Miscellaneous Factoids (Part 14)

1. Did you know in the USA the state with the most counties is Texas, boasting 254 counties and Delaware has the fewest counties with just 3 counties ?

2. Did you know Bacon wasn't "invented" at a single moment, but its origins trace back to ancient China around 1500 BCE, where people first salt-cured pork belly for preservation, a technique that spread globally ? (This ancient method evolved through the Roman Empire and into medieval Europe, becoming a staple, with specific curing plants and commercial processing emerging in England in the 1770s and pre-sliced versions appearing in the U.S. around 1914.)

3. Did you know the first successful human organ transplant was a kidney transplant performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray in 1954 between identical twins, Ronald and Richard Herrick, at Brigham and Women's Hospital (then Peter Bent Brigham Hospital) in Boston, ushering in the modern era of transplantation ? (While earlier attempts and tissue grafts existed, this marked the first time a whole, functioning organ was successfully transferred, with the donor living many years after.)

4. Did you know the scientific name for water is dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO), reflecting its two hydrogen (di-) and one oxygen (-oxide) atoms ?

5. Did you know while early traffic signals existed, African American inventor Garrett Morgan patented the first three-position traffic signal in 1923, adding the crucial "caution" (yellow) light to prevent collisions, a design later sold to General Electric and forming the basis for modern traffic lights ? (His innovation introduced an all-stop setting, giving drivers time to clear the intersection, making it much safer than earlier stop/go systems.)