law of diminishing returns. A concept in economics that if one factor of production (number of workers, for example) is increased while other factors (machines and workspace, for example) are held constant, the output per unit of the variable factor will eventually diminish.
History of glass. The history of glassmaking can be traced back to 3500 BCE in Mesopotamia, but Mesopotamians may have created second-rate copies of glass objects from Egypt, where this complex craft actually originated. Other archaeological evidence suggests that the first true glass was made in coastal north Syria, Mesopotamia or Egypt.
The same year McDonald's began selling small 7-ounce cups of soda, Coca-Cola released drink sizes that hit 10, 12, 16, and 26 ounces. For 25 years, a 26-ounce drink was the biggest soda a person could buy. Then in 1980, a shift occurred when 7-Eleven began its Big Gulp campaign. Big Gulp fountain drink cup sizes steadily rose throughout the decade and beyond, beginning at 32 ounces in 1980, then climbing to 44 ounces in 1986, 64 ounces in 1989, and a behemoth 128 ounces in 2006. Called the Team Gulp, the 128-ounce cup holds a gallon of soda.