Refresh for new random facts
1. Visa was originally called BankAmericard, a card offered by Bank of America in 1958 in California.
2. Thomas Jefferson invented the first hideaway bed ever patented in the United States.
3. Henry Ford invented the charcoal briquettes that are commonly used by the grilling enthusiasts of today, to make use of scrap wood left over in the manufacture of the Model T.
4. The word Yahoo comes from Jonathan Swift's 1726 book Gulliver's Travels. The Yahoos were vile, repulsive, and materialistic creatures, an allegory for British society that Swift witnessed at the time.
5. Arby's was named for brothers Forrest and LeRoy Raffel (the Raffel Brothers, or RB)
6. The original 12 stocks on the Dow Jones were cotton oil, sugar, tobacco, gas, cattle, electric, gas, lead, coal, leather, utility, and rubber companies.
7. The S.O.S. brand of steel-wool soap pads, stands for "Save Our Saucepans."
8. Sara Lee is named for the daughter of Chicago bakery owner Charles Lubvin. He first named a cheesecake after his daughter, then in 1951 his company.
9. Producers of American whiskey originated the term "brand name," because they branded their names on the barrels they shipped out.
10. Philip Morris, the first owner of the Marlboro brand, died of lung cancer.
When me and old Abe used to sit by the fire he would tell me the darndest tales about this great land of ours.
