We Like Peanuts

U.S. consumers eat about 2.4 billion pounds of peanuts each year, half of that in the form of peanut butter.

Sunshine Turret Top

In 1938, Cadillac rolled out the world’s first automobile sunroof, the Sunshine Turret Top.

Donkey’s Milk Good for Infants with Allergies

Some studies show that donkey’s milk — similar in composition to that of humans — may be the best choice for infants with food allergies.

Is It Really Insomnia?

Experts say the word insomnia is used more liberally than is warranted. True sufferers take 30 minutes or more to fall asleep or are awake for 30 minutes or more during the night, with one or both symptoms taking place at least three times per week.

Slacker Scribes Save Time

Late Egyptian scribes often used shortcuts rather than print the entire collection of symbols needed for a section of text. One of these shortcuts is a curved, backward-slanting stroke that means “the hieroglyph that would go in this place is too tedious to draw.”

Monastic Cheese

Many European monasteries and nunneries were famed for their hospitality, especially the quality of food and wine served to visitors. But for a number of these institutions, it was their hand-made cheeses that became particularly well-known. The most-recognized of these cheeses is Munster, which shares its name with an old form of the word monastery.

Speedy President

Ulysses S. Grant (pictured), an admirer of fast horses, was the only President arrested while in office: for speeding. Grant reportedly paid the $20 fine and commended the officer for a job well done.

Card Kings

At one time, the king of hearts represented Charlemagne. King David of the Bible was the king of spades. The king of diamonds was Julius Caesar, and the king of clubs was Alexander the Great.

In Sickness and in Health

The Institute of Medicine reports that although women live longer than men, on average, they also tend to get sick more often.

Tempestuous Spirituous

Tennessee passed a law, prohibiting the sale of “spirituous liquors” in 1838, putting the state almost 80 years ahead of the Prohibition Amendment, passed by Congress in 1917. Fines were collected from those caught selling alcohol, and the proceeds were designated for the support of public schools.

Swimming in Bills

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces 37 million currency notes each day, worth almost $700 million. $1 bills account for 45 percent of all the currency that is printed.

Big Baby

A baby blue whale may drink up to 200 gallons of its mother’s milk each day, gaining about 8 pounds per hour. The calf will be weaned at 7 or 8 months of age or when it reaches a weight of about 23 tons.

Picky Kids

A 2001 study of students at four urban schools found that the average adolescent picks his nose about four times a day.

Flock or Skein?

A group of birds is called a flock. Unless they are in flight, in which case they might be more specifically referred to as a skein.

The Perfect Family

The results of a 1998 poll showed that 54 percent of respondents believed the ideal number of children in a family is two. In 1957, however, the majority of respondents, 63 percent, claimed three or four children brought a family closer to the perfect size.

Tornadoes in May

In the United States, on average, there are more tornadoes in May than during any other month. June is the second most popular month for the storms.

Dutch Scalpers

The American practice of taking scalps wasn’t learned from the natives. Instead, it was an innovation of the Dutch colonists, created as a means of controlling the “Indian problem.” Bounties of 12 pounds sterling were paid in the Bay Colony in 1703 for each scalp.

Sweet South America

Brazil produces more sugar than any other country, almost 20 percent of the world’s total supply.

The President’s Horses

The horses that pulled the coach for President John Adams (pictured) were named Caesar and Cleopatra.

The Deep Sea

Chinese calligraphic characters can change their meaning when multiplied. The symbol for “horse" (pictured), drawn three times, means “gallop.” When “tree” is doubled, it stands for “forest.” And when the symbol for “woman” is drawn twice, it signifies a “quarrel.”

Olympian State

California is the only state to host both the summer and winter Olympics. Los Angeles has hosted the summer games twice, most recently in 1984. The 1960 winter Olympics took place in Squaw Valley.

Coldest Day Comes Late

Scientists say that the coldest day of the year usually comes about 40 days after the shortest day of the year.

Busy Beaver

The average beaver cuts down more than 200 small trees each year.

Suicide Statistic

Although women report attempting suicide about three times as often as men, men are four times as likely to die from a suicide attempt.

Women Prepare

Women, who travel, are more likely to spend time learning about their destination than are men, according to one recent study. More than 40 percent of female travelers read up on where they’re going while only 28 percent of men do so.

Worth Its Weight in Chocolate

Early Central Americans peoples used cocoa beans as a basis for their currency as well as to represent mathematical figures. A basket of 8,000 beans equaled one Xiquipilli while 400 beans made one Zontli.

Scaring Away Fans

Charles Addams (pictured), creator of “The Addams Family,” had a hint of the macabre in his own life. Addams replied to fan-mail with stationery that carried the title, “The Gotham Rest Home for Mental Defectives.” And his third marriage was held in a pet cemetery.

Before the Hindenburg

The Graf Zeppelin, precursor to the Hindenburg, transported 13,110 passengers over 590 separate flights, traveling more than one million miles in its 10 years of service.

From Ice Cream to Cake Mix

Duncan Hines’ (pictured) occupation as a traveling salesman gave him the opportunity to try many of the nation’s restaurants. In 1936, he published a guide to the best of these establishments, calling it “Adventures in Good Eating.” A dozen years later, Hines gave permission for his name to be used on a line of packaged foods, which included many of the baked-goods mixes sold today in supermarkets across the country. The first product released with his name on the side, however, was Duncan Hines vanilla ice cream.

Say Cheese

The country of France produces more than 600 kinds of cheese.

Enjoyed World-wide

More than 95 million people in 90 countries enjoy the sport of bowling.

Raising Dogs for Wool

Canadian artist and pioneer Paul Kane (pictured) observed in 1847 that the Salish and Chinook people of Washington’s Puget Sound raised dogs for their wool. The tribespeople nurtured a “peculiar breed of small dogs with long hair,” Kane wrote. “The hair is cut off with a knife and mixed with goosedown and a little white earth.” The long, fine and compact fleece was used mostly for the making of blankets.

The Ultimate Stairmaster

The Empire State Building has 1,576 steps from its lobby to the Observatory Deck on the 86th floor.

Adding Color to the World

When Binney & Smith introduced Crayola crayons in 1903, each box came with only eight colors. In 1949, the company brought out an expanded, 48-crayon collection, followed by 64 colors in 1958. The number increased to 72 in 1972, to 80 in 1990, to 96 in 1993 and to 120 in 1998.

First Skyscraper Had 11 Levels

Chicago’s Home Insurance Building was the country’s first skyscraper. But skies weren’t as high back then. The building only had nine, above-ground stories and a basement, although two levels were added on in 1891.

Long Live the King

The country of Brunei, a British protectorate from 1888 to 1984, has been ruled by the same family for more than six centuries.