Facts Archive - Interesting Facts

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There are all sorts of (false) rumors and superstitions floating around about redheads: They bring bad luck. They have fiery tempers. They’re more susceptible to pain sometimes and hate going to the dentist. On that last account, though, there’s a decent amount of research that might explain the anecdotal evidence.

One of the earliest studies supporting that last notion, published in 2004, found that redheaded subjects required 19% higher dosages of an anesthetic (desflurane) to realize a satisfactory effect. The following year, another study found redheads to be more sensitive to thermal pain, and resistant to the effects of a different injected anesthetic (lidocaine). The apparent difference, for those natural carrot tops, involves the presence of melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene variants in the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. These variants stymie the hormones that would otherwise turn red hair a different shade, while also seemingly influencing secretions related to pain tolerance.

Redheads don’t go gray.

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Although many reputable sites repeat the claim that red hair turns white instead of gray, it’s contradicted by the testimonials of gingers with gray locks.

However, research doesn’t support the idea that redheads have a lower pain tolerance generally, and they are actually more sensitive to opioid analgesics. A 2021 study found that red-haired mice, which also possess the MC1R variants, have a higher threshold for certain types of pain induction. This followed a 2020 study that suggested the MC1R variants tied to pain sensitivity are distinct from those that affect hair color. That said, it does seem wise to offer redheads an extra novocaine boost at the dentist.

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Numbers Don't Lie

Percentage of the world’s population with red hair

1%-2%

People in the U.S. per day who have surgery under general anesthesia

60,000

Strands of hair on the average redhead

90,000

Year the Little Red-Haired Girl was first mentioned in a “Peanuts” strip

1961

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Cinnamon used to be more valuable than gold.

Your sense of smell fluctuates throughout the day.

A hummingbird hovering over an orange flower

The average hummingbird weighs less than a nickel.

People breathe roughly 20,000 times every day.

The first public demonstration of an effective anesthesia took place in ______.

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The first public demonstration of an effective anesthesia took place in 1846.

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Patients can wake up during surgery despite receiving anesthesia.

Regardless of hair color (or lack of hair), people have been known to briefly regain consciousness during surgery despite being under the effects of general anesthesia. According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, this situation, called anesthesia awareness, happens once or twice per every 1,000 medical procedures. These rare cases tend to happen when lighter doses of sedatives are applied to avoid endangering the patient during certain procedures, including emergency C-sections and cardiac surgeries. Those who experience anesthesia awareness typically do not report feeling pain, but nevertheless may require counseling afterward to cope with what can be a jarring occurrence.

Tim Ott

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Tim Ott has written for sites including Biography.com, History.com, and MLB.com, and is known to delude himself into thinking he can craft a marketable screenplay.

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Today, nutmeg is used in the kitchen to add a little zing to baked goods and drinks, though at various times in history it’s been used for fragrance, medicine … and its psychotropic properties. That’s possible thanks to myristicin, a chemical compound found in high concentrations in nutmeg, but also produced in other foods like parsley and carrots. Myristicin is able to cause hallucinations by disrupting the central nervous system, causing the body to produce too much norepinephrine — a hormone and neurotransmitter that transmits signals among nerve endings. While the idea of conjuring illusions of the mind might sound intriguing, nutmeg intoxication also comes with a litany of unpleasant side effects, including dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, and heart palpitations.

Nutmeg is a nut.

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Nutmeg grows on trees, but it doesn’t come from a nut. It’s actually produced from a seed that grows inside an apricot-shaped fruit on tropical Myristica fragrans trees. The harvested seeds are dried and ground into the seasoning commonly found on kitchen spice racks.

Nutmeg’s inebriating effects have been noted since the Middle Ages, when crusaders would ingest large amounts to inspire prophetic visions (and to help with travel-related aches and pains). Medieval doctors and pharmacists with the Salerno School of Medicine noted that it needed to be used carefully, warning that “one nut is good for you, the second will do you harm, the third will kill you” (which some doctors today say may have been an exaggeration). In fact, nutmeg is a vitamin-rich source of antioxidants and can even act as a mood booster — a healthy addition to your spice rack, so long as it’s used in small quantities.

