Can you translate Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän? It’s German for Danube Steamship Navigation Company captain.

According to a 2011 UC-Berkeley study, there are nearly 1 billion parking spots in the U.S., about 4 per motor vehicle, for a total of about 6.5K square miles (bigger than Connecticut).

According to FitBank, Missouri has the most active dogs in the United States. Massachusetts, California, and New York follow very closely.

In the early 19th century, Andrew Crosse of Somerset became known as “the thunder and lightning man” because of his study of electricity. He believed it was an alternative to divine power. Among those who attended his lectures were Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley (Mary published Frankenstein in 1818).

Johnny Carson wanted Cary Grant as a guest on The Tonight Show, but could never make it happen.

This article appears in March 18 • 2016.

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