26Sugar consumption
An average individual in 1700s consumed 4 pounds of sugar annually. By 2009, 50% of Americans were consuming at least 180 pounds of sugar annually.
27. John Quincy Adams had a pool table installed in the White House that he enjoyed playing most days. This was something that his opponents and some dignitaries found scandalous.
28. There are “ghost islands” off the coast of Virginia that have been uninhabitable since 1936 as they act as a natural barrier to the coast during hurricane season. They are home to a feral horse population, a NASA flight facility, and the second tallest lighthouse in the United States.
29. The lowest toll ever paid for crossing Panama Canal was 36 cents by Richard Halliburton in 1928, who swam across the canal.
30. In 1856, businessman and aeronautics enthusiast Matías Pérez took flight in a hot air balloon at sunset in Cuba, and was never seen again. This incident originated the Cuban phrase, "Voló como Matías Pérez," (flew away like Matías Pérez) to refer to someone vanishing into thin air.
