USA Facts

The U.S. Government spent $277,000 on pickle research in 1993.

Your lifetime statistical chance of being murdered in the United States is approximately 1 in 179.

The United States consumes about 16% of the world's energy despite having only 4% of the global population.

There are 24 towns named Hollywood in the United States.

The United States has more trees today than it did 100 years ago. Forest regrowth has exceeded harvesting since the early 20th century, with the country gaining approximately 7.1% of its forest cover since 1920.

During the 2022 Buffalo blizzard, Jay Withey knocked on 10 doors begging for shelter. All 10 said no. He smashed a window at Pine Hill School and guided 24 stranded strangers inside. He found cereal in the cafeteria and gym mats for beds. Before leaving, he left a note: "I'm terribly sorry about the window. I had to save everyone. Merry Christmas, Jay." Police put out a call to find him. Not to arrest him. To thank him.

In 2012, 146 babies in the US were named Khaleesi.

Fly Geyser looks like something from another planet, its mounds streaked bright red and green in the Nevada desert. Nobody designed it. In 1964, engineers drilling a geothermal test well left it uncapped, and scalding mineral water has erupted nonstop ever since. The rainbow colors come from algae that thrive in the hot mineral runoff, and the mound is still growing today.

Muhammad has been the most popular baby boy's name in England for two years running.

They're sold in over 170 countries. But bring a Kinder Surprise egg into the United States and customs will seize it. A toy inside a chocolate egg violates a 1938 federal law. Border agents confiscated over 60,000 in one year. The original Kinder Surprise remains contraband.

The US military spent $2.7 billion on a giant missile defense blimp called JLENS. On its second day of active duty, it broke free. It dragged 6,700 feet of cable across Pennsylvania. Knocked out power to 30,000 people. F-16s were scrambled but couldn't stop it. It deflated in a field. State police secured it. The program was quietly shelved.

Larry Yockey farmed wheat in Ritzville, Washington for over 30 years. When Stage 4 cancer left him unable to harvest, his neighbors quietly organized a plan. One Sunday, 60 farmers showed up with combines and 18-wheelers. They harvested all 1,200 acres in six hours - work that normally takes three weeks.

A 5-year-old boy in Michigan spent over a year in foster care. When his adoption day came, he invited his entire kindergarten class to the courthouse. Every one showed up holding handmade heart signs. Each classmate told the judge why they loved Michael. When the judge asked how he felt, he turned to his new father and said: "I love my daddy." Then they slammed the gavel together.

During Hurricane Harvey, a woman in Houston went into labor. Floodwater surrounded her home. Neighbors waded into waist-deep water and formed a human chain so she could use them as guardrails to reach a flatbed truck waiting on higher ground. The truck drove her to the hospital. She gave birth safely. A neighborhood of strangers became a delivery room.