How Was "Phillips 66" Named?

Phillips 66 is a brand of gasoline and service station in the U.S. It is part of ConocoPhillips.

The company that made Phillips 66 gasoline began in 1917 as Phillips Petroleum Company. In 1927, the company's gasoline was being tested on U.S. Highway 66 in Oklahoma, and when it turned out that the car was going 66 mph, the company decided to name the new fuel Phillips 66.

Technorati Tags: Phillips 66, 66, Gas, Oil, Fast, Car, Automobile, Oklahoma, Highway, Gasoline, ConocoPhilllips, Drive, Fuel, trivia, history, fun, name, origin, how, why, learn, education

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posted by Staff @ 4:46 PM  

How Was "Grauman's Chinese Theatre" Named?

Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a world famous movie theater located on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Built in 1927 by a partnership headed by Sid Grauman, the Chinese was intended to be the world's greatest theatre. It has since become one of Southern California's most recognizable and visited landmarks and is steeped in Hollywood history, having been home to numerous premiers and two Academy Awards ceremonies. Among the theatre's most famous traits are the autographed cement blocks that reside in the forecourt, which bear the signatures and markings of many of Hollywood's most revered stars and starlets.

From 1973 through 2001, the theatre was labelled the Mann's Chinese Theater, owing to the theatre's purchase by the Mann Corporation in 1973. In the wake of Mann's bankruptcy, the theatre was sold in 2000 to a partnership comprised of Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, who in 2002 re-named the theatre Grauman's Chinese.

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posted by Staff @ 12:56 PM  

How Was "Lipton Tea" Named?

Lipton is the world's biggest tea brand, selling both hot and iced tea around the world. It started as a British tea company, and was founded by Sir Thomas Lipton. The brand name is now owned by Unilever. The company owns several of its own tea plantations — in Kenya, Tanzania and India — as well as buying on the world tea markets.

Lipton Tea represents around 10% of the world market for tea (Euromonitor World Market for Hot Drinks 2004), and forms part of the Unilever Portfolio which sells around 20% of the world's tea, under brands such as PG Tips and Beseda. (Wikipedia)

Tags: Lipton, Tea, Retail, Store, Drink, Hot, Unilever, Kenya, British, Beverage, History, Origin, Learn, Fun

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posted by Staff @ 4:11 PM  

How Was "Rolex" Named?

Rolex is a brand of Swiss wristwatches and accessories renowned for their quality and exclusivity, as well as their cost (from a few thousand to more than one hundred thousand U.S. dollars). The watches have become status symbols of the rich and famous — as well as the upwardly-mobile career-minded individual.

The Rolex SA company was founded in 1905 by the German Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis. Contrary to popular belief, Hans Wilsdorf was neither Swiss, nor a watchmaker. Wilsdorf & Davis was the original name of what later became the Rolex Watch Company. They originally imported Hermann Aegler's Swiss movements to England and placed them in quality cases made by Dennison and others. These early wristwatches were then sold to jewellers, who then put their own names on the dial. The earliest watches from the firm of Wilsdorf and Davis are usually marked "W&D" – inside the caseback only.

Hans Wilsdorf registered the trademark name "Rolex" in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland during 1908. The word was made up, but its origin is obscure. One story, which was never confirmed by Wilsdorf, is that the word "Rolex" came from the French phrase horlogerie exquise, meaning exquisite watch industry. (Wikipedia)

Tags: Watch, Rolex, Time, Timepiece, Swiss, Switzerland, Wristwatch, Wrist, Timex, Rich, Money, Quality, Famous, German, Germany, Stopwatch, Timer, Dial, Trivia, Fun, Knowledge, History, Name, Product Name, Consumer, Service, Product, Retail, Origin

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posted by Staff @ 10:51 AM  

How Was "Bangkok, Thailand" Named?

Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep, is the capital and largest city of Thailand, with an official 2000 census population of 6,355,144. Bangkok is located on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River, near the Gulf of Thailand.

