11 Things We Didn't Know Last Week

News, discoveries and fun ...

1. Put on a new heart-healthy diet, gorillas Mokolo and Bebac  each dropped 65 pounds. (Learn more at Case Western Reserve University)

2. Every dollar of Social Security benefits doubles in the economy. (Learn more at AARP)

3. Earth will be too hot to sustain life as we know it in 1.7 billion years. (Learn more at Discovery)

4. Just now entering the job market? Women and men won't earn equal pay until you're ready to retire. (Learn more at  AARP)

5. Three of the 10 fittest cities for boomers are in California; only four are east of the Rockies. (Learn more at  Huffington Post)

6. As for countries, Sweden is the best place in the world to grow old; the United States ranks 8th. (Learn more at AARP)

7. Virgin Galactic finds space flight safe for people in their 50s, 60s and 70s, including some with manageable medical conditions . (Learn more at Discovery)

8. Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline collaborated on their first movie. (Learn more at AARP)

9. A new service called Nomorobo can block most annoying telemarketing calls. (Learn more at Yahoo)

10. At 102, Erman Johnston became the  oldest Oregonian to ride a hot air balloon. He can go for the world record in seven years. (Learn more at AARP) (Thanks to Haven Kaplan-Miner for the tip.)

11. Now there's proof: Some people prefer the Affordable Care Act over Obamacare - even though they're the same thing.

Learn something this week? Write to us at 11things@aarp.org, and we'll try to include your story next time.

On Twitter, we're using the hashtag   #11things.

Let us read "11 Things" to you:

https://soundcloud.com/aarp-social-sounds/11-things-we-didnt-know-last-8

Images - Gorilla: Case Western Reserve University/YouTube; Social Security Graphic/AARP; Burning earth: Barbara Doduk/Flickr; Bicycling couple: Bill Branson/Wikimedia; Virgin Spaceship: Jeff Foust/Wikimedia; Balloonist Erman Johnston: Don David;


Music - Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra plays Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra - Blue Blazes by Sy Oliver, Creative Commons, courtesy of Smithsonian Remix project.

 

Also of Interest

• The Great Raw Chicken Debate: To Wash or Not?
• Food Labels: Don't Believe the 'Use By' Date
• Questions about the Affordable Care Act? Get your answers here.
• Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being

 

See the  AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more