50 Interesting Statistics About USA

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1 Cheerleading in USA

Cheerleading in USA

Cheerleading is the sport with the highest risk of serious injuries. More than 65% of all serious injuries that happen to girls in high school sports happen in cheerleading, even though only 3% of the 2.9 million female high school athletes in the United States do cheerleading.


2. The state of Michigan has the biggest proportion of water (41.5% of its total area) of any other state in the US. Water is so easily accessible in that state that no resident is more than six miles from any body of water.


3. About 620,000 men, or about 2% of the male population at the time, lost their lives in the American Civil War. Based on today’s demographics, the death toll may have been as high as six million. It is estimated that for every three troops killed in action, there were five more who perished because of diseases.


4. The majority of U.S. dollar bills, around 90%, have been found to be tainted with cocaine. It is most common to find cocaine on five dollar bills. This is due to the fact that five dollar bills are the most commonly minted currency in the United States.


5. Problematic Internet use, often known as “internet addiction,” affects more than one in eight U.S. adults. One in six people had trouble disconnecting for more than a few days, and 8.2 percent turn to the web when they need to unwind or cheer up.


6 Florida Citrus Fatal Fungus

Florida Citrus Fatal Fungus

As of the year 2019, a potentially fatal fungus has spread to all orange trees in Florida, and they are in danger of dying out.


7. Around 25% of the American population are considered “larks,” or morning people, while another 25% are considered “night owls,” or people who are most productive in the late evening. People who fall in the middle 50% have greater “daytime” flexibility.


8. The average American worker in a company with 1,000 or more workers spends only 45 percent of their time “working,” which can be defined as time spent on one’s primary job responsibilities as opposed to meetings, administrative activities, and other interruptions.


9. An estimated 17–21 million Americans suffer from a fear of Friday the 13th, making it the most dreaded day in human history. Fear can immobilize some people to the point where they won’t do things like go to work, fly, or even get out of bed.


10. Before high school graduation, a typical American youngster will have consumed 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, while the average adult will have eaten one PB&J sandwich three times a month.


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11 Astronauts with Eye Correction

Astronauts with Eye Correction

About 80% of the current US astronauts need corrective lenses (i.e., glasses or contact lenses). If an astronaut’s eyesight can be improved to 20/20 with corrective lenses, they are medically cleared to launch.


12. Almost $3.5 billion in federal, state, and municipal taxes were collected in 2016 from the more than 27 million Americans who went hunting.


13. In the United States, 67% of all fire departments are wholly or primarily staffed by volunteers.


14. In 1870, the percentage of the US state of Vermont covered by forest had decreased to 30% due to logging and grazing. This number is now close to 78%!


15. The opioid epidemic of the 1890s was fueled primarily by patent medicines and affected one in every 220 Americans. Injecting addicts with a substance called “bichloride of gold,” which sounded spectacular but had no medicinal effects, was a common treatment.


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16 Unused Vacations in USA

Unused Vacations in USA

More than half of all Americans didn’t use their vacation time in 2016, resulting in 206 million unused vacation days worth around $66.4 billion. Employees who don’t use all of their vacation time also don’t do as well in their jobs.


17. Of all Americans, 37% have never left their hometown, and 57% have never left their native state, with the exceptions of education and military service.


18. As many as 49% of Americans suffer from parallelophobia, or the fear of parallel parking. Only about half (53 percent, to be exact) feel confident in their ability to parallel park.


19. An estimated 36 million people in the United States are toothless. It is largely influenced by the fact that 30% of Americans do not wash their teeth twice daily, and 2% do not brush at all. Their tooth loss is exacerbated by factors such as their diet, getting older, and avoiding the dentist.


20. About 2 million Americans can trace their ancestry back to a passenger on the Mayflower who fell overboard and survived by clinging to a trailing rope.


15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History


21 Megatons to Megawatts Program

Megatons to Megawatts Program

During the past two decades, thousands of retired Russian nuclear warheads have provided 10% of the electricity used in the United States.


22. Inflation-adjusted CEO pay in the United States rose 937 percent from 1978 to 2013, while the average worker’s wages gained only 10 percent during the same time period.


23. The top 10% of drinkers in the United States consume an average of 74 drinks each week, making them the heaviest drinkers. Roughly 30% of Americans never drink, and another 30% drink only occasionally, no more than once every two weeks.


