Archives: Facts

Custom post type for facts

Hollywood was established in Los Angeles to get away from Thomas Edison.

Hollywood clapboard
Credit: Jari Hindstroem/ Shutterstock
Author Bennett Kleinman
April 16, 2024

Love it?

Hollywood most likely wouldn’t be the movie mecca it is today if not for filmmakers traveling west to escape Thomas Edison’s stranglehold on movie production. In 1891, Edison positioned himself at the forefront of the budding film industry after patenting an early camera known as the Kinetograph and a viewer called the Kinetoscope. Two years later, he opened the very first movie studio, Black Maria, in West Orange, New Jersey. He went on to produce nearly 1,200 films over the ensuing decades (including the first Frankenstein movie). To ensure the success of his films, Edison formed an alliance with other industry patent holders to quash competition. Called the Motion Picture Patents Company, the group inundated independent filmmakers with copyright infringement lawsuits to ensure Edison’s iron grip over the industry.

Because Edison’s operations were based on the East Coast, however, his sphere of influence was weaker in Western states such as California. This led independent filmmakers to seek refuge out West, and many settled in a newly incorporated neighborhood of Los Angeles called Hollywood. (The area was initially founded as a religious community before the migration of filmmakers.) Edison’s legal team, however, continued to hound West Coast producers until the 1915 Supreme Court case United States v. Motion Picture Patents Co. ruled that Edison could no longer use his patents to impede or disable rival moviemakers. With Edison’s monopoly finally busted, the film industry began to thrive in its new Hollywood home.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Thomas Edison administered a 146-question intelligence test to prospective employees.

Thomas Edison demanded a great deal of his employees, and wanted to ensure that he hired only the most knowledgeable individuals. To do this, his company administered a lengthy test to all prospective hires, containing 146 seemingly random bits of trivia. The quiz included questions such as, “What is the capital of Pennsylvania?” and “What cereal is used all over the world?” Many people who interviewed for a job at Edison’s company decried the test as impossible to pass. Even Edison’s own son, a student at MIT, failed the exam, as did Albert Einstein, who took the test after it was published in the newspaper. Despite the criticism, Edison defended the questionnaire as a necessity, claiming that each memory lapse from his employees cost the company $5,000 (roughly $86,000 today).

The most valuable U.S. bill is the ‘Grand Watermelon’ $1,000 Treasury Note.

$1,000 "Grand Watermelon" Treasury Note
Credit: Kris Connor via Getty Images Entertainment
Author Michael Nordine
September 24, 2025

Love it?

Money might seem like an odd collector’s item, given that we tend to think of a $100 bill as being worth, well, $100. But several discontinued banknotes are worth far more than face value. That’s especially true of the 1890 $1,000 Treasury Note nicknamed the “Grand Watermelon,” which, with a valuation of $3.3 million, is now considered the most valuable U.S. bill. 

No actual watermelons adorn the note, alas, but the wide, green zeros on the reverse bear a striking resemblance to the beloved fruit. A portrait of George Meade, a Union general during the Civil War, is on the obverse (front). The bill didn’t last long, as neither the Treasury Department nor the public was enamored with the design, and only 18,000 were produced.
As for why it’s so valuable more than 130 years later, the answer is simple: scarcity. There are only three known collectible examples of the “Grand Watermelon” note still in existence, one of which sold for $3.29 million in January 2014. Also quite valuable is the 1891 Red Seal $1,000 Treasury Note, with one selling for $2.5 million in April 2013. Maybe one day your 50 State Quarters will fetch a similar price.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

The $2 bill is still printed.

Despite being thought of as a collectible, the $2 bill is still printed in the United States — albeit at smaller quantities than it used to be. Its reputation is apparently self-perpetuating, as the reason so few of them are used as actual currency is that most people prefer to hang on to them instead. 

The bills have been in circulation since 1862, when the U.S. first started printing paper currency, except between 1966 and 1972, when the Federal Reserve decided they’d outlived their usefulness. Once $2 bills returned from their six-year hiatus, hardworking Americans began collecting them rather than exchanging them for goods and services. The Federal Reserve estimates that there are still 1.7 billion $2 bills in circulation. That’s not a lot when compared to the 14.9 billion $1 bills that are out there, but it’s not exactly rare, either.

Alcatraz operated for less than 30 years.

View of Alcatraz prison
Credit: Shelby Cohron/ Unsplash
Author Nicole Villeneuve
April 11, 2024

Love it?

