Amazing Facts???

[~wildangel~]

Here is were we can post amazing facts...interesting amazing facts!

I'll start...
*ahem*

Only female mosquitos bite cause they need blood to nourish their eggs...
weird huh?

The blue whales tounge weighs as much as an elephant! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/eek.gif

Onions have no flavour, only a smell!
Weird!

People who have pet fish sleep better than ppl that don't! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/redface.gif

Smelly fact! *plugs nose*
The average person passes 1 to 3 pints of gas a day in 14 different episodes!*eww*

Among older men, vanilla is the most erotic scent http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/eek.gif

Amazing arent they? http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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~Wild, the angel of the Mod Squad~
Friendship is heavenly
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[bi-blonde]

vanilla? I wear a vanilla perfume....no wonder my guy friends like to hug me so much lol

[ogb]

Now that we solved all really important aspects of life, I feel much better http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif.

[Serendipity]

Smelly fact! *plugs nose*
The average person passes 1 to 3 pints of gas a day in 14 different episodes!*eww*

I always knew Paul was above average http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Beware The Wrath of Mod!
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[~wildangel~]

LOL Dippy! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif His sonic booms are the best!

I have the whole vanilla bath and body set, love it! Just didnt know it attracted old men http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif Scary!

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~Wild, the angel of the Mod Squad~
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[aclu14]

Don't tell Paulgro that! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/eek.gif
Umm. .
Male seahorses are the ones that get pregnant. Wish you were a seahorse, Wild? http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/smile.gif

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I'll think of a better sig when I feel like it! Now stop bothering me! :D

[paulgro]

I don't come here for a couple of days and you all talk about me.... http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/tongue.gif

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"I have not failed. I've just found
10,000 ways that won't work."


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[Idnew]

See how fast that vanilla scent drew the old one out of the cave. http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/smile.gif

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[aclu14]

Yeah, where've ya been?
(in a cave! LOL! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif)

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I'll think of a better sig when I feel like it! Now stop bothering me! :D

[~wildangel~]

LMAO!Guess we best stop wearing vanilla!!!LOL

I wish I was a seahorse!

OK, another amazing fact! Since only me and Aclu14 can think of any http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif

~Their is no actual word that rhymes with the word...."Month"~



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~Wild, the angel of the Mod Squad~
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[Serendipity]

Nor Orange

[paulgro]

I'll try to get here every day again...Yes that's a threat!!! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/tongue.gif

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"I have not failed. I've just found
10,000 ways that won't work."


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[cleoeo]

Originally posted by Serendipity:
Nor Orange

The four engineers
wore orange brassiers.

[Serendipity]

http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif @ Cleoeo.

OK, then: Chimney.

[Idnew]

Jimminey .......ha.....amazing facts hmmmmmm

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[Lis]

*AMAZING FACT: I just kicked my big toe AND it's hurting http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/frown.gif

Sorry....that's the best I can do http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif

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Thought ya got lucky didn't ya :p

[~wildangel~]

OK, hahaha!LOL

Heres some more!

Did you know cats pee glows under a black light??? http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/eek.gif

Did you know...All the insects in the world weigh 3 times as much as all the animals in the world combined!?? Thats gross http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/tongue.gif

The FIRST 4 countrys in the world to have T.V. are...England, the U.S., U.S.S.R. and Brazil! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/redface.gif

*****stay tuned for more amazing facts*****

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[CBranski]

AT&T first began assigning area codes in the US in 1947 anticipating direct dial long distance being available soon. New York City was assigned (212), Los Angeles (213), and Chicago (312). Why were those cities assigned smaller numbers while other areas got larger numbers? Well, area codes with smaller numbers were assigned to major cities because it took less time for the rotary dial to spin back around.

The first centrally air-conditioned office building was the Empire State Building in New York City, which opened in 1931.

America's first cell phone network went on line in Chicago in 1983.

The first commercial TV station to come on the air after WWII was WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee in December of 1947.

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Tony Soprano for Sherriff!

[Idnew]

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.
Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.
Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen.......had to be a girl.
We should've known. Only women would be able to drag a fat man, in a red velvet suit, all around the world in one night, and not get lost.


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[aclu14]

Cool, Id!
Another one...Denim shirtdresses make good coats when unbuttoned all the way and worn over jeans and a tshirt. I know - I'm wearing one! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Idnew]

Really that's cool aclu I have two and I love them but didn't know how else to wear them. I've got to try that. Was wanting a new look. http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/smile.gif

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[xV35ballx]

LOL. Y'all are hillarious! I love reading the amazing facts that y'all know. I'll be back in a short while with a long list that I'm going to steal from another site. (They stole it from someone else to begin with anyways.)

Wow, what amazing facts!

[~wildangel~]

LOL Lady X! You think we really knew all this stuff! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

A Koala bear sleeps 22 hours every day!