24. Americans are typically more confident than Britons regarding which animals they believe they can beat in an unarmed fight. Eight percent of Americans believe they can take out an elephant if they have to.


25. The majority of retired NBA players (60%) go bankrupt after five years of retirement, according to a 2009 Sports Illustrated study. The study also found that 78% of former NFL players had filed for bankruptcy or were experiencing financial hardship two years after retirement.


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1 COMMENT

    • Good question… short answer is yes.Longer response: Space-induced visual impairment exists, although its causes are not yet fully understood.

      774
  1. RE: Fact# 1 – Cheerleading in USA: Penn and Teller’s “Cheerleaders” episode of “Penn and Teller: Bullshit!” argues that cheerleading should be regulated as strictly as a sport because of the risks involved. And since most cheerleading competitions and cheerleading merchandise are administered by Varsity Brands Inc., they talk about how severe conflicts of interest would arise if cheerleading were deemed a sport and Varsity had to hand over competition management to an impartial authority.

    2518
    • More careful consideration of this issue is desperately needed. In high school, I participated on not one, but two, competing teams. Our high school team had to make do with practicing on the tile floor of the cafeteria because we had nowhere else to go. Even though we weren’t performing particularly proficient routines, we still managed to get a lot of bumps and scrapes by doing them on the hard tiles.

      Recently, that high school constructed a modest structure dedicated solely to cheer and Pom. Mats, restrooms, working stereos, and mirrors all included!

      737
      • When I was in high school I was on the dance team, and we had to practice our jumping on the hard cafeteria floor. The situation was very awful. I’m relieved to hear that your school has erected a suitable and secure area for pep rallies.

        It was a little college that requested me to try out for cheerleading. After visiting the clinic, I was recruited to hand out flyers. So, I decided to give cheerleading a shot despite having little prior experience with it. After my initial ascent, I immediately bailed. My worst nightmare was being THROWN into the air by one of those people, and that actually happened.

        766
    • As an aside, you might find this to be of interest: Varsity Brands has become well-known in the field of copyright. Nearly a year ago, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in their favor after they successfully sued Star Athletica, a competitor in the cheering costume industry.

      Because “useful” items cannot be copyrighted, it was previously extremely difficult for fashion designers to protect their work. The Supreme Court’s ruling in this case, however, introduces an ambiguous rule for determining whether or not artistic elements (such as the stripes on a cheerleading outfit) are copyrightable since they can be isolated from the practical object. I always think of that when I hear the name “Varsity Brands,” but it’s intriguing to learn that they’re also acting like jerks in other ways.

      758
  2. RE: Fact# 1 – Cheerleading in USA:However, this is not always due to the fact that it is the riskiest or hardest. This is due to the fact that it is hardly regulated in any way. Some cheerleading teams’ coaches will hire anyone who promises a quick buck. A lot of people who aren’t equipped to do so are instructing young people in stunting and gymnastics.

    There is something really off about the cheerleading community. The participants in this sport commonly refer to it as “an industry,” despite their repeated demands for recognition as a legitimate sporting endeavor. To those who participate, cheerleading is not a sport; rather, it is a kind of entertainment. How peculiar.

    2386
    • In fact, the reason cheerleading isn’t recognized as a sport is because of Varsity, a corporation that sells cheerleading equipment like fitness clothes, shoes, poms, bows, and uniforms, so that it can maintain its monopoly. Clearly, this is a major problem. They’d rather keep the activity illegal and monopolized than give up the cash and let these women finally reap the benefits of having it recognized as a sport.

      716
  3. RE: Fact# 17 – Americans Leaving Hometown: A really significant exception is not counting college or military service! Many people take advantage of the chance provided by college to experience life away from home before returning, and joining the military allows you to travel the world. The percentages are seriously distorted if these 2 groupings are not included.

    2548
    • There is a significant divide among military personnel who use their time to start their climb into the middle class by enrolling in education or relocating wherever is required to land a lucrative job. Others return immediately to their hometown to reunite with long-lost pals.

      Military travel can also be really intense. I served in the Marines for six years, stayed on seven different US locations, visited Afghanistan and Iraq on two separate occasions, and spent a few months aboard a ship that traveled from the Persian Gulf to California with stops along the way.

      For four years, my cousin in Montana joined the Air Force, and I don’t think he ever left the state.

