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  Credit:  Chris So / Toronto Star via Getty Images McDonald’s Is the World’s Largest Toy Distributor Since the creation of the  Happy Meal  in  1979 , McDonald’s has leapfrogged industry giants such as Hasbro and Mattel to become the world’s largest toy distributor. Early Happy Meal toys included stencils and spinning tops, though the trinkets were later designed as part of advertising campaigns to promote family movies, like 1989’s  The Little Mermaid . All told, McDonald’s distributes  1.5 billion toys  worldwide each year. As part of a recent effort to be more environmentally conscious, the company has pledged to largely  phase out  plastic toys in Happy Meals, and vowed to work to provide kids with plant-based or recycled toys instead. Note:  The above comes directly from their website.  Click here to read more.

  Original photo by Gogosvm/ iStock Marmosets call each other by name. Most of our pet cats and dogs know their names, but they (probably) didn’t come up with those names on their own. In fact, only one nonhuman primate is known to use names: the humble  marmoset . The small, chatty monkeys have joined a highly exclusive club that also includes parrots and dolphins, as  research  from 2024 notes that marmosets use unique vocalizations to label one another.  Marmosets are highly social creatures, and their whistle-like “ phee calls ” are meant to inform fellow group members of their location. The study found that when marmosets who knew each other were placed in the same room with a barrier that blocked them from seeing one another, they not only engaged in  chitchat  but used unique vocalizations for one another — essentially, names. Conservation biologist George Wittemyer of Colorado State University, who led  a similar study  that found Afr...

  One Perfect Minute with Pygmy slow Loris Babies These two tiny pygmy slow loris babies,  the first ever born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo , each weighed somewhere between three nickels and a AA battery at birth in March 2024. Two months later, the nocturnal primates were learning to explore their arboreal exhibit. This Smithsonian’s National Zoo video  captures one perfect minute of the two-month-old siblings as they eagerly eye  waxworms  offered by tongs. Near the end of the video, papa Pabu can’t resist swooping in to snatch the treat. Note:  The above comes directly from their website.  Click here to read more.

  Credit:  NurPhoto  via Getty Images McDonald’s Used to Sell Hot Dogs and Barbecue The men who founded the chain that would become McDonald’s — Dick and Mac McDonald —  opened  the fast food giant as a modest California hot dog stand in 1937. They would later pivot to a different food: On May 15, 1940, they  opened  McDonald’s Bar-B-Que in San Bernardino. The foray into BBQ was somewhat short-lived, however, because by October 1948 the brothers had realized that most of their profits came from selling burgers. The pair decided to establish a  simple menu  featuring hamburgers, potato chips, and orange juice, and added french fries and Coke a year later. The franchise was licensed to Ray Kroc in 1954, who transformed McDonald’s into the chain we know today. Note:  The above comes directly from their website.  Click here to read more.

  Dating Etiquette From the 1950s The world of dating has undergone significant changes throughout history, from arranged couplings in ancient Egypt to medieval courtship to the modern-day use of technology to find a partner. In the 1950s, dating was governed by a set of traditions and rules that reflected a postwar society that emphasized stability and conformity, and was largely influenced by the era’s adherence to traditional gender roles. Men were expected to take the lead, covering the bills and demonstrating chivalry, while women were held to standards of modesty and femininity.  Though they may feel antiquated compared to more recent moves toward gender equality, independence, and a rejection of rigid cultural norms, the conventions that defined dating in the ’50s are fascinating to look back on. Here are some of the rules that defined dating etiquette in the 1950s. Note:  The above comes directly from their website.  Click here to read more.

  Why Does “Throwing in the Towel” Signify Defeat? Boxing is an edge-of-your-seat-exciting sport to watch, and some evocative turns of phrase have been pulled right from the ring. "Saved by the bell" is a last-minute reprieve, and "down for the count" is a creative way to depict hitting rock bottom. But do these phrases pack the same punch as "throwing in the towel"? The versatility of this phrase — a gesture that means "I'm done" or "I surrender" — has ensured its popularity for over a century. Like many metaphors, "throwing in the towel" started out in a literal sense, though the action isn't as standard in boxing today. To avoid a severe pummeling, a boxer's coach can throw an actual towel into the ring, signaling to the referee their intention to forfeit. Per Olympic boxing rules, this action results in "abandonment," and the opponent is victorious. But how did the phrase rise to such power in the gen...