World heaviest primates???
Morbidly obese humans, then comes the gorillas at 485 lbs. *interesting* http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/eek.gif

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~Wild, the angel of the Mod Squad~
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[aclu14]

Cats sleep for 15 hours a day

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I'll think of a better sig when I feel like it! Now stop bothering me! :D

[DV8]

Originally posted by ~wildangel~:

Onions have no flavour, only a smell!
Weird!
[/B]

I am truely upset!! For onions are my fav food and now you tell me I am only eating a smell... http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/frown.gif

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ~wildangel~:

Smelly fact! *plugs nose*
The average person passes 1 to 3 pints of gas a day in 14 different episodes!*eww*
--------------------------------------------
As I've said before, There are ladies and children out here-and there IS a difference between women and ladies ma'am! AHEM! Would your grandmother be happy about this?

[Serendipity]

Wassup, Frank? Did you never fart?
Frank, please get it into your head that you are not a moderator of this board. If any language used on this board is deemed unacceptable by the moderators, we delete it. If you have a problem with that, email Andy about it.

[amr]

Frank, kids find bodily functions hilarious! Ever talk to a 3rd-grader? Remember being one?

Besides, if they don't learn about it from us "responsible people," they'll just hear about it on the streets! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

In other words, LIGHTEN UP!! It's not the responsibility of this forum to oversee the moral development of a generation or make sure that sensibilities are not offended. If you don't like what you see, don't look!

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I am what I am and that's all I am!

[DV8]

Wow, ppl stop.

This getting at Frank thing is just not right (anymore), the topic was Amazing Facts. Surely something like "Frank doesn't fart" or "Frank thinks farting is disguising" isn't Amzaing.

Honestly, this hobbie(Kill Frank in all the topics he enters a message in) has to stop lol!

GOin bk on track: "Only 1% on ur fart is smelly."

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I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.
We've already hunted the grey whale into extinction twice. - Andrea Arnold (1990)

[~wildangel~]

Originally posted by J Frank Pinell:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by ~wildangel~:

Smelly fact! *plugs nose*
The average person passes 1 to 3 pints of gas a day in 14 different episodes!*eww*

You know what FLANK for your information I could care less what my grandma thinks and I hope someome farts on her! You don't know HER so don't worry about what she thinks...please! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

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[Idnew]

GOin bk on track: "Only 1% on ur fart is smelly."

Better re-check that percentage as I know some that could blow a hole in the door and kill you from the odor at the same time. http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif


Now where did X go again? http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/confused.gif


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[Lis]

*whispers* It seems that Frank has never met an ACTUAL woman, cos they all fart....sorry to spoil the illusion...maybe you're best left to the plastic ones eh?

[~wildangel~]

LOL DV8 http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I too was shocked that I was just eating a smell and not a taste!

LOL@Lis, I didnt even say fart I sayed "passes gas" and he jumps down my throat http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/eek.gif
And I was in a delicate condition at the time no less...my goodness!!

He should stick to his Barbie dolls http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Im so happy baby Nathans here!


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~Wild, the angel of the Mod Squad~
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[Lis]

*lol* me too! I'm on the other side of the world and I've been grining all day...how exciting!

[PlayCrackTheSky]

ford didnt make the massproduction line he just improved it.

the first trucks could only go a amazeing 10 miles a hour

the first jeeps where made in WWII

the american doller isnt backed by gold or silver....or any metal

In WWII over 2 million trucks were made for the war

Notradamus prediced the comeing of three "anti crist" The first was napoleon the second was hitler and the third has yet to come

Hitler was part jewish

there are more bacteria in your mouth then people in the world

kamekazi means divine wind (i find this ironic)

The United States of America has never lost a war

Austrailia was origionaly a penal colony for britian

No one has ever sucessfuly escaped from alcatraz.

Tokyo is the largest city by population

Plants breath Oxygen and carbon dioxide not just carbon dioxide

The fastes plane in the world is the SR-71 blackbird it can reach speeds over mach 2 (twice the speed of sound)

and last but not least

.......Ever since there was a free russia (after the mongols left) no one has ever been able to sucessfuly take over russia.


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Cowards die many times before there death; The valiant never taste death but once.

[This message has been edited by Duo Maxwell (edited January 05, 2002).]

[xV35ballx]

The list I was going to steal from is gone! They deleted it! Grrr!!!! Argh!!! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/mad.gif

[TV_Guy]

What about morbidly obese gorilla's?
(Wouldn't they be heavier than obese humans?)

Also wasn't Vietnam a loss? (Fleeing frantically from cities and that sorta thing isn't usually called a draw.)And you couldn't include the civil war, that'd be a loss at any outcome.


Most of "taste" is smell, so be carefull of what you sniff.
(Most of you probably knew that)

Righto some facts...(Frantically scrubs through memory)...

BRB

[TV_Guy]

Hang on a sec..Plants breathe oxygen?
(Where's my biology book gone?)

Don't they produce it?
(My world is shattered)

[amr]

Originally posted by TV_Guy:
Also wasn't Vietnam a loss?

Technically, America's involvement in Vietnam was never officially a "war." (That would require an act of Congress and signing a declaration.) I forget the proper terminology, but it was something like "Military Action." (Same difference if you ask me, walks like a duck and all that.)

The list Duo used probably only counted offical wars that were properly declared. Using those subtle definitions the fact stands true.

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I am what I am and that's all I am!

