Veegle - Substantiated True Facts

SUBSTANTIATED TRUE FACTS : THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Tourists are paying $65 each for a guided bus tour of Los Angeles' violence filled gang turf. Customers are required to sign a waiver, acknowledging risk of gunfire. - The Week Magazine, 1/29/10

43% of all U. S. venture capital in 2008 went to the San Francisco Bay Area. - Time Magazine, 11/2/09

The only bookstore in Laredo, Texas (B. Dalton) has closed. Now the closest bookstore to Laredo is in San Antonio, which is 150 miles away. - The Week Magazine, 2/5/10

The odds are 1 out of 4 (25%) that a ninth grader in the Detroit public school system will graduate in four years. - Time Magazine, 11/9/09

Colorado will reduce minimum wage by 4 cents in 2010 - becoming the first state to lower the minimum wage in over seventy years. - Time Magazine, 10/26/09

On average (in July 2009), there are six job seekers for each job opening in the United States. - Fortune, 10/26/09

If you're an American, the odds are 1 in 40 (2.46%) that you're currently in the U.S. criminal justice system (incarcerated, on parole, or on probation). - The Week Magazine, 9/25/09

Unmarried women now account for 40% of births. - Newsweek, 10/19/09

47% of all U.S. households will owe no federal income tax in 2009. - The Week Magazine, 10/16/09

South Carolina state attorney Roland Corning was busted with a stripper, sex toys and Viagra in a Columbia, South Carolina cemetery recently. - Newsweek, 11/9/09

Prostitutes in Chicago, Illinois are more likely to have sex with a police officer than be arrested by one. - Newsweek, 11/9/09

The odds are 1 in 39 (2.56%) that you will hit a deer with your car this year, if you drive in West Virginia. - The Week Magazine, 10/9/09

Drug investigators raided a Polk County, Florida home in a search for drugs. They were caught on a security camera playing Wii bowling for nine straight hours. - The Week Magazine, 10/9/09

The odds are 1 in 33 (3%) that you have been a target of sexual advances by a priest, minister, rabbi or other religious leader (if you're a woman). - The Week Magazine, 9/25/09

22,000 Americans die annually because they lack health insurance. - Newsweek, 9/21/09

The United States is the only developed nation where medical bankruptcies occur. - Newsweek, 9/21/09

The United States has 2,300,000,000 square feet of space in self-storage units. This is 7 square feet per citizen. - The Week Magazine, 9/18/09

The first ATM machine in America (mechanical cash dispenser) was installed in 1939. It was removed six months later because of non-use. - Wired Magazine, 9/09

The odds are 1 in 2 (44%) that a Mississippi child is overweight or obese. - Time Magazine, 7/13/09

As a cost-cutting measure, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons is allowing some prisoners to transfer themselves, unescorted, from one prison to another. - The Week Magazine, 7/3/09

The odds are less than 1 in 5 (20%) that you're obese if you live in Colorado. This is the only state with less than 20% obesity rate. - The Week Magazine, 7/24/09

Truckers that were text-messaging behind the wheel were 23 times as likely to get into an accident or a near miss. - Time Magazine, 8/10/09

43 children were on the business end of 50,000 volt stun guns when Florida prison officials had "Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day". - The Week Magazine, 5/29/09

The best selling vehicle in the United States in April 2009 was the Honda Accord. This was the first time in 18 years the Ford F-150 truck wasn't the best selling vehicle in America. - The Week Magazine, 5/15/09

The state of Iowa has changed the name of the Department of Elder Affairs to the Department of Aging. Many people are objecting to the new name, especially when being referred to by the inevitable acronym. - The Week Magazine, 3/20/09

Landfills are getting up to 30% less trash because of the troubling economy. - Seattle Times, 3/15/09

The first African-American man to appear solo on a US coin is Duke Ellington, on the reverse of the 2009 District of Columbia quarter. - CNN, 2/24/09

A New York man tried to return a "bad" lobster at his local supermarket. The grocery refused when they discovered that the lobster meat was gone, and the shell was reassembled to look whole. - UPI, 1/21/09

In some Boulder, Colorado classrooms, students sit on exercise balls. The students supposedly can work out their restlessness and concentrate more on their studies. - CBS4 (Denver), 3/18/09

Across the nation, 19 million houses and apartments -- nearly one out of every seven -- are vacant, the highest percentage since the 1960s. - New York Times, 3/6/09

Teens with cell phones average 2,272 text messages a month. - Charleston (West Virginia) Daily Mail, 2/22/09

The average total sales price in January 2009 for a house in Detroit, Michigan was $6,035. - North County Times, 3/15/09

