Mark Jacob & Stephan Benzkofer 
10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything 
A collection of fascinating historical, scientific and cultural facts about people, places and things

For years, the
Chicago Tribune’s ’10 Things You Might Not Know’ column has been informing and entertaining readers on a diverse range of fascinating subjects. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything is a collection of the best of these columns, presented in a fun and easy-to-read format. This book gives readers well-researched, obscure facts on universal topics—including arts and culture, food and leisure, history, politics, science and technology, sports, holidays and religion, lifestyle, language, and more.


10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything contains a plethora of surprising trivia and pertinent tidbits on so many different areas that will appeal to everyone from history buffs to sports fans to foodies, with an especially riveting look into Chicago-area history and facts. For example, in Zion, Illinois it was once not only illegal to gamble, curse, and sell alcohol and tobacco, but also to whistle on Sundays, put on plays, eat pork or oysters, spit, or wear tan-colored shoes.


Some facts will make readers laugh and some will make jaws drop. This collection is a kaleidoscope of the absurd, the outrageous, and the sometimes-gruesome, making a highly entertaining mix of people, places, and things.
10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything will leave readers brighter, wittier, and curious to learn more about myriad worlds they never encountered before and will never forget.

Table of Content

I. Arts & Culture

II. Sports

III. Chicago

IV. Lifestyle

V. Science & Technology

VI. Food & Leisure

VII. Places

VIII. Politics

IX. Holidays & Religion

X. Language

XI. History

XII. People

XIII. About the Authors

XIV. Acknowledgements

XV.
Chicago Tribune Sources

About the author

Mark Jacob is the first deputy editor for the
Chicago Tribune. Stephan Benzkofer is the weekend editor for the
Chicago Tribune. They edit the paper’s popular feature column ’10 Things You Might Not Know.’ They both live in the Chicagoland area.