Welcome to 2017! Whether you are embracing the New Year as an opportunity for change or whether you treat January 1st just like any other day, you can always stand to learn something new to kick off this new year of your life.

Use them as conversation starters, tell them to your friends or share them in a social media post—here are 10 random fun facts that will help you start the year off with some brand new knowledge!

• An average NFL football game has only 11 minutes of live gameplay.
• In Italy, “pepperoni” refers to bell peppers, not the spicy sausage.
• The first therapy dog was a Yorkshire Terrier named Smoky, who helped wounded soldiers during World War II. After the war, she performed on various TV shows.
• Alligators can climb trees. Some have even been known to scale fences.
• In Thailand, kite flying was once a competitive sport.
• At Disneyland, all the plants in Tommorowland are edible.
• Martin Luther King Jr. was a huge Star Trek fan.
• Blue sharks bite each other to show romantic interest.
• Hippos produce their own sunscreen. They secrete a sticky, reddish sweat that scatters light.
• The first telephone book was published in 1878. It had 50 listings.

Feel enlightened yet? You know what they say—you learn something new every day! And at UWA Online, we want to help facilitate the learning process for our current and future students.

From graduate degrees to courses just for fun, our continuing education program appeals to a range of needs and interests. Learn more about what UWA Online has to offer today by visiting https://uwa.augusoft.net/! #FunFacts #NewYear #2017 #ContinuingEducation #UWAOnline #UniversityOfWestAlabama

Happy New Year!

Facts courtesy of Google Allo.