:-(

With U.S. trademark No. 2,347,676, the sad emoticon ":-(" gets the same protection as a corporate logo or any similar intellectual property. Although seen on millions of e-mails, the mark is now officially owned by Despair—a "de-motivational" company that sells humorous posters about futility, failure, and depression to "pessimists, losers, and underachievers!


Teddy Roosevelt was the police commissioner of New York City in 1895 when he formed the "Bicycle Squad." Members of the squad chased down speeders who exceeded the speed limit of 8 miles per hour.