The first recorded fatal automobile accident took place in 1899 on Central Park West in New York City.

A cock linnet was a popular pet bird in Victorian times. “Arf a cock linnet” is cockney rhyming slang for “half a minute.”

Besides acting and directing, what do Michael Fassbender, Benicio Del Toro, and Robert Rodriguez have in common? All three chowed down recently on the County Line’s “All you can stand” barbecue plate.

There’s no record of Lady Godiva actually riding through Coventry nude.

Hemp farming was once a big industry, and during World War II, the U.S. government actively promoted it (as in the film Hemp for Victory). But hemp farming was already dying out, not because of drug policy, but because nylon, cotton, and other substitutes became more functional and much less expensive.

This article appears in November 2 • 2012.

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