      747
  4. RE: Fact# 8 – Average American ‘Work Hours’:

    And that’s not to mention the time spent not working at work: One survey reported that the average time spend doing private activities is 1.5 to three hours a day.

    There’s a good chance that many of you who are reading this comment are included in this percentage.

    2366
  5. RE: Fact# 2 – Most Watery US State: Michigander speaking here; most of those lakes and rivers are actually potholes filled with rainwater.

    2422
    • Seeing as how you bring it up, I’m curious whether there’s a correlation between Michigan’s abundance of water and the state of its roads. I’ve heard that when water seeps into the gaps in roadways and then freezes and thaws, it prys them apart. Maybe all this water means that we get more rain than other regions, which might help explain why our roads are so bad.

      770
      • When it comes to weight limits, Michigan is the heaviest in the US at 120,000. 80,000 is the norm. The roads can’t take the weight of the trucks anymore. The phenomenon of freeze-thaw is also quite detrimental.

        Repair costs should be covered by a tax on trucking companies. Also, they should relax the weight limit.

        724
        • not 120 but it 164,000 pounds.

          However, that weight must be distributed between 11 axles, and no axle can carry more than 13,000 pounds. Semitrailers typically have a front axle rating of 12.5k, a drive tandem rating of 34k, and a trailer tandem rating of 34k.

          731
      • That’s because it’s a combination of several elements.

        One is the weather.  Wet, with a lot of wintertime temperatures hovering around freezing.

        Michigan has a lot of highways because it is such a large, oddly shaped, and lake-filled state. Our total land area is almost 1,4 times that of Ohio. Indeed, there is much ground to cover.

        People will notice the hefty vehicles, but Michigan allows for the weight to be distributed evenly across all axles, so the difference is minimal on major thoroughfares. However, bridges are especially vulnerable to cyclic fatigue failure.

        The lack of enough funding for roads is, nevertheless, a major issue. Michigan’s gas tax was not increased for inflation or indexed to anything for 20 years (1995-2015). However, the plan that was ultimately passed did not transfer the whole $600 million from the general fund until 2020.

        Michigan has a relatively high gas excise tax, yet only about half of the revenue from that goes toward maintaining and constructing roads. How? We are one of just four states where gas purchases are subject to a state tax that goes to the general treasury.

        667
  6. RE: Fact# 28 – America’s Extreme Weather Events: What on earth did Native Americans think about tornadoes? I ofetn think about this.

    2578
  7. RE: Fact# 25 – NBA vs NFL Player Bankruptcies: If I recall the documentary correctly, a significant portion of the athletes’ financial problems are caused by the pressure their large networks of family, friends, and cronies put on them to also support them.

    2466
    • I don’t follow football, therefore I can’t recall the guy’s name, but I thought it was an intriguing article where an NFL player talked about this.

      But when he ultimately refused to give away all of his money, his mother sought to sue him, and he was essentially shunned by his hometown. As a result, a lot of his family members were quite hostile.

      To be honest, it was very depressing.

      739
      • Tyron Smith, an All-Pro offensive lineman for the Cowboys, had to really file a protective order against his immediate family because they were aggressively haggling him for cash. It might be the same story you’re thinking of.

        712
  8. RE: Fact# 4 – Cocaine Tainted US Bills: Counting machines are to blame for this. Coke may be distributed from bills with cocaine on them by automated counting devices, which would then transfer the drug to each bill as it is counted.

    2485
  9. RE: Fact# 21 – Megatons to Megawatts Program: After the Soviet Union dissolved, there was a lot of worry about the spread of arms. It also contributed to the ISS becoming such an absurdly expensive program. By essentially funding the Russian space program, we prevented its engineers from going to work on ballistic missiles for developing nations.

    2216
    • Which some of them did nevertheless, leading to the development of the North Korean ICM nuclear weapons that we are all familiar with today.

      707
    • The end of David Hoffman’s book “The Dead Hand” discusses the collapse of the Soviet Union, the problems with unsecure nuclear material and unpaid scientists and engineers, as well as the fight to keep them employed and productive in order to prevent them from aiding rogue states like North Korea or terrorist organizations.

      723
  10. RE: Fact# 13 – Volunteer Fire Departments : The majority of neighborhood fire departments are facing a serious personnel issue due to this, and the volunteers they do have are getting older.

