Refresh for new random facts
1. The AA, or Automobile Association, was first started in 1905 to warn motorists about speed traps.
2. With 535, Edwin Land, inventor of the Polaroid camera, is second to only Thomas Edison for U.S. patents awarded for inventions...He trails him by a measly 558.
3. 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.
4. The first vending machines were installed on New York City elevated subway platforms in 1888 and dispensed Tutti-Fruiti gum.
5. J.C. Penney's initials stand for James Cash, founder of the store chain in 1902.
6. American Express started off as a shipping company in 1850, shipping financial products across the United States; their first credit card wasn't issued until 1958.
7. One of the twelve original companies listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1896 was Distilling & Cattle Feeding Whiskey Trust...believe it or not.
8. Thomas Edison has been granted the most U.S. patents for inventions, 1093.
9. Cadillac was named after the 18th century French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, founder of Detroit, Michigan.
10. The original 12 stocks on the Dow Jones were cotton oil, sugar, tobacco, gas, cattle, electric, gas, lead, coal, leather, utility, and rubber companies.
When me and old Abe used to sit by the fire he would tell me the darndest tales about this great land of ours.