Alcatraz is one of the most infamous prisons in U.S. history, but its reputation has outlived the relatively short time it was operational. The small Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay was transformed into a fortress in the mid-19th century, and during the Civil War, it was used as a military prison. By the early 1900s, the fortress was no longer considered an effective defense outpost, and in 1934, the U.S. Department of Justice repurposed it as a federal prison. 

Violence and crime were prevalent during the Prohibition era and Great Depression, and Alcatraz was seen as a maximum-security solution for some of the most feared criminals of the early 20th century. Throughout the summer and fall of 1934, groups of prisoners including mobster Al Capone and violent robber George “Machine Gun” Kelly were shipped to “The Rock,” as the island became known; other infamous figures such as mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger, Robert “Birdman of Alcatraz” Stroud, and drug and gambling kingpin Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson joined in later years. 

The prison’s operating costs, however, were unsustainably high. A 1959 report revealed that Alcatraz cost three times more to operate per prisoner than other comparable facilities, and in March 1963, just 29 years after it opened, the prison was closed. The island sat neglected, and discussions about its future use lingered for years. In 1972, after a group of Native American activists had occupied the land for almost two years, the property came under the purview of the National Park Service. Today, Alcatraz Island welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors to its storied rocky shores each year.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Al Capone played banjo in an Alcatraz prison band.

He’s known for running a powerful organized crime empire, but Al Capone spent his time behind bars as a banjo player in the prison band. The Rock Islanders were made up of inmates — including notorious gangster George “Machine Gun” Kelly on the drums — who would occasionally perform concerts in the famed prison. When Capone wasn’t performing music, he spent time learning to play songs on both the banjo and the mandola. In a letter to his son, he boasted about knowing how to play more than 500 songs. Capone spent just over four years in Alcatraz, and in the years since the prison closed to inmates, banjo sounds have reportedly been heard drifting from his old cell.

Spain is home to the world’s oldest active military unit.

Castile regiment, Spanish Civil War
Credit: Album/ Alamy Stock Photo
Author Timothy Ott
September 18, 2025

Love it?

In 1248, King Ferdinand III of modern-day Spain successfully completed the Siege of Seville — part of the ongoing effort to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule — with the assistance of a plucky fighting group known as the Band of Castile. Said to be impressed by the bravery of this band of fighters, Ferdinand designated it a permanent division under his service, thus inaugurating what is now regarded as the world’s oldest active military unit.

The unit was reorganized numerous times over the following centuries as it took on a series of name changes, from the King’s Guard Colonelcy under Philip IV, to the Regiment of Castile under Philip V, to its current identity as the King’s Immemorial Infantry Regiment. No matter the moniker, the unit has participated in virtually every major conflict in the country’s history, including the 18th-century War of the Spanish Succession and Napoleonic Peninsular War, as well as overseas efforts that both aided the American Revolution and later fought the burgeoning superpower in the Spanish-American War.

Nowadays, the King’s Immemorial Infantry Regiment is largely charged with providing security at the Spanish army headquarters of Palacio de Buenavista, with other members assigned to service in the automobile and music divisions. Many of its duties are ceremonial, such as the palace’s monthly changing of the guard, or the traditional induction of the heir to the throne as an honorary soldier in the unit. While the call to arms is no longer a regular occurrence, this ancient regiment remains ready to aid the monarchy in any way it can, even if that means simply ensuring a smooth drive for palace personnel or fostering good vibes by striking up a jaunty tune.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Since World War I, the Swiss Guard has worn some of the world's most colorful military uniforms.

Although the Swiss Guard has been charged with the all-important task of protecting the pope and other denizens of the Apostolic Palace since 1506, one could be forgiven for mistaking this colorfully clad unit for some sort of traveling performance troupe. Its blue, red, and yellow-striped ensemble with a feather-tipped helmet is courtesy of early 20th-century commandant Jules Repond, who studied the frescoes of Rafael for inspiration before publicly unveiling these distinctly Renaissance-era getups in 1915. 

These ceremonial "Gala" uniforms are far from the only ones seen around Vatican City; officers don a red velvet outfit for special events, and guards otherwise wear a less-distracting blue tunic in areas with significant foot traffic and even a suit when serving on security detail. Nevertheless, the striped version remains the showstopper for onlookers and a reminder of the prestigious unit's historic roots.

The entire country of Malta was awarded a medal during WWII.