Traffic officers in Gainesville, Florida issued seven tickets to a BMW for illegal parking in a two week period. A neighbor finally called police who found a dead body in the back seat. - The Week Magazine, 3/13/09

All the U.S. coins and bills in circulation have a total worth of $829 billion. Two thirds of that is held overseas. - Discover Magazine, 4/09

If you count people on parole and probation, 1 out of 26 adults in Louisiana is under control of the Department of Corrections. - The Week Magazine, 3/13/09

The heart attack survival rate in Las Vegas is 53%. In Chicago it's only 2%. - San Diego Union, 1/11/09

A deer with an injured leg bounded into a PetSmart in Ohio recently. The deer got stitched up by the on-duty veterinarian and then bounded out of the store. - The Week Magazine, 2/20/09

Pennsylvania firefighters in biohazard suits had to saw Shannon Hunter out of a porta-potty. He was wedged in so tight, rescuers had to saw the toilet away from him. When asked why he was naked, Miller just shrugged his shoulders. - UPI, 6/10/08

An Austin, Texas man paid $1,350 for a cornflake in the shape of Illinois. - Parade Magazine, 12/28/08

The U.S. government has spent billions of dollars since 1992 to buy a fleet of 112,000 alternative fuel vehicles. Unfortunately there are so few suppliers of ethanol and natural gas, so these vehicles are powered by gasoline 92% of the time. - The Week Magazine, 12/5/08

Two men entered a man's home - one holding a gun while the other brandished a knife to the resident's neck. The assailants demanded the victim's eggbeater. - Yahoo! News, 12/16/08

City crews in Ankeny, Iowa are using garlic salt to melt snow and ice from city streets. - Chicago Tribune, 12/17/08

The obesity rate in the United States has doubled between 1976 and 1999. California is the only state not getting any fatter. - Discover Magazine, 1/09

A seller on eBay was asking $500 for his 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest - it had no motor nor transmission. Auto enthusiasts recognized it as one of six Tempest Super Duty cars ever built. The car sold for $226,521. - The Week Magazine, 11/28/08

The number of adults in the United States who smoke has dropped below 20 percent for the first time on record, but cigarettes still kill almost half a million people per year. - Reuters, 11/13/08

Because of taxes, the average cost of a pack of cigarettes in New York City is $8.66. - The Week Magazine, 11/28/08

Oregon State Police arrested 18-year-old Kimberly Messer after clocking her at speeds up to 107 mph on Interstate 5. She later told authorities she has having trouble seeing while talking on her cell phone. - The Oregonian, 10/25/08

A recent fundraising attempt by Framingham State College read: "It has become even more important for Framingham State College to receive your support. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." The school has apologized to insulted alums, but 40 alumni responded with a donation. - NPR.org, 10/21/08

A federal jury in Greenville, North Carolina ordered Target to pay a woman $3 million for not accepting her $100 bills and wrongly accusing her of using counterfeit cash. - WYFF4 News, 10/24/08

The United States is now the only country in the developed world where young people are less likely to graduate from high school than their parents were. - The Week Magazine, 11/14/08

Times Square's National Debt Clock ran out of digits on September 30, 2008 when the debt of the United States reached $10,000,000,000,000 - Time Magazine, 10/27/08

Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Savings Time. The Navajo Nation, inside Arizona's northeastern corner does observe Daylight Savings Time. The Hopi Nation, located inside the Navajo Nation, does not observe Daylight Savings Time. If you drive Arizona Route 264 in the summer, you have to reset your watch 3 times in a space of just over 100 miles. - Wired Magazine, 11/08

An Oregon hospital mailed the diagnosis of a stomach ailment to the patient: "Based on your visit today, we know you are pregnant." That was a surprise to patient John Pippen, a 71-year-old man. - MSNBC, 9/26/08

An average american teenager sends 1,742 text messages each month. That's an average of over 50 each day. - The Week Magazine, 10/10/08

A Pennsylvania Holiday Inn stored perishable food in an empty guest room because their refrigerator wasn't working. Employees assured the health department that they had turned the air conditioner all the way up. - WHTM.com (Lancaster PA), 9/29/08

There are 489 billionaires in the United States (in September 2008). - The Week Magazine, 10/3/08

About 80% of all marijuana grown outdoors in the United States is on state or federal land, usually in parks or forest reserves. - The Week Magazine, 9/26/08

Every man, woman and child who resides in Alaska will receive a check for $3,269 in late 2008 - their share of Alaska's oil wealth. - Associated Press, 9/5/08

Residents of some cities in North Texas are swamping the 911 system with calls of gunfire. A 2005 state law allows dove hunters to fire shotguns or rifles within city limits. - KVUE.com (Dallas, TX), 9/7/08

