Why?

We always assumed the names of the Michelin restaurant guide and Michelin tires was a weird coincidence.

But no, according to Trivia Genius, the two are created by the same company. The tires came first, and, when sales weren’t high enough for the French entrepreneurs who founded the company, they decided to give people an incentive to add wear and tear to their tires. By advertising the best restaurants the world has to offer, the Frenchmen hoped people would use up their tires traveling to and fro, then come back to Michelin for replacements. The restaurant guide started as a general travel guide, then moved into fine dining in 1926, which is where it really established its reputation. Today, every chef covets the acclaim and notoriety that accompanies a Michelin-star rating.

Who knew?!

Now we all do!