During the Black Plague, it was thought that bad smells were the cause of the plague. "Plague Doctors" therefore wore masks with long beak-like noses stuffed with flowers or smoke to hide the smells.
19
Leonardo Da Vinci predicted the mass use of solar energy as long ago as 1447.
153
During World War II, Uncle Ben's was the exclusive supplier of rice to the U.S. Armed Forces.
23
The Grateful Dead were once called 'The Warlocks'.
34
Tablecloths were originally meant to serve as towels with which guests could wipe their hands and faces after dinner.
78
After Germany surrendered in WW2, people in Moscow partied until the entire city actually ran out of vodka.
66
Al Capone's armored limousine, after being seized by the feds, was later used to protect Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), 32nd President of the US, after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
20
Clocks made before 1660 had only one hand - an hour hand.
41