RAND MCNALLY RELEASES FIRST ATLAS

In 1924, Rand McNally published its first road atlas, “The Rand McNally Auto Chum.”

It takes the planet Mercury 87.97 days to orbit the sun.

The National Geographic Society rarely removed its members in the organization’s early years. But the society made an exception in 1932, striking Al Capone’s name from the membership list when he entered federal prison. Capone continued to receive copies of “National Geographic” as a paying subscriber.

Ornithologists report that chickens are capable of deception. If a rooster, for instance, judges that a hen has wandered too far, he will use a food call to get her attention, even when no food is present.

Historians record that Napoleon Bonaparte was not a good rider, so he needed especially stable horses in battle. He owned 60 or more white horses. Each of them was trained to stand steady — not to rear or shy — when guns were fired from nearby.

Marion Donavan, inventor of the disposable diaper, also created the Turtling-a-ling. The brass turtle, with bells on its head and tail, simulated a doorbell. Donavan pitched the device as a means of cutting short an unwanted phone call by making it clear to the caller that other priorities demanded attention.