Now I Know More: The Revealing Stories Behind Even More of the World's Most Interesting Facts

Now I Know #2

by Dan Lewis

"Every story in the book is interesting, and Lewis includes a 'bonus fact' at the end of each story, which is a mini mind bender on its own." --BoingBoing

"A mind-tickling encyclopedia... Now I Know is a treat in its entirety...an oasis of learning about what you don't yet know...but are glad you found." --Brain Pickings

Dan Lewis, creator of the Webby Award–winning Now I Know newsletter, is back with 101 unbelievable-but-true stories to blow your mind. Get ready to find out the real deal behind a new collection of fascinating facts. From pink camouflaged fighter planes to secret Harry Potter characters, Now I Know More covers everything from history and science to sports and pop culture.

You'll learn about made-up towns that made their way onto real maps, the time three MLB teams squared off in a single game, and ninety-nine more curious cases of remarkable trivia. And it's all true. With this book, you really will know more!

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Trivia, Science

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2014

Reviews

[Jodie Julagay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just don't love this kind of stuff... some was very interesting but most bored me. My husband would love it!

Also, the guys voice who was reading it was annoying. Very sarcastic, but I think that's probably how it was supposed to sound.

[chrstphre campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay i suppose

I only question though if I’m actually any smarter in any measurable or useful sort of way, as The title might suggest ( ? )

[R. Andrew Lamonica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a good idea. It's very much like 100 "Paul Harvey: The Rest of the Story" episodes. Except that with the Paul Harvey show, I never knew the punchline. While with this book I know about 90% of them. Maybe I am just excessively knowledgable. Or, more likely, the culture is more fascinated with weird stories and so most people reading this book will think "I saw that on Reddit", or "I heard about that on This American Life", or "Buzzfeed has does three different listicles about that" for most of the stories.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with interesting little tidbits that often bring a smile to my face. Most stories culminate with a "bonus fact" or two and all of them are tied together in some way. It's casual reading and a fun journey for a few hours. Take a break from reading Tolstoy and have a little lighthearted fun!

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting random facts and stories - probably a few good sermon illustrations in there!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know and least 102 random facts than I previously knew thanks to this book. Some more interesting than others.

[Yuvaraj kothandaraman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I Know More by Dan Lewis is a book of fascinating, entertaining trivia organized as short stories. Lewis, creator of the hugely popular Now I Know newsletter which started with twenty subscribers and now has nearly one hundred thousand, has collected one hundred and one "mind-bending" true stories across a wide range of topics. Each story is short enough to read in five to ten minutes, making the book perfect for quick reading sessions. If you love learning unusual facts and true stories that are genuinely interesting and surprising, this book is a wonderful collection that will keep you entertained and educated.

The most impressive quality of Now I Know More is that every single story is genuinely interesting. This is surprisingly difficult to achieve in a book of one hundred plus facts. Lewis has a gift for finding the human angle in facts that might otherwise feel academic or boring. He does not just tell you facts. He tells the stories behind the facts, explaining why they matter, how they came to be, and what makes them surprising or significant.

The bonus facts included after each story are excellent. Lewis does not just stop at one amazing fact. He provides additional context or related trivia that deepens your understanding and often adds another layer of interest. For example, after telling the story of Ben Sliney, the FAA official who grounded all flights on September 11, 2001 on his first day on the job, he adds a bonus fact about how the lack of contrails during the flight ban actually affected global temperatures.

The book is well organized. While each story is standalone, Lewis has structured the book so that stories often connect to or reference each other. A story about a small town might connect to a story about geography. A story about history might reference earlier social issues. This creates a nice flow and encourages readers to jump around and explore different sections.

The topics chosen are thoughtfully balanced. Lewis includes stories about famous people (Mark Twain, Steve Jobs) alongside stories about completely unknown people. He covers serious topics like suicide, crime, and discrimination alongside lighter stories about dogs and chocolate factories. This variety keeps the book from feeling monotonous.

Some readers might find that certain stories feel slightly underdeveloped. Because each story needs to be short, sometimes you want more detail or depth. For example, the story about a secret apartment in a shopping mall parking garage is fascinating but relatively brief. You might wish to know more about Michael Townsend's artistic intentions or what happened after his arrest. The brevity is intentional and serves the book's format, but some readers will find it frustrating.


