First Posted: 4/8/2012
By Samantha Weaver
• It was American humorist Evan Esar who defined a zoo as “an excellent place to study the habits of human beings.”
• The New York Times Best Seller list was first published on April 9, 1942. Since that time, only eight authors have managed to have books place No. 1 on both the fiction and nonfiction lists. Those who have accomplished that feat include Ernest Hemingway, Jimmy Buffett, William Styron, Dr. Seuss and John Steinbeck.
• If you’re planning a trip to New Orleans, you might want to keep in mind the following law: It’s illegal in that city to curse a firefighter while he or she is engaged in official duties.
• America’s first vending machines were found in New York City train stations; they dispensed gum.
• The European sturgeon (also known as the beluga sturgeon) is the source of the highly coveted beluga caviar, which is the world’s most expensive, bringing up to $5,000 per pound. This sturgeon can live more than 100 years and is the largest freshwater fish in the world; the record holder, caught in 1827, was 24 feet long and weighed 3,460 pounds.