A September 2008 Florida Marlins home game against the Atlanta Braves drew only 584 fans, in a stadium that holds 38,500. - Newsweek, 9/15/08

An Amtrak train spent two hours sitting motionless on the tracks between San Diego and Los Angeles as it had run out of fuel. It had to be pushed to its destination. - Los Angeles Times, 8/25/08

21 members of the 2008 United States Olympic Team are over 40 years old. - The Week Magazine, 8/8/08

The minority population of Los Angeles County, California (7,000,000 people) is larger than the total population of 38 states. - San Diego Union, 4/7/08

Ground temperatures in Death Valley can be about 40% higher than the surrounding air temperature. The highest ground temperature in Death Valley was 201 on July 15, 1972. - San Diego Union, 3/23/08

The Major League Baseball Florida Marlins are creating an all-male, plus-size cheerleading squad to be dubbed the Manatees. They hope to recruit seven to ten tubby men to dance, cheer and jiggle during Friday and Saturday home games this season. - New York Daily News, 2/23/08

In 1998, a grass fire ignited 7 million discarded tires near Tracy, California - and the fire endured for two and a half years. - Discover Magazine, 2/08

Louisiana is now the third largest movie production center in the United States, after California and New York. - The Week Magazine, 12/7/07

Palm Beach (Florida) Community College employees can get insurance for their pets, but not their domestic partners. - South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 11/24/07

New York City is on track (in 2007) to have the lowest number of homicides since they started keeping reliable statistics. What's even more striking is that only 35 of the murders have been determined to be committed by strangers - an amazing statistic. - New York Times, 11/23/07

Boy Scouts in Los Angeles can earn a merit badge for learning about the evils of downloading pirated movies and music. - MSNBC.com, 10/20/06

San Francisco, California is now omitting gender from its ID cards to city residents. It'll still include the birthdate, name and a photo, but not the usual "male" or "female" designations. - USAToday, 11/21/07

A sack of money - approximately $15,000 - fell out of an armored car in Stony Brook, New York. The bag burst open, money fluttering everywhere. Bystanders chased down the bills, returning all but $128 of the total. - The Week Magazine, 11/16/07

For every 1,000 people age 65 and older who "retire" to Florida, there are about 481 that leave Florida, usually to go back to their original location. - Marketwatch.com, 10/17/07

For every 100 citizens of the United States, there are 90 guns, making America the most heavily armed country on Earth. India has the second largest civilian gun arsenal tally, with just 4 guns per 100 people. - Time Magazine, 9/10/07

A Chicago man had his house set afire by squirrels twice in eight days. Fire officials think that the squirrels dislodged high-voltage power lines which fell on the house. The second fire apparently killed the offending squirrels. - Chicago Sun-Times, 6/21/07

Kilmer Middle School in Virginia has banned all physical contact between students. This means no high-fives, according to the zero-tolerance rules. - MSNBC, 6/18/07

For Chicago Cubs fans, it was "Michael Barrett Bobblehead Day" at Wrigley Field recently. Trouble is, Michael Barrett was traded from the Cubs to the San Diego Padres two weeks earlier. Cubs management went ahead with the promotion anyway. - San Diego Union, 7/3/07

An estimated 2,000 pounds of marijuana went up in smoke during a warehouse fire in Texas. The 35 firefighters tackling the blaze reported disorientation and extreme lethargy. Fire chief Shawn Snider said that they would probably fail a drug test. - FOX News, 6/22/07

A manager of a Wendy's restaurant in Miami refused to give a customer more than 10 packets of chili sauce, so the customer shot him several times in the arm. - MSNBC, 5/31/07

A single gun shop in New Orleans (Elliot's) has sold 2,300 firearms that police have linked to crimes, including at least 125 murders, over the past five years. - USA Today, 6/13/07

Only 20 miles of Maine's 5,300 mile craggy coastline is open to commercial lobstermen and fishermen. Most fishermen now depend on privately owned docks. - Boston Globe, 6/17/07

The United States divorce rate has fallen to the lowest level since 1970 (3.6 divorces out of 1,000 people). - MSNBC, 5/10/07

A woman faces a DUI charge after going through Sylvania, Alabama at midnight, allegedly ramming a police car. She was on horseback at the time. - Associated Press, 4/3/07

Hunters in Texas are now banned from using laser-sights on their high-powered rifles. This ban will soon be lifted, which will be a blessing to blind hunters in that state. - BBC News, 12/12/06

A Cincinnati, Ohio area Little League has banned negative baseball "chatter". - Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/30/07

