On today’s date in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Shortly thereafter, Buzz Aldrin became the second.
Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Stories by FactCheck.org
July 19, 2009
On today’s date in 1814, firearm innovator Samuel Colt was born in Hartford, Conn.
Source: PBS
July 18, 2009
The world population of Caribou is about 5 million.
Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game
July 17, 2009
A giraffe’s feet are 12 inches wide; its legs are 6 feet tall.
Source: San Diego Zoo
July 16, 2009
There were 66 nuclear power plants in the United States in 2007.
Source: Energy Information Administration
July 15, 2009
The word "smallpox" comes from the Latin word for "spotted" and is a reference to the bumps that appear on the body of a person who has the disease.
Source: Food and Drug Administration
FactCheck Mailbag, Week of July 7 – July 13
This week, readers sent us comments on our recent Ask FactCheck about the U.K.’s and Canada’s health care systems, along with requests to leave the comedy to Jon Stewart and to spend less time on chain e-mails, more on facts about daily news events.
July 14, 2009
About 19 percent of the total net electricity generated in the United States comes from nuclear power. That’s about equal to the amount of electricity used in California, Texas and New York, the three most populous states.
Source: Energy Information Administration
July 13, 2009
About 92 percent of the coal used in the United States is used for generating electricity.
Source: Energy Information Administration
July 12, 2009
Glaucoma damages the eye’s optic nerve and is the leading cause of blindness in the United States.
Source: National Library of Medicine