Every year, The World Almanac and Book of Facts finds it’s way into a place of prestige in my home.
The bathroom.
There, the book will be read, reread and be not only an invaluable reference, but also an essential resource in my ever growing sub-conscious of useless trivia.
With the 2014 Edition of the World Almanac out now, I thought it might be worthwhile to share a bit of the knowledge I’ve already gleamed while sitting on my porcelain throne.
- The world’s fastest steel-tracked roller coaster is the Formula Rossa located at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi. It moves at 149.1 mph.
- Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard held titles in 5 different weight classes.
- The top 22 all-time watched television programs (1/1961-8/2013) includes 20 sporting events and the series finales of M*A*S*H and Cheers.
- June is National Candy Month; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month; Potty Training Awareness Month and National Safety Month.
- The Library of Congress has the largest collection in the U.S. holding 34,528,818 volumes (as of 2010).
- President William Harry Harrison and First Lady Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison had 10 children, the most out of any President.
- The most popular girls names in 2012 were Sophia, Emma, Isabella, Olivia, Ava, Emily, Abigail, Mia, Madison and Elizabeth. The most popular boys names were Jacob, Mason, Ethan, Noah, William, Liam, Jayden, Michael, Alexander and Aiden.
- The most popular email services in 2013 in order are Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Outlook, AOL, and Xfinity.com webmail.
- The ten top selling albums of all time (as of 8/31/13) are Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, AC/DC’s Back in Black, Garth Brooks’ Double Live, Shania Twain’s Come on Over, The Beatles (self titled) and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.
- Pitcher Cy Young holds the Major League record for wins, at 511. He also pitched the first perfect game in 1904.
