People

Bizarre Fact #171:
Did you know...
The corkscrew was invented by M.L. Bryn, also of New York, in 1860.

Bizarre Fact #172:
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The Direct Action Committee, a group pushing for nuclear disarmament, invented the peace symbol in 1958. The forked symbol is actually a composite of the semaphore signals "N" and "D," to stand for nuclear disarmament.

Bizarre Fact #173:
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The first coin operated machine ever designed was a holy-water dispenser that required a five-drachma piece to operate. It was the brainchild of the Greek scientist Hero in the first century AD.

Bizarre Fact #174:
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The first commercial vacuum cleaner was so large it was mounted on a wagon. People threw parties in their homes so guests could watch the new device do its job.

Bizarre Fact #175:
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The first lightweight luggage designed for air travel was conceived by aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart.

Bizarre Fact #176:
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The first mobile car phones were located in the car's trunk, taking up nearly half of the space.

Bizarre Fact #177:
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The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.

Bizarre Fact #178:
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The first prototype of the sound-proof phone booth was built in 1877. Mr. Watson, Alexander Graham Bell's trusty assistant, used a bunch of bed blankets around a box. He created the booth to prevent his landlady from listening in on his conversations.

Bizarre Fact #179:
Did you know...
The first umbrella factory in the U.S. was founded in 1928 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Bizarre Fact #180:
Did you know...
The first underground and underwater rail system in the world, the New York City Subway, began operating in 1904. Almost 8,000 men participated in building the 21-mile (33.6 km) route. The project's chief engineer was William Barclay Parsons.