Archives: Useless Facts

In 1918, estimates put the death toll at more than 1% and some estimates range from anywhere from 3-5% of the entire world’s population. What was the cause?

The planet Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love! Happy Valentine’s Day!

What planetary body was named after a Roman goddess?

A large group of frogs is referred to as an army!

What should you call a large group of frogs?

To convert graphite (carbon – typically thought of as a lump of coal) into a diamond you need to have both high temperature and pressure. To give you some idea of just how high, you have to heat graphite (carbon)the temperature has to be about 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit (3000 degrees Celsius) at a pressure of 100,000 atmospheres or approximately one and a half million pounds per square inch.

What temperature and pressure is needed to convert graphite into a diamond?

In 1894, the same year bottled Cola-Cola hit the marketplace and motion picture film was granted a patent, the Evening Division of New York Law School was founded. New York Law School was first established in June of 1891 by a group of faculty and students of Columbia Law School who had a disagreement with the school over teaching methods and decided to found their own law school. New York Law School held its first classes on October 1, 1891, in the Equitable Building in Lower Manhattan (NYC). By 1892, after only a year in operation, it was the second largest law school in the United States and by 1904 had became the largest law school in the United States.

In 1894, bottled Cola-Cola first hit the marketplace and a patent for motion picture films was granted. What else is notable about that year?

It takes light from the sun a little over 8 minutes to reach the earth. That means the sun has actually risen at least 8 minutes before we can see it and has set 8 minutes before we no longer can see the sunlight.
Aside from the sun, the closest stars to Earth are three stars in the Alpha Centauri system. Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B are the main stars, but the third and closest to Earth is Proxima Centauri. It takes light from Proxima Centauri a little over 4.2 years to reach the Earth (Light from the other two main stars take about 4.3 years).