Few automobile brand names bring the thought of America to people’s minds the way that Dodge does. Dodge has positioned itself, especially with its line of Ram trucks, as the maker of rugged automobiles. But, here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About: Dodge.

1. Dodge was founded in 1900 as an auto parts supplier and originally called the Dodge Brothers Company.

2. Dodge didn’t start producing its own vehicles until 1914.

3. The Dodge Brothers Company was founded by brothers Horace and John Dodge who both coincidentally died in the same year, 1920.

4. Dodge was the first car maker to use a all-steel body on their vehicles.

5. In 1925 the Dodge Brothers Company was sold by the brothers’ widows for the amount of 146 million dollars. At the time this was the largest cash transaction in history.

6. The Dodge company was bought by Chrysler in 1928 for 170 million dollars.

7. Dodge trucks, and other vehicles, were featured prominently in the Chuck Norris television series Walker Texas Ranger.

Dodge vehicles appeal to a segment of the population that has proven very loyal over the years. Dodge will continue to make quality vehicles for years to come and Dodge enthusiasts will support them all the way.

Known specifically as a classic summertime food, the watermelon is one of the more popular picnic or family gathering foods around. Coming in a number of different sizes, and available in both seeded and seedless varieties, the watermelon is immediately recognizable due to it’s green skin. Most people are very familiar with watermelons, but here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About: Watermelons.

1. More watermelons are produced in China than in any other country in the world.

2. Many scientists believe that watermelons were first domestically cultivated in the Nile Valley of Africa.

3. In many countries, including China, watermelon rind is used in stir fry, pickled, and also stewed.

4. Because of their short shelf life at the time, watermelons weren’t widely available in grocery stores until the mid 1940′s.

5. Though most classify watermelon as a fruit, the State of Oklahoma named the watermelon as the state’s official vegetable in 2007.

6. To make them easier to stack, some farmers in Japan grow watermelons within clear boxes causing the fruit to grow to fill the space provided and take on a cube-like shape.

7. On average, water makes up 92% of the weight of a watermelon.

Watermelons will be continued to be enjoyed by a large number of people every summer. The sweet juiciness of the watermelon makes it a favorite for young and old alike. One taste and it is easy to see why the watermelon is present at most picnics and family gatherings every summer.

Few brand names in the world have achieved the accomplishments that Cadillac has. The word itself has gone on to mean luxury even when applied to non-automobile items. But, here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About: Cadillac.

1. The Cadillac Automobile Company was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company after Henry Ford left the company with several key parters to form the Ford Motor Company.

2. The Cadillac company is named for Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, a 17th century French explorer who founded Detroit in 1701.

3. The United States Government bought over 2,300 Cadillac Type 55 Touring Model cars to use as staff cars during World War I. Contrary to what has happened to other cars when being produced for military use, the Type 55 by Cadillac didn’t need one mechanical change to be accepted by the government, unless you count the khaki paint.

4. In 1927, Cadillac became the first auto maker to use a designer to design the body of the car instead of using an engineer as was the normal practice.

5. From 1979 to 1985, Cadillac offered a diesel version of its V8 engine available only in its full size cars.

6. The vehicle New York Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning won as a result of being named the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLII was a Cadillac Escalade hybrid.

7. Popular songs that reference Cadillacs:
One Piece At A Time – Johnny Cash
Throw Some D’s – Rich Boy
Maybellene – Chuck Berry
Beep Beep – The Playmates
Sandpaper Cadillac – Joe Cocker
Living Loving Maid – Led Zeppelin
You Don’t Mess Around With Jim – Jim Croce
Bad Bad Leroy Brown – Jim Croce
Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) – Billy Joel
Boot Scootin’ Boogie – Brooks & Dunn
Gone – Montgomery Gentry
Pink Cadillac – Bruce Springsteen
Slick Black Cadillac – Quiet Riot
Shut Up And Drive – Rihanna

Cadillac has conquered the luxury automobile market and many other cars can only hope to be favorably compared to it. Cadillac will continue to be one of the more well thought of car brands for years to come.

One of the most popular female celebrities today, especially young celebrities, is Miley Cyrus. She is the daughter of Country Music singer Billy Ray Cyrus, famous for his Achy Breaky Heart song a number of years back. Miley stars with her father in the popular Disney Channel television show “Hannah Montana”, in which she plays the dual role of Miley Stewart, regular American teenager, and her secret identity as teen pop star Hannah Montana. There is much known about this young actress and singer, but here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About Miley Cyrus.