  Credit:  Tim Boyle / Getty Images News via Getty Images McDonald’s Sells 75 Burgers Per Second According to its own training manual, McDonald’s locations combined  sell  more than 75 hamburgers per second. The  average  hamburger is cooked and assembled in 112 seconds, whereas a Quarter Pounder takes a lengthier but still lightning-quick 180 seconds to prepare (assuming there are no other orders being worked on at the same time). McDonald’s produces and sells so many burgers that it had already sold its  100 millionth  by 1958. In 1963, it sold its billionth burger live on TV during an episode of Art Linkletter’s variety show. The chain officially  stopped keeping track  in 1993, when it updated its signs to say “Over 99 Billion Served.” Note:  The above comes directly from their website.  Click here to read more.

  Credit:  Cate Gillon / Getty Images News via Getty Images A McDonald’s Superfan Has Eaten Over 34,000 Big Macs In a  tradition  that first began over 50 years ago on May 17, 1972, Wisconsin’s Don Gorske has consumed upwards of 34,000 Big Macs — and counting. While Gorske originally ate, on average, a whopping (no Burger King pun intended) nine Big Macs per day, he has since scaled back to about two a day. Gorske  claims  that in those 50 years he has only missed eating a Big Mac on eight days. The  previous record  for Big Macs eaten in one lifetime was 15,490, a number that Gorske smashed back in 1999 and has been dwarfing ever since. Note:  The above comes directly from their website.  Click here to read more.

  Credit:  ullstein bild  via Getty Images Coca-Cola Tastes “Better” at McDonald’s No, it’s not your imagination, Coke actually does taste different — and many would say better — at McDonald’s restaurants. This is largely due to the way it’s  packaged . While the actual flavoring is identical to other restaurants, McDonald’s gets its Coke syrup delivered in stainless steel tanks instead of the more common plastic bags, which in turn keeps the syrup fresher. McDonald’s also  filters  its water prior to adding it to the soda machines, and calibrates its syrup-to-water ratio to account for melting ice. In addition, McDonald’s utilizes  wider straws  than normal, allowing more Coke to “hit your taste buds,”  according to the company . Note:  The above comes directly from their website.  Click here to read more.

  Gerald Ford was the first president to change his full name. Famous Figures Gerald Ford will forever be in the history books as the 38th president of the United States, but he first entered the record books under a different name. He was born Leslie Lynch King Jr. , making him the first president to completely change his name. He did so for a good reason: Ford’s father abused his mother, Dorothy Ayer Gardner, and even threatened to murder her and her infant son after Ford was born. Gardner separated from her husband a mere 16 days after her son’s birth, fleeing first to her sister’s home in Oak Park, Illinois, before settling with her parents in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Gardner married Gerald Rudolph Ford shortly before her son’s fourth birthday, and it wasn’t until he turned 13 that he found out Gerald wasn’t his biological father. Though he was never technically adopted, Ford formally changed his name to Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. when he was 22. William Jefferson Blythe — better ...

  Pangolin burrows are biodiversity magnets in burnt forests, study shows Pangolins, the world’s most trafficked mammals, hit the headlines more often for the illegal trade in their scales and meat than for their cherished role in their environment. As insectivores, these scaly anteaters feast on termites and ants and keep their numbers in check. By digging burrows with their powerful claws, they turn soil and cycle nutrients. Their abandoned burrows become home for many reptiles, birds and other small mammals. A recent  study  adds new evidence to the pangolin’s role in the environment as ecosystem engineers. The study, published in the journal  Global Ecology and Conservation , finds that burrows dug up by Chinese pangolins ( Manis pentadactyla ) encourage the growth of plants and provide shelter to surviving animals in forests devastated by fires. It presents the first qualitative evidence for pangolins’ role in accelerating the recovery of degraded ecosystems, su...

