Year golf was banned in Scotland because King James II worried that people were too distracted by the game to develop the archery skills needed to protect the country from the English: 1457
Years golf was included in the Olympics, then removed for 112 years until its slated return at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games: 1900 and 1904
Like croquet, number of times golf has been in the Olympics -- three less times than tug-of-war: 2
Source: ProCon.org.
Ranks of the construction and restaurant industries on the list of the nation's largest creators of summer jobs, according to National Restaurant Association projections: 1, 2
Ranks of New York, California, Massachusetts, Texas and New Jersey on the list of states projected to add the most eating and drinking place jobs during the 2012 summer season: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Source: National Restaurant Association.
In July 1776, estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation of the United States, according to the Census Bureau: 2.5 million
The nation's estimated population on this past July Fourth: 313.9 million
Source: Census Bureau.
Percentage of ice cream companies that indicated vanilla is the most popular flavor among their consumers, according to the findings from a survey of International Ice Cream Association: 92
Rank of chocolate chip mint and cookies-and-cream ice cream on the list of the most popular: 2
Percentage of the participating companies that named pecans the most popular nuts to be added to their frozen products: 60
Percentage that named strawberries the most popular fruit: 75
Source: International Dairy Foods Association.
Among 18-to-29-year-old Mexicans, percentage who would like to move north, according to the Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends: 54
Percentage of 30-to-49-year-olds who say the same, according to the Pew Global Attitudes Project: 37
Among the substantial minority who would move, percentage who say they would emigrate without authorization: 19
Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.
Percentage of employed adults who receive more than 10 days of vacation or paid time off each year, including four in 10 (38 percent) who get more than three weeks off, according to an Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of RetailMeNot.com: 57
Percentage who receive less than two weeks off, including over a third of working adults under 35 (38 percent) and those with a household income of less than $50,000 (35 percent): 24
Percentage of working adults who report that they do not receive any vacation or paid time off from work: 14
Source: Ipsos Public Affairs RS.
Percentage of men who denied ever faking an orgasm, according to a survey by AdamEve.com: 77
Percentage of women who admitted they faked it on occasion: 47
Source: Adam & Eve.
Percentage of global gross domestic product that is represented by the following 12 economies: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, according to the first-ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard published by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: 78
Percentage of global energy consumption represented: 63
Percentage of the global carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions represented: 62
Source: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
Rank of Bella and Max on the list of the most popular pet names in 2012, according to Veterinary Pet Insurance Co.: 1
Source: Veterinary Pet Insurance.
Percentage of commercial real estate executives who said they expect a significant amount of multi-family development to commence in 2013, by far the top sector, up from 34 percent in KPMG's 2011 survey, according to the 2012 KPMG Commercial Real Estate Outlook Survey: 51
Source: KPMG LLP.
Idle thought:
"Some stories are true that never happened." -- Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)