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Numbers Don't Lie

Numbers Don't Lie

Years it takes a nutmeg tree to begin producing fruit

8

Maximum number of nutmegs produced by one tree each year

2,000

Age (in years) of the oldest known nutmeg residue, found in pottery fragments

3,500

Tons of nutmeg produced in Indonesia in 2020

42,338

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Nutmeg trees also produce ______, a spice created from the coating on nutmeg seeds.

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Nutmeg trees also produce mace, a spice created from the coating on nutmeg seeds.

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Manhattan became a British colony thanks to nutmeg.

Spice trading was a lucrative business in the 17th century, which is why many countries sought to control areas where they could monopolize spice production. Back then, nutmeg was considered one of the rarest spices in the world, making it a costly substance to acquire. Two European powers — the British and the Dutch — fought to control Indonesia’s Banda Islands, the only place where nutmeg was originally found. As part of the 1667 Treaty of Breda that ended the second Anglo-Dutch war, the two nations agreed to swap colonies, with the Dutch giving up their claim on Manhattan for the island of Run, a British-controlled land in the Banda island chain. Both countries were content with their wins, although their successes proved short-term: The Dutch monopoly loosened in the 1700s when trees smuggled from Indonesia increased competition for nutmeg. And just over 100 years after the treaty was signed, of course, Britain’s colonies in America declared independence and split from the crown.

Nicole Garner Meeker

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Nicole Garner Meeker is a writer and editor based in St. Louis. Her history, nature, and food stories have also appeared at Mental Floss and Better Report.

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Today, the name Lamborghini is synonymous with automotive opulence, but the Bologna, Italy-based company has an origin story that’s more humble than you might expect. Born in 1916, Ferruccio Lamborghini served in the Italian Air Force as a mechanic during World War II, learning the ins and outs of some of the most advanced vehicles in the world. Returning home after the war, Lamborghini knew his home country would need to increase agricultural output to recover from the devastation of the conflict. With other tractor companies (one of them being FIAT) too expensive for his war-weary compatriots, Lamborghini put his mechanical skills to work and created cheap-yet-powerful tractors salvaged from surplus military material.

The Lamborghini logo is based on the founder’s zodiac sign.

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The Lamborghini logo includes a gold bull on a black shield, a reference to founder Ferruccio Lamborghini’s zodiac sign: Taurus the bull. Some Lamborghini models have even featured names related to bulls or bullfighting.

Starting with its first tractor, named Carioca, in 1948, Lamborghini Trattori became an immensely successful business. Lamborghini’s fortune from the tractor business, along with other proceeds from his dabblings into air-conditioning and heating systems, provided enough capital for Lamborghini to buy his own Ferrari 250 GT sports car in 1958. Ever the mechanic, Lamborghini was unimpressed with his Ferrari (especially its less-than-luxurious clutch) and even began a feud with Enzo Ferrari himself. So, he decided to make his own sports car, and in 1963, Automobili Lamborghini launched a legacy of fine automobile craftsmanship that has lasted for 60 years and counting. (They also still make tractors.)

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Numbers Don't Lie

Numbers Don't Lie

Top speed (in mph) of the world’s fastest Lamborghini

221

Top speed (in mph) of some Lamborghini tractors

26

Year John Deere released its first tractors

1918

Horsepower of the world’s largest engine, the Wärtsilä RT-flex96C

107,000

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People breathe roughly 20,000 times every day.

In 1923, the ______ built 75% of the tractors in the United States.

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In 1923, the Ford Motor Company built 75% of the tractors in the United States.

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Lamborghini tried to make one of the U.S. military’s most important vehicles.

In the early 1970s, Lamborghini was in dire financial straits. To bring in some much-needed cash, the Italian luxury brand looked to an unlikely place — the U.S. military. By the mid-1970s, the Pentagon was seeking to finally retire its WWII automobile warhorse, the Jeep, for a new vehicle that could withstand the rigors of the modern battlefield. In partnership with a defense contractor based in San Jose, California, Lamborghini developed the Cheetah, an all-terrain vehicle, and debuted its creation at the 1977 Geneva Motor Show. Although the concept vehicle ran into some legal troubles, the biggest problem was that its one-off prototype handled poorly and was easily destroyed during testing. The military went another route instead, and in 1983 chose AM General’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, otherwise known as HMMWV, or the more phonetically friendly “Humvee.”

