Author Archives: FactCheck.org

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. It began as a commemoration of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. in May 1843 and the work done by Chinese workers on the transcontinental railroad. Source: Census Bureau

The Spanish Flu of 1918 is the most deadly in recent history. Twenty to 40 million people worldwide died from the disease. Source: National Institutes of Health

More than 36,000 people die from influenza each year in the U.S., and 200,000 others are hospitalized because of the illness. Source: National Institutes of Health

In countries with high rates of malaria, the disease accounts for up to 40 percent of public health expenditures and up to 60 percent of outpatient health clinic visits. Source: World Health Organization

Most of the world’s cases of malaria and deaths from the disease occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Source: World Health Organization

Honey is 80 percent sugars and 20 percent water. Source: Department of Agriculture

Honeybees are herbivores — but they can turn to cannibalism when stressed. Source: Department of Agriculture

The Library of Congress was created on this day in 1800, when President John Adams approved spending $5,000 for “such books as may be necessary for the use of congress.” Source: Library of Congress

Today is Earth Day. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, the same year the Environmental Protection Agency was created by President Nixon. Source: EPA