Maltese learn of award
Credit: SuperStock/ Alamy Stock Photo
Author Rachel Gresh
April 11, 2024

Love it?

Malta is now a Mediterranean tourist haven with beautiful landscapes and famous filming sites, but something more sinister sits hidden below its waters: remnants of military planes, vessels, and bombs left over from the heaviest sustained bombing of World War II. The country’s location at the crossroads of Europe and Africa made it a valuable military base, allowing the Allies to support and resupply their troops in North Africa. It also made Malta a prime Axis target, and its citizens watched their cities turn to rubble as they bore relentless aerial attacks by the German Luftwaffe and Italian Air Force. 

The worst bombings began in January 1942 when Adolf Hitler ordered the neutralization of the island nation ahead of a German invasion. For six months, there was only one 24-hour period when bombs did not fall on Malta; the country holds the record for the heaviest sustained bombing during World War II, with a total of 6,700 bombs dropped in 154 days. Still, the Maltese people did not waver in their support for the Allied forces. As food and medical supplies dwindled, residents were forced into underground bunkers to wait out the siege, and poor living conditions led to a typhoid epidemic, scabies, and widespread malnutrition. An estimated 10,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including most of the capital city of Valletta. Many residents were evacuated to the center of the main island, but they never surrendered. Amid the bombings, Allied troops managed to launch several pivotal amphibious attacks from Malta into Axis-held territory, including North Africa, Sicily, and mainland Italy. The bombs finally stopped when Axis forces were defeated in North Africa in May 1943.

The bravery of the citizens of Malta, which was a British colony at the time, did not go unnoticed. On April 15, 1942 — amid some of the worst attacks on Malta — Britain’s King George VI awarded the entire country of Malta the George Cross, one of the highest honors for civilian bravery. The king wrote to the governor of Malta, “To honour her brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history.” The country gained its independence in 1964, and today, the upper-left corner of its national flag is emblazoned with the symbol of the George Cross, serving as a reminder of this harrowing chapter of its history.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

A Maltese church displays a replica of a bomb that failed to destroy it.

Not all visitors to Malta’s Parish Church of St. Mary come to worship. For some, the highlight is the church’s replica of a World War II-era bomb, displayed as a reminder of the “Miracle of Mosta.” The church, which is also known as the Mosta Dome, after the city of Mosta, was targeted by the German Luftwaffe on April 9, 1942, just as 300 parishioners arrived for service. As the crowd gathered in their pews, they began hearing the telltale signs of an oncoming air raid — but it was too late to seek shelter. A bomb broke through the church’s massive dome and landed on the floor, rolling across the ground in front of the crowd. Miraculously, it did not explode, and no lives were lost. Two more bombs fell around the church, both of which also failed to detonate. As the bombs were dismantled and thrown into the Mediterranean Sea, the people of Malta celebrated the event as a miracle. Since then, the church’s dome — one of the world’s largest unsupported domes — has been restored to its former glory, and a replica of the bomb that pierced through it is on display.

China’s terra-cotta army was originally painted with vibrant colors.

China's terra-cotta army
Credit: Mirko Kuzmanovic/ Alamy Stock Photo
Author Sarah Anne Lloyd
September 18, 2025

Love it?

The terra-cotta army in China is a collection of more than 7,000 life-size clay soldiers created in the third century BCE, each made with so much unique detail that some archaeologists believe they’re portraits of specific people. But there used to be yet another layer of detail: Originally, these figures were painted in various colors. After the statues were sculpted, fired, and assembled, artisans applied one or two layers of lacquer (derived from a lacquer tree), followed by one or two layers of paint made from cinnabar, malachite, azurite, bone, and other materials mixed with egg.

This massive installation, which was constructed to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, was discovered by accident when farmers trying to drill a well tapped into one of the figures in 1974. Archaeologists eventually uncovered three pits filled with the statues over an area of about 24,000 square yards, which had originally been covered with wooden roofs. The collection turned out to be just one part of a vast, 17-square-mile necropolis surrounding the emperor’s tomb. Fifty years later, the ancient facility is still being explored. After more than two millennia underground, many of the more fragile parts have disintegrated, such as wooden chariots. And while some areas of pigment are still visible, the once-vibrant color has mostly faded away, too.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Qin Shi Huang’s necropolis also has terra-cotta musicians.

Qin Shi Huang’s burial complex was largely constructed while the emperor was still alive. He wanted it to have everything he’d need in the afterlife, and this included entertainment. One underground re-creation of a royal garden included 15 terra-cotta musicians constructed in a similar way to the warriors — along with 46 bronze figures of swans, geese, and cranes, as tame birds were a regular fixture of musical performances.

