1) The first sound film, "The Jazz Singer," was released in 1927 and marked the transition from silent movies to "talkies."

2) The shortest war in history lasted only 38 to 45 minutes between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896.

3) Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth. It is also the highest, with an average elevation of about 7,545 feet (2,300 meters).

4) The Federal Reserve System, often referred to as the Fed, is the central banking system of the United States.