Poinsettias are native to Mexico and Central America.

91% of retirees claim
their Social Security benefits on or before
full retirement age.

According to researcher Cassondra Williams from UC-Irvine, emperor penguins do not have the highest feather density of any bird. The white-throated dipper
has plumage that’s six times more dense.

The earliest recipe for fruitcake comes from ancient Rome, and its ingredients included pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into
barley mash.

In 1947, a 28-year-old entrepreneur named Andrew Paris of McAllen, Texas, was named “the Bubble Gum King” by LIFE magazine after he cornered the Mexican latex market to make inexpensive bubble gum. Paris reportedly created the concept of blowing bubbles. He is credited with teaching a young Natalie Wood to blow bubbles for her role in the classic film Miracle on 34th Street.

This article appears in December 25 • 2015.

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