1. At the age of fifteen, Miley Cyrus announced she was going to write her life story and received payment of over one million dollars to do so.

2. Miley Cyrus’ first album release was the Hannah Montana soundtrack in 2006. The album would be re-released twice, once with a cover of ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ added to it, and once with the new single ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ added to it.

3. At the famous Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in New York City there is a life size wax replica of Miley Cyrus.

4. Miley Cyrus’ first acting job was in her Dad’s television series ‘Doc’.

5. Before the credits play at the end of Disney’s High School Musical 2, Miley Cyrus can be seen dancing in a yellow top and denim shorts. She is officially credited as “Girl At Pool”.

6. Miley Cyrus’ first movie role was in the 2003 film “Big Fish” in which she was credited as Destiny Cyrus.

7. It wasn’t until May of 2008 that the actress officially changed her name to “Miley Cyrus”, she had been born Destiny Hope Cyrus and nicknamed “Miley” because she was always smiling. When changing her name, she chose “Ray” as her middle name, just like her father Billy Ray Cyrus.

With her high level of popularity and what appears to be a good business sense, the public will continue to see Miley Cyrus for many years to come. She has the advantage of having had the Disney publicity machine behind her in her earliest days, and appears to be ready to take it from there by herself.

Volkswagen

One of the most famous names in the automobile industry is Volkswagen, and the Beetle is easily one of the most famous car models. The VW brand has appealed to the hippy movement, college kids, environmental enthusiasts, and more… but here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About: Volkswagen.

1. The name “Volkswagen” means “People’s Car” in German.

2. The designer of the original Volkswagen Beetle was Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of the Porsche car company.

3. During World War II, Volkswagen produced two models of cars (the VW type 128 and the 166 Schwimmwagen) that were amphibious all wheel drive off road cars.

4. Following World War II, what was left of the captured Volkswagen car manufacturing company was offered to representatives of the British, French, and American automobile industry. All of the allied automobile manufacturing companies rejected the potential acquisition of Volkswagen.

5. Due to post World War II shortages in Germany, many Volkswagen parts and components were used in Porsche automobiles.

6. Volkswagen were introduced and first available for sale in America in 1949, that year they sold two cars.

7. On July 30, 2003, the last of the original Volkswagen Type 1 cars was produced at the Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico. This car was immediately shipped to the Volskwagen company museum in Wolfsburg, Germany.

There is probably nothing that would make the VW brand suddenly unpopular everywhere, for this reason alone Volkswagen is sure to remain one of the more popular and productive automobile manufacturers around.

One of the places in the United States that doesn’t get very much attention is it’s Upper Midwest region, and that includes the State of North Dakota. North Dakota was home to President Theodore when he retreated for a time from life in the east. Though sparsely populated, North Dakota has a rich history from “old west” times to more modern times. But, here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About: North Dakota.

1. North Dakota’s Lake Sakakawea, formed by the damming of the Missouri River, is the third largest man made lake in the United States.

2. There are more vehicles registered in North Dakota than citizens living there.

3. North Dakota is the 39th state because it comes before South Dakota alphabetically. The two states were admitted on the same day, but President Benjamin Harrison had the paperwork shuffled and obscured from him so that there would be no record as to which was admitted before the other.

4. The original North Dakota State Capitol was completely lost to fire damage in 1930.

5. There have been three separate movements to change the name of North Dakota to just “Dakota”.

6. North Dakota is rated as the windiest state in the United States and because of this is home to many wind farms that generate a great deal of electric power.

7. Famous people from North Dakota include: Lawrence Welk, Shadoe Stevens, Angie Dickinson, Phil Jackson, Peggy Lee, and Louis L’Amour.

Because of its location and its reputation for harsh weather, North Dakota will probably continue to be both low in population and under the radar of most Americans for quite sometime. North Dakota though is home to a great many things to do and many popular outdoor recreational opportunities as well, particularly for those interested in hunting and fishing.

