In 1956, you could get an optional record player in Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge and Plymouth vehicles.

According to the Robert Caro biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, LBJ tried to do “a new, hip-swiveling dance called the twist” with “the scintillating Helen Chavchavadze,” but fell on her, “knocking her to the floor … ‘He lay on her like a lox,’ one of the other guests reported.”

According to author Bryan Garner, the ancient Romans considered a group of saltwater lagoons near what is now Venice as the “seven seas.” At about the same time, the Persians called the streams that flowed into the Oxus River the “seven seas.”

An Olympic-sized swimming pool has a volume of
152,064,000 cubic inches.

According to Forrest Wickman in Slate, a honeybee works anywhere from a few hours a day to about 12, depending on its role in the hive.

This article appears in August 3 • 2012.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US