Is Factoid A Euphemism For Trivia?

The 1994 Honda Accord was the most frequently stolen car in 2009. That’s according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Mid-1990 Hondas and Toyotas frequently dominate the annual top-10 list of stolen cars. Because they are popular, there’s always a market for their parts. The good news is car thefts dropped in every state in 2009. The drop nationally was 17% – the biggest drop in 6 years of dropping numbers. Although there are lots of new, anti-theft technologies, there’s a cheap way to protect your car – paint it yellow. Thieves want cars that blend in and there’s a yell in yellow.

Who knew September 24 is “National Punctuation Day”. The holiday was created by Jeff Rubin, a newsletter publisher frustrated by punctuation mistakes in newspapers. In 2004 the holiday was listed in “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and for the first 2 years it was celebrated on August 22 – Rubin’s birthday. In 2006 he changed the date to September 24 – September to coincide with the school year and 24 to honor the number of his favorite baseball player, Willie Mays. Rubin wants Punctuation Day to remind students that punctuation is still important – especially as September 24 is also “Love Note Day”.

Who would have guessed Colorado is the thinnest state. According to the Washington Post, Colorado’s 2009 obesity rate of 19.1% was the lowest of all the states. This could be due to Colorado’s outdoor culture. Colorado tied with Oregon for 49th in physical inactivity among adults. Also, both poverty and lack of education have been linked to obesity. Colorado’s 2008 poverty rate was 18th lowest in the country and only Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire had more residents with undergraduate and graduate degrees. Nevertheless, Colorado’s obesity rate has nearly doubled in the past 15 years – maybe putting “fat” in fated.

Hard to believe but atheists and agnostics know more about the major religions. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life surveyed 3,412 people in 2010, asking 32 such questions as could they name the Islamic holy book, what’s the first book of the Bible and in what century was the Mormon religion founded. Atheists and agnostics scored highest with an average of 21 correct answers, Jews and Mormons averaged 20, Protestants averaged 16 and Catholics averaged 15. Although those who attended worship weekly tested better, the best predictor of religious knowledge was education. Obviously, knowing doesn’t mean believing.