    2366
    • Yep. Day calls are notoriously difficult to staff. Municipalities require expert certificates, pay the lowest prices possible for the majority of things , and desire inexpensive fire prevention.

      The need for more training is growing throughout Michigan. Whether any firefighters’ pay is increasing, you can make a guess.

      712
      • The problem is this. In the 1950s and 1960s, volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services made sense. There weren’t many calls, and the idea of professional fire/ems wasn’t actually really in existence.

        There are now national criteria for fire/ems, and make no mistake—staffing and operating these organizations require full-time occupations. However, there are a lot of rural areas that purposefully refuse to pay for paid fire/ems since they can always rely on volunteers. I once managed a rescue team while doing two other jobs. I was usually at the station if not at work. If no one was available to answer calls, I had to do it. Simply put, it’s unreasonable to expect people to be able to still accomplish that. One issue is when Jim Bob can leave the property to respond to an emergency call like a building fire. It’s another thing to expect high school students to complete their firefighter I and II training and be capable of handling difficult extraditions on a busy freeway while still attending classes and working.

        People will assert that there is no funding available, but that is complete BS. Locals in these locations have the option of demanding that their taxes go toward supporting professional fire/ems or doing without. When I was a paramedic, it wasn’t unusual for me to respond to a nearby county that depended on volunteers but had no one answering calls in 40 minutes. Two volunteers over the age of 65 may cover an entire run area in some regions. They just can’t keep up with the full-time responsibilities of maintaining current with established standards because they aren’t covering sh*t and when they do, the treatment is utterly inadequate.

        The US volunteer system must be abolished. As a former volunteer who admires the volleys who put up a lot of effort every day, I say that. People should either be hired to accomplish it or those people should be paid for the work they do.

        686
        • One EMS worker is present at the cabin. . Age-“”””””””‘ They’re closing it down because he won’t pay for his own certifications or other crap, which is wrong. The distance between these two points would take many hours to travel. but with a very small population. A professional EMS or fire department cannot be funded. Not even a city or town exists. merely county taxes

          We installed 3” water lines to the large water tank along with extra hydrants and hoses by our cabin and the cabins of our neighbors when we ran new underground power lines. We now have our own fire department.

          However, you load up the car and meet the county ems at the line if we require an ambulance. To meet them halfway, the drive takes roughly 45 minutes. The plan is to put them in a boat and trespass on the navy reserve where they store nukes about 10 minutes away if worse comes to worst and two hours is too long. They’ll come get us really quickly.

          734
    • They get vets to come in and speak to them

      Source

      “One of the main messages they said was learn how to say no because there’s going to be so many people trying to get at you and pull at you from different directions.” – Trey Murphy III

      735
      • This also occurs to lottery winners or other successful people.

        I recall a story from the 1990s about a vocalist from one of the well-known boy bands who, when the band became successful, had his long-absent deadbeat dad show up and declare that he was “his son’s biggest fan.”

        762
        • One of the lottery winners who saved their winnings was questioned about their strategy. It wasn’t lawyers or accountants, he claimed, though they were helpful. He claimed that hiring someone to open his mail was the best thing he had ever done. He never encounters or has to deal with the numerous requests for financial assistance, long-lost relatives, innovators, people who just need a few thousand dollars when THEY already have a lot, etc. He claimed that it brought him comfort and prevented the want to spend money on all kinds of crazy ideas.

          719
        • Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson is a song that talks about this. I think it’s one of the saddest songs I have heard.

          759
        • You should explore Jewel’s tale. Her deadbeat mother reappeared in her life and robbed her blind. Jewel was trusting because all she wanted was to reconnect with her mother, who abandoned her when she was a child.

          697
        • The tale of Lamar Odom is intriguing. Whatever your opinion of the Kardashians, Khloe helped Lamar get his finances in order by decreasing the number of people he was supporting from 30 or so to a select few.

          Lamar claimed that he felt responsible to help any member of his extended family who required assistance. While this is wonderful, it doesn’t benefit anyone if he is also broke.

          710
        • I recall watching a British television program on lottery winners.

          The people featured eventually ended up quarrelling with friends and relatives over money and practically only had other lottery winners as “friends,” which was really extremely sad.

          As you could imagine, as soon as friends and family find out, everyone starts asking for “help,” and all kinds of people start to emerge from hiding. It must be difficult. A blessing and a curse.

