The 2009 edition of The World Almanac and Book of Facts is packed with over 1,000 pages of information—much of it little known. For example (with our comments in parentheses), did you know that:
• Among the top six leading U.S. advertisers in 2007 were GM and Ford. (Evidently, their ads weren’t very effective.)
• Americans spent more money on beer, wine and liquor ($2,201 million) in 2007 than on education ($2,014 M).
• The largest denomination of U.S. currency ever produced was the $100,000 bill, used only for transactions between the Federal Reserve System and the Treasury Department.
• If all the U.S. dollars and coins in circulation were equally divided among the U.S. population, every man, woman and child would receive $2,712.
• As of 6/30/08, U.S. currency in circulation included $9,213,856,469 in $1 bills...$1,620,381,994 in $2 bills...and $3,460,000 in $10,000 bills. Plus $600 in “fractional notes.”
• Between 1789 and 1800, the U.S. Government had income of $5,717,000 and expenses of $5,776,000. (So the deficit is not new, just a lot bigger.)
• In 1870, the U.S. public debt averaged $61.06 per person; in 2008, it averaged $33,237.
• Procter & Gamble owns Duracell batteries, Smucker’s owns Crisco shortening, General Mills owns Pillsbury, Unilever owns Q-Tips and Vaseline, and H.J. Heinz owns Weight Watchers.
• In 1900, there were 8,000 cars registered in the U.S.; in 2006, there were 135,399,945.
• By law, employees in France are entitled to 30 paid vacation days per year; in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, it’s 25 days; in Germany, 24 days; and in Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Greece, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK, it’s 20 days. In the U.S., there’s no such federal law.