[Phreakmeister]

Some more facts:

All bears are left-handed

After the sex, female grasshoppers kill and eat the male grasshoppers

For the opening of the Panama canal, the US invited the SWISS (!!!!!!!!!) navy to join the ceremony

A British company got the wonderful idea to export sand to Kuwait, of all places

[amr]

Something I learned on the History channel...

The Statue of Liberty was originally intended to stand at the entrance to the Suez Canal in Egypt! However, the Egyptians were quite pissed at the French at that time and rejected the gift. (It was a long saga of a French entrepenure who essentially robbed the country of Egypt blind to build the Suez and then reaped the profits from it.)

Kind of takes the sparkle out of the blind optimism that our grammar-school teachers rammed down our throats, doesn't it?

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I am what I am and that's all I am!

[~wildangel~]

Vietnam was not a war TVGuy...it was a something, but not a war http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif

Bears are left handed? That's interesting!

I dont think theres any morbidly obese gorillas, I s'pose I should look that up tho..just don't know how obese one could get eating leaves and bananas...

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[amr]

Another something I learned on the History channel...

The term "lobbyist," as in an political advocate who tries to get politicians to vote on certain laws or bills, was originally coined by President Grant.

When President Grant wanted to relax, he would take an evening walk over to a local Washington hotel, sit in the lobby, have cigars and brandy, and watch the world go by.

But President Grant's peace was short-lived. Other politicians became aware of this habit and they would find him in the lobby to talk business and push their agendas. Political advocates would also show up at the lobby in hopes of catching a word with a congressman or the President. President Grant began calling these people "lobbyists" and the term stuck. It has even turned into a verb, to lobby is to ask a politician to support your cause.

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I am what I am and that's all I am!

[TV_Guy]

The french should've welded t'lady on top of the eiffel tower. MEGA ATTRACTION!

[Phreakmeister]

One problem: The Statue of Liberty was already an elderly lady when the Eiffel Tower was built. So getting it back from the US wouldn't have been easy, I s'pose.

[Phreakmeister]

In 1962 an outbreak of contagious laughter in Tanganyika lasted for six months and caused schools to be closed.

What a wonderful time that must have been................

[~wildangel~]

No kidding! I need contageous laughter around here too!!! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.giflol

MORE Amazing Facts!?

Isreals dead sea is 1,312 feet below sea level! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/eek.gif wow

3 most popular dogs in the world are labrador retreivers,Rottweilers and ****er Spaniels!

I love Rotts http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif

6 million tourists a year visit California (oohh real exciting here http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif )58,000 of the ppl are from Mississippi.

Must be very boring in Miss. http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/redface.giflol

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~Wild, the angel of the Mod Squad~
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[PlayCrackTheSky]

Plants breath in oxygen durin cellular respiration and produce it during photosynthesis.

Vitnam was a military police action it was never a war because it takes a act of congress for there to be war

Now more facts!

When the french surrenderd during WWII the surrender was signed in the same rail car a the trety of vesialls.

isreal is the only middle east nation that doesnt produce oil.....they have the strongest economy in the middle east

The guy who was in the darth vader suit during star wars said all his lines during tapeing....he didnt know that they had someone else to do the voice

well im done for now

[Phreakmeister]

Treaty of Versailles*

[Serendipity]

The guy in the Darth Vader suit was also The Green Cross Man, who starred in a series of road safety PI films for British children. I forget his real name. Nice chap. Very tall.

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Beware The Wrath of Mod!
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[Phreakmeister]

Some more facts:

* It's impossible to lick your elbow
* A crocodile can't point his tongue
* The heart of a shrimp is in its head
* While studying 20000 ostridges over the past 80 years, not a single ostridge stuck its head in the sand
* A pig is physically unable to look at the sky
* 50% of the world population never made or received a phone call
* rats and horses can't vomit
* Sneezing too hard can lead to a broken rib
* Trying to oppress sneezing can lead to brain or neck bleeding, causing death
* If you open your eyes while sneezing, they can leave the sockets
* Rats can multiply so quickly, that in 18 months they can produce 1 million (!!!) offspring
* 35% of the people who put contact ads in newspapers are already married
* 23% of copier malfunctions are due to people trying to fotocopy their @$$es
* during an average lifetime, a sleeping person swallows 70 insects and 10 spiders
* Not only the fingerprint is unique for every person, also the earprint and tongueprint are unique.
* 95% of the people who read this have tried to lick their elbow

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited January 29, 2002).]

may as well make this my first post... *laughs a little giddily*
anyway... amazing facts??? why not, i can deal out a few...

* The person who wrote the famous song, "Keep the Home Fires Burning" burnt to death when their home caught fire.

* Napolean killed over a thousand people with a cough. In 1799 he was deciding whether to release 1,200 Turkish
prisoners of war when he coughed and said, "Ma sacre tough!" (my darned cough) which sounded to officers like
"Massacrez tour!" (Kill them all!), so they did.

* Eric II, King of Denmark, died in 1104. He was known as Eric the Memorable. No one remembers why.

* A few months before he got killed in a car accident, James Dean made a driver's safety TV ad in which he said,
"Drive safely; the life you save may be mine".

* Mark Twain, born on a year Halley's Comet visited us, correctly predicted he would die the next time it came by.