          680
        • The same crap was pulled by Layne Staley’s (Alice in Chains) father, who later just used him to get narcotics. It played a significant role in Layne’s despair and exacerbated the effects of his addiction.

          815
  11. RE: Fact# 7 – American ‘Larks’ vs ‘Night Owls’: And perhaps 0.15% of us have delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD).

    Affected people often report that while they do not get to sleep until the early morning, they do fall asleep around the same time every day. Unless they have another sleep disorder such as sleep apnea in addition to DSPD, patients can sleep well and have a normal need for sleep.

    However, they find it very difficult to wake up in time for a typical school or work day. If they are allowed to follow their own schedules, e.g. sleeping from 4:00 am to 1:00 pm, their sleep is improved and they may not experience excessive daytime sleepiness.

    Attempting to force oneself onto daytime society’s schedule with DSPD has been compared to constantly living with jet lag; DSPD has been called “social jet lag”

    2589
    • Many doctors and people in your life may see your unusual routine as a deliberate shortcoming or “decision,” similar to how they may view other mental flaws. It’s “your own fault” if you’re “perpetually Jet lagged” or have an absurdly hard time getting up and going in the morning.

      Year right.

      Really annoying problem to have to face. When I worked from home, I got the most done between 1 and 4 in the morning. However, I found that I was dragging so terribly during regular business hours that I was finally forced to rent an outside office to prevent myself from falling into the routine my body likes. Though I still struggle with it, the issue is less pervasive than it formerly was. Since I’ve passed what used to be considered “middle age,” it’s also altered slightly. Used to be much worse when I was younger.

      780
    • Details can be found at the linked page. The uranium was bought by the USA from them:

      Russian Warheads Fuel American Power Plants With Megatons To Megawatts

      11 December 2013

      “All of this was agreed upon as part of a settlement at the end of the Cold War. When the last supply of petroleum reaches a facility in the United States today, the transaction is complete.

      The concept was first developed in the early 1990s. Philip Sewell was employed by the U.S. Department of Energy at the time. His biography can be found at http://www.usec.com/bio/philip-g-sewell. Sewell’s task was to identify methods to cooperate with the erstwhile enemies when the Soviet Union had just crumbled.

      In reality, this required traveling to military installations that weren’t even on the map, out in the Russian countryside. When Sewell arrived, he was not pleased with what he saw.

      Windows were shattered, gates were unlocked, and not many people were there, according to Sewell.

      However, the Russian authorities kept the uranium from thousands of retired nuclear bombs within these deteriorating structures. It seems that almost anyone could leave with items suitable for a bomb.

      This uranium was something Sewell and his colleagues wanted to get rid of. To a The items were simply lying around, after all.

      At first, the Russians balked. According to Sewell, “It was an issue of pride, principle, and patriotism.” They “didn’t want to let go of it” despite the fact that they didn’t need the extra material and couldn’t afford to protect it.

      However, they eventually let go. because of money, just.

      Disarmament has never before in history ever paid off financially.

      Director of the Center for Energy and Security Studies, Anton Khlopkov

      “The financing was desperately needed by Russia’s nuclear industry,” claims a href=”http://ceness-russia.org/index.php?id=908″>.

      Director of the Center for Energy and Security Studies outside of Moscow is Anton Khlopkov. He claims that almost a million workers in Russia’s nuclear complex were not being paid a decent wage.

      This led to the 1993 agreement, which stated that the Russians would convert around 500 tons of bomb-grade uranium into nuclear fuel. It would be purchased by the US and supplied to local industrial power plants.

      Khlopkov claims that everyone won. He claims that this is the first instance in history where disarmament has truly been lucrative.

      very successful About $17 billion was made by the Russians. Sewell’s government office was turned into a for-profit business, the United States Enrichment Corporation, and it profited from the agreement as well. And the uranium was inexpensively acquired by American power plants.

      But according to a href=”http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/experts/368/matthew bunn.html”>Matthew Bunn, everything excellent must come to an end.

      Harvard University’s Matthew Bunn.

      According to Bunn, “Russia is a much different country today than it was 20 years ago.” “They’re no longer on their knees,” as the Russian Kremlin likes to say.

      However, Bunn asserts that this agreement will rank among the most significant diplomatic successes in history.