Darren Orf

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Darren Orf lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes about all things science and climate. You can find his previous work at Popular Mechanics, Inverse, Gizmodo, and Paste, among others.

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When folks learn that one of cotton candy’s creators cleaned teeth for a living, jaws inevitably drop. Born in 1860, dentist William J. Morrison became president of the Tennessee State Dental Association in 1894. But Morrison was something of a polymath and a dabbler, and his varied interests also included writing children’s books and designing scientific processes: He patented methods for both turning cottonseed oil into a lard substitute and purifying Nashville’s public drinking water. In 1897, Morrison and a fellow Nashvillian — confectioner John C. Wharton — collaborated on an “electric candy machine,” which received a patent within two years. Their device melted sugar into a whirling central chamber and then used air to push the sugar through a screen into a metal bowl, where wisps of the treat accumulated.

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in your body.

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Tooth enamel is made mostly of calcium and phosphorus, and it’s the hardest substance in your body — harder than even bones. But that doesn’t mean it’s immune to damage. Bacteria, plaque, and acids from food can wear it down over time.

Morrison and Wharton debuted their snack, “fairy floss,” at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 (better known as the St. Louis World’s Fair). Over the seven-month event, at least 65,000 people purchased a wooden box of the stuff, netting Morrison and Wharton the modern equivalent of more than $500,000. Despite the financial success, Morrison soon returned to dentistry. In the early 1920s, with the original patent expired, another dentist — Josef Lascaux of New Orleans — tried to improve on their rattling, temperamental gadget, but his lone contribution was the name “cotton candy.” Gold Medal Products finally made a more reliable machine by adding a spring-loaded base in 1949, and the Cincinnati-based company remains the top manufacturer of cotton candy machines today.

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Numbers Don't Lie

Numbers Don't Lie

Approximate height (in feet) of the tallest piece of cotton candy — a German production in 2013

18

Cost (in cents) for a serving of fairy floss at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair (general admission was 50 cents)

25

Rough percentage of cotton candy that is composed of air

70%

Calories in a 1-ounce serving of cotton candy

105

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The average hummingbird weighs less than a nickel.

People breathe roughly 20,000 times every day.

Cotton candy's natural color is ______.

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Cotton candy's natural color is white.

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For more than 50 years, there’s been a desk stocked with candy in the U.S. Senate chamber.

Although actor-turned-politician George Murphy served just a single term in the Senate, he began a toothsome tradition that his Republican successors still maintain. During his fourth year in office, in 1968, the California senator moved to the 80th desk in the Senate chambers: a workspace on the Republican side, in the back row, near the room’s busiest entrance. No food was permitted in the chamber, yet Senator Murphy hid an assortment of candy in his drawers — which he made available to his colleagues. Later holders of the desk have also agreed to keep the “candy desk” stocked. When Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois occupied the digs, he filled its crannies with Chicago-made Tootsie Rolls and Wrigley’s gum. In 2015, his former seat went to Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who stocked the desk with the pride of Hershey, Pennsylvania, including chocolate bars, 3 Musketeers, and Rolos. To avoid ethical concerns, all the candy in the desk is donated. The treats are available to all senators, regardless of political affiliation.

Jenna Marotta

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Jenna is a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and New York Magazine.

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The human body has evolved over millions of years within the confines of gravity. Our heart, lungs, muscles, and even our DNA have all developed under the influence of the force that’s constantly keeping our feet on the ground. But what happens if gravity suddenly disappears? Ever since Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin first flew into space in 1961, space agencies have been studying how microgravity and zero gravity affect the human body. Over the years, they’ve discovered that blood pressure increases, muscles atrophy, heart muscles are strained, and bone density decreases. But maybe the strangest of these biological changes is that astronauts grow about 3% taller because their spines, free from the constant pressure of gravity, slowly relax and lengthen. (After returning to Earth for a few months, astronauts shrink down to their original size.)

Astronauts snore less in space.

