Are you a master of common facts

"American Idol" ran for more than a dozen seasons on Fox and helped discover hit singers such as Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson. It was modeled after the British show, "Pop Idol," and was followed by many reality TV shows, inspired by its success.

While many assassination attempts have been made on U.S. presidents over the past centuries, only four of those attempts were successful. Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, John F. Kennedy and William McKinley all lost their lives in service to their country.

White light is actually a composite of the colors on the visible light spectrum. When these colors are separated individually, you see the colors that appear in the rainbow!

The baguette is a long, crispy loaf of bread, favored in France. In fact, the French each eat an average of half a baguette per day, which is lower than the full loaf per person it used to be.

Japan launched an attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It was the first act of war after decades of tensions between the two countries and prompted the U.S. to enter WWII.

The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937, after years of planning, overcoming regulatory hurdles and securing voter approval and funding. In the first 80 years, nearly two billion people have crossed the bridge.

Peaches, plums and cherries all grow on trees and have one seed at their center. A watermelon grows on a vine on the ground and has many seeds, instead of one pit.

The treble clef is denoted by a swirling symbol that looks similar to a fancy cursive "S." The bass clef, denoted by a "C"-shaped figure, is for lower notes.

The Revolutionary War was fought by American colonists tired of British rule. Spain assisted indirectly, and France eventually aided the fledgling USA.

Linus is the blankie-hugging character who delivers the famous lines of the "Peanuts" Christmas speech. Schroeder happily plays the piano, Lucy delights in torturing Charlie Brown with a football, and Sally is Charlie Brown's little sister.

Cotton is a plant product, often grown in the southern United States because of the warm climate. Sheep and alpacas are a source of wool, while goose down can be used for things like comforters, puffer jackets and pillows.

Michael Bay, who's worked on movies like "Transformers," "Armageddon" and "Pearl Harbor," is famous for going big with movie explosions.

The conductor makes sure a band or an orchestra is synchronized and working cohesively to perform music. During stage performances accompanied by music, you can sometimes just see the conductor's head rising above the orchestra pit below the stage.

Jane Austen wrote many beloved books and is studied with great interest to this day. Most of her works have been adapted to the screen by the BBC, and some have been made into major motion pictures, as well.

Bees produce honey, silkworms produce silk and cows produce milk. Crickets are actually bred as food, and not just for pet food. Breeding crickets to make flour (or just have a crunchy snack) is growing in popularity.

To Hindus, the cow is a sacred animal, in part because of its gentle nature. In certain parts of India, killing and consuming a cow is a punishable offense.

Edison is usually the first name that comes to mind when people think about who created the light bulb. In reality, the light bulb was the result of many scientists' work; while Edison certainly made contributions to the science, he is remembered more because he was successful in promoting and selling the light bulb as such.

The Wright brothers successfully flew the first plane on the sandy dunes of North Carolina. Ohio was officially awarded the title of "birthplace of aviation," since the Wright Brothers were from Ohio.

The flag is a signal to mail carriers that you have mail you'd like them to pick up and bring to the postal facility for sorting. A word of warning, though: thieves may see the raised flag as an invitation to raid your mailbox, chemically wash your checks and write in new payees and amounts.

Violins, guitars and harps are classic examples of stringed instruments. Interestingly, a piano is considered to be a hybrid between a stringed instrument and a percussion instrument.

Frank Capra's, "It's a Wonderful Life," is a favorite Christmas movie in many households for its portrayal of George Bailey: his disappointments, his joys, his failures and his successes. Always remember: "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings."

A perennial is a plant that grows back for a period of time each year; annuals die and have to be replaced yearly. Some flowers can be either annual or perennial, depending on the climate where they're planted.

There are two non-contiguous states in America: Alaska and Hawaii. Non-contiguous means that they aren't bordered by any other American-held land. Alaska borders Canada.

The Great Potato Famine of 1845 to 1849 fueled Irish immigration to America and claimed many lives. It also fueled resentment of British rule, since the Irish thought Britain didn't do enough to help while they died of starvation.

A good tango is a thrill to watch, as well as to dance. The style originated in South America and was likely influenced by African and European dance traditions.

Cacti spread their roots wide and store as much water as they can in their fleshy parts whenever it rains. This supply allows them to weather weeks of dry heat.

If you travel to San Antonio, TX, you can see the famous mission where a small group of Texans made their last stand against Santa Anna's army. The state of Texas maintains the site as a free museum.

Fruits and vegetables were too perishable to need to be rationed, so families could buy as much of them as they liked. Other dietary staples like meat, fish, wheat and sugar were needed for the troops' rations and thus, were restricted.

Edward Jenner was inspired to make the first vaccine by observing how milkmaids had a remarkable resistance to smallpox. As it turns out, their exposure to cowpox conferred protection against smallpox, which was caused by a similar virus.

The Autobahn has a minimum speed limit of about 60 km/hr, but many stretches have no maximum speed. Signs posting suggested max speeds and speed limits are only enforced in congested areas or areas with poor visibility.

The saying means that a red sunset portends good weather, while a bright red sunrise could mean trouble on the seas. For sailors who don't travel too far south or north, this saying is actually fairly accurate, due to the behavior of pressure systems.

While Taylor Swift shows no signs of going back to her country roots, Faith Hill effectively straddled the genres, recording a mix of songs that could find a home both on pop stations and on country stations.

If you're stranded in the wilderness with no other treatment options, crying on your wound isn't a terrible idea. Tears have been shown to have mild antibacterial properties. They're no substitute for a good alcohol rub or antibacterial ointment, though.

The phrase "Veni, Vidi, Vici," which is Latin for "I came, I saw, I conquered," is commonly attributed to Julius Caesar. It's not hard to believe he said that or something like it, given his great success in battle.

Funiculars are cable trains that run up and down a mountainside. They're sort of a mish-mash of elevator and train technology that allows for more efficient travel in steep areas.