* It is a myth that the hair and nails grow after death; the skin shinks, giving the illusion of their growth.

* Dr. Joseph Guillotin did not invent the guillotine; he just persuaded officials to use it as a means of executions
because of it's speed and efficiency. It is a myth that he died by the device.

* When John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, it was not a federal felony to kill a President of the United States.

there you go.. 8 facts you didnt know you wanted to know. http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Could I have five minutes to make a last will and testament before I get started on this courageous suicide mission, to show the world that I am ready to endure anything in order to prove absolutely nothing?

[~wildangel~]

Welcome to Dumb Laws Night! Good first post http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif

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~Wildest lil angel~
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[Serendipity]

Welcome, Nightrunner http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/smile.gif But back to the farts (http://www.heptune.com/farts.html)...

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Beware The Wrath of Mod!
Mod Squad Poster (http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/serendipity/MSPoster/ModSquad.html)

[Enforcer]

AMZING FACT http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/frown.gifThat has nothing 2 to with farting)

The animal who has the largest genital compared to his body is a seapock or whatever you call the thing in English.

It has a thin "straw" of 30 cm long

Sounds more like a seaC O C K 2 me

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Phoenixes RULE!
Come to Enforcer's pizza shack!

Respect my authority!BEEFCAKE!

[Enforcer]

oh and welcom, welcome you know how 2 make an entrance Nighty, figures I might as well think of a short for ya name seems like evbody has one
Idnew is also Id
Serendipity is generally Dippy
Today someone called me 'Forcer
wildangel doesn't mind being called wild
(do U, wild?)

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Phoenixes RULE!
Come to Enforcer's pizza shack!

Respect my authority!BEEFCAKE!

[Phreakmeister]

SOME MORE INTERESTING FACTS

The Eisenhower motorway system requires one mile of motorway on every five miles to be straight. These straight parts can be used as landing strips in case of war or other calamities

Cats make over 100 different sounds, dogs only 10

Our eyes haven't grown since birth, but our nose and ears won't stop growing

Many hamsters can only close on eye at a time

In every episode of Seinfeld, Superman appears somewhere

February 1865 is the only month in history without full moon

Montpellier, Vermont is the only capital in the USA without a McDonalds restaurant

No word in the English language rhymes with month

The cruise ship Queen Elizabeth II moves 20 cms (13 in.) on every 5 liters (1.3 US gallons, 1.1 UK gallons) of diesel

People in the USA have on average 2 creditcards per person

Feline urine (cat p*ss) lights up under Blacklight

The first Ford's had Dodge engines

Leonarda da Vinci invented the scissors

For boiling macaroni you need half a liter (0.13 gallons) of water, for cleaning the pan over a liter (0.26 gallons) of water

No animal species have been domesticated in the past 4000 years

The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado

The most used first name in the world is Mohammed

Michael Jordan gets more money a year from Nike than all the factory workers in Malaysia together

The Great Fire of 1666 burned down half of London. Only 6 people perished in the fire

Only one in a billion people gets 116 years of age or older

The name "Wendy" was invented for the book "Peter Pan"

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Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 18, 2002).]

[Enforcer]

In every episode of Seinfeld, Superman appears somewhere?

I gotta start paying attention...

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Phoenixes RULE!
Come to Enforcer's pizza shack!

Respect my authority!BEEFCAKE!

[Phreakmeister]

MORE INTERESTING FACTS

The islamic state of Tadjikistan was rich 1000 Internet domain names at the end of 2001. Over 800 of them were of a pornographic nature. How that is possible? A company in Fresno (USA) controls the top level domain .tj

It costs on average 90 dollarcents a day to feed 1 American prisoner

Only 13% of all stalkers are female

In the last parliamentary elections in Iraq, the eldest son of Saddam got 99.9% of the votes

Most animals die after the heart has beaten about 1 billion times. A human however, can last for 2.5 billion heartbeats, on average

Secretary of State Madelyn Albright traveled, in the 4 years she was secretary, approximately 1.5 million km (1 million miles). Number of different countries she visited:
- 1997: 52
- 1998: 35
- 1999: 39
- 2000: 46

1 in 5 Swedish men (18 to 74 years of age) claims to have slept with over 10 different people. 1 in 90 claims to have slept with over 100 people (I presume not much sleeping was going on there tho http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif)

Whilst jogging, the foot endures, during landing, 2.5 times the body weight

1 in 12 people on this planet has a handgun. The use of handguns costs 547,500 lives a year. That is 1,500 a day...

Biting strength of a human being: about 80 kg.
Biting strength of a fullgrown lion: about 425 kg.
Biting strength of a T-Rex: about 1400 kg. Enough to chew a car in half...

5% of all the suspects (about 9500 people) causes 50% of all the crime in The Netherlands

The first computerbug dates back to September 9th, 1945

About 500 years ago, the penalty in Russia for smoking a cigaret was for male offenders the first time castration and exile in Siberia. The second foul meant execution...