  Smart News   |   December 23, 2024 Expedition Discovers 27 New Species in Peru, From an ‘Exceedingly Rare’ Amphibious Mouse to a Blob-Headed Fish The hidden creatures were found in a densely populated region known for its successful—and controversial—conservation tactics Between the Andes Mountains and the Amazon, a verdant pocket of land known as Alto Mayo supports roughly 280,000 people—but despite decades of human encroachment and deforestation, scientists have discovered it also hosts a staggering level of biodiversity. In June and July 2022, researchers led by the nonprofit  Conservation International  made a 38-day expedition to the Alto Mayo region of Peru and uncovered 27 new species. The previously unknown creatures include four mammals, eight fish, three amphibians and ten butterflies, the team writes in a  474-page report  published Friday. In a region with high human population density—with settlements dotted between scribbles of rivers a...

  A Weird Ice that may Form on Alien Planets has Finally Been Observed High temperatures and extreme pressures create ice with properties of both crystalline ice and liquid water By  Nikk Ogasa February 18, 2025 at 9:00 am A strange type of ice thought to dwell deep in the oceans of alien planets has finally been proven to exist. For the first time, researchers have  directly observed a sort of hybrid phase of water called plastic ice , which forms at high temperatures and pressures and exhibits traits of both solid ice and liquid water. The observations, reported February 12 in  Nature,  may help researchers better understand the internal architecture and processes of other worlds in our solar system and beyond, some of which might be habitable. Plastic ice is “something intermediate between a liquid and a crystal, you can imagine that it is softer when you squeeze it,” says physicist Livia Bove of CNRS in Paris. It’s called plastic ice because it is more easil...

  Original photo by PA Images/ Alamy Stock Photo One man holds more than 200 Guinness World Records. Of all the world records to hold, “most world records” might be the most impressive. That title belongs to American  Ashrita Furman , who has set more than 600 world records and currently holds more than 200. He first became smitten with Guinness’ famous book as a child in the 1960s and made it his lifelong mission to set as many records as he could. Among his many  feats  are the longest continuous distance somersaulting (12 miles and 390 yards), most hopscotch games completed in 24 hours (434), world's largest popcorn sculpture (20 feet, 10 inches), most apples cut midair with a samurai sword in one minute (29), and translating and reciting a poem in the most languages (203). His first attempt in 1978 ended in disappointment when he failed to break the record for most consecutive jumping jacks, but he persevered and  broke  it the following year by complet...

  What do the Letters of Vitamins Stand For? It's time for some myth-busting: The "C" in "vitamin C" does not stand for "citrus," though the nutrient is famously abundant in citrus fruits. Science began exploring the unique capabilities of vitamins around 100 years ago, and named the essential compounds by highlighting their attributes and order of discovery. In 1920, Polish biochemist Casimir Funk coined the term "vitamin," derived from the Latin word for life ( vita ) and "amine," a nitrogen-rich compound. Before this coinage, in the 1890s, a compound was identified that prevented beriberi, a disease that commonly afflicted sailors. Due to this usage, it was eventually named vitamin B. Next up in 1918, vitamin A was identified as "fat-soluble A" by nutrition scientist Elmer McCullum. While conducting food experiments, he found an "accessory" substance in some fats, choosing "A" as its epithet. The nam...

5 Smartphone Safety Features That Take Less Than 5 Minutes to Activate Calls, texts, and social media are typically top of mind when we dive into our smartphones — but these little devices also have the ability to protect our health and even our lives. Though it may sound like a hassle to set up safety features on your cell phone (particularly when that Instagram feed refresh is calling your name), taking the time to prepare for the worst could massively pay off when you need it the most. “One of the big issues in personal preparedness and disaster preparedness is that most people don’t feel threatened until it’s too late,” Dr. Thomas Kirsch, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Refugee and Disaster Response, told John Hopkins Medicine . So to help you get started, we rounded up five iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, and Google Pixel safety features that will have your back in case of an emergency. The best part? They all take five minutes or less to set up. Note:  The above comes direct...

  Can Cold Weather Make You Sick? It's a common misconception that being physically cold means you'll get a cold, perhaps because respiratory infections   usually soar during the winter months . While frostier weather   can make us more susceptible to infections   — for instance, by lowering   immune defenses   against respiratory viruses — the frigid conditions don't actually   cause   the illness in the first place. But there are various other conditions that are triggered by chillier temperatures. One example is hypothermia, which is caused by  a dangerous drop in core body temperature . Normally, the temperature of the human body is tightly regulated at around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius),  give or take a degree or so . This keeps all of the normal physiological processes in the body ticking along. Note:  The above comes directly from their website.  Click here to read more.