WHITE MAN POSED AS GAS MASK INVENTOR

Garrett Augustus Morgan’s invention of the gas mask saved the lives of 29 people, trapped in a tunnel under Lake Erie, after a 1916 explosion. But in spite of this dramatic success, Morgan had trouble selling his masks, especially in the South. The problem? Morgan was African American. So he hired a white friend to pose as the inventor in order to give the mask credibility.

The word radio comes from the Latin radius meaning ray or beam of light.

The Ford Motor Company, started in 1903, originally didn’t make its own engines. Instead, Henry Ford contracted with the best machine shop in Detroit. It was run by two brothers, Horace and John Dodge.

Isabel Peron, Argentine president Juan Peron’s third wife, became the first woman head of state in the western hemisphere in 1974.

Ring-tailed lemurs often compete by scent. Females deposit scent marks in hopes of attracting a mate. If a male finds the mark, he will cover it with his own scent in order to confuse potential rivals. Female ring-tails also will overprint scent marks left by other females in order to ensure that they find a mate.

The blink of an eye measures about one-sixth of a second.