About 550 people in New York City are being bitten by a rat each day

Sinds her "birth", the sun got 25% hotter. 5% extra and all the plants on earth will die. 15% extra and all the water will evaporate

1 Frenchman or Frenchwoman loses a finger each day, due to accidents involving wedding rings. Most of the time, the ring gets stuck, and it is obvious that bone and muscles tear sooner than an 18-carat ring

Only one pair of mice can create 4000 offspring in 1 year

About 60 American children are being transported to First Aid each day after having swallowed a coin

In Kuwait, it is very impolite to refuse food you have been offered. And since Kuwaiti's are very generous, 73% of all women and 68% of all men in Kuwait are overweight

78% of all women dumps her boyfriend if he doesn't like her cats

The change from the guilder to the euro caused the number of Dutch millionaires to drop from 300,000 to 70,000

The most forged passport in the world is the passport of Sealand. 300 passports of this oil platform have been released, but 150,000 Sealandian passports are on this planet somewhere. 149,700 passports are forged. This means, that only 0.2% of all Sealandian passports is real...

Belgian author Georges Simenon slept with over 10,000 different women. Well, this is what he says himself

The total amount of money available to promote healthy food is (according to a member of the International Obesity Task Force, part of the World Health Organization) 0.2% of the marketing budget of all the candy and fastfood companies


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Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 22, 2002).]

[Phreakmeister]

THERE'S MORE

The top 10% of Dutch society makes 25% of the total national income. For most of Europe, the top 10% makes 20% of the national income, in the US it's 30%

In 2000, the number of female students at St. Andrews College in Scotland rose by 44% all of a sudden. Why? Prince William went to college there

A 2 millimeter ant can run up to 5 cms a second, 25 times his own length. If a horse would run 25 times its length per second, he would need less than two hours to go from Amsterdam to Paris

According to Trans West Airlines (TWA), exactly 8 small bottles of Jack Daniels fit into 1 "vomit-bag"

Untill January 1st, 2001, Sylvester Stallone had killed in his movies a total of no less than 442 people. Dolph Lundgren is the champion, with 537 people

800 new teeth grow in the mouth of a grey shark each year

Infanticide (child murder) by the stepfather happens 70 times more often than by the natural father

Sony developed the walkman in only 5 days, because the CEO of Sony, Masaru Ibuka, wanted to be able to listen to classical music on his business trips. In the 10 years after it, Sonly sold no less then 250,000,000 walkmans

In the US, 36% of the population is over weight, and 23% suffers from obesitas. That makes the group of fat people bigger than the group of smokers (19%), poor (14%) and alcoholics (6%)

In 2000, a top official in business in the US made 476 times the average income. In The Netherlands it was "only" 17 times the average income

Average weight of the skin of an adult: 10,886 grams (almost 11 kilos, about 25 US pounds)

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Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 22, 2002).]

[Sjax]

Phreakmeister, where the h*** have you picked up all that useless knowledge. Pretty amazing tho...

[Phreakmeister]

And there's a lot more where that came from.

I'm part of a mailing list of a Dutch group of people called "Cijfers liegen niet" (Numbers don't lie), and they mailed me all this. I had to stop early tho, coz I had to catch my train. I got loads and loads more of that though. But that'll come later on. (probably during this weekend still tho)

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

MORE AMAZING FACTS

About 92% of all traffic violations is committed by men. Men are fined 10 times more often than women

The most expensive appartment in New York City is a penthouse in the Trump World Tower. Early 2000, it was sold for 38 million dollars

Only 0.1% of all Japanese trials leads to release. 99.9% of all trials leads to conviction. This is not due to good prosecutors however, but to incompetent lawyers

83% of human genetics is completely identical to bovine genetics (=cows)

About 70% in your cart at the supermarket is stuff you didn't intend to buy

People lie 2 times a day, on average... (not me tho http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif)

In 22 hours, 20% of the caffeine in the cup of coffee you just drank is still in your body

Africa has about 600 million inhabitants. 40% (240 million people) have to live of less than $1 a day. The average income of an African family now is lower than it was in 1970

The great pyramid at Gizeh weighs 6,500,000,000 kilos (over 13 billion pounds)

Our mouths host over 500 different kinds of bacteriae

According to psychologist Charles Ford, in 25 to 50% of all conversations of over 10 minutes at least 1 lie is told

About 80% of all drugs in the West comes from Afghanistan

According to Benford's Law, 30% of all great numbers starts with 1. Only 4.6% of all great numbers starts with 9

An average European visits only 24 differen websites a month. An average American only manages to find his way to only 10 different websites a month

40% of all American women has a child before the age of 20. 1% of all Dutch women has a child before the age of 20

Of all people in the Holy Land, only 2% is Christian. 80% of them is Greek-Orthodox

Oral and/or anal sex is illegal in 13 states in the US: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.
The maximum penalties vary from 30 days inprisonment and a 500$ fine in Alabama, to life inprisonment in Idaho

According to World Conservation Union's 2000 Red List 11 046 species of animals are about to become extinct.

