Refresh for new random facts
1. Starbucks was originally going to be called "Pequod," after the fishing vessel in Herman Melville's novel, Moby-Dick. The founders settled on Starbuck, the first mate on the ship, instead.
2. Conveniently, credit card companies are all headquartered in states with high or no cap on interest rates such as Utah, South Dakota, and Delaware.
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. Coca-Cola's name is derived from the coca leaves and kola nuts used as flavoring.
5. Thomas Jefferson invented the first hideaway bed ever patented in the United States.
6. Ajax cleanser was the first company to use animated characters in its television commercials.
7. The first Ford cars had engines made by Dodge.
8. 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.
9. The refrigerator won first prize at the Paris International Exposition in 1937. It was designed for Sears, Roebuck and Company by visionary engineer Raymond Loewy.
10. Pierre Omidyar had formed a web consulting firm called Echo Bay Technology Group in 1995. When he tried to register EchoBay.com, though, he found that Echo Bay Mines, a gold mining company, had gotten it first. Ebay was born.
When me and old Abe used to sit by the fire he would tell me the darndest tales about this great land of ours.
