Be honest with yourself: How much do you know about the Big Dipper?

The answer is – not enough! Get big ones (facts, that is) on the more sizable of the Dippers right here:

1. The Big Dipper isn’t a constellation. What?! Seriously. The formation is actually an asterism and part of the constellation Ursa Major.
2. In 50,000 years, the Big Dipper will change shape and might resemble… a Big Iron. Or something.
3. In other countries, the Big Dipper is referred to as the Plough, the Saucepan, the Great Wagon, and the Big Bear.
4. The ‘dipper’ in Big Dipper is referring to a ladle – that’s a lot of soup!
5. The Big Dipper has been used on flags (including Alaska’s state flag) and many company logos.

See more fun facts about the Big Dipper and learn about it on Answers.com.

Letters. You write ‘em, you send ‘em, but have you ever studied them?

Specifically, letter frequency – how often different letters appear in English words. Well, I’m here to help you open your mind to some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G trivia:

1. The English letter frequency sequence (from most to least common) is “ETAONRISHDLFCMUGYPWBVKXJQZ.”
2. The “top eight” letters comprise about 65% of the total usage
3. “T” is the most common first letter in English words at 16.7% of words.
4. “X” is the least common first letter in English words at 0.005% of words.
5. The use of letter frequencies and frequency analysis plays a fundamental role in several games, including hangman, Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune, Definition, Bananagrams, and cryptograms.

Get more letter frequency trivia!

President’s best friend… As you’ve seen in photos, President Obama keeps Bo the Portuguese Water Dog around the White House for furry cuddle once in a while. Many past American presidents have found they needed a pet or two to get them by. But who knew past POTUS’s had such bizarre taste in pets… and in pet names?

In the historical paintings and black and white photographs, American presidents may look stuffy and serious, but if their animal friends are any indication, we can claim humor a political asset.

Here are our top five picks of interesting presidential pets:

George Washington: Black and Tan Coonhounds named Drunkard, Taster, Tipler, and Tipsy (beverage problem, Mr. President?)

Thomas Jefferson: Two bear cubs (wait, what??)

Andrew Jackson: Pol, a parrot he taught to swear (Oh, Jackson, you old %#$#%)

Benjamin Harrison: Opossums named Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection (Feeling insecure, are we?)

Calvin Coolidge: Canaries named Nip and Tuck (A man before his time…)

Oh, but there is more… An alligator? White mice? See the complete list of interesting U.S. presidential pets and resist the urge to go to the pet store.

Today is March 14th and you know what that means…

Oh, you don’t? March 14th is chock full of pure awesome, from famous birthdays, quirky holidays and most of all, the best pastry of all time.

Fourteen Awesome Things About March 14th.

1. Albert Einstein, the cuddliest scientist ever, was born.
   In ‘theory’, I imagine that some of Einstein’s ‘relatives’ forgot his birthday from time to time.
2. Happy birthday, Billy Crystal!
   No less important – ok, somewhat less important – actor Billy Crystal was also born on this date.
3. Daylight savings time begins.
   Ready to spring ahead, northern hemisphere? Time to turn back time.
4. International Ask a Question Day.
   Must have something to do with #1 – without Albie, there might be a lot less high school physics students cramming questions before finals.
5. Mothering Sunday.
   AKA, Mother’s Day in England. Don’t they make it sound so warm and cozy?
6. Moth-ER Day.
   Mothers are important, yadda yadda. But what about moth collectors?
7. Bretzelsonndeg.
   Some kind of Luxembourg Valentine’s Day involving young boys and pretzels.
8. Celebrate agriculture!
   Somewhere out there, a farmer is taking a quick break to celebrate.
9. National Animal Poison Prevention Week.
   You have a week to keep your pets from getting poisoned, people.
10. Feast with St. Mathilda.
    Wait your turn, St. Patrick – Mathilda has a feast today and you gotta wait your turn.
11. ’10 Most Wanted Fugitives’ lists made their debut.
    And without that, where would that awe-inspiring TV show have come from?
12. Check Your Batteries Day!
    Good call, my laptop might have died before I finished this post.
13. Happy Pi Day!
    3.14159265358979323846264338327950288…
14. Pie. Just pie.
    Seriously, best. baked good. ever. Any day of the year.

