The Book of Facts and Trivia: American History
by Terri Schlichenmeyer
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... Teri Schlichenmeyer displays her funny bone while assembling a range on anecdotes from American history as she seeks to amuse her readers with once forgotten documented lore. ... Learn that folk hero John Wayne had plastic surgery to improve his looks, or that one and a half million new shopping carts are manufactured each year in the USA ... These and other sundry historical and often trivial descriptions are scattered throughout the pages. ... This is the sort of book that is best left on the coffee table for the casual reader to open at any page and ask the surrounding company if they’re aware of these little isolated gems from earlier times.
Portland Book Review
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Step into the Weird and Wonderful World of American History!
Explore the rich tapestry of the United States through a collection of absorbing stories, trivia, and facts. From the well-known figures like Juan Ponce de León and John Wayne to the lesser-known stories hidden within significant historical events, The Book of Facts and Trivia: American History combines the educational, trivial, pop cultural, and profound aspects of American history.
Each turn of the page offers new insights, revelations, and absorbing stories that will leave you pondering the interesting course of American history, including …
The Statue of Liberty is 305 feet tall and wears size 879 sandals.
The United States has won more Olympic medals than any other country.
More than 500 people have spent time on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. Just 10 of them have been women.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame began in 1953, and you have to be nominated; and, if nominated, your star will cost you at least $55,000.
There is a Pink, Oklahoma; Black, Ohio; Blue, Arizona; Gray, Iowa; and Orange, Texas.
Historians believe that there’s a good chance that King George didn’t read the Declaration of Independence.
You could put nearly 550 Rhode Islands, America’s smallest state at just over 1,200 square miles in size, inside Alaska, America’s largest state.
The Iolani Palace on the island of Oahu in downtown Honolulu is the only royal palace in the United States.
The “average” American woman is 5 feet, 4 inches tall.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated on November 11, 1921.
Elvis purchased Graceland in 1957 for just over $100,000.
Pumpkin pie is the most popular dessert choice for Thanksgiving, and there are more than 45 different varieties of pumpkin.
Until 1867, it was perfectly legal to allow your pigs to roam around Manhattan.
Millard Fillmore (1800–1874), a Whig party member, was the last U.S. president to enter office without being either a Democrat or a Republican.
John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator while residing in the White House.
Almost a quarter of all Americans have moved at least once in the past five years.
The longest international border in the world is a 5,525-mile length between Canada and the United States.
More than 8 out of every 10 U.S. brides wear white gowns at their weddings.
In 1850, 106 American congressmen owned slaves.
Abraham Lincoln was the only president (so far) to hold a patent. It was for a device that helps to move boats over shoals.
Statistically, nearly one in five people to serve as U.S. president has died while in office.
And much, much more!
About Terri Schlichenmeyer
Terri Schlichenmeyer is an award-winning, self-syndicated book reviewer. In addition to several columns written each week, she’s contributed to several Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers and other trivia-type books. You can read Terri’s book reviews in more than 200 newspapers and magazines throughout the world. She lives in a little corner of Wisconsin with two dogs and one very patient man.
Hometown: Wisconsin
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