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Scientists have discovered that astronauts snore and experience sleep disorders, such as apnea and hypopnea, at significantly reduced rates in space compared to on Earth. (In space, they can’t hear you scream — but they also can’t hear you snore.)

NASA is still learning more about the effects of space on the human body, helped in part by its yearlong “Twins Study” from 2015 to 2016. In the study, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent 340 days onboard the International Space Station while his identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, who’s also an astronaut, remained on Earth. NASA saw not only the expected changes, but also that Scott’s telomeres — caps at the end of DNA strands that help protect them — had lengthened during his stay, the opposite effect of what scientists predicted. Scott also lost some cognitive ability once he returned to Earth, perhaps as a result of his readjustment to gravity after a year in space. All this information will be pivotal as NASA and other space agencies plan for future space exploration.

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Numbers Don't Lie

Numbers Don't Lie

Number of sunrises and sunsets an ISS astronaut experiences every day

16

Noise level (in decibels) on the International Space Station (about the sound of an A/C unit)

65

Year Scott and Mark Kelly were born

1964

Release year of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” (astronaut Chris Hadfield sang the song in space in 2013)

1969

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People breathe roughly 20,000 times every day.

______, in the Canary Islands, is where space agencies train astronauts for moon and Mars missions.

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Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, is where space agencies train astronauts for moon and Mars missions.

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Technically, astronauts are time travelers.

Lots of things get wacky once you leave Earth — chief among them time itself. As described by Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity, time slows down when an object (such as a space station) travels at incredibly fast speeds. This is known as time dilation. That means people (and clocks) on the Earth’s surface experience time at a slightly faster pace than astronauts on the International Space Station, who travel at about 5 miles per second. When they return to Earth, astronauts who have been aboard the ISS have made a tiny leap into the future. In 2019, after concluding the yearlong “Twins Study,” NASA astronaut Mark Kelly joked that while before he was only six minutes older than his twin brother Scott, who had been on the ISS for a year, he was now technically six minutes and five milliseconds older. Not exactly Doc Brown’s DeLorean, but a little bit of time travel nonetheless.

Darren Orf

Writer

Darren Orf lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes about all things science and climate. You can find his previous work at Popular Mechanics, Inverse, Gizmodo, and Paste, among others.

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Are goldfish the most misunderstood pet? Given how many misconceptions surround them, they may very well be. For one thing, their memory extends far beyond the span of 5 to 10 seconds you’ve likely heard before: Goldfish can actually remember things for months, if not years, and they can even recognize their owners. For another, they can live for decades; the reason they often don’t is because they’re kept in small bowls without bubbles (which oxygenate their water) and tend to be poorly cared for in general.

“We’ve known about the reasonably good memories of goldfish since the ’50s and ’60s,” Culum Brown, an expert in fish cognition at Australia’s Macquarie University, told Live Science. “Despite what everybody thinks, they're actually really intelligent.” Numerous other studies have turned up similar results.

Goldfish have teeth.

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Located in the back of the fish’s throat, they’re called pharyngeal teeth and are blunt rather than sharp. Like sharks, goldfish constantly lose and regrow their teeth.

Brown also noted that the humble goldfish has been shown to be a good problem-solver. As for why these misconceptions persist, he offers a sobering theory: “I suspect it’s got more to do with making us feel good about putting them in a tiny little bowl. It probably says more about us than it does about the goldfish.” So if you ever bring one of these little fish home from a fair in a plastic bag, be sure to get your new pet a proper tank so your new pet and its impressive memory can flourish.

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Numbers Don't Lie

Numbers Don't Lie

Age of Tish, the longest-lived goldfish

43

Years goldfish have been domesticated

~1,000

Weight of The Carrot, a goldfish caught in 2022

67

Gallons of water needed for a single goldfish

25

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People breathe roughly 20,000 times every day.

Goldfish were originally domesticated in ______.

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Goldfish were originally domesticated in ancient China.

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Goldfish are a highly invasive species.

Though you may be tempted to release your goldfish into the wild to give it a better life, you’re better off getting it a bigger aquarium. They’re considered highly invasive in novel environments, as they possess a “triple threat” of qualities that help them thrive at their new ecosystem’s expense: insatiable appetites, tolerance for cold water, and bold behavior that helps them outcompete other fish for food.