Congress has formally declared war 11 times.

Spanish American War
Credit: traveler1116/ iStock
Author Rachel Gresh
April 11, 2024

Love it?

The U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1788, gives Congress the sole power to declare war. Since then, the legislative body has formally declared war on another country a total of 11 times, during five separate conflicts. The first time was on June 17, 1812, against a familiar rival, Great Britain, nearly 30 years after the end of the Revolutionary War. A 19-to-13 Senate vote initiated the War of 1812, based on Britain’s alleged violations of U.S. maritime rights. Following that conflict, several decades passed before the U.S. declared war for a second time, in May 1846, initiating the Mexican-American War, a conflict over land rights that was caused in part by the U.S. annexation of Texas in 1845. Five decades later, on April 25, 1898, the Spanish-American War began with a declaration of war on Spain, just weeks after Spanish forces sank the USS Maine battleship in the harbor of Havana, Cuba. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, and Spain lost its territories in the Caribbean Sea.

The U.S. then became involved in World War I after taking up arms against Germany in April 1917, and Austria-Hungary the following December. Although the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, and other nations joined the Central Powers, the U.S. only officially declared war against Germany and Austria-Hungary. A few decades later, the U.S. made six unanimous war declarations in two years, marking its entrance into World War II. Congress declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, followed by Germany and Italy on December 11, 1941. Six months later, on June 4, 1942, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania were added to the list. Although the U.S. has been involved in numerous military operations around the world since the Second World War, 1942 marked the last time Congress officially declared war against another nation.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Key West “declared war” on the U.S. in the 1980s.

On April 23, 1982, the city of Key West declared its independence from the U.S. as a political stunt, calling itself the Conch Republic micronation. The move was made based on claims that the federal government was significantly disrupting the community with a new Border Patrol checkpoint (established to eradicate drug smuggling) that made the island’s thruway nearly impassable and hampered tourism. Key West Mayor Dennis Wardlow was named prime minister of the Conch Republic, and the self-proclaimed micronation “declared war” on the U.S., though it was more of a symbolic move than a violent conflict. Accounts written about the day’s events vary, but include protesters breaking a loaf of Cuban bread over a U.S. Navy officer’s head and attacking a U.S. Coast Guard cutter with water balloons and conch fritters. 

The Statue of Liberty was originally brown.

Lady Liberty
Credit: ApinBen4289/ Shutterstock
Author Rachel Gresh
April 16, 2024

Love it?

The Statue of Liberty originated as a sign of friendship between longtime allies France and the United States, and has become one of the most recognizable monuments in the world. Since 1886, Lady Liberty has proudly watched over New York Harbor in all her green glory — but this iconic color isn’t the statue’s original hue. When the monument was unveiled in Paris on July 4, 1884, it looked markedly different. Made with 31 tons of copper, it was roughly the same color as a penny. But the Statue of Liberty didn’t turn from brown to green overnight — the change took a few decades and went through an array of colors, the first of which was pink.

The statue’s color changed rapidly after it arrived in the harbor due to chemical reactions caused by exposure to the elements. The copper began to oxidize quickly, and the first stage of weathering caused the statue to form a surface layer of cuprite, a pinkish-red mineral that gave Lady Liberty a rosy hue. The cuprite continued to oxidize, this time turning into a black mineral called tenorite, causing the statue to appear a much darker brown than it had been a few years prior. By the 1920s, the monument arrived at its current bluish-green shade thanks to the minerals brochantite, antlerite, and atacamite. This greenish patina is commonly found on copper — just look at the old, weathered penny in your pocket. But not everyone was a fan of the Statue of Liberty’s new look. In 1906, Congress even approved a $62,000 painting budget (around $2 million today) to fix the monument as the patina became very noticeable. Due to public outrage, the statue was left alone, in the color that nature intended it to be. 

By the Numbers

Did you know?

The orange color of the Golden Gate Bridge was accidental.

San Francisco’s most famous bridge is unmistakable thanks to its brilliant reddish-orange hue, but this color was chosen almost by coincidence. The Golden Gate Bridge was destined to be an ordinary bridge painted in gray, silver, or black until architect Irving Morrow (who worked on the bridge’s lighting and art deco style) championed the unique orange vermillion color. Morrow first suggested the hue after he noticed that some of the bridge was painted with a primer in that color. In 1935, two years into construction, he presented a “Report on Color and Lighting” to the project’s board of directors, suggesting, “What has been thus played up in form should not be let down in color.” He believed the orange complemented the nearby Marin Hills and contrasted with the blues of the sky and sea. In the end, the board agreed, and the bridge was painted from end to end in a shade officially known as “international orange.”

