Think we have a yogurt craze? Americans eat about 13 pounds of yogurt per person per year. The French eat 72. — The New York Times
In at least 13 states, impotence is grounds for divorce. — Glamour
A favorite toast of Roger Straus—impresario of the publishing house Farrar, Straus and Giroux—was: — New York
A fabled cure for rabies is to rub the hair of the dog that bit you into the wound—hence the phrase describing drinking to ameliorate your hangover. — Smithsonian
Up to 56 factors are taken into consideration when a fast-food chain decides where to situate its next franchise, including speed limits and the “going home” versus “going to work” sides of the street, as well as proximity to competitors. — Edible Geography
Sam Walton, founder of Walmart and one-time richest man in America, used to ask his employees to recite a pledge: “I solemnly promise and declare that every customer that comes within ten feet of me, I will smile, look them in the eye, and greet them, so help me Sam.” — George Packer’s The Unwinding
Five years ago, a Catholic priest trying to raise money for a spiritual rest area for truck drivers in Brazil trapped himself into a chair attached to a thousand multicolored balloons. He rose to 19,000 feet. Three months later, his body was found in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Brazil. He was still strapped in. — Richard Holmes’s Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air (Pantheon, coming out in October)
Chloe Schama is a story editor at The New Republic.
Roger Straus: WireImage; Sam Walton: Luke Frazza/AFP/Getty Images