They’ll eat just about anything, which disrupts the food chain of native species and diminishes resources. They even reduce the amount of sunlight that penetrates the surface of whatever pond or lake they inhabit by stirring up mud when they forage for food, which limits the growth of native plants. The problems they pose are compounded by the fact that they can grow far larger than most people think. Underestimate these mighty creatures at your own peril, dear reader.

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Michael Nordine is a writer and editor living in Denver. A native Angeleno, he has two cats and wishes he had more.

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New York City is famous for its soaring skyline. Buildings such as One World Trade Center and the Empire State Building spring come to mind, but there are many more than those — so many, in fact, that the Big Apple boasts more skyscrapers within its city limits than all of Europe combined.

While there’s no single universal definition of what constitutes a skyscraper, databases such as the Skyscraper Center still track and rank cities based on the number of buildings exceeding roughly 500 feet, which has therefore become a widely accepted benchmark. By that standard, NYC is home to around 324 skyscrapers. (Only Hong Kong and Shenzhen in China have more.)

The world’s first skyscraper was built in New York City.

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The first skyscraper is widely considered to be Chicago's Home Insurance Building, completed in 1885. Though only 10 stories high, its steel-frame design ushered in the modern skyscraper era.

Europe, by comparison, has roughly 314 skyscrapers taller than 500 feet across all of its countries. That also includes transcontinental countries such as Russia and Turkey, some of whose skyscrapers are actually concentrated outside Europe’s boundaries. Even with that in mind, New York comes out on top.

The skyscraper era began in the U.S. in the 1880s and spread across many global financial centers by the late 20th century. There are a few reasons for the European imbalance: Cities such London, Paris, and Rome developed the historic cores of their city centers long before the era of steel-frame construction made skyscrapers possible. Further development in the modern era was, and still is, often constrained by historic preservation and planning rules.

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Numbers Don't Lie

Stories in New York’s first skyscraper, the Tower Building

11

Height (in feet) of Europe’s tallest skyscraper, the Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg, Russia

1,516

Estimated combined weight (in pounds) of NYC’s buildings

1.7 trillion

Release year of the movie “Skyscraper”

2018

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In the 1933 film, King Kong climbs the ______.

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In the 1933 film, King Kong climbs the Empire State Building.

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London has 13 specific views that are forbidden to be blocked by buildings.

Skylines aren’t shaped only by architects and developers; in some cities, such as London, England, they’re also carefully managed by law. Under the London View Management Framework, carefully mapped-out sightlines of landmarks such as St Paul’s Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster, and the Tower of London are protected from buildings that may obstruct the views. In total, there are 13 protected vistas, invisible corridors of sorts that aim to preserve London’s historic character.

Nicole Villeneuve

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Nicole is a writer, thrift store lover, and group-chat meme spammer based in Ontario, Canada.

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Catnip is best known for producing bouts of euphoria in cats of all sizes, from house cats to their big cat brethren (including bobcats, jaguars, and lions). In addition to giving felines a healthy release from stress and anxiety, however, some studies show it offers up an additional perk: repelling mosquitoes. Related to mint, basil, and lemon balm, Nepeta cataria (aka catnip) emits a chemical compound called nepetalactone when crushed, which naturally wards off some mosquito species. What’s more, catnip-addled cats often chew and rub the leaves into their coats, an action that (unknowingly) spreads the natural bug repellent around. While catnip is all fun for cats, it’s not so great for mosquitoes; Nepeta leaves may be effective at fending off pests because they cause pain to the buzzing bugs. Researchers initially theorized that catnip’s aroma was enough to repel the insects, but some studies show mosquitoes exposed to nepetalactone actually feel pain or itchiness in the same way humans experience the sensation of wasabi.

Cats have whiskers on their legs.

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Domesticated house cats have around 20 facial whiskers, along with a set on the back of their front legs called carpal whiskers. Since most cats have poor up-close vision, these special strands detect movement from captured prey held in their paws.