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ANIMALS

* whales can't swim backwards
* tarantulas can't spin webs
* crocodiles can't chew
* hummingbirds can't walk
* A baboon called "Jackie" became a private in the South African army in World War I
* Bats always turn left when exiting a cave
* Butterflies taste with their feet
* Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees
* The burramundy, a fish, grows up as a male, but after 2 years or so, it turns into a female to breed
* Birds are largely unaffected by spicy things, like chilies, as they are not sensitive to capsaicin, the hot stuff in chilies
* Bulls are not attracted to the colour red, as they are colour blind.
* Cows sweat through their noses
* Cows release 50 million metric tonnes of methane gas a year
* The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds
* Cicadas have their hearing organs in their stomachs, at the base of the abdomen.
* The caterpillar has more than 2,000 muscles
* The placement of a donkey's eyes in its' heads enables it to see all four feet at all times
* Dolphins sleep with one eye open
* Dragonfly larvae develop under the water and eject water from their anus to propel them for short distances
* A dragonfly can fly 25 mph.
* Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand
* Emus cannot walk backwards
* Elephants can't jump.
* Baby elephants can drink over 80 litres of milk a day
* Certain frogs can reguritate their stomachs, in order to clean them (with their feet)
* Fleas are essential to the health of armadillos and hedgehogs; they provide necessary stimulation of the skin. Deloused armadillos and hedgehogs will die.
* A flea can jump 350 times its own body length. (say... you jumping the length of a soccer field)
* A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue.
* Giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as humans.
* The lips of giraffes are prehensible
* Giraffes cannot cough
* Goldfish have the memory span of about 3-5 seconds, thats why you can leave them in a small jar and they wont get bored and you can also over feed them till they kaput.
* If you leave a goldfish in a dark room for years, it will turn white. (be reminded of the RSPCA though)
* A pregnant goldfish is called a twit
* Honeybees have a type of hair on their eyes
* The horse shoe crab has blue blood which can be used to kill bacteria
* A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4 foot tall child inside
* Hippos kill more people in Africa when compared to crocodiles.
* During warm weather, hippos secrete a reddish, oily fluid, called pink sweat, which acts as a skin conditioner to keep it moist. (something for Oil of Olaz?)
* Hyenas can comsume prey carrying anthrax without contracting the disease itself
* An insect exerts so much energy in one hour of flying that it may lose as much as a third of its total body weight.
* In rural areas, there are more insects in 1 square mile than there are humans on earth
* A jellyfish is 95% water, humans around 70%
* Jaguars are frightened by dogs
* Koalas have twin thumbs
* Head lice actually prefer to live on clean heads, not dirty ones
* A male emperor moth can detect and find a female of his species a mile away
* Only female mosquitoes bite. Males only drink water and plant juice
* A mole can dig about 92 metres in 1 night
* The Nile catfish swims upside down
* Owls are one of the only birds who can see the color blue
* The eggs from the ovaris of a pig, when shot into another animal, can sterilise it, making it impotent.
* An oyster can change its sex once every seven days.
* An ostridge's eye is bigger than its brain
* Ostridges stick their heads into the sand to find underground drinking water
* An Octopus has 3 hearts!
* Pigeons can be killed by feeding them uncooked rice, either coz their stomach can't handle the carbohydrates or it swells in their throats and chokes them. No head popping.
* Porcupines float in water
* In 1386, a pig was executed by public hanging for the murder of a child
* The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off. (I so hope this won't inspire my girlfriend..........)
* A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes (*jealous*)
* Pig meat and human meat are almost exactly the same. In the early stages of development, a pig's embroyo is that of a human
* Polar bears are left handed.
* The hair on a polar bear is not white, but clear. They reflect light, so they appear white
* The gender of Reptiles are determined not by the sex genes, but by the temperature in which the egg is incubated. A certain temperature will produce a male and vice versa for a female
* Male feral rabbits urinate on the females to state their ownership
* Female rabbits on the other hand, reabsorb their embryo for the proteins
* The Ribbon worm will start eating itself to avoid starvation
* Snakes have two sex organs... in case one drops off in their fervent attempt to trick females into mating..
* Scorpions can be killed by pouring vinegar over them. They'll 'snap' and sting themself.
* The sloth (a mammal) moves so slowly that green algae can grow undisturbed on it's fur
* Slugs have 4 noses
* The starfish is one of the only animals who can turn it's stomach inside-out. They also dont have brains
* Dall's porpoise never sleeps
* Elephants sleep two hours a day
* horses nap standing up
* Sitatunga antelopes can sleep submerged
* A snail can sleep for three years
* A strand of spider web may be stronger than an equal diameter of steel.
* When you put a seashell to your ear, the sound you hear is not the waves, but actually the echo of the blood pulsing in your own ear
* There is a member of the spider family called the demodex folicarolum (unsure) that lives at the root of some people's eye lashes. It's harmless and normal.(so they claim) To look for them, grab a handful of your eyelashes and dunk them in warm water. They'll start swimming out. Look carefully. BOO!!
* A giant squid has eyes that can grow up to 20 inches in diameter. (Now think of how big your computer screen is..)
* In turtles, the colon (intestine) is also used for respiration, as it takes in oxygen. Thats how they stay underwater for so long.
* Tarantulas have retractable claws like cats and the hairs on their abdomen and back legs can stick into an enemy and itch. They also get bald on their thorax when they get old.
* Blue and fin whales can create the loudest sound by animals ever recorded; sounds that have more energy than jet plane noise.
* It has been calculated that a single breath from a mature blue whale can inflate up to 2000 balloons.
* Humpback whales are the only ones that use bubbles to help capture their prey. The bubbles trap fish in a spot for feeding whales.
* Fin whales are the second largest animal ever to live on earth. They have been measured to over 80 feet long in Antarctic waters
* Zebras are not black with white stripes, but are actually white with black stripes, coz if any of you animal lovers happen to stare at it's butt, you'll notice that the black stripes end there

Ants
* Ants make up 1/10 of the total world animal tissue
* An ant can survive for up to two days underwater.
* The animal with the largest brain in proportion to its size is the ant.
* Ants dont sleep.

