Some say Archytas of Tarentum (428-350BC) invented the screw thread. But it was Sir Joseph Whitworth who in 1841 proposed the angle of thread flanks be standardized to 55 degrees and number of threads per inch should be standardized for various diameters. Meanwhile, in 1864, William Sellers helped establish the U.S. standard of thread flanks at 60 degrees.

A billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown away every year in the U.S., according to several sellers of nonplastic toothbrushes.

The song “We’ve Only Just Begun,” made popular by the Carpenters, started off as a jingle for California’s Crocker-Citizens National Bank. Songwriters Paul Williams and Roger Nichols were given a slogan and told the commercial would feature a couple getting married. See bit.ly/2vAzYsX.

Blue diamonds come from ocean floor that is pushed to the edge of Earth’s core.

Albert Einstein hated socks and it annoyed him that his socks would form holes because of his big toes.

This article appears in August 10 • 2018.

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