The Library of Congress was created on this day in 1800, when President John Adams approved spending $5,000 for “such books as may be necessary for the use of congress.”
Source: Library of Congress
Stories by FactCheck.org
April 23, 2009
A worker honey bee’s brain is only a cubic millimeter in size, but it has the densest neuropile tissue of any animal.
Source: Department of Agriculture
April 22, 2009
Today is Earth Day. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, the same year the Environmental Protection Agency was created by President Nixon.
Source: EPA
April 21, 2009
The largest recorded lobster, caught off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1934, weighed 44.4 pounds and was at least 100 years old, according to scientists.
Source: National Geographic
April 20, 2009
The two largest religious affiliations in the U.S. are Evangelical Protestant (26.3 percent of adults say they belong to churches in that group) and Catholic (23.9 percent).
Source: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Cost of Obama’s Transition
Q: How is President-elect Obama paying for his transition?
A: Obama’s transition is being financed with $5.3 million in public funds provided by Congress, supplemented by another $6.7 million that his team hopes to raise from individuals in donations not exceeding $5,000 each.
Tickets to History
Q: How can one get inauguration tickets?
A: Tickets to watch the swearing-in can be requested through the Washington, D.C., offices of an individual’s representative or senators. But you’ll need some luck to score one.
FactCheck Wins Three Webby Awards
FactCheck.org sweeps both the Webby Award and People’s Voice Webby Award in the politics category. FactCheckED.org wins the People’s Voice Webby Award in the education category.
Huckabee’s Fiscal Record
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has been hit with criticism over his record on taxes as governor of Arkansas. In recent interviews on Fox News, Huckabee responded to some of these questions, but we found him to be misleading and incorrect on several points:
Clinton vs. Obama
In the latest debate among the Democrats, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sparred over their plans for health care and Social Security. We found both presidential candidates guilty of exaggerations and questionable claims.