The book opens with "Stolen Empire," about how a newspaper (the New York Daily News) created a fake deed of sale to demonstrate how easy it is to commit deed fraud. They transferred the Empire State Building to a fake company called Nelots Properties using forged documents. Witnesses to the deed included actress Fay Wray (famous for King Kong) and notary Willie Sutton (named after a famous bank robber). The acquiring company's name, "Nelots," spelled backward, means "stolen." The stunt showed how vulnerable the property deed system is to fraud, and real con artists use this method to take out mortgages against homes they do not own.

"Saved by the Wind" tells the story of Elvita Adams, a twenty-nine-year-old woman who jumped from the eighty-sixth floor of the Empire State Building in 1979. A strong wind gust blew her back onto a ledge on a lower floor. She survived with only a fractured hip. The story notes that the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is the most popular suicide location in the United States, and that Sergeant Kevin Briggs has talked approximately two hundred people out of jumping since 1994.

"Bummer and Lazarus" is about two dogs in 1860s San Francisco who became local celebrities. Bummer, a skilled rat-catching dog, rescued another dog named Lazarus from a fight. The two became inseparable partners. When Lazarus was caught by a dogcatcher, public outcry led to his release. The pair became such heroes that when Rippey kicked Bummer to death in a drunken stupor, the city arrested him for the crime. Mark Twain wrote Bummer's obituary.

"The Emperor" covers Joshua Abraham Norton, a man who claimed to be Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. After losing his fortune in a rice deal, Norton lived as a delusional but charming eccentric in San Francisco. The city embraced him, accepted his currency, gave him a uniform, and when he died in 1880, thousands attended his funeral. His gravestone identifies him exactly as he lived: Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.

"The Odyssey" tells how the town of Ulysses, Kansas literally moved. Founded in 1885, Ulysses boomed then busted. When a drought left the town nearly empty, the remaining residents actually picked up their buildings and moved them two miles west to new land. They transported buildings on horse-drawn skids, even cutting one hotel in two and reassembling it at the new site. The entire town relocated by 1909.

Other stories include tales of how wood and graphite pencils became associated with racism (due to the "pencil test" used in South African apartheid), how the color pink was chosen for prison walls to reduce aggression (Baker-Miller Pink), how doorknobs became controversial in Colorado (due to accessibility issues), and how a college student funded his own scholarship in Finland.

Stories cover sports history, like Ricky Henderson's record of stolen bases, the first time three MLB teams played in a single game (a historical quirk from the 1800s), and Cliff Young's extraordinary upset victory in an ultramarathon.

The book includes stories about technology and pop culture. One story explains how a made-up word ("Dord") accidentally made it into the dictionary through a clerical error. Another tells how I, Libertine by Edward Pickman was a fake book created as a hoax by science fiction magazine listeners, yet it became so famous people created the actual novel. The book covers the Fantastic Four movie that was made but never released (to preserve the option to make movies), the Toy Story 2 near-disaster when the entire movie was almost deleted, and the "Keeper of the Holocron," a man hired by Lucas Films to maintain continuity across the entire Star Wars universe.

Stories about crime and deception include the tale of a Soviet spy in America (Reino Hayhanen) who was caught when his own espionage equipment malfunctioned, how pogs (discs from 1990s toy fads) became official currency on military bases in Afghanistan, a woman in Afghanistan who gave birth to a child her DNA suggested was not biologically hers (chimerism), and the ongoing effort to recover eighteen-and-a-half minutes of erased recording from President Richard Nixon's Watergate-era tapes (Tape 342).

Stories about incredible coincidences include "The Kalamazoo Promise," about a guaranteed college scholarship funded by a mysterious millionaire that transformed a struggling town, and stories about identical twins separated at birth (James Edward Lewis and James Arthur Springer) who met decades later and discovered dozens of uncanny similarities.