Looking for some new music? Do you like it young, fashionable and straight off of YouTube?

Justin Bieber was one of 2009′s youngest singing sensations (15 years old), plucked from YouTube and an instant hit. Oh, and he likes the color purple.

But don’t stop there. There are all kinds of things to know about Bieber. And where better to learn the answers to your burning Justin Bieber questions than right here? Oh, that’s right, Answers.com.

Top 10 insanely crucial facts about Justin Bieber.

1. What kind of shoes does Justin Bieber wear?
   Hint: They are high, but not heels.
2. Who is Justin Beiber currently dating?
   Not you. Nyah nyah.
3. What is Justin Bieber’s middle name?
   Alex? Chris? Peter? Only one way to find out for sure.
4. Will Justin Bieber’s voice change?
   Will the moon align with the sun? Will the crow pick at your garden?
5. What color does Justin Bieber hate?
   That’s strong language, but I suppose I’m not a big fan of chartreuse, myself.
6. Is Justin Bieber a Twilight fan?
   Oh god. Say it isn’t so…
7. What is the story behind the song ‘Where Are You Now’ by Justin Bieber?
   Get ready to get emotional.
8. Who discovered Justin Bieber?
   Marie Curie?
9. Does Justin Bieber wear makeup?
   The good ones always do.
10. Who was Justin Bieber’s first kiss?
    His momma on his newborn bum… Oh, that kinda kiss.

There are literally thousands more questions in the Justin Bieber Q&A category, so check it out and get your fill of underage musical holiness.

For someone who grew up nearby, MTV’s Jersey Shore is bringing back memories. It’s also making me sad that there are so many positive things about Italian Americans, beaches, and the word ‘Snooki’ that people don’t realize.

What a shame to cave into the stereotypes! Here are a bunch of things you didn’t know but will probably make you feel better about humanity than what you see on Jersey Shore.

Six things related to ‘Jersey Shore’ that aren’t stupid

1. Italian Americans.

   Despite the fact that most of the Jersey Shore kids claim Italian American heritage, it’s best to focus on the long list of Italian American influencers of U.S. history and culture. Shout out to Christopher Columbus!

   Oh, It’s also tastier.

2. Snooky Pryor.

   Snooki who?

   Snooky Pryor (1921-2006) was a blues harp player born in Mississippi, known for developing a Delta blues style of music. While he served in the Army, he was responsible for blowing the bugle calls into the PA system. This gave him a chance to experiment with playing the harmonica in a similar way, helping his music career develop.

3. Don’t forget Pennsylvania!

   Hey New Jerseyians, watch out! Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, um, totally beats you: Located on a branch of the Susquehanna River, this shore was known for its farms, railroad shops, cigar factories, and a large silk mill… in the past.

   Hey, retro is cool, is it not?

4. Jersey Shore shark attacks.

   Forget the rowdy cast of the MTV hit… If you were a Jersey Shore-goer in 1916, what made you sweat were the man-eating sharks!

   Over twelve deadly days, four swimmers were killed and one injured during a heat wave that sent swimmers and sharks alike for some respite off the coast of New Jersey.

   Kinda makes the punches thrown by and at the show’s cast seem less violent…

5. The Situation

   What’s ‘The Situation’? It’s a lot of things, but currently it’s also getting a bad rap because someone made it their nickname. To clear the air, here are some other things with more claim to being The Situation:

   • Global warming
   • Universal health care
   • World hunger
   • A 2006 thriller film
   • A rock band from the 2000s
   • An self-titled album by a rock band from the 2000s

6. New Jersey

   New Jersey. Hmm. The Devils? The Nets? The Jets? The premise for MTV’s Jersey Shore?

   Actually, never mind.