The First Laptop Computer - Osborne 1

The computer considered by most historians to be the first true portable computer was the Osborne 1. Adam Osborne, an ex-book publisher founded Osborne Computer and produced the Osborne 1 in 1981, a portable computer that weighed 24 pounds and cost $1795. The Osborne 1 came with a five-inch screen, modem port, two 5 1/4 floppy drives, a large collection of bundled software programs, and a battery pack. The short-lived computer company was never successful.

Lego world

The Lego Group, the company that makes and owns LEGO toys, has estimated that 400 billion LEGO blocks have been made in the last 50 years.

Humble beginnings

The beginning of an establishment for the engraving and printing of U.S. currency can be traced as far back as August 29, 1862, to a single room in the basement of the Main Treasury Building where two men and four women separated and sealed by hand $1 and $2 U.S. notes which had been printed by private bank note companies. Today there are approximately 2,800 employees who work out of two buildings in Washington, D.C. and a facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

Toothpicks are deadly

Believe it or not, English scientists have reviewed all available documentation in the world about the causes of death, and came to the interesting data, that each year 8,000 people drown with a toothpick.

The most distant galaxy ever observed

The most distant galaxy ever observed is estimated to be around 13,000,000,000 light-years away. Discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2004, it is located behind the galactic cluster Abell 2218, which bends the object's light. It is a small, energetic galaxy whose light that is seen on Earth now would have set out when the universe was just 750 million years old. This is the most distant object that can be observed consistently; some ephemeral gamma-ray bursts have been observed that are slightly more distant than this object.

Athletes who won medals at both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games

Only four athletes have ever won medals at both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games: Eddie Eagan (United States, Sumer olympics: boxing - light-heavyweight, Winter olympics: bobsleigh - four-man), Jacob Tullin Thams (Norway, Sumer: sailing, Winter: ski jumping), Christa Luding-Rothenburger (East Germany, Sumer: track cycling, Winter: speed skating), and Clara Hughes (Canada, Sumer: track cycling, Winter: speed skating).

Barbie facts

1. BarbieÒdoll has had more than 80 careers -- everything from a rock star to a paleontologist to a presidential candidate.


2. BarbieÒdoll's first career was a teenage fashion model.

3. BarbieÒGoes to College was introduced in 1964.

4. Army BarbieÒ, introduced in 1992, represented a medic Sergeant enlisted in Desert Storm.
5. The first Olympic athlete BarbieÒwas introduced in 1975; she is competing again as an Olympic swimmer in 2000.

6. Summit BarbieÒdolls were introduced in the 1980s to commemorate the end of the cold war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

7. BarbieÒdoll represented a candidate for President in 1992 and is running again in 2000 with a platform of opportunities for girls, educational excellence and animal rights.

8. The military series of BarbieÒdolls, Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps went through approvals by the Pentagon to ensure the most realistic costumes.

9. BarbieÒdoll represented an astronaut in 1965, 1986 and 1994.

10.In 1997, Share A Smile® Becky® was the first Mattel, Inc. fashion doll introduced with a wheelchair.

11.The Barbie™ Sport collection, including a clothing line and sport-related dolls, was introduced by Mattel in 1998 to allow girls to play out their athletic aspirations every day.
12.BarbieÒdoll was introduced in Europe in 1961.
13.Italian was the first nationality BarbieÒ doll represented in the Dolls of the World® Collection.
14.Quinceanera TeresaÒdoll was released in Mexico in 1994 to celebrate Girls Day.

15.The BarbieÒdoll is currently marketed in more than 150 nations around the world.

16.Placed head to toe, BarbieÒdolls and family members sold since 1959 would circle the earth more than seven times.

17.Every second, two BarbieÒdolls are sold somewhere in the world.

18.One of the latest nationality BarbieÒdoll is Spanish Barbie, released in 2000 wearing an ensemble inspired by the "traje de luces" (suit of lights) worn by toreadors.
19.BarbieÒdoll has represented 45 different nationalities.

20.The first black and Hispanic BarbieÒ dolls were introduced in 1980.

21.Freundshcafts (Friendship) BarbieÒwas introduced in 1990 to commemorate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.
22.BarbieÒdoll has had over 43 pets including 21 dogs, 12 horses, 3 ponies, 6 cats, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe and a zebra.

23.The best selling BarbieÒdoll ever was Totally Hair BarbieÒ, with hair from the top of her head to her toes.

24.The full name of BarbieÒdoll is "Barbie Millicent Roberts." She is from Willows, Wisconsin and went to Willows High School.

25.BarbieÒ doll has five sisters, SkipperÒ, introduced in 1964, Tutti, a twin introduced in 1966, StacieÒin 1992, KellyÒin 1995 and Krissy™ in 1999.

26.BarbieÒdoll's boyfriend, KenÒdoll made his debut two years after Barbie, in 1961.

27.KenÒdoll was named after the son of Mattel founders Ruth and Elliot Handler.

28.The first celebrity to join the BarbieÒ doll family was fashion model Twiggy in 1967 and the M. C. Hammer doll, complete with a cassette of his songs, was added in 1991.

29.BarbieÒdoll's first pet was a horse named Dancer.

30.BarbieÒdoll's best friend, MidgeÒwas introduced in 1963 and then again in 1988 as California MidgeÒ.

31.Consumers can now use their computers and the Internet to customize their friend of the Barbie® doll through My Design™, launched in 1998.

32.1999 was the first year that a family member of the Barbie® doll was introduced into the line as a large-scale doll, Cuddly Soft™ Kelly®.

33.Doll collecting is second only to stamp collecting as the most popular collecting hobby in America -- BarbieÒdoll is collected by women, men and children around the world.

34.The BarbieÒPolaroid I-zone is an instant camera that allows girls to create postage-size sticky pictures of all their fun activities.

35.Close to 1 billion fashions have been produced since 1959 for BarbieÒand her friends.

36.More than 105 million yards of fabric have gone into making BarbieÒdoll and her friends' fashions, making Mattel one the largest apparel manufacturers in the world.

37.BarbieÒ doll has had more than a billion pair of shoes and over one hundred new additions to her wardrobe annually.

38.BarbieÒ doll's signature color is Barbie pink.

39.The "BarbieÒ Fashion DesignerÒ" CD ROM was the best-selling software title of the 1996 holiday season.

40.BarbieÒdoll's collection of couture includes designs by Givenchy, Versace, Dolce & Gabana, Vera Wang and Gucci.

41.The BarbieÒclothing line for real girls includes knit tops, bootleg pants, backpacks, sleepwear and accessories.
42.BarbieÒ doll was introduced in 1959 and first appeared in the now-famous black and white striped swimsuit and signature ponytail.

43.The inventor of the BarbieÒdoll is Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel. She named the doll after her daughter, Barbara.

44.The first BarbieÒ doll sold for $3.00.

45.During the first year of her introduction in 1959, 351,000 BarbieÒdolls were sold.

46.An original 1959 BarbieÒ doll in mint condition has sold for up to $10,000.
47.BarbieÒ doll is currently a $1.5 billion dollar-per-year industry.

48.In 2000, BarbieÒ doll has a belly button for the first time.

49.In 1999, BarbieÒ doll walked by herself for the first time and in 2000, she inline skates by herself.

50.BarbieÒdoll celebrated 40 years as the world's most popular fashion doll in 1999.

51.BarbieÒCD ROMs have been the best selling children's software titles in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999.

52.The latest Barbie® Software for Girls® is the Barbie® Magic Genie Bottle and CD-ROM that lets girls interact with a 3-D adventure game.

53.BarbieÒentered the world of electronics in 1999 with the e-Secret.