Dick Cheney has been the Vice President under George W. Bush for all eight years of his Presidency. Cheney has served in government nearly his whole life in one capacity or another, except for brief breaks to serve occasionally as the head of a corporation or on a company’s board of directors. There are a number of stories about Dick Cheney, from how he was in charge of the search for a Vice President for George W. Bush before being named the Vice-Presidential candidate himself to how he accidentally shot a hunting companion in the face. But, here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About: Dick Cheney.

1. In Dick Cheney’s own words, he “flunked out” of Yale University.

2. When he left his position to run as George W. Bush’s Vice-President, Dick Cheney received a $20 million dollar retirement package from Halliburton after serving as the company’s CEO from 1995-2000.

3. Dick Cheney served in some capacity in the White House’s of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

4. In his early 20′s, Dick Cheney was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated on two different occasions.

5. Dick Cheney was not the first choice to be Secretary of Defense under President George H. W. Bush, first choice Senator John Tower was rejected by the Senate.

6. Dick Cheney served the United States as “Acting President of the United States” on two different occasions when President George W. Bush was undergoing a medical procedure that required sedation.

7. Dick Cheney is the only Vice-President in the history of the United States to ever have the Articles of Impeachment introduced against them.

Dick Cheney will go down in history as one of the more hands-on Vice Presidents in America’s past. Many Vice-Presidents in history took a backseat role in their party and their administration, but the same cannot be said for Dick Cheney. He is truly one of the more interesting characters in recent history.

St. Louis has been one of the more fun and traveled to cities in the United States for a very long time. The city possesses a great deal of historical significance in American history as well. From being the launching point of many settlers heading west to being an important port city on the Mississippi River, St. Louis’ history has touched a great many people that don’t even realize it. But, here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About: St. Louis

1. Forest Park, located within the city limits of St. Louis, is actually larger than the more famous Central Park in New York City.

2. The first bridges, both rail and roadway, built to cross the Mississippi River were built in St. Louis.

3. The tallest man made monument in the United States is the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

4. The second largest Mardi Gras Festival in the United States is celebrated in St. Louis.

5. St. Louis hosted the 1904 Olympics, the games were originally awarded to the city of Chicago but moved to St. Louis to coincide with the 1904 World’s Fair that was being celebrated there.

As one of the larger cities in the midwest, St. Louis will remain an important part of the country for a very long time. The city offers many things for both the tourists that visit and the residents who have chosen it as home. St. Louis is one of many great cities in America and that doesn’t appear to be close to changing anytime soon.

Toyota has spent years making a name for itself as one of the more reliable automobile makers in the world. Toyota’s popularity is huge, but here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About: Toyota.

1. The first passenger car produced by Toyota was produced in 1936.

2. The Toyota car company founding family’s last name is actually spelled Toyoda.

3. Toyota was originally a subdivision of the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works company, and they still make automatic looms although they are now computerized.

4. The trucks that Toyota manufactured for the Japanese military during World War II had one headlight mounted on the center of the hood.

5. The first Japanese car to be exported to the United States was the Toyota Crown in 1956.

6. Toyota provides 40 annual scholarships through the United Negro College Fund.

7. Port Melbourne, Australia was the the site of the first Toyota vehicle built outside of the country of Japan in 1963.

Toyota has proven itself to be an ingenious company that is always concentrating on value, fuel efficiency, reliability, and innovations. Toyota will forever be one of the most well thought of companies in the automobile industry.

One of the most recognizable and respected high end car maker names is Porsche. Many people who know a great deal about automobiles favor Porsche above all others, but here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About: Porsche.

1. The founder of Porsche, Ferdinand Porsche, also was the designer of the first Volkswagen Beetle.

2. Porsche aided famed motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson with the design of their new engine in their newer V-Rod motorcycle.

3. The Porsche car company was founded in 1931, but didn’t produce its first car until 1939.

4. For a period of 20 months following World War II, the founder of Porsche, Ferdinand Porsche was imprisoned under suspicion of war crimes.

5. Due to auto parts shortages following World War II in Germany, many Porsche parts were actually Volkswagen Beetle parts.

6. At various times in its history, Porsche also manufactured farm tractors.

7. The Porsche Club of America, featuring Porsche enthusiasts in the United States and Canada, was first organized in 1955.

Nothing can stop Porsche from remaining as one of the top car makers in the world. Many people will forever dream of owning a Porsche.