1) The game of basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 and has since grown into a global sport played at both amateur and professional levels.

2) The longest-running TV show in history is "The Simpsons," which has been on the air since 1989 and has over 700 episodes.

3) The first successful portable MP3 player, the Diamond Rio PMP300, was released in 1998 and could hold up to 60 minutes of music.

4) The world's largest species of shark, the whale shark, can reach lengths of up to 40 feet (12 meters) and weigh over 20 tons.