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Posts Tagged ‘Fun Fact Friday’

Fun Fact Friday: Floating away…

Posted by Josh on September 18, 2009 in Fun Fact Friday

hot-air-balloonFrom the picture of Pooh Bear drifting away holding onto his red balloon to the colorful giant hot-air balloons that drift across the sky on a calm day, balloons are a festive way to celebrate any birthday.  Coincidentally, today also happens to be the 25th anniversary of the first solo balloon journey across the Atlantic Ocean by Joseph Kittinger.

So thinking about that spectacular feat, I was curious as to the origin of the balloon.  It so happens that the first rubber balloon was made in 1824 by Professor Michael Faraday for use in experiments with the gas, hydrogen, at the Royal Institution in London.

Now I’ve been known to daydream, and on occasion my thoughts turn to all the adventures I could have in a hot-air balloon — I must say that the idea of actually making a trans-Atlantic journey is really inspiring.  I would note that Kittinger, unlike myself, wasn’t without flying experience however, having been a career military officer in the United States Air Force when he completed his trans-Atlantic journey.  However, if you do think about planning any balloon trips, it may be helpful to know that a 100-foot-diameter balloon can lift 33,000 pounds (so go get your calculators).

In the end, I’d take the wise advice of the lovable Winnie the Pooh: “Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.”  So for your next celebration, find yourself some colorful balloons and just be careful not to float away.

Fun Fact Friday: Who Owns "Happy Birthday"?

Posted by Birthday Cate on August 14, 2009 in Fun Fact Friday

Even though practically everyone sings this song at birthday parties — or at embarrassingly high volumes in restaurants — most people don’t know the interesting history of the happy birthday song. Here’s a few factoids courtesy of HappyBirthday.com

  • The melody for the famous song was first penned by two sisters, Mildred and Patty Hill
  • The song was originally called Good Morning to All and was used to greet schoolchildren in the morning.
  • Another Hill sister (Jessica) published and copyrighted the song in 1935.
  • ‘Happy Birthday’ became the first song to be performed in outer space when it was performed by the astronauts on Apollo IX in 1969.
  • Time Warner reportedly paid $25 million for the rights to the song in 1988.
  • The copyright is currently owned by TimeWarner and licensed and enforced by ASCAP
  • In its long history, only two lawsuits have been brought for illegal singing of the song.
  • Annual royalties of the song are estimated at around $2 million.
  • The copyright will not expire until at least 2030
  • There is much debate and controversy about the validity of this copyright for such a simple and old song.
  • This copyright is the main reason you never hear waiters singing the song to patrons in restaurants. They usually sing some alternate, corporate-approved birthday song.

Fun Fact Friday: "Love is all you need"

Posted by Birthday Cate on May 01, 2009 in Fun Fact Friday | General

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Every Friday, we bring you a fun fact about birthdays—how people want to celebrate them, why the celebrations are important, and whose birthdays mean the most.

When asked what they most want to receive on their birthdays, Americans are decidedly unmaterialistic. Rather than wanting things or money or checks, most Americans just want a kiss and a hug from their loved ones on their special days.

The second most wanted gift? A simple phone call.

On the list of things Americans want for their birthdays, money ranks close to last. Less than 1 in 10 Americans want money or a check as a gift.

So the next time a friend or loved one has a birthday, make sure you remember to tell them you care. It turns out, that could be the most important part of their celebration.

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