MILITARY ANIMALS
2,500 – Number of U.S. military dogs on duty worldwide $2,000,000 – Amount the U.S. spent on developing a robotic mule
Read moreCategory: Facts & Trends
Republican Debt
Percentage of the current U.S. debt that was accumulated during Republican presidential terms: 71
Read moreHealth catastrophe
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the worst place in the world to give birth, according to Save the Children. One in 30 Congolese women dies from complications of childbirth, and tens of thousands of them have been impregnated through rape by militants or soldiers. Save the Children ranked countries based on the rates of maternal death and infant […]
Read moreU.S. Black Children Living In Poverty
Percentage of black U.S. children under the age of five who live in poverty: 43
Read moreOh, That Smell
A specimen of the world’s largest flower, the titan arum, is about to bloom at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. To attract carrion insects, the flower emits a stench botanists likened to “a very dead elephant.”
Read moreBaby Boomer Drug Use
Baby Boomers who frequently used recreational drugs like marijuana and cocaine in their youth are now turning back to drugs like Oxycontin for relief of age-related pain and illness. As a result, the fatal-overdose rate for people ages 45 to 64 has become higher than that for 25 to 44-year-olds for the first time. More than 12,000 Boomers died of […]
Read moreRISING OCEAN TEMPERATURES
The oceans, like the rest of the planet, set a temperature record in 2014, at 60.9°F (16°C), or 1.03°F above the 20th century average. Acidity is up as well—a bad combination for sea life.
Read moreCANNABIS CONSUMERS
In 2012, some 2.9 million adults and teens tried an illicit drug for the first time. More than 80% of them used pot. Among all pot users, 40% take the drug 20 or more days a month. Two states have legalized it for recreational use.
Read moreLeft On A Plane
A survey of 700 flight attendants revealed that among the items air passengers have left on planes are a live parrot, a box of dried fish, a toupee, hand-cuffs, and a glass eye.
Read moreIt’s all about the cheese
Due to the high demand of the “dip season,” a national shortage of Velveeta has shoppers hunting stores for the gooey, bright-yellow “cheese product.” People planning Super Bowl parties are calling the shortage of the dip-friendly substance a “cheesepocalypse.” One fan tweeted, “If this is true, I’m going to die.”
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