
Gerald Ford's Real Name

Tug-of-War

Slinky's Name
Most toys are just fads that last for a few years and then go out of style. However, the Slinky toy has been a favorite since it first hit shelves in 1945. The advertising jingle ("It's Slinky, it's Slinky, for fun it's a wonderful toy. It's fun for a girl and a boy.") still resonates among young and old alike. But how did this simple and yet incredibly fun toy get its beginning? It all started one day in 1943 when engineer Richard James dropped a tension spring on the ground and saw how it moved. Thinking he might be on to something a bit more fun and universal than a tension spring, he took the spring home to his wife, Betty, and the two of them tried to come up with a name for this potential toy. After searching and searching, Betty found the word "slinky" in the dictionary which meant sinuous and stealthy. And since then, stairs have never been left alone.
On February 9, 1960, the very first star was awarded to actress Joanne Woodward. Within a year and half, over 1,500 of the stars were filled with names. Currently, over 2,300 of the stars have been awarded and two new stars are awarded each month.
Hoffa's Middle Name
Jimmy Hoffa, president of the Teamsters a labor union from 1957 until 1971, is best known in popular culture for his mysterious disappearance and presumed death in 1975. It's ironic, perhaps, that Hoffa's middle name was Riddle.
The First Star on the Walk of Fame

WWII and M&M's
After Forrest Mars, Sr. witnessed soldiers eating bite-sized chocolates covered in a sugar coating during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s, he brought the idea back to the United States and started manufacturing his own version, called M&M's. In 1941, M&M's were included in U.S. soldiers' rations during World War II because they "melt in your mouth, not in your hands" (the tagline didn't actually appear until 1954). Good in nearly any environment, including hot summers, M&M's became very popular. The little candies were sold in tubes until 1948, when the packaging changed to the brown bag that we still see today. The imprint of an "M" on the candies first occurred in 1950.
Ford Pardoned Lee
On August 5, 1975, President Gerald Ford pardoned General Robert E. Lee and restored his full rights of citizenship. After the American Civil War, General Lee believed that it was everyone's duty to work together to reestablish peace and harmony between the North and South. Lee wanted to set the example and petitioned then-President Andrew Johnson to reinstate his citizenship. Because of a clerical error, Lee's Oath of Allegiance (part of the citizenship requirement) was lost, so his application did not go through before his death. In 1970, Lee's Oath of Allegiance was found among other papers in the National Archives. When President Ford signed the bill that restored Lee's citizenship in 1975, Ford stated, "General Lee's character has been an example to succeeding generations, making the restoration of his citizenship an event in which every American can take pride."
Barbie's Full Name

The First Barcode
The first item sold after being scanned with a UPC barcode was a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Gum. The sale occured at 8:01 a.m. on June 26, 1974 at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio. The gum is now on display at the Smithsonian American History Museum in Washington D.C.
Strange Pick
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, dictator for nearly a quarter century and infamous for his use of police terror and the frequent mass murders of his own people, was Time's "Man of the Year" in 1939 and 1942.
Einstein Designed a Refrigerator
Twenty-one years after writing his theory of relativity, Albert Einstein invented a refrigerator that operated on alcohol gas. The refrigerator was patented in 1926 but never went into production because new technology made it unnecessary. Einstein invented the refrigerator because he read about a family that was poisoned by a sulphur dioxide-emitting refrigerator.
A Renamed Russian City
Did you know that in 1914, at the beginning of World War I, Russia renamed its capital city St. Petersburg to Petrograd because they thought the name sounded too German? This same city changed name again only ten years later when it was renamed Leningrad after the Russian Revolution. In 1991, the city regained its original name of St. Petersburg.
The Tiny Tub

Source: ioframe.com
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