Things I Learned - December 2024

+ 2024 wrapped

Happy New Year, and greetings from Egypt. I hope everyone had a fruitful 2024. Here is this month’s edition of ‘Things I Learned’.

Things I Learned

1. In 1870, the population of Idaho was 29% Chinese. (source)

2. The song “Sweet Caroline”, by Neil Diamond, refers to Caroline Kennedy. (source)

3. The median age of a US home is 40 years old. (source)

4. Babe Ruth hit more homers in Jimmy Carter's lifetime than any currently active player. (source)

5. The Great Pyramid of Giza, built in 2250 BC remained the world’s tallest structure for 3500 years until the construction of the Lincoln Cathedral in 1311. (source)

6. Out of the 13 presidents of South Korea, only one has not been impeached, imprisoned, overthrown, or assassinated. (source)

7. Wojtek was a brown bear who was enlisted as a private in the Polish Army during World War II and eventually rose to the rank of corporal. (source)

8. In the US the majority (81%) of eggs sold are white; whereas in Europe the majority of eggs sold are brown. (source)

9. There is no evidence that cell signals from a phone not on airplane mode interfere with aircraft signals. (source)

10. The oldest bond in the world — issued to rebuild a dike outside of Utrecht, Netherlands — is 400 years old, and pays €13.61 a year. (source)

11. The busiest domestic airline route in 2024 was Atlanta - Orlando. The busiest international airline route was Hong Kong - Taipei. (source)

12. BYU requires students to be clean shaven. (source)

13. Global revenue generated by the gaming industry is 7x larger than the revenue generated by recorded music, and is larger than the global revenue generated by the music and movie industries combined (source).

14. The “Jeb” in Jeb Bush is an acronym for his name, John Ellis Bush. (source)

15. Popcorn is not served at the Cannes Film Festival. (source)

16. The best selling single (physical copy) of all time is Bing Crosby’s "White Christmas. (source)

17. The reason that Arkansas and Kansas are pronounced differently is that Arkansas took the French pronunciation and Kansas took the native Algonquian pronunciation of the same root word. (source)

A Couple Graphs I Liked

• Prevalence of vices in top live action films

• US Department Store sales as a percentage of total US retail sales

  

• Per capita consumption of meat and fish, Japan

  

My 2024, Wrapped

Last year, I started doing annual “wrapped” of my year. This was an interesting year for me, full of ups and downs. Here are some of the numbers behind it:

• Travel: Excluding transit, I visited 11 states and 4 countries (UK, US, Egypt, Netherlands). I took 44 flights. I spent 14 nights in hotels and 5 in AirBnBs.

• Entertainment: I wrote 15 blog posts, watched 5 films at the movie theater, attended 2 live concerts (Gracie Abrams, Bruce Springsteen), and went to 4 major league sporting events (NFL, NBA, MLB x2). I once again played [redacted] number of games of online chess, 97.1% of which were bullet (i.e. ≤1-minute time control).

• Health: I went on 129 runs, 35 spinning rides, 5 bootcamps, and 4 swimming workouts. I slept an average of 6 hour 54 minutes a night.

• School: I took 2 classes and TAed 1 class. I released two papers — one coauthored, and one dissertation paper.

• Other: I attended one wedding, two shivas, and ten birthdays.

Last year, I wrote that “I hope to get out, exercise, and read a little more” in 2024 relative to 2023. I read fewer papers and only slightly more books, but I certainly got out more and exercised more. Next year, I hope to actually read more, write some more blog posts, and develop some new skills (suggestions welcome). In terms of new year’s resolutions, I’m trying to work on my gift-giving skills, reduce the amount I pack when I travel (including eliminating checking bags), and keep in touch with extended family and long distance friends more often.

I remain grateful to all who subscribe to this newsletter, especially those that have sent in facts, given feedback, or reached out to meet up and chat. Personally/professionally, I’ll have some exciting news to report on the horizon for 2025, so stay tuned. Until then, have a happy new year 🥳!