Fully one-third of all Washington DC's residents are functionally illerate. - The Week Magazine, 3/30/07

An very patient elderly Florida resident had the power restored to her home recently. Hurricane Andrew knocked the power out fifteen years ago. - KPIX-TV, 2/17/07

Computer servers now use an estimated 1.2% of all electricity in the United States. This is more electricity than the entire electrical consumption of Mississippi. - News.com, 2/15/07

Students are not allowed to talk during lunch at St. Rose of Lima school in Rhode Island - a silent lunch will ensure that teachers can identify a choking child in time to administer the Heimlich maneuver. - The Week Magazine, 2/9/07

Tucson, Arizona residents have seen small white rats swimming through sewer pipes and into their toilets. - ABC News, 1/8/07

December 2006 was the first December in 130 years that had no recorded snowfall in New York City. - New York Times, 1/1/07

Only 25 of the 535 members of Congress have come under fire in combat. - The Week Magazine, 1/19/07

The penalty flags that are thrown by referees in the NFL are actually weighted down with unpopped popcorn kernels. - North County Times, 1/23/07

383 bills were signed into law during the 106th session of Congress. More than 90 of them dealt with naming or renaming federal buildings. - The Week Magazine, 1/12/07

A man was arrested in Los Angeles for attempting to smuggle through Customs two pygmy monkeys in his underwear. - San Diego Union, 9/18/06

A man lost in the woods near Corvallis, Oregon, was rescued thanks to the glowing screen of his iPod. - The Week Magazine, 12/1/06

A fireball created at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider in Upton, NY (a particle accelerator) had the characteristics of a black hole. Physicists are reasonably sure that no such black holes could escape and consume Earth. - Discover Magazine, 11/06

A Colorado judge has banned a couple from smoking in their own home. - The Week Magazine, 12/1/06

The average American home now has more television sets than people. - CNN.com, 9/22/06

A California woman tried to shoot her husband in the head through the back of his La-Z-Boy recliner. The chair absorbed most of the bullet's force. The man followed his wife into the kitchen and complained, "You shot me!" - The Week Magazine, 12/1/06

Cleveland, spelled backwards, is DNA Level C. - San Diego Union, 9/21/06

More people commit suicide in New York than are murdered. - Discover Magazine, 9/06

Since the U.S. Army increased the age limit for enlistees from 40 to 42, only five people aged 40-42 have signed up. - The Week Magazine, 8/25/06

Homeland Security's database of "critical infrastructure and key resources" include a popcorn factory in Indiana, a petting zoo in Alabama, and a kangaroo conservation center in Georgia. - The Week Magazine, 8/11/06

Homeland Security issued $420 million of credit cards for use in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. According to a government audit, some of the charges on these cards included $7,000 worth of iPods for Secret Service officers (supposedly used for "data storage") and $68,000 worth of dog booties. - Time Magazine, 7/31/06

Nearly all American homeless people have an e-mail address. - Wired Magazine, 6/22/06

40% of Americans feel that "the End Times are nigh". - The Week Magazine, 7/14/06

Approximately 1,000 new residents move to Florida each day. - Wall Street Journal, 5/23/06

A playground in Springfield, Illinois will be altered after a single local resident complained that a pattern in a concrete floor resembled an occult symbol. - Detroit News, 5/6/06

Among the 25 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, 18 had more people move out than move in from 2000 to 2004. - Associated Press, 4/20/06

The town of Ismay, Montana briefly changed its name to become Joe, Montana, in 1993 for one football season, then extended the gag for another year. The name change worked out well for what was then the smallest incorporated town in the state. Ismay raised more than $70,000 selling Joe, Montana souvenirs. The Ismayans, or Joeys (whatever you want to call them) used the money to build a combination community hall-firehouse. - Billings Gazette, 11/20/05

Loving County, Texas is the emptiest county in the United States. The population in 2004 was 52 people. Yet it still received $30,000 in anti-terrorism funds from Homeland Security. - New York Times, 2/25/06

Americans spent $14,300,000,000 on dog food in 2004. That's $10,000,000,000 more than on baby food the same year. - The Week Magazine, 3/10/06

In the past six years, more drugs have been withdrawn from the market (or required by the FDA to carry warning labels) than have been approved for sale. - The Week Magazine, 3/3/06

The US Government levied a larger fine for the "wardrobe malfunction" in the 2004 Super Bowl than it did in 2001 when 13 Alabama miners were killed in an explosion. - USA Today, 2/9/06

Americans spend more money on the purchase of garbage bags each year than the combined gross domestic product of 90 of the world's developing countries. - San Diego Union, 12/28/05

