“Buying The Farm” is synonymous with dying. During WW1 soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an average farm so if you died you "bought the farm" for your survivors.

Traveling by steamboat was considered the height of comfort. Passenger cabins on the boats were not numbered. Instead they were named after states. To this day cabins on ships are called “staterooms”.

In the days before CPR, a drowning victim would be placed face down over a barrel and the barrel would be rolled back and forth in an effort to empty the lungs of water. It was rarely effective. If you are “over a barrel”, you are in deep trouble.

Steamboats carried both people and animals. Since pigs smelled so bad they would be washed before being put on board. The mud and other filth that was washed off were considered useless "hog wash".

And finally…Hot Off The Press: As the paper goes through the rotary printing press friction causes it to heat up Therefore, if you grab the paper right off the press, it's hot. The expression means to get immediate information.

Betcha Didn’t Know - You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.; Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are 50 years of age, or older.; The first product to have a barcode was Wrigley's gum.; The King of Hearts is the only king without a mustache.; Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.; A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.; Turtles can breathe through their butts.

Now, don’t you feel smarter?