Fascinating Facts and Trivia

The name Jeep comes from “GP”, the army abbreviation for General Purpose.

Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people do.

There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.

Cats’ urine glows under a black light.

A “quidnunc” is a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip.

17, 24, 25, 29, 36, 47, what is the next number in this sequence?

Answer 52, as it Boeing B52.

The others are: B17 Flying Fortress; B24 Liberator; B25 Mitchell; B29 Super Fortress; B36 Peacemaker and B47 Stratojet.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors, the helicopter, and many other present day items.

In the last 4000 years no new animals have been domesticated.

25% of a human’s bones are in its feet.

On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year.

“Canada” is an Indian word meaning “Big Village”.

People can suffer from a psychological disorder called Boanthropy that makes them believe that they are a cow. They try to live their life as a cow.

In 2014, a missing woman on a vacation in Iceland was found when it was discovered that she was in the search party looking for herself.

Baked beans are actually not baked, but stewed.

“Bluetooth” technology was named after a 10th century king, King Harald Bluetooth. He united Denmark and Norway – just like the wireless technology united computers and mobile phones.

We all love a box or tub/tin of the chocolates Quality Street but have you ever wondered why original sweet manufacturers of the treats Mackintosh(named after the maker Violet Mackintosh) called it that. Apparently it comes from a play called Quality Street by the Peter Pan author J.M.Barrie. In that play were characters Major Quality(soldier)and Miss Sweetly and their images were used to sell the boxes of chocolates. There are five chocolates from the original line up to still exist, the toffee finger, toffee penny, caramel cup(which later inspired Rolos), the Purple One(with a hazelnut) and the Green Triangle one (praline)

Ever heard of Ron Hickman?
He's the designer of the Black and Decker Workmate.
A South African he settled in the UK and designed for Ford and then Lotus where he worked on the Elan and Europa.
In 1961 he damaged a chair whilst doing DIY and seeing a need designed the Workmate.
He created Mate tools to make them himself because unfortunately he couldn't find a backer: Stanley told him that they'd sell dozens as opposed to hundreds!
In 1973 Black and Decker UK took up his idea aginst type and the advice of their American parent but the story goes that he made more money fighting infringements of his patent than he did from B & D.
Lotus F1 driver Derek Warwick said that you 'don't design the Elan or the Black and Decker [Workmate] unless you're a very clever man'.

Where did the name Black and Decker come from?