When American industrialist George Bissell contracted Edwin Drake to drill a well near Oil Creek, Pa., in 1859, it produced paraffin, readily distilled into kerosene, which had caught on as a replacement for whale oil to illuminate lamps. Gasoline, a byproduct, was discarded as a nuisance.

According to the Texas Railroad Commission, 11,287 of the 362,950 known oil and gas wells in Texas have been declared abandoned.

The number of Masons in Massachusetts dropped from 130,441 in 1960 to 42,045 last year.

The Quickstep retains the walks, runs, chassés, and pivots of the original fox-trot but also includes hops, skips, and locks and is done to a faster tempo at 46-48 bars per minute.

Both Marcia Ball and the Weather Lady on Sesame Street have dogs named “Sonny Boy.”

This article appears in December 1 • 2006.

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