apart easily. Red and blue synthetic fibers of different lengths are randomly scattered in the bills to make counterfeiting more difficult. The “paper” for the bills has been produced by a Massachusetts company, Crane Currency, for more than 145 years. It’s illegal for anyone besides the Bureau to possess this paper.

You can learn more about money, the $1 bill, and sleep, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!

05/20/2024

In 1970, a vinyl record could be purchased for around $5 (about $33 in today's dollars). The price of a 45 rpm was 95 cents.

Michael Jackson's "Thriller", which was released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time. It sold 32 million copies its first year, with an estimated 70 million number of sales to date. The honor of best-selling single of all time worldwide belongs to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," recorded in 1942.

You can learn more about the history of records, "M" parts and marshmallows, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!

04/08/2024

The human body contains over 30 trillion cells - that's the number 30 followed by 12 zeroes! This number can vary depending on age, gender, body size, and environment. About 200 different types of cells make up this total, including blood cells, skin, nerve, bone, and fat cells. Red blood cells are the most abundant, making up 80% of the total. Each cell contains an astonishing 100 trillion atoms!

You can learn more about cells, the month of April, and Teflon, by reading your local copy of Tidbits!!!