Bangkok is a fast growing, economically and culturally dynamic city in Southeast Asia. The World Meteorological Organization has dubbed Bangkok the world's hottest large city. Moreover, it is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.(Wikipedia)

It is noteworthy that the name "Bangkok" formerly referred to a small fishing village which later expanded into communities on both sides of the Chao Phraya River. It is so named because the village (called bang in Thai) was full of wild olive (called makok in Thai which was shortened to kok) groves, and the name has been internationally used up to now.(thaiwaysmagazine.com)

Tags: Bangkok, Thai, Thailand, Far East, Coup, Military, Army, Thaksin Shinawatra, Orient, Oriental, Southeast Asia, Asian, Asia, News, Headlines, Overthrow, Olive, Chao Phraya, Krung Thep, State of Emergency

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posted by Staff @ 9:48 AM  

How Was "Elmer's Glue" Named?

Elmer's Products, Inc, is the manufacturer of Elmer's Glue-All and other crafts and home repair products, including Krazy Glue, Ross Glue, ProBond adhesives, and X-Acto craft knives.

Elmer's Glue-All was first marketed in 1947 by Borden Milk Products' chemical division under the name "Cascorez Glue". Shortly after, the brand was renamed after Elmer the Bull, husband of Borden's advertising mascot Elsie the Cow. Elmer's image continues to be featured in the company logo. (Wikipedia)

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posted by Staff @ 12:38 PM  

How was "Elmo T.M.X" Named?

The much-anticipated top-secret 10th-anniversary Elmo, code-named "T.M.X. Elmo" is finally here - and it's the hysterically laughing, belly-clutching, floor-thumping Elmo. Fisher-Price, a division of No. 1 toymaker Mattel, unveiled the new T.M.X. Elmo to the world Tuesday. Elmo fans could face a shortage of the new T.M.X. Elmo over the holidays. "T.M.X." stands for 2 things - "Tickle Me extreme" or "Tickle Me 10," representing the toy's 10-year milestone. (CNN)

Read more about the Elmo TMX at Boing Boing.

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posted by Staff @ 10:44 AM  

How Was "Liquid Paper" Named?

Liquid Paper, a brand name of opaque correction fluid, is used to cover up mistakes on paper without retyping the entire sheet. It was very important when material was typed with a typewriter, but less so since the advent of the word processor.

It was invented by Bette Nesmith Graham in 1951 and originally called Mistake Out. Graham was a typist who developed a type of white tempera paint to cover up her mistakes. Her first batch was mixed together in a common kitchen blender.

She offered the product to IBM, which declined. She sold the product, renamed Liquid Paper, from her house for 17 years. By 1968 the product was profitable, and in 1979 it was sold to the Gillette Corporation for $47.5 million and royalties. She died the following year, with half her estate going to charity, and half to her only child, the actor, producer, businessman, and former member of The Monkees, Michael Nesmith. In 2000 Liquid Paper and related brands were acquired by Newell Rubbermaid. (Wikipedia)

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posted by Staff @ 8:32 AM  

How Was "Hewlett-Packard (HP)" Named?

The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly known as HP, is one of the world's largest information technology corporations. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, United States, it has a global presence in the fields of computing, printing, and digital imaging, and also provides software and services. Their company's name, Hewlett-Packard, was derived from their last names (David Packard and Bill Hewlett) and had Bill Hewlett not won a coin toss, the company today could have been known as Packard-Hewlett. (Wikipedia)

Tags: HP, Hewlett-Packard, Computer, Technology, Laptop, Windows, Desktop, System, Software, IT, Information Technology, Trivia, Fun, Knowledge, History, Name, Product Name, Consumer, Service, Product, Retail, Origin

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posted by Staff @ 10:03 PM  

How Was "Wal-Mart" Named?

