Did you know that the Earth is round? As a kid, I would flip through a set of Charlie Brown Encyclopedias and memorize facts about our planet. Did you know the circumference around the equator is 24,901 miles? Did you know the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second?

Things to Know

Did you know that wood is, in ways, as strong as steel? Heartwood, the supporting central part of a tree, is a source of structural strength. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, “set vertically, a one-by-two-inch cross section that is twelve inches long can support twenty tons.” (For a cool tree cookie photo and more about trees, check out my 2021 post “Tough Trees and Growth Rings”.)

Did you know that violent crime declined in the United States in 2024? According to data released August 2025 by the FBI, national violent crime decreased 4.5% in 2024 versus 2023.

Did you know that most points in tennis end in errors and not winners? Over the course of a match, from amateurs to professions, two-thirds to three-quarters of all points end with the ball long, wide, or in the net.

Did you know that five U.S. presidents won their elections while losing the popular vote? In the United States, presidents are not elected directly based on the popular vote. Those five presidents were John Quincy Adams (1824), Rutherford B. Hayes (1876), Benjamin Harrison (1888), George W. Bush (2000), and Donald Trump (2016).

Did you know that we grow more wood than we harvest in the U.S? As of 2024, according to analysis by Forisk Consulting, pine forests in the U.S. South alone grow 40% more wood than is “drained” each year.

Conclusion

Recently, I found myself taking extra comfort and joy from revisiting and considering basic lessons and realities learned over the years. The stability offered by hard-earned knowledge and education helps dull the sharp anger and staged conflict populating social media.

If nothing else, be kind to someone and learn one new thing today. Thank you for reading!