The book covers historical stories, such as how pencils were used to spread anti-drug messages ("Too Cool to Do Drugs" pencils), how Ben Sliney made the unprecedented decision to ground all commercial flights in America on September 11, 2001 (on his very first day on the job), and how the CIA allegedly approved classified vacuum cleaner schematics designed by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Other stories include the mysterious "Poe Toaster," a person who has visited Edgar Allan Poe's grave every January 19th for decades, leaving roses and cognac, and how Edward Payson Weston became famous by walking, winning a cross-country walking competition that changed the sport of pedestrianism.

The book covers unusual topics like how women-only train cars in Japan combat sexual harassment (chikan), how the postal service once mailed a baby through the mail (May Pierstorff in 1913), why the U.S. government tracks Santa (air traffic control), and how social security numbers ended up being used as identification despite the government's intention that they never would be.

Stories explain how the first Social Security beneficiary (Ida May Fuller) received far more in benefits than she contributed, how the Mall of America stays warm in winter through free heat from shoppers and machinery, and why doorknobs are controversial in Colorado (accessibility issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act).

[YHC · Rating 4 out of 5]

目录 · · · · · ·
被盗的帝国大厦：
如何偷走帝国大厦
被风拯救：
最不可能的救命方式
巴莫与拉撒路：
旧金山民间的皇室
皇帝：
获得国王葬礼的男人
奥德赛：
拯救一座城市的搬迁
《第十一号将军令》：
禁止犹太人进入美国的法令
无犹太洁食供应：
当饮食教规与监狱格格不入时
真正的最后一餐：
为什么得克萨斯州的死囚犯没有最后一餐
监狱粉：
镇定的颜色
消失的品红色：
你为什么看不见这种颜色（其实你能看见）
蜡笔制模工的秘密：
“多色人”背后的惊人真相
隐形的粉色：
不可能的伪装色
三方比赛：
一场有两支失败球队的“二战”棒球比赛
“将死！”：
忘记兑现的百万支票
让人退钱：
一个自称是穷人的人如何要回钱
来自世界各地的美分：
小额众筹奖学金的大学生
被邮寄的小女孩：
把你女儿送往奶奶家的最便宜的方法（现已非法）
每月收到一份成人杂志：
国会为什么能获得免费的男性杂志
不是下雨，不是雨夹雪，也不是14 万个坑：
成为一辆邮政卡车的坎坷道路
炮弹飞车：
从纽约开到洛杉矶的最快方式
快节奏生活：
为什么富人在芬兰不能超速行驶
罚款与服务：
专职制造骗局的小村庄
托莱多带：
差点兵戎相见的俄亥俄州和密歇根州
马布尔希尔之战：
美国版苏台德区
反向制图：
早于城镇的地图
非常正式的词：
两个虚构词的极简历史
畅销榜：
一本买不到的畅销书
大坏蛋：
在《查理和巧克力工厂》消失的孩子
格兰芬多学院的女巫：
如何与哈利·波特成为朋友
蓝人军团：
为什么美国内战中的士兵夜里会发光
啤酒肚先生：
如何不受地点限制，偶尔酿酿酒
喝酒越多，病得越重：
实施禁酒令的邪恶动机
伏特加与可乐：
如何把可乐走私到苏联
苏联之外：
淹没在历史长河中的苏维埃家庭
空心硬币：
自首的间谍
窃听猫：
最优秀的“冷战”间谍
猫狗灾难：
宠物主人的危险
品尝狗粮：
你能区分狗粮与猪肝酱吗
茄子、大米、鸭肉与狗粮：
最怪电视真人秀的配料
最热闹的顶楼：
组织鸭子游行仪式的酒店
神奇的圣诞传统：
瑞典人每年都要看的一部迪士尼动画特辑
圣诞老人来了：
美国政府为何要追踪圣诞老人的足迹
紧急起飞的战斗机：
打“第三次世界大战”的美国战机
门把手的奥秘：
为什么除了科罗拉多部分地区，其他地方禁止使用球形门把手
战熊：
稀奇的波兰“二战”英雄
冲厕所：
让德国U艇暴露的行为
遇到海难时：
为什么让女人和孩子先上船
铅笔测试：
木头加石墨为什么等于种族主义
铅笔上的禁毒语：
削铅笔带来的副作用
熊猫外交：
中国可爱国宝的租赁生意
白宫里的疯子：
被理查德·尼克松疯狂理论阻止的核战争
独自游泳：
没有倾诉对象的鲸鱼

[Dan Stern · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book contains 101 stories (one more than its prequel) outlining a great variety of facts. As before, the topics vary tremendously: from history and geography to politics to science and health. Each story is on average about two and a half pages long - just a nice length to sufficiently get into the subject without short-changing the reader or belaboring the topic. At the end of each story is a “bonus fact” that is a spinoff fact varyingly related to the main fact just discussed. The stories can be read in any particular order since they are not interdependent, although a given story tries to follow part of the theme of the preceding one.