Indoor cats may not need mosquito protection, but catnip still provides a safe, effective way for them to calm down — although scientists aren’t fully sure how it works. It’s possible that catnip affects cat brains in the same way opioids work in humans to relieve pain: One study found that cats who were given naloxone — a lifesaving medication that blocks opioid receptors and is used to treat narcotics overdoses — didn’t have a reaction to catnip. Even so, catnip doesn’t work on all cats. Kittens won’t respond to the plant’s minty leaves until 3 to 6 months old; plus, catnip sensitivity is hereditary, and an estimated 50% of cats don’t experience any reaction at all. But if your cat just so happens to turn up its nose at fresh catnip, don’t worry. Humans can use it for a calming tea similar to chamomile.

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Numbers Don't Lie

Numbers Don't Lie

Average hours a domesticated cat sleeps each day

15

Percentage of DNA house cats share with tigers, the largest wildcats

95.6%

Mosquito species native to the United States and its territories

200

Year DEET insect repellent was invented by the U.S. Army

1946

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The average hummingbird weighs less than a nickel.

People breathe roughly 20,000 times every day.

A group of cats is called a ______.

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A group of cats is called a clowder.

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Scientists think mosquitoes may be key to developing painless needles.

From the human perspective, we don’t cohabitate well with mosquitoes and their seemingly voracious summer appetites. But some researchers believe we can learn more about pain-free blood extraction from these ancient pests, which have inhabited Earth 200 million years longer than humans. Only female mosquitoes bite, and they do so by using their proboscis, a long tube that pierces the skin and removes blood. These miniature needles use a combination of features for undetected and painless feeding: a chemical in mosquito saliva that numbs the bite zone, a serrated edge that more easily pierces the skin, and tiny vibrations that reduce how much force a mosquito needs to puncture its prey. Scientists think incorporating these elements in new needles — which haven’t seen major improvements in decades — could be pivotal in developing microneedles that deliver pain-free vaccinations and medications. Another benefit: Gentle injections could reduce trypanophobia (aka the fear of needles), suffered by an estimated 66% of kids and 25% of adults.

Nicole Garner Meeker

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Nicole Garner Meeker is a writer and editor based in St. Louis. Her history, nature, and food stories have also appeared at Mental Floss and Better Report.

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In the sibling department, every president has had, at minimum, one half-brother or half-sister. However, a few presidents are sometimes considered to have been raised as only children — most notably Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose only half-sibling (his father’s oldest son, James) was 28 years FDR’s senior. Bill Clinton’s half-brother, Roger, is about a decade younger than him. Barack Obama also has a 10-year age gap with his younger half-sister Maya, although he learned later in life that he had at least five more half-siblings on his father’s side. Meanwhile, Gerald Ford is the only child his mother and father produced, but he was raised with three younger half-brothers after his mother remarried, and as a teen, learned that he also had three younger half-sisters, via his father.

Almost one-third of U.S. presidents were born in either Ohio or Virginia.

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Of the 45 people to serve as president so far, seven were born in Ohio, while eight were born in Virginia when it was either a colony or a state. Only 21 states have produced a president.

The no-only-children rule isn’t the only presidential birth quirk. Fifteen presidents are firstborns. Just seven occupants of the Oval Office have been the babies of their families, among them Andrew Jackson and Ronald Reagan. That means 23 presidents have fallen somewhere in the middle of the birth order, with the likes of Grover Cleveland and Herbert Hoover being true middle children. (They were born to families with nine and three offspring, respectively.) John Tyler, the 10th president, fathered the most youngsters himself: 15.

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Numbers Don't Lie

Highest number of siblings to each reach 100 years old, a milestone achieved by the Clarke family of Ireland

6

Largest official quantity of children born to one mother, a Russian peasant who delivered 27 sets of multiples

69

Most nations visited by a sitting U.S. president

74

Year Harry Truman became the first U.S. president to receive a Secret Service code name (“General”)

1945

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Your sense of smell fluctuates throughout the day.

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People breathe roughly 20,000 times every day.

Before she was a first lady, only child ______ worked as a public school teacher and librarian.

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Before she was a first lady, only child Laura Bush worked as a public school teacher and librarian.

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The only U.S. president to get married at the White House was Grover Cleveland.