Australia
* Australia is a major exporter of camels
* Australia has no native monkeys. (in the wild)
* Australia's box jellyfish has toxins more potent than the venom in cobras

Bees
* Bees can see ultraviolet light.
* Most honey bees die after they sting people. Our skin is elastic, unsuitable for their stingers which are meant for harder inelastics skins. Their venom glands are also torn out in the process.
* A bee could travel 4 million miles (6.5 million km) at 7 mph (11 km/h) on the energy it would obtain from 1 gallon (3.785 liters) of nectar, or it could just sit down on and enjoy that honey properly

Cats
* Cats sweat through the pads of their feet
* Cats sweat more than usual when they hear a dog barking
* Cats cannot taste sweet things.
* Cats have 32 muscles in each ear

C0ckroaches
* The c0ckroach has a high resistance to radiation and is the creature most likely to survive a nuclear war.
* Fried c0ckroach with garlic is used as medicine for the common cold
* The c0ckroach is the fastest animal on 6 legs, covering a meter a second. If it were human size, it could run at speeds of 300MPH.
* If you cut off the head of a c0ckroach, it can still survive but will eventually die, but only because it cannot eat without its head.
* c0ckroaches can change course as many as 25 times in one second

Chicken
* A chicken who just lost its head can run the length of a football field before dropping dead.
* The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds

Crocodiles
* Crocodiles have brains no larger than a cigar
* Crocodiles cannot stick their tongue out
* Crocodiles can snap their jaws in 1/8th of a second
* Crocodiles can use over 40 sets of teeth

Flies
* Contrary to popular myth, flies DO exist in Alaska.
* Flies taste with their feet.
* A fly always jumps backwards for a quick getaway when you try to hit it.
* Assuming that all the offspring survived, 190,000,000,000,000,000,000 flies could be produced in four months by the offspring of a single pair of flies.

Sharks
* Sharks are attracted to anything below 40Hz
* Some sharks have Nictolinid membranes as eyelids which close when it bites its prey
* Their jaws can extend forward
* Sharks lose more than 6000 teeth a year and can be replaced within 24 hours
* Their bites exert a pressure of 42 000 pounds per square inch
* The weirdest thing found in a shark was a medieval armour
* The Nurse shark has the suction power of 12 vacuum cleaners for sucking out shell fishes
* 1/4 million gallons of water passes through the gills of a whale shark in an hour
* When sharks are overturned, their sensors are overstimulated and they enter tonic immobility
* Goblin sharks have beak noses
* Epolet sharks are small and walk on the ocean floor
* Bull sharks can enter fresh water
* Nurse sharks mate by biting the fins and overturning the mates. This however cuts of the oxygen supply of a shark and courtship has to be done quickly.
* Females can excrete the male sperms if they are already full.
* Male sharks have 2 sex organs
* 30% of eggs are egg sacks on the ocean floors which are leathery
* Sharks have enlarged livers filled with 18 gallons of an oil lighter than water to give the shark bouyancy. Some of them simply gulp air to stay on the upper levels of the sea.
* Stingrays are a branch off from sharks.
* Sharks cannot reverse
* Dermatenticles are the teeth on the sharks body which gives it streamline
* Hammerheads seem to follow lava flows and happen to congregate around volcanic peaks. They seem to be following the magnetic field emmited by the lava streams.
* A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
* Sharks must constantly swim in order to breathe. They cannot forcibly create a vacum to suck water into their mouth and pass it through their gills like other fish, so must resort to 'netting' the water with their ever moving mouth

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Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 23, 2002).]

[Phreakmeister]