I found this book very difficult to put down. The writing style is friendly, lively, often witty, accessible and immensely captivating. I believe that this book can be enjoyed by absolutely anyone, particularly trivia enthusiasts.

[Jami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a trivia fanatic, I found this interesting. The format of the book was good; the anecdote was told, and then a bonus fact was given. The next anecdote had some connection to the previous one, whether it be by locale, subject, etc. I had heard some of the facts before (oddly enough, one of them just the prior week), but most were new to me. Apparently, this is the second book of this series, but you don't need to read the first one as the facts are different.

I listened to this on audio, and although I found the narrator's inflection a little annoying at times, I adjusted and it was fine.

[Chris Shoemaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listen to this when I can't fall asleep. Not trying to be insulting. It's a book of nuggets of fun/useless factoids that gets your attention away from the worries of life, but also not engaging/interesting enough to keep me hooked.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote a review for the first book in this series, and just go look that one up, 'cause this is exactly the same except with different facts and stories. A recommend.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for general knowledge books, what can I say? This one was very good.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay for a sequel

It was not as good as the original. Though it still had interesting stories. Glad it was only a rental.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent facts/trivia book. You'll learn lots of little tidbits like: how the airforce came to track and give updates on Santa Clauses on Christmas Eve.

[Mal Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as fun and informative as the first one.

[Simeon Brazzell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting tidbits. Will be using some for sermon illustrations

[Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good

I liked this better than the first book. It flowed better and had a lot of interesting facts. Good book to pass the time

[HobbitFromPA]

Not much to say other then the title says it all.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This follows "Now You Know" (which I'm glad I didn’t read). It’s just a collection of ‘interesting’ stories and/or facts. The items are far ranging i.e. cybercrimes, Crayons, whales, Pixar, etc. There’s no rhyme or reason. I did not read it through – but rather just a chapter or two, here or there. Overall, I found it boring. All of the supposedly 'interesting facts' are not always so. (It started out as a real stinker but picked up toward the end of the book.)

[Ralph · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5
Actually I enjoyed this book and came away with lot of interesting facts. The book is broken up into a series of short sections each covering an interesting fact. I like the way Mr. Lewis connects the story with some element of the previous one. Great when you have a few minutes to spare and want to learn something interesting.

[Sherrie Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books. While one- and two-sentence trivia books are good, I like that these books have more 'meat' to them. More explanation of what happened and why. Great little essays to read any time, but great for bedtime reading to help turn the brain off.

Didn't find any typos and I remember; puncuation and grammar pretty much spot on.

[Themistocles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-researched and well-written, this is a very entertaining book. Unfortunately I had to give it a 3/5 (instead of a possible 4/5) because I already knew several of the stories, as will everyone who has an eye for unusual stuff online.

[Carolyn D'Argenio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of tidbits of information. The chapters are short, the topics are random, and the stories are interesting. This is easy to pick up and read a chapter here or there. Actually, it'd make a great book for a place with a waiting room. I didn't take away any grand theme.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of interesting history & trivia tidbits. It won't make you smarter, but it helps to strengthen the idea that the universe is so multi-faceted and downright strange sometimes. Great book to listen to in the audiobook format while you're commuting.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I looove these kinds of facts. Not really trivia and definitely nothing to write a MENSA essay about, but so much fun. I really learned a lot (again, I won't be winning Jeopardy any time soon, but it is nice dinner conversation).

[Malia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Lewis's books are great fun. I love the format and his writing style, and even in the stories I already knew about there's always an interesting new detail.

[Javed Ahamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good random trivia book, based on a blog.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable, with lots of interesting content.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting information in short passages.