12 Very Random Facts That You Might Not Know But Definitely Should
1.The birth control pill is most associated with the '60s and the sexual revolution, but it was actually first created in the '50s. In fact, it was approved by the FDA in 1957 to be used to treat severe menstrual disorders.
It was approved to be used as a contraceptive in 1960.
2.Jackie Kennedy's iconic pink suit is, of course, forever linked to JFK's assassination. However, she wore the suit publicly at least six times before that day.
The suit was reportedly one of JFK's favorite outfits to see her in. Jackie was photographed in it several times, including during a visit to London in March 1962 (above left) and during a visit by the Maharajah and Maharani of Jaipur at the White House (above right) in October 1962.
Contrary to popular belief, the suit is not a Chanel suit, it is actually a line-by-line copy put together by New York fashion salon Chez Ninon, using Chanel fabrics, buttons, and trim.
3.Prior to 1963, homes and businesses in the US did not have zip codes as part of their addresses:
#FunFact: the zip code was implemented during JFK's presidency #otd in 1963. Find out how and see more promo material! #NationalPostalWorkerDay📫 : https://t.co/J1vOVkDzhJ
4.The delightful scene in Saving Mr. Banks where Walt Disney takes P.L. Travers to Disneyland did not happen in real life.
P.L. did go to Disneyland, but she went with Bill Dover, who was the head of Disney Studios Story Department.
5.McDonald's didn't have its first drive-thru until 1975.
Drive-thrus existed at other fast-food chains prior to this, but McDonald's model was built on walking up and ordering or car-hop service (and had slowly morphed into eat-in as well). However, a franchise owner in Sierra Vista, Arizona installed one in order to service uniformed soldiers stationed at nearby Fort Huachuca, who were not allowed to be walking around in uniform outside the base.
But, FTR, McDonald's corporate was working on installing drive-thru systems at the time.
6.George Lucas absolutely HATED and went "apeshit" over Harrison Ford's iconic "I know" ad-lib in The Empire Strikes Back.
Lucasfilm
Originally, the line was written for Han to reply with, "I love you, too." But both the film's director, Irvin Kershner, and Harrison thought the line was out of character for Han — so Irvin asked Harrison to come up with a natural response for Han, which resulted in the now-classic line. But when George saw it, he thought it was horrible. However, George agreed to have two test screenings — one with "I know" in it and one with the original "I love you, too" line...and, of course, we know which one won out.
7.When Pac-Man arcade machines were first released in Tokyo, the game was called PuckMan. However, the name was changed when it was brought over to the United States out of fear that kids and teenagers would graffiti over the "P" and make it into an "F."
8.The Swedish Chef is the only Muppet who is seen with bare human hands.
Which makes sense, since he is grabbing things like food and is also cooking.
9.The Little Mermaid was actually the first Disney movie to be released on home video following its theatrical release. And it was considered a gamble for the company.
The movie was released onto home video six months after its release and, of course, went on to become a huge seller. Many at Disney did not want it to be released onto home video as it would cut into the established theatrical re-release model. The success of it led Disney in the 1990s to shift to the home video model, not only releasing its new movies on home video, but also its "vault" movies.
10.When Beanie Babies first launched in 1993, they were NOT a successful toy line. It wasn't until a group of neighbors in suburban Chicago decided to start trading them (with rules) that their popularity grew.
Beanie Babies also accounted for 10% of eBay's early sales.
11.In 1998, Amazon began selling something other than books: CDs!
Shortly after launching its music store, Amazon announced that it had purchased a company named Junglee Corporation, which was a company that allowed customers to buy tons of different products on the internet. This was a big sign that Amazon was expanding beyond books and CDs.
12.And lastly, when YouTube originally launched in 2005, it was meant to be a video dating site. The founders of it even had a slogan for it: "Tune in, hook up."
YouTube's founders — Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim — thought that people would be really interested in video dating. With the idea being basically people uploading videos of themselves giving bio information and what they were looking for. However, they couldn't get anyone to upload dating videos (even after putting up ads in Craigslist that they would pay women $20 to upload one), so they decided to open it to all types of videos.