      Think about it, he continues, “20,000 bombs’ worth of nuclear material destroyed forever.” “[Bombs that] will never again threaten anyone.”

      Today, the final shipment is delivered to a US storage facility. In the upcoming years, utilities will purchase it. So feel nice when you turn on the lights. It’s possible that your lightbulb was previously a bomb.”

      738
    • Lots of warheads and uranium suitable for use in bombs were left behind as the Soviet Union collapsed. After its defeat, Russia didn’t have much money to spare for maintaining and safely securing the weapons and enriched uranium.

      Therefore, enriched uranium was purchased from Russia by the US government, blended, and then supplied to US commercial reactors for use as fuel.

      win-win-win

      Russia used the funds to cover the unpaid wages of nuclear personnel ( which also made it less likely that they could be wooed away – eg by someone with nuclear aspirations). The world’s uranium supply was no longer a security nightmare, and the industrial facilities received their fuel.

      749
  12. RE: Fact# 3 – American Civil War Causalities: more trivia from the link…

    The average Civil War soldier was 26 years old, weighing 143 pounds and standing 5’8″ tall.

    More American soldiers became casualties at the Battle of Gettysburg than in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 combined.

    The numbers of Civil War dead were not equaled by the combined toll of other American conflicts until the War in Vietnam. 

    2362
  13. RE: Fact# 26 – Syracuse Snowfall: The annual rainfall in Valdez, Alaska, is 300 inches. I believe it to be the world’s snowiest sea level town. Nearby Thompson Pass receives 500.

    2287
    • maybe most of the “glamorous” aspects are from outlaws and shootists, i guess cowboy has become the common term for all of this

      733
  14. RE: Fact# 24 – Which Animal Could You Beat?: 100% of Canadian geese think they could beat a human in an unarmed fight.

    2537
    • I used to work at a place where many Canada geese were laying eggs. When approaching these buggers, I always made sure to have a stick, oar, or other type of weapon with me. I’m in full attack mode and ready to kill if they even hiss at me. I haven’t yet received a hit from any.

      Swans are a big no-no, though; without a full suit or armor, I wouldn’t approach swans that are building nests.

      675
  15. RE: Fact# 6 – Florida Citrus Fatal Fungus: This is the result of relying on a single cultivar for all of your harvest. Only two species, C. sinensi (which includes regular oranges, blood oranges, navel oranges, and acid-less oranges) and C. tangerina (tangerines, manadarins, satsumas and other hybrids), are used for commercial cultivation .

    Grapefruits are hybrids between pommelo fruit and sweet orange, hence they are not their own species.

    There is a distinct species difference between limes and lemons.

    The problem with Bananas is the same as this one.

    2505
    • But as far as I know, that’s because citrus doesn’t grow true to seed, therefore cloning and grafting are necessary to acquire trees that yield fruit with uniform features (which already requires a multi-year investment to get the tree to that stage). A navel orange tree is a clone of the original tree from which the mutation occurred.

      723
      • Every single fruit tree can be summed up in that statement.

        Need a honeycrisp apple, huh? You really need to get THAT branch grafted onto rootstock. Growing a honeycrisp apple tree from seed is not possible.

        735
    • Since all citrus trees are vulnerable to Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus/em>, diversifying the plantings wouldn’t have made a huge difference.

      All citrus fruits, including pomelo, orange, lemon, and lime, are impacted.

      671
  16. RE: Fact# 20 – Mayflower Survivor Ancestor: With that kind of survival story you bet he was laying pipe like he invented plumbing

    2629
  17. Vermont has a lot of gorgeous scenery. When I was a teenager, I attended a public high school where I took classes on the reintroduction of turkeys to the state, land conservation, and the building permits required for low-impact development. The state’s tourism economy is supported by its abundant natural beauty and recreational opportunities. Prior to COVID, the state was paying remote workers to relocate there in order to better serve its elderly population. It’s rural, and many major firms are prohibited from building there by environmental regulations. As a result, the younger generation relocates to follow their careers and returns when they reach retirement age. Come visit; it is lovely all year round.

    2376
    • I totally endorse this message as a native of lovely Eden Mills, Vermont (pop. 473) and a very proud transplant from Virginia. The best decision my partner and I ever made was moving here three years ago, renting a small studio apartment without having any jobs lined up and with no meaningful contacts in the state. The serenity, spaciousness, and beauty up here are unequaled and immensely healing if you know how to be at ease on your own without a large social circle or an infinite supply of “things” to do.