Humans may have nearly gone extinct.

Homo erectus skull
Credit: gurb101088/ Shutterstock
Author Sarah Anne Lloyd
April 9, 2024

Love it?

When we think of endangered animals, we generally think about elephants, tigers, and whales — but certainly not humans. Yet between 800,000 and 900,000 years ago, ancestors of Homo sapiens lost 98.7% of their population, according to a 2023 study published in the journal Science. Before the population crash, as many as 135,000 early humans roamed the Earth, but according to the team of geneticists behind the study, that number plummeted to about 1,280 breeding individuals, and the population stayed that low for more than 100,000 years. (These weren’t modern humans, but earlier hominins on the genetic timeline; one species that was alive at the time was Homo erectus, and we’re still discovering new prehistoric human species.) 

The population decline could have been related to the wild environmental changes happening around that time: Extreme cooling of the Earth coincided with a drought in Africa, leading to fewer sources of food. Whatever the cause, it created a genetic “bottleneck” that researchers say nearly wiped out our prehistoric ancestors. This conclusion lines up to a period of time that left few fossils behind, but the research has yet to be replicated by other studies, and many genetic scientists remain skeptical of the claim.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Several human species lived on Earth at the same time.

More than 20 human species — that is, species in the genus Homo — have existed in the last few million years. But evolution isn’t a straight line, and multiple early humans walked the Earth at the same time. When Homo sapiens (that’s us) first emerged around 200,000 to 300,000 years ago, we joined at least eight other living species, including Neanderthals, Denisovans, and even Homo erectus. Other, lesser-known species stayed in a pretty limited geographic area, such as Homo longi in China, Homo naledi in South Africa, and the 3-foot-tall Homo floresiensis in Indonesia. Eventually, only Homo sapiens remained, and there are a few theories about how that happened. It could have been that we had better infant survival rates, or we could have actively hunted other species. Different human species also mated with one another, so it’s possible that Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans interbred the latter two out of existence.

Elvis Presley was a natural blond.

Young Elvis Presley, 1947
Credit: Album/ Alamy Stock Photo
Author Michael Nordine
September 9, 2025

Love it?

The king of rock ’n’ roll’s talent may have come to him naturally, but his signature hairdo didn’t. Elvis Presley was a natural blond who dyed his hair black for a number of reasons, all of which evince an intuitive understanding of show business. In addition to wanting to emulate two of his heroes, actors Tony Curtis and Marlon Brando, he thought darker hair would accentuate his blue eyes. (That’s also why he wore eyeliner, another trick he picked up from Curtis.) However, he couldn’t afford proper dye as an up-and-coming artist, so he initially used shoe polish to darken his locks.

Once Elvis was successful enough for money to be no object, he settled on a few favorite dyes: Miss Clairol 51D and Black Velvet/Mink Brown by Paramount. He was so enamored with the look that he even asked his wife Priscilla to follow his lead: “He did want me to dye my hair black when I was young so we could look alike a little bit,” she said in a 2015 interview. 

Elvis’ hairstyle continued to draw attention when he was drafted into the military, with Time reporting that he “jumped the clippers by getting a ‘normal’ haircut that shortened his sideburns a good inch” and “left him still looking much too dreamy for the Army.” His hair also turned brownish-blond during his military service since he wasn’t allowed to dye it; anyone who wants to see Elvis’ natural hair color can do so at Graceland, where there’s a portrait from his Army days showing off his lighter locks.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Elvis never performed outside the U.S. and Canada.

Despite being beloved around the world, Elvis Presley never performed outside North America. The prevailing (though never officially confirmed) belief is that the king of rock ’n’ roll had to turn down every offer he received to play abroad because his controversial manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was an undocumented immigrant from the Netherlands who didn’t have a passport and feared he would be denied reentry to the U.S. if he left. (If Elvis ever had a fear of flying, as is often suggested, he evidently got over it. He purchased and customized several planes over the years, including the especially tricked-out Lisa Marie, a Convair 800 jet.) Other than three 1957 shows in Canada (in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver), Elvis only ever performed in his home country.

x