HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Challenge the Monday blues with some fun and interesting facts to share around the office. Nothing brightens up someone’s day better than a fun factoid or anecdote to make them smile or give them pause for thought. Here are a few taken directly from the pages of the 2026 Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack.
“Botanically, bananas are classified as berries, while strawberries aren’t. Strawberries are considered aggregate fruits because they form from multiple ovaries of a single flower.”
“The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
“It would take 19 minutes to fall to the center of the Earth.”
Have you ever wondered how many ridges were around the center of a dime?
“A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.”
“Lemons float in water, but limes sink.”
The word “jiffy” is commonly used to let people know that one will be there as quickly as possible, but how fast is a “jiffy?”
“A “jiffy” is a real unit of time. In physics, it represents the time it takes light to travel one centimeter in a vacuum, which is approximately 33.3564 picoseconds.”
Animals are some of the greatest examples of fun and interesting facts.
“Underneath their thick white fur, polar bears have black skin. This helps them absorb and retain heat from the sun, keeping them warm in the freezing Arctic environment.”
“Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly forwards, backwards, even upside down!”
LocalNews1 has partnered with The Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack to bring you a story every Monday taken from current or past editions of the Almanack. First published in 1797, it’s the second oldest almanac in the United States and has been in continuous publication for 230 years. It is the only almanac in the United States still published by the founders’ direct descendants.
These are just a few of the facts that can be found in the The Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack. LocalNews1 partners with Gruber’s Hagerstown Town & Country Almanack to bring you the most relevant, timely and informative content about and around Washington and Franklin counties. Readers may follow the links above to purchase their own copies.