Grover Cleveland is often remembered for being the first president elected to nonconsecutive terms. Yet he was also the only U.S. president to serve as a groom while in office. His wedding to Frances Folsom fell on June 2, 1886, less than 15 months after his first inauguration. The bride, 22, was a recent Wells College graduate, and Cleveland was the 49-year-old commander in chief. Once law partners with Frances’ father, Oscar, Cleveland had known her since she was an infant. After Oscar died in an 1875 carriage accident, Cleveland oversaw the Folsom estate and Frances’ schooling. A decade later, Cleveland proposed in a letter; the pair kept their engagement secret until five days before the wedding. The ceremony occurred in the Blue Room and was attended by 28 guests. Rather than use the line vowing to “honor, love, and obey” in the bride’s vows, Frances and Cleveland replaced the last word with “keep.” During Cleveland’s time as America’s 24th president, Frances also gave birth to the lone child ever born to a sitting president in the White House: Esther Cleveland came into the world on September 9, 1893. The couple’s second child of five, Esther was born in her parents’ bedroom.

Jenna Marotta

Writer

Jenna is a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and New York Magazine.

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Original photo by IMG Stock Studio/ Shutterstock

Sculpture from classical antiquity is often presented in museums, textbooks, and more as a world of white marble. Whether unearthed from the ground or perched upon crumbling temples, these supposedly pale masterpieces influenced Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, who — in the throes of a classic art obsession — created sculptures meant to highlight the natural beauty of stone. Other Renaissance masterpieces, such as Raphael’s early 1500s fresco “The School of Athens,” placed colorful figures of antiquity against a backdrop of white marble. But these representations aren’t an accurate portrayal of the past: Ancient Athens and Rome were full of eye-popping color, with statues sporting vibrant togas and subtle skin tones — in fact, no sculpture was considered complete without a dazzling coat of paint.

European Renaissance artists invented oil painting.

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The very first known oil paintings were created far from Europe. In the seventh century CE, Buddhist monks in Afghanistan used oil paints to create murals on cave walls.

Over time, these impermanent paints — left unprotected from the elements — wore away, leaving behind unblemished stone and a false legacy of monotone marble. This perception of the “whiteness” of antiquity was cemented in the 18th century, tied to racist ideals that equated the paleness of the body with beauty. When German scholar Johann Winckelmann (sometimes called the “father of art history”) glimpsed flecks of color on artifacts found near the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, he brushed off the work as Etruscan — a civilization he considered beneath the grandeur of ancient Rome. Besides bits of color still clinging to some statues, other evidence of the Mediterranean’s colorful past survives in frescoes from Pompeii (which even depict a Roman in the act of painting a statue); the Greek playwright Euripides also mentions colored statues in his work Helen. In recent decades, the art world has been busy recreating the colorful past of Western civilization as archaeologists use UV light to illuminate certain pigments and art exhibits travel the world to unshroud the colorful palette of these ancient civilizations.

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Numbers Don't Lie

Numbers Don't Lie

Year lead-based paint was banned for residential use

1978

Approximate age (in years) of the oldest known figurative art, the ivory Venus of Hohle Fels

40,000

Gallons of architectural paint sold in the U.S. in 2021

868 million

Year Edward N. Hines painted the U.S.’s first centerline on a road in Michigan

1911

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The oldest evidence of Homo sapiens making paint comes from a prehistoric cave in ______.

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The oldest evidence of Homo sapiens making paint comes from a prehistoric cave in South Africa.

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The Egyptian pyramids were originally polished white.

Even 4,500 years after its construction, the Pyramid of Giza never fails to impress. The largest of the pyramids at 455 feet tall, it’s the last survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World and every year hosts several million visitors. However, the Pyramid of Giza would likely be a sorry sight to ancient Egyptians who witnessed its beauty back in the 26th century BCE. Today, the pyramid’s earthy color matches the surrounding desert, but archaeologists now believe that the original structure was encased with highly polished white limestone so that the pyramids appeared white and glistening. Some experts believe that the capstones, called pyramidions, were also plated in gold. One leading theory suggests these limestone coverings were repurposed millennia later to build mosques, a process that exposed the pyramids we know and love today.

Darren Orf

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Darren Orf lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes about all things science and climate. You can find his previous work at Popular Mechanics, Inverse, Gizmodo, and Paste, among others.

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