FACTS

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There’s only one letter that doesn’t appear in any American state name. There's a Z in Arizona and an X in Texas, but no Q in any of them.

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Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I of England, who was known as the Virgin Queen. Historians think the English adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh suggested the name about 1584. That year, Elizabeth gave Raleigh permission to colonise the Virginia region."

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Queen Elizabeth 1 never married. This was unexpected: she easily could have had her choice of husbands, and the Privy Council and her closest advisors constantly begged her to marry. As a result of her aversion to matrimony, she began to be called the "Virgin Queen." However, although it is clear that she never married, her status as a lifelong virgin is under considerable doubt. Sex was not a discussion topic at the time and her affairs were not recorded in the same explicit detail as they might be today. Yet there is strong evidence that she likely had several affairs. Elizabeth had the opportunity: she was constantly surrounded by men and was in a position of power over them.

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Louboutins' iconic red soles were inspired by Andy Warhol. The 60s pop artist's drawing Flowers caught the eye of the famous designer which gave him the idea to add the infamous sole to his designs.

Andy Warhol, Flowers, 1965,

Differing stories have been offered for the origin of the coloured soles, but Louboutin said that the hue was inspired by an assistant’s red nail polish. He decided to use red on all his soles, reasoning that “red is more than a colour. It is a symbol of love, of blood, of passion.”

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The Google image search function was literally created after Jennifer Lopez wore her infamous dress at the 2000 Grammys. So many people were searching for her outfit, the search engine added an image search function.

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Weeks after J Lo’s 2000 Grammys dress, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone showed up at the Oscars ceremony wearing outfits modeled after gowns of Jennifer Lopez (Parker) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Stone).

Trey Parker and Matt Stone

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The actors who voiced Mickey and Minnie mouse got married in real life. Russi Taylor (Minnie) and Wayne Allwine (Mickey) tied the knot in 1991.

Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor.

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The last letter added to the English alphabet was 'J'. The letter dates back to 1524. Before that the letter 'i' was used for both the 'i' and 'j' sounds.

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Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It's 120 times smaller than the island of Manhattan.

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The richest country in the world is Ireland. This is because its capital is always Dublin.

Boom boom tchh.

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Japan has over 200 flavours of Kit Kats. They're exclusively created for different regions, cities, and seasons. There are some tasty-sounding ones like banana, blueberry cheesecake and Oreo ice cream, as well as some very questionable ones like baked potato, melon and cheese, wasabi, and vegetable juice.

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Queen Elizabeth II had a stand-in to make sure the sun wouldn't get in her eyes. Ella Slack was a similar height to the late Queen, so she would rehearse big events beforehand to make sure everything would be comfortable for the Her Maj.

She said in an interview:

It started because I was at the BBC and the producer who was doing The Cenotaph came to see me and said that the Queen had sent a message to say, when she stood at the Cenotaph, the sun was in her eyes, and so could we do anything about it?

Well, I said to him, would you like me to come and stand in the position for you because all the stage managers were six foot men. And then that led on to other things. I went in her royal carriage and rode on the boat up to the Tower of London.

And then there will be the state opening of Parliament. I’ve never been allowed to sit on the throne in the House of Lords. I have to lurk above it – it’s a very strict rule. If I’m in a carriage or a car, I will wave.

The events that I’ve been helping with are events that are transmitted worldwide, and millions of people are going to watch. I look afterwards, and watch the programs going out, and I’ll see her there, and think, I did it for you.

She never accepted payment for the service provided, describing it as a “pleasure and an honour.”

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The Eiffel Tower was originally intended for Barcelona. The Spanish city thought it was too ugly, so Gustave Eiffel pitched it to Paris instead. French critics weren't too thrilled either, but it's one of the most famous landmarks in the world today and has become a global cultural icon of France.

Locally nicknamed "La dame de fer" (French for "Iron Lady"), it was constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair.

Caricature of Gustave Eiffel comparing the Eiffel tower to the Pyramids, published in Le Temps, February 14, 1887.

Looks like Anthony Hopkins, don't you think?

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There's only one Shell garage actually shaped like a Shell. There were actually eight built in the 1930s but only one remains, in North Carolina.

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The Loganair Westray to Papa Westray route is the shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world. Flights on the route are scheduled for one and a half minutes, and actual flying time is closer to one minute. The record for the fastest flight is 53 seconds. The route is flown by Loganair, a Scottish regional airline that serves Scotland's Highlands and islands.

Loganair aircraft taxiing at Papa Westray airport

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Archaeological site in Papa Westray, Scotland, The Knap of Howar, possibly the oldest stone house in Northern Europe.

The Knap of Howar is a Neolithic farmstead and was occupied from 3700 BC to 2800 BC

Looking back through the low entrance doorway into the main house, a visitor's knapsack gives an idea of scale.

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The blob of toothpaste on a toothbrush has a name. It's called a 'nurdle' and there was once a lawsuit over which toothpaste company had the right to portray it. The two litigants, Colgate and Glaxo, ended up settling.

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By the way, ‘Just the facts, ma’am” was never spoken by Detective Joe Friday in Dragnet. The original statement was,“All we want are the facts, ma’am.” Friday first spoke the words in the season 2 episode “The Big Lease.”

Harry Morgan and Jack Webb