Discover the Top 11 Fun Facts About 2011: Unforgettable Moments, Curiosities, and Trivia!

1. Oprah's Comeback Kingdom

As the queen of daytime television bid adieu amidst thunderous applause, one can't help but recall that 25 years ago her throne faced an audience gap so wide even a cow could've been seated: Oprah Winfrey shared in 2011 that her iconic show first aired nationally on September 8, 1986, and went on to empower millions with the message of self-improvement and solidarity, eventually reigning TV across America despite early teething troubles.
Source => oprah.com

2. Ireland's Guinness Magic

Does Guinness give you wings? Not exactly, but Irish soil might just be its secret ingredient: A group of international researchers conducted a year-long study in 2011, sampling Guinness in 14 different countries and using the Guinness Overall Enjoyment Score (GOES) to evaluate its taste, discovering that the stout scored significantly higher when consumed in Ireland, its homeland, compared to any other country.
Source => theguardian.com

Did you know Thomas Jefferson had a pet mockingbird that freely roamed his office, serenading him with its melodies? Discover more about this unique bond between a president and his feathery friend!

=> Fun Facts about History

3. Steve Jobs' Tech Empire

Apples may not keep the doctor away, but they certainly demand the CEO's attention: In 2011, Steve Jobs bid adieu to his throne at Apple, passing the baton to Tim Cook while retaining his seat at the head of the board. During his reign, the tech monarch saw his empire's shares skyrocket 6,681.8% as quarterly sales blossomed to $28.6 billion and unleashed popular gadgetry like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Macintosh computer revolution, crowning Apple as the world champion of the technology realm.
Source => forbes.com

4. E-Books Outsell Print Books

E-bookworms, rejoice and turn the page on fossilized tree literature: In 2011, Amazon reported selling 105 e-books for every 100 print books (excluding free Kindle books), marking a major milestone in the publishing industry where digital bookworms gobbled up thrice as many words on Kindle compared to the same period in 2010.
Source => washingtonpost.com

5. Manningham's Skywalker Catch

When Mario Manningham went all "May the Force be with you" on us and took catching a football to Skywalker levels: In 2011, the New York Giants emerged victorious in Super Bowl XLVI, narrowly beating the New England Patriots 21-17, thanks to Manningham's game-altering catch in the fourth quarter.
Source => britannica.com

6. The Planking Phenomenon

In 2011, thousands of people lay flat-out in a high-stakes game of "the floor is socially acceptable": planking took the world by storm. This peculiar pastime of laying face down in bizarre and often risky locations came with a serious caveat: people captured their gravity-defying feats in photos, shared them on social media, and sometimes faced severe injuries, or even worse, met their untimely end. Despite the perils, dedicated planking enthusiasts continued to plank away, forming groups like the Brisbane Planking Association to celebrate their horizontal exploits.
Source => businessinsider.com

7. Elastic Uprising vs Denim

In the year of the elastic uprising, when spandex conquered denim and pants spread like wild leggings across the land of fashion: In 2011, elastic knit pants sales surpassed those of traditional denim jeans globally, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, though jeanmakers have since bounced back with renewed focus and growth in sales.
Source => digitaledition.chicagotribune.com

8. World's Largest Gluten-Free Pizza

When Italy kneaded to top a world record, they decided to go against the grain: In 2011, a team of Italian chefs led by Dovilio Nardi created the world's largest gluten-free pizza, measuring 131 feet in diameter and weighing 51,257 pounds, breaking the previous 1990 record set in South Africa.
Source => neogaf.com

9. Birth of Bitcoin

In a world where Scrooge McDuck might have dabbled in cryptography and Captain Jack Sparrow sailed the digital seas, one groundbreaking currency emerged to connect tech geeks and modern-day rebels alike: In 2011, Bitcoin was born, a decentralized digital currency utilizing a unique cryptographic algorithm and limiting its circulation to 21 million, capturing the imagination of a subculture of merchants and enthusiasts, while potentially brewing a speculative bubble for the future.
Source => forbes.com

10. Chocolate's Health Benefits

Forget Willy Wonka and his heart-healthy, mood-boosting chocolate factory: A 2011 systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that consuming higher levels of chocolate could actually lower the risk of cardiometabolic disorders, including cardiovascular disease and stroke. However, further studies are needed to determine if there's a golden ticket for dark or white chocolate specifically.
Source => bmj.com

11. Watson Computer Conquers Jeopardy

Who needs Ken Jennings when you've got a machine doing the thinking for you: In 2011, IBM's Watson computer triumphed over human champions on the beloved game show, Jeopardy!, thanks to its ability to understand natural language, decode perplexing clues, and swiftly respond with bang-on answers – a victory that foreshadowed a future filled with practical applications in various industries like medicine and consumer electronics.
Source => nytimes.com