tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18991004717786892452024-02-20T05:06:53.443-05:00ENCYCLOPEDIA BRANIGANEverything you didn't know you didn't need to knowLilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-72444063424371858412010-08-03T15:02:00.004-04:002010-08-03T15:12:04.381-04:0050 Amazing FactsI love facts (I know, I'm a nerd), so when I saw Mental Floss' list of 50 facts for their 50th issue I had to share. I've included some of my favorites below. To check out the whole list, click here. 1. In 1943, Philip Morris ran an ad acknowledging “smokers’ cough.” They claimed it was caused by smoking brands other than Philip Morris.2. In the 1970s, Mattel sold a doll called “Growing Up Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-80365098411269849542010-05-06T23:15:00.009-04:002010-05-07T12:03:00.607-04:00The average weight of a newborn baby is 7lb 5oz (and the winner is...)The average weight of a newborn baby is 7lb 5oz - and as usual, I come in above average (haha).How far above average? Check out the video below, where the one who knows best, my mom, shares how much I weighed at birth:Yes! A healthy 8lb, 4oz. - making the winner, according to Price is Right rules, Mike Scic with a guess of 8lb, 3oz!!Congrats to Mr. Scic, who will receive a reusable Dunkin Donuts Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-47347735908803917422010-05-03T23:43:00.008-04:002010-05-04T09:08:49.016-04:00Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?Well that really depends on whether you are a chef or a botanist. As defined by science, a fruit is classified as the ovary and seeds of a flowering plant. The tomato with its seedy interior and juicy red fruit that develops from a flowering plant fits this description.However, the tomato is not like other fruits because it isn't sweet, nor is it typically served for dessert (unless you are on Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-30556533610691841412010-04-30T14:33:00.009-04:002010-04-30T15:11:14.582-04:00The average 25-year-old has taken almost 200 million breaths (and likes to give away free stuff)The average 25-year-old has taken almost 200 million breaths and has had approximately 9.5 billion heartbeats since birth, according to the Beats & Breaths Calculator from Discovery Health. On May 10, 2010, I will 25 years old. Yessss - the big 2-5. I've come a long way from this... So to celebrate, I've decided to give away some free stuff! What, you ask, am I giving away to commemorate such a Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-19285938589066790442010-03-05T12:15:00.003-05:002010-03-05T12:22:35.866-05:00And the winner is......Digital Ice with his guess of $7.38!! In a close second, Joanna with $6.34 and C.O. Jones with $6.22.The actual amount of money in the cup? $9.47. Congrats to the winners, and thanks to everyone who participated. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-6291839340387835042010-03-02T21:56:00.011-05:002010-03-02T23:15:38.743-05:00More than 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed on St. Patty's Day (along with some free stuff)More than 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed on St. Patty's Day, opposed to the usual 5.5 million pints that are consumed on any other day of the year. This is just one of the many reasons that St. Patrick's Day is one of the BEST holidays of the year (aside from May 10).Since I will not be in the continental US on March 17 (no worries, I'll be celebrating with a green margarita under a Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-17522676962227068362010-03-02T13:24:00.009-05:002010-03-02T14:00:36.747-05:00Pluto is not (is!) a planetAccording to Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium and author of The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet, Pluto is not a planet.Tyson's theories on the ball of gas floating somewhere around the orbit of Neptune have been a topic of debate in the scientific community (you can even buy "I Miss Pluto" T-shirts!). Tonight Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-2863203697518316172010-03-01T23:43:00.003-05:002010-03-02T00:53:14.796-05:00Cat got your tongue? Blame Paul Broca......it's his area of your brain that isn't functioning properly. Back in 1846, French neurosurgeon Paul Broca identified an area in the left hemisphere of the brain which is responsible for speech production, including articulation, proper word usage and pronunciation. Broca's area was the first area of the brain to be associated with a specific function.Why am I writing about Dr. Broca and his Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-77196402269498242442010-02-28T23:06:00.003-05:002010-02-28T23:14:57.137-05:00The average Internet user watches 182 online videos per monthMake this video number 1 of the 182 online videos you watch in March.JESS3 / The State of The Internet from Jesse Thomas on Vimeo.via Buzzfeed Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-73724713256435355192010-02-25T19:06:00.008-05:002010-02-25T20:21:37.216-05:00The quality of a diamond depends on the C'sThe quality of a diamond depends on the C's - four of them actually - the 4C's of diamond grading rate the carat weight, color, clarity and cut of a diamond. This grading system was created by the Gemological Institute of America, and has become the industry standard for rating diamonds. While each of the 4C's is important, it is the combination of all that determines the value of each Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-37423241595703002982010-02-22T23:19:00.013-05:002010-03-03T20:00:01.668-05:00Fresh snow is the most reflective natural surface on earthFresh snow is the most reflective natural surface on earth because it has the highest albedo, or how strongly an object reflects light from other light sources (i.e. the Sun). At first thought you might think that water would be the most reflective surface on earth - on sunny days a body of water (with an albedo of can look like a mirror of the sea, and snow just remains white - but water allows Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-70316641116279255662010-02-16T22:37:00.013-05:002010-02-17T00:07:14.668-05:00How to build a snow sculptureThe Northeast was hit with a lot of snow last week. For some people, that means shoveling, digging out cars and walking to CVS during a blizzard because your dog ate her tail (sigh). For others, mainly children and unemployed adults, snow provides an opportunity to go skiing, snowboarding or just to play outside.This particular snow accumulation is wet, perfect for packing and sculpting. So take Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-66980038782747649202010-01-27T19:06:00.008-05:002010-01-27T20:34:36.071-05:00The English serve their omelets with an extra dash of T and EThe English serve their omelets with an extra dash of T and E - the letter T and E that is. Just this morning, my co-worker called me and said "Lila, don't think I'm stupid, but how do you spell 'omelette?' I am looking at this menu, and I think it is spelled wrong." Which started a cube-wide debate on the proper spelling of the word (as publicists, sometimes it is imperative that we answer Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-51238367599496400192010-01-25T19:33:00.005-05:002010-01-25T19:47:54.513-05:00More than 20,000 people have visited Encyclopedia BraniganMore than 20,000 people have visited Encyclopedia Branigan. According to Google Analytics, encyclopediabranigan.com has received 20,070 unique views since my first post on October 12, 2008.Twenty Ten is starting out to be a promising year, with 1,900+ unique viewers since January 1. Who are these lovely people? I don't really know...but I'm guessing that my biggest fans are from New York...Thank Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-37907521143388563402010-01-24T18:06:00.005-05:002010-01-24T22:27:11.417-05:00Americans eat 100 acres of pizza a dayAmericans eat 100 acres of pizza a day, which is consumed at approximately 350 slices per second. To put it in perspective, that's the same as 100 football fields. That's a lotta pizza!Now, out of the 93% of Americans who partake in this massive pizza-eating endeavour each month, 36 percent prefer to top their pies with pepperoni, approximately 251,770,000 pounds per year.So how much pizza do youLilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-74725374522514917072010-01-15T16:19:00.011-05:002010-01-15T17:04:43.457-05:00Do you like ENCYCLOPEDIA BRANIGAN? Then maybe you should check out the HOT SHEET...The Coyne PR Hot Sheet is a weekly recap of the best campaigns, promotions, advertisements and ideas of the week - peppered with a touch of pop culture and a dash of the latest social media technology news.I definitely recommend you check it out - it's pretty Hotsheet. haha. If you really like it, you can subscribe to get a copy in your mailbox every week. Really really like it? Send the Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-66216215789783347192010-01-13T11:15:00.010-05:002010-01-13T14:11:20.022-05:00Turtles, tortoises and terrapins are all reptilesTurtles, tortoises and terrapins are all reptiles, contrary to the common belief that turtles and terrapins are amphibians due to the amount of time they spend in the water. So, what is the difference between these three shelled animals?Turtles, tortoises and terrapins differ in their habitats and behaviors. Turtles spend most of their time in the water and have webbed feet, perfect for swimming.Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-14259807292509405312010-01-12T23:18:00.005-05:002010-01-13T15:35:59.193-05:00Microearthquakes occur 8,000 times a dayMicroearthquakes occur 8,000 times per day. These tiny tremors register below 2.0 on the Richter Scale - the universal measurement system of earthquakes which assigns a number to each quake based on the seismic energy it releases.On January 12, at around 5 PM EST a 7.0 earthquake shook southern Haiti. The massive quake only lasted 30 seconds, but the damage was devastating. CNN reports that the Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-27596697427582500992010-01-11T21:13:00.003-05:002010-01-11T22:04:03.175-05:00A "coon's age" is approximately 7 yearsA "coon's age" is approximately 7 years (I found a number of variations this number, and 7 was the average). Back in the day, in the early 1800's people believed that raccoons had long lives, around 5-7 years and referred to that length of time as a racoon's age, slurred into "coon's age."While the raccoons can live up to 20 years, most wild raccoons only make it to about 3 years old. Contrary toLilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-70607374077107088462010-01-11T09:04:00.003-05:002010-01-11T09:09:07.463-05:00And the winner is...Using Random.org, with Nick Dimichino as my witness, a random number of 49 was drawn, making Johnny the winner of the Albums are released on Tuesday because of Billboard Magazine contest. Johnny will win a custom made copy of the premier album of Max Randall Branigan, "I Do Not Know" by Person Man.Congrats!!Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-40470216867623551272010-01-04T22:22:00.011-05:002010-01-05T00:22:11.630-05:00Albums are released on Tuesday because of Billboard MagazineAlbums are released on Tuesday because of Billboard Magazine, the leading magazine of the music industry, as well as the publisher of the famed Billboard Charts. Now today we can get information in a second via the World Wide Web, but back before America Online struck lightening and signed us all on to the wondrous Internet, people relied on physical publications for their news.Billboard was Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-24816101222201856642009-12-31T01:30:00.009-05:002009-12-31T08:49:34.144-05:00New Year's resolutions are for farmersNew Year's resolutions are for farmers - a little over 4,000 years ago, ancient Babylonians made the first New Year's resolutions when they pledged to return borrowed farming equipment in time for the new year. Back then, the start of the new year coincided with the start of the agricultural season on March 23.Early Romans adopted this start time as well, making the start of their year March 1. Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-51999689257587294962009-12-29T22:45:00.004-05:002009-12-29T23:37:38.083-05:00The anchorages of the Brooklyn Bridge were once used as wine cellarsThe anchorages of the Brooklyn Bridge were once used as wine cellars. Back in the day (around 1883), the vaults located in the bridge anchorages were rented out offset some of the cost of the bridge construction. City records show that space was rented out for wine storage. But why store wine in a bridge? The 60,000-ton granite anchorages of the Brooklyn Bridge contain dark, cold spaces which Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-59873685649555466002009-12-23T14:22:00.005-05:002009-12-23T14:54:43.334-05:00Happy Birthday Mom!Happy Birthday Mom! Thank you for being a wonderful mom and an incredible friend. Hope you enjoy your special day :)Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899100471778689245.post-91744179339802358402009-12-07T22:19:00.011-05:002009-12-08T10:57:21.695-05:00People who play dreidel like winning free stuffPeople who play dreidel like winning free stuff. What is dreidel you ask? It is a game played by children (or gambling adict adults) during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah (the festival of lights). The dreidel is significant because the Hebrew letters written on each side are an acronym for the miracle of Hanukkah, "A Great Miracle Happened There" or if you are playing in Israel, "A Great Miracle Lilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249044915869890939noreply@blogger.com13