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Although the Roman numeral for the number 4 has always been taught to have been "IV," according to historians, the ancient Romans probably used "IIII" most of the time. This is partially backed up by the fact that early grandfather clocks displayed IIII for the number 4 instead of IV. Early clockmakers apparently thought that the IIII balanced out the VIII (used for the number 8) on the clock face and that it just looked better.
People with high total cholesterol have about two times the risk for heart disease as people with ideal levels.
Asthma cases in Americans are about 75% higher today than they were in 1980.
Most childhood vaccines are 90–99% effective in preventing disease. Side effects are rarely serious.
In 1864, the first barbiturate (barbituric acid) was synthesized.