IT DON'T STOP Y'ALL

* You have to be at least 57 inches to be an astronaut (4'9", 1m45)
* Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.
* The weight of air in a milk glass is about the same as the weight of one aspirin.
* The gases emitted from a banana or an apple can help an orange ripen.
* Adolph Hitler was a vegetarian, and had only one testicle.
* Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones were once roommates.
* Most caucasian babies are born with dark blue eyes, although it normally changes colour after child birth.
* You're born with 300 bones, but when you get to be an adult, you only have 206.
* One quarter of the bones in your body, are in your feet
* Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
* The only jointless bone in your body is the hyoid bone in your throat
* The body can function without a brain. And anyone who has walked around the city on a Saturday night will know what I mean.
* It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body.
* You sit on the biggest muscle in your body, the gluteus maximus a.k.a the butt. Each of the two cheeky muscles tips the scales at about two pounds (not including the overlying fat layer). The tiniest muscle, the stapedius of the middle ear, is just one-fifth of an inch long.
* You can't kill yourself by holding your breath
* There is more bacteria in your mouth than the human population of U.S and Canada combined.
* Over billions of years, black holes become white holes and they spit out all of the things they sucked in. the atoms are completely jumbled, so no one knows what will ever come out. Theoratically they'll also turn into a white hole. If you were unfortunate enough to fall within one, you would never actually hit -- because time would stop at some point within the event horizon (space outside) of the black hole.
* In the US, more babies are born in July then in any other month.
* A bean has more DNA per cell than a human cell
* Human babies are born 2 months prematurely for our size and lifespan, to accomodate for the fact that we have large brains during birth.
* Babies crawl an average of 200m a day
* Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.
* Barbies full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts
* If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck
* If you put a piece of scotch tape on an inflated balloon, then stick it with a small pin or needle, it won't pop.Thanx harrison
* Bruce Lee was the Hong Kong 'cha cha' dance champion in 1958. He was also an American born in San Francisco and had a German grandfather
* Colour blind people are used to detect camouflaged units in previous war-fare
* Coffee beans can be mixed into B type blood, changing it into O type blood
* Rubbing cocoa butter on your abdomen during pregnancy will prevent stretch marks.
* The light from your computer screen streams at you at almost 186,000 miles per second.
* If you chew a cabbage/lettuce leaf properly, you'll lose more energy than you'll gain from actually eating it.
* In a deck of cards, the King of Hearts is the only king without a moustache.
* In the city of Carmel, where Clint Eastwood grew up, they dont have postmen, coz they dont have street numbers. Ppl go to the post office to collect their mail.
* Castrated males do not grow bald. (Don't worry, I can resist the urge http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif)
* Some large clouds store enough water for 500000 showers
* Dominique Larrey, Napoleon's chief surgeon, could amputate a leg in 13 seconds.
* Donald Duck comics were once banned from Finland because he/it doesn't wear pants
* The electric chair was invented by a dentist. Dentistry has also achieved the highest number suicidal deaths for a profesional job.
* The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year
* The dioxin 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin is 150,000 times deadlier than cyanide.
* Duelling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
* Calculating DNA length for each person, it would stretch across the diameter of the solar system.
* If the information contained in the DNA could be written down, it would fill a 1000 volume encyclopedia
* Thomas Edison, lightbulb inventor, was afraid of the dark
* Everest is not the tallest mountain. Kauna Kea Mountain in the Hawaiian Island is 230m taller. It is 4201m above water and 4877 underwater! Everest is only 8848m.
* There are approximately 10 million bricks in the Empire State Building.
* E-mails started in 1971. Ray Tomlinson is it's DADDY!! and the first e-mail was sent WRITTEN ENTIRELY IN UPPER CASE.
* Pope Adrian VI choked to death after a fly got stuck in his throat as he was taking a drink from a fountain
* Remember the quote "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"? It wasn't Murphy's Law, as a lot of people believe. It was Finagle's Law
* Astronauts grow taller (height) in space
* The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
* The Honda Accord has the highest stolen rate in the US according to NCIB.
* A "hairbreadth away" is 1/48 of an inch.
* A company, Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song "Happy Birthday".
* In a year, your heart can beat up to 40,000,000 times!
* Food passes through the small intestine in just two hours, zipping along at 0.002 mph. Inside the large intestine, it takes about 14 hours, traveling at a more leisurely rate of 0.00007 mph
* A "jiffy" is actually a proper time unit for 1/100th of a second
* The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting.
* Ketchup originally comes from Thailand. There it was labelled "Kachiap" or "Ketjap". And spicy it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* 4 tablespoons of ketchup has about the same amount of nutrition as a ripe tomato.
* Over 2500 left handed people a year are killed from using products made for right handed people.
* If a person has two thirds of his or her liver removed through trauma or surgery, it will grow back to the original size in four weeks time
* The right lung is slightly larger than the left
* Chicken liver can be used to change A type blood to O type blood
* Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors. He could also draw with one hand and write with the other.He ALSO wrote his notes backwards, going from right to left, just as a mental exercise. He also designed the submarine, the tank, the airplane and the helicopter, centuries before we were able to make them.
* A person who is lost in the woods and starving can obtain nourishment by chewing on his shoes. Leather has enough nutritional value to sustain life for a short time.
* You will have to walk 80 kilometers for your legs to equal the amount of exercise your eyes get daily
* Los Angeles was formerly known as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciúncula or The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels of the Little Portion although its official name was simply El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles
* The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue
* A McDonald's straw will hold 7.7 ml, or just over one-and-a-half teaspoons of whatever you are drinking.
* A day on the planet Mercury is twice as long as its year.
* Astronaut Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon with his left foot.
* December 1972 U.S. astronaut Eugene Cernan becomes the last person to set foot on the moon.
* The magnetic North Pole shifts by about 7 meters a day.
* 85% of men who die of heartattacks during intercourse, are found to have been cheating on their wives.
* The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket
* You can only tell the gender of a Macaw through an operation. They lack exterior genetials.
* As much as 80% of microwaves from mobile phones are absorbed by YOUR HEAD!
* More