AWESOME FACTS ABOUT EVERYTHING CXLVII

1. MIT has an 823-foot hallway that runs through its main buildings. Twice a year the hallway perfectly aligns with the sunset, illuminating its entire length. MIT calls the hallway the Infinite Corridor and they celebrate the alignment twice a year - calling it MIThenge.

2. (Ludwig) Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), a German-American architect, was a pioneer in the development of modern architecture, epitomizing the International Style. His guiding principle was "Less is more" - encapsulating the essence of minimalism in design and architecture - that simplicity and restraint can often have a more powerful impact than excessive ornamentation or complexity.

3. Mt. Ararat, the Biblical resting place of Noah's Ark, is in present-day Armenia.

4. The "E" in Wile E. Coyote stands for Ethelbert.

5. Folk and country singer John Denver's real name was Henry John Deutschenforf, Jr. He changed his name at the suggestion of Randy Sparks of the New Christy Minstrels who noted that Deutschenforf would not fit comfortably on a marquee

6. The vote to adopt the Declaration of Independence passed on July 2, 1776 - technically making that our Independence Day. Revisions were made and the document was completed on July 4th. The signatures were not collected until August 2, 1776. 

7. Paul Revere did not shout, "The British are coming!" on his famous ride. Many of the colonists still considered themselves British, so this would have been confusing. Historians believe Revere shouted, "The Regulars are coming out!" - that is, the British Army was marching on Lexington. Revere's warning on April 18, 1775 saved John and Samuel Adams whom the British were coming to arrrest.

8. Botanically, the tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable, but it is considered a vegetable by nutritionists.

9. In Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, the white swan is named Odete and the black swan is Odile. The two roles are traditionally performed by the same dancer.

10. Unsung hero Sylvan Goldman, a grocer and owner of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma, invented the grocery shopping cart in 1937 - changing our world for the better in a practical way.