AWESOME FACTS ABOUT EVERYTHING CXXIV

1. The phrase "Dog Days of Summer" is used to describe the long, hot, sultry days of July and August (in the northern hemisphere). When the star [Dog Star] Sirius - a prominent star in the constellation Canis Major - would appear in the sky just before the sun near the end of July, that marked the beginning of the very hottest days of the year. The Romans referred to this period as "the days of the dog star," which eventually became just "dog days."

2. From 2014-2018 the two most popular girls' names were Emma and Olivia. From 2019 - 2023 they switched to Olivia as the most popular and Emma as second most. From 2014-2016 the two most popular boys' names were Liam and Noah. From 2017 - 2023 they also switched to Liam as the most popular, followed by Noah as second most.

3. "La Traviata" by Verdi is the most popularly performed opera in the world.

4. The exquisite chorus "Va, pensiero" - also known as "The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" is the centerpiece of Verdi's opera "Nabucco." At Verdi' funeral, the crowds in the streets spontaneously began singing it. When his body was moved to the crypt of the Casa di Riposo, "Va, pensiero" was conducted by Arturo Toscanini with a chorus of 820 singers and an estimated 300,000 people in attendance. 

5. From the air, the island of Cuba is shaped somewhat like a crocodile. In Spanish it is sometimes called El Cocodrillo."

6. The musical RENT is based on Puccini's opera La Boheme, and MISS SAIGON is based on his opera Madam Butterfly.

7. Illinois lays claim to the state having the most U.S. Interstate Highways passing through it.

8. The estimated world population in 2058 will be ten billion people.

9. Louisa May Alcott had a crush on Ralph Waldo Emerson and would leave flowers by his door.

10. Benjamin Franklin's formal education ended at ten years old.