      795
  18. RE: Fact# 16 – Unused Vacations in USA: We made the decision to give employees UK holidays when I hired workers in the US, much like the parent firm. The pay was quite fair and at a benchmark.

    Every single person I spoke with asked if they might earn more money while taking fewer vacation days. Each and every one.

    I think Americans struggle with production and undervalue the value of rest.

    2430
    • I don’t know why we are so obsessed with work. Do not misunderstand me; I have no problems turning up and giving everything. When the day is through, though, that is it. I’m going HOME instead of staying up late or working more hours. You should really reevaluate your life choices if you’re so poor that you need to work 60 hours a week just to make ends meet. Some of the people I work with, I swear, either despise their families and/or home lives or have absolutely no hobbies.

      760
      • I’m aware of people who put in more time at the bar or as a server merely to pay for more furniture. They might, for example, put in an extra 40 hours a week at a bar or restaurant to earn more money to purchase more garbage. Some folks have terrible taste in free time.

        706
  19. RE: Fact# 9 – Fear of Friday the 13th: True story: During our senior year in high school, my friend Russ and I were passing a vending machine on a Friday the 13th. Everyone else had left the area. It seemed out of nowhere that the machine began dispensing quarters from its change slot. It was probably around $12 for the two of us. I enjoyed the Friday the 13th series.

    2555
  20. RE: Fact# 16 – Unused Vacations in USA: For those who are pondering the reasons why someone wouldn’t take a vacation: The following are the main excuses given by Americans for not using all of their vacation days:

    1. Returning to a mountain of work: 43 percent
    2. Feeling that no one else can do their job: 34 percent
    3. The pressures of a senior role: 33 percent
    4. Can’t financially afford a vacation: 32 percent
    5. Want to show complete dedication: 26 percent
    2435
    • Can’t financially afford a vacation: 32 percent

      To me, that one is the oddest. Vacation days are not required to be used for vacation. You can use them to have free time to conduct household chores, unwind, etc.

      803
    • Policy restrictions should not be forgotten.

      Any carryover days from my job must be used by the first of March of the following year, with a maximum of 5 days allowed. Once you have accrued 3 hours every 2 weeks, it will take you around 6 months to get a week off.

      With this policy, it is practically impossible to have enough hours to take a true vacation, especially since everyone is in the same situation and only has a full two weeks at the end of the year if they haven’t used any of it. However, everyone has to take that time off during the two months of winter.

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      • That is false.

        Only about 35% of first-time marriages end in divorce.

        The average of “more than half of all marriages end in divorce” comes from the divorce rates of second, third, fourth marriages, etc., which are MUCH higher.

        Technically speaking, it’s accurate, but only in 1 in 3 FIRST marriages.

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  21. RE: Fact# 9 – Fear of Friday the 13th:Can you call this a phobia? Many people laugh at what appears to be an absurd belief, yet that is exactly what phobias are: illogical fears. I know some people who are paralyzed by dread of something that is no more dangerous than a cow, and I live in a country where there are no toxic spiders.

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    • That is a valid question. Google identifies it as paraskevidekatriaphobia. I believe that almost anything can be a phobia; some are simply more common than others.

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  22. RE: Fact# 8 – Average American ‘Work Hours’: Because in certain companies, if you finish your task early and tell your employer, they will simply give you more work to do without compensating you in any way, this is a problem.

    As a result, workers learn only the bare minimum to get by, rather than acquiring the expertise to accomplish their jobs effectively. Some of my coworkers are so slow because they operate inefficiently or because they don’t understand the most fundamental features of the office program.

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  23. RE: Fact# 19 – Toothlessness in America: Early in the 20th century, it was common for people to have all of their teeth extracted at a young age and use dentures as a replacement in order to prevent dental problems in the future.

    Evidently, a lot of Amish still do it.

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  24. RE: Fact# 30 – Texan Cowboy Stats: A amusing related fact: Cowboys in movies say “buckaroo” because it’s a mispronunciation of the spanish word for cowboy – vaquero.

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    • This reminds me of another bonus fun fact. In Toy Story 2, when the antagonist is ending a phone call with a Japanese toy collector, he says “don’t touch my mustache”. This is a butchered Americanization of “douitashimashite“, or “you’re welcome”.

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