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is an American public corporation, founded (and named after) by Sam Walton in 1962 and first incorporated on October 31, 1969, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. It is the largest retailer in the world and the second largest corporation in the world, behind Exxon Mobil, based on revenue as of 2006. For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2006, Wal-Mart reported net income of $11.2 billion on $316 billion of sales revenue (3.5% profit margin). It is the largest private employer in the United States and Mexico. Wal-Mart is the largest grocery retailer in the United States, with an estimated 20% of the retail grocery and consumables business, and is also the largest toy seller in the United States, with an estimated 22 percent of the retail toy business, having surpassed Toys "R" Us in the late-1990s. (Wikipedia)

Tags: Wal-Mart, Walmart, Walton, Sam, Sam's Club, Sam Walton, Store, Shop, Grocery, Consume, Toy, Toys, Corporation, NYSE, Shopping, Holiday, Children, Economy, Trivia, Fun, Knowledge, History, Name, Product Name, Consumer, Service, Product, Retail, Origin

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posted by Staff @ 8:50 AM  

How Was "Garmin" Named?

Garmin Ltd., incorporated in George Town, Cayman Islands, is a group of companies founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell, Min Kao, David Casey and Paul Shumaker, that develops consumer and aviation technologies for the Global Positioning System (GPS). Garmin was named after its founders, Gary Burrell and Dr. Min Kao. One of Garmin's early products, a handheld GPS receiver, proved popular with military personnel serving in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Gulf War. (Wikipedia)

Tags: Garmin, Gulf War, Iraq, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite, Find, Seek, Geocache, geocaching, Latitude, Longitude, Hide, Spy, Lost, Camping, Wilderness, Location, geotag, tag, space, NASA, Compass, Military, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Trivia, Fun, Knowledge, History, Name, Product Name, Consumer, Service, Product, Retail, Origin

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posted by Staff @ 8:40 AM  

How Was "Tabasco Sauce" Named?

Tabasco is the trademarked brand name for a hot pepper sauce that is a well-known table condiment. It is made by McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana, from tabasco peppers (Capsicum frutescens var. tabasco), vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. (The word "tabasco" is rendered in lowercase when referring to the botanical variety, but in uppercase, "Tabasco," when referring to the actual trademarked brandname.) There are many other kinds of "hot pepper sauce" on the market, most of them similar to Tabasco, but Tabasco is by far the most famous. Although it is produced in Louisiana, United States, it acquired its name from the state of Tabasco in Mexico. It has a hot, spicy flavor and is popular in many parts of the world. (Wikipedia)

Tags: Tabasco, Tabasco Sauce, Wings, Hot, Sauce, Food, Condiment, Pain, Pepper, Hot Pepper, Jalapeno, Chips, Salsa, Mexico, Louisiana, Spicy, Spice, Fire, Trivia, Fun, Knowledge, History, Name, Product Name, Consumer, Service, Product, Retail, Origin

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posted by Staff @ 8:26 AM  

How Was "Pee-Wee Herman" Named?

Paul Reubens (born Paul Rubenfeld on August 27, 1952, in Peekskill, New York), is a famous American actor, writer, and comedian, best known professionally for his character "Pee-wee Herman".

In the 1970s, Reubens performed at local comedy clubs and made four guest appearances on The Gong Show. He soon joined the Los Angeles-based improvisational comedy team The Groundlings and remained a member for six years, working with Bob McClurg, John Paragon, Susan Barnes, and Phil Hartman. Hartman and Reubens became friends, often writing and working on material together. Reubens wrote sketches and developed his improvisational skills. He also forged a significant friendship and working relationship with Hartman, with whom he developed the "Pee-wee Herman" character. The inspiration for the name came from a Pee-wee brand miniature harmonica and the surname of an energetic boy Reubens knew from his youth. (Wikipedia)

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posted by Staff @ 1:24 PM  

How Was "Free FM" Named?

"Free FM" is the moniker and on-air brand of several FM talk radio stations in the United States owned by CBS Radio, created because of Howard Stern's departure to Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006. Free FM was given its name to re-establish that you pay for satellite radio. In his last days on FM radio, Stern attacked the "Free FM" moniker, arguing that while it may cost nothing to listen, "Free FM" is far from free, in regards to FCC censorship. (Wikipedia)

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posted by Staff @ 1:16 PM