I loves facts and trivia like Canadians love maple syrup, like Astronauts love Tang, and Alaskans love their Xtratufs.
To help introduce other places, people, and cultures to others, I enjoy sharing interesting and fun facts that are entertaining and memorable.
Marianne Jennings is a self-proclaimed adventure craver and an adventure addict.
By day, she works a regular 9-to-5 job where she gets to help people become better learners.
By night, she writes facts and trivia books while also plotting her next epic adventure.
She is the Chief Adventure Officer of AdventureCravers.com where she documents some of those adventures, proudly holds the title of favorite aunt to her ten nieces and nephews, and is a lover of new foods and new experiences.
THE ONLY STATE THAT CAN BE TYPED OUT USING ONLY ONE ROW OF KEYS
If you use a QWERTY keyboard, which most of us do, you may be surprised to learn that Alaska can be typed out ONLY using letters from the middle line. No other U.S. state can say the same.
HOT, BUT NOT THAT HOT – Alaska has never recorded high temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8°C).
DELIVERED BY REINDEER? – The US mail gets delivered a variety of ways in Alaska: by road, air, boat, dog sled and snowmachine. In the past, the mail has even been delivered by a sled pulled by reindeer.
ALASKA IS IN TWO HEMISPHERES –
The geographical boundary between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres in the Pacific is the 180th meridian. Alaska’s Aleutian Islands extend across the 180° meridian of longitude.
This means that Alaska is in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
IT’S COMMON TO LAUGH – After the engines shut off and astronauts have escaped Earth’s gravity, hair starts to float and other items around them float by. This is an out-of-this-world experience, for which laughter is the most common response. The astronauts just survived a very dangerous thing by launching into space on top of a rocket. Laughing is also a way of releasing a huge sense of relief of getting to where they are.
It’s normal for residents to leave their cars unlocked to offer an escape for this exact situation.
INSPECTING THE GLOVES – At every sunrise and sunset, astronauts will inspect their gloves carefully for any leaks that may have developed while out on their spacewalks. They need to make sure they haven’t snagged the gloves or worn through them.
LEAST POPULAR SPACE FOOD – Maybe because they can lead to flatulence, or simply because astronauts just don’t care for them, but Brussels sprouts are the least-requested food item for those headed to the ISS.
LEFT FOOT FIRST – The first step on the Moon taken by Neil Armstrong was with his left foot.
YO-YOS – Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt brought two Yo-Yos to the Moon with them. While they were instructed to leave them, they both brought them back. Cernan’s yo-yo was sold at an auction in 2006 for $50,000.
ASTRO + NAUT = STAR SAILOR – The “astro” part of astronaut comes from the Greek word “astron,” meaning “star.” Astronauts most often refer to people from the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan who travel into space. NASA scientists thought they were the first to coin the word astronaut in the 1950s, but science fiction has used the term since the 1920s
POLAR BEAR SAFETY – If you’re in Churchill, Canada and run into a polar bear, you can escape by finding the closest car and getting in.
It’s normal for residents to leave their cars unlocked to offer an escape for this exact situation.
MAC & CHEESE – Canadians love their mac & cheese. They eat more Kraft macaroni and cheese than any other nation in the world.
THE WALKIE-TALKIE – A portable radio signaling system was invented in 1937 by Canadian inventor Donald Hings. It was originally called the “packset.” The first model was not hand held, but was a pack worn on the back.