The average American home today contains more synthetic chemicals than the average chemical plant a century ago. - San Diego Union, 12/28/05

A Chicago man used a frozen turkey to save two people trapped in a burning car. - The Week Magazine, 12/2/05

Sarasota, Florida is proposing to erect 70 fiberglass clowns throughout the city. - Sarasota Herald Tribune, 11/10/05

Over 130 light poles have been stolen from the streets of Baltimore in recent weeks. They have all been sawed off and taken. - New York Times, 11/25/05

A farmer in Pennsylvania has painted his cows, horses and dog with bright orange fluorescent paint to prevent them from being mistaken as deer during hunting season. - Miami Herald, 11/29/05

A group of Minnesota pacifists has been picketing a local factory each Wednesday for ten years, even though the factory does not make land mine parts or cluster bombs anymore. - The Week, 11/18/05

The Hanna, Oklahoma High School basketball team lost 112-2 on Friday night to the Earlsboro, Oklahoma team. "It was embarrassing to watch," Earlsboro coach Jim Walling said. "But you can't just tell your kids not to score." - USA Today, 11/5/05

At least 50 American Colleges offer courses or majors in video game study. - USAToday, 9/25/05

A Chicago commuter train was traveling at 69 mph but should not have been going faster than 10 mph just before it derailed, killing two people and injuring dozens, said the acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. - CNN.com, 9/18/05

The two states that a person is least likely to die from a natural disaster are Rhode Island and Connecticut. - Slate.com, 9/15/05

The University of Iowa has painted the visitor's locker room a highly feminine shade of pink, including the urinals. - Des Moines Register, 8/21/05

Uninsured Americans spend an average of $934 annually on medical expenses. Insured Americans spend an average of $2,347 annually on health care. - The New Yorker, 8/22/05

California's San Joaquin Valley is the third smoggiest place in America, thanks to cows. The cows' flatulence and burping produce 50,000,000 pounds of organic compounds each year. This is far more than the area's cars produce. - Washington Post, 8/7/05

Over 500 swimmers attempted the Alcatraz to San Francisco swim in late July 2005. Coming in 72nd was Jake, the Golden Retriever. - USA Today, 8/1/05

The highway funding bill President George Bush signed in August 2005 is chock full of pet projects, like a 223 million dollar bridge in Alaska connecting a city to an island with only 50 inhabitants. - Yahoo News, 8/10/05

Being stuck in traffic has an advantage: Under 37 mph, most bugs bounce harmlessly off the hood and windshield. Above that speed, they splatter. - Discover Magazine, 9/05

In 2030, almost half of the United States' population growth will be in three states: California, Florida and Texas. - Discover Magazine, 9/05

Seattle Mariners pitcher Matt Thornton had to climb a fence and stand in line for a public restroom during a game, because the San Diego Padres’ new stadium has no toilet in the visitors’ bullpen. - The Week Magazine, 7/3/05

Pac-Man celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005. Only one person (Billy Mitchell of Hollywood, Florida) has scored a perfect game - 3,333,360 points. - Associated Press, 6/14/05

The US government spends $12.68 each day to feed each prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. The US government spends $8.65 each day to feed each member of the US Armed Forces. - Newsday, 6/26/05

Three men who robbed a Virginia McDonald's restaurant were arrested after being identified by the DNA they left on their half-eaten hamburgers. - Associated Press, 6/21/05

The cost to the U.S. Roman Catholic Church of sexual predators in the priesthood has climbed past $1 billion. And the figure is guaranteed to rise, probably by tens of millions of dollars, because hundreds more claims are pending. - Boston.com, 6/9/05

The number of Americans that are killed by sharks averages about one per year. An average of 168 Americans die per year when their cars collide with deer. - Outside Magazine, 6/05

All 529 runners who finished Chicago's recent Lakeshore Marathon actually ran 27.2 miles - a full mile longer than a traditional marathon. But participants didn't know about the mistake until the event was over. - Chicago Tribune 6/3/05

Today there are at least 230 million registered motor vehicles in the United States but only an estimated 105 million parking spaces. - New Republic, 5/6/05

The town of Timnath, Colorado, has banned smoking in bars and restaurants. Timnath, Colorado (population 223) has no bars or restaurants. - KCBS Los Angeles, 5/2/05

University of Illinois scientists have developed biodegradable chewing gum made from corn. This gum will decompose in two weeks on a sidewalk. - Discover Magazine, 5/05

On January 15, 1919, a 2,500,000 gallon tank filled with molasses burst in Boston. The 15 foot wall of molasses traveled through Boston at 35 mph, smothering 21 people and injuring 150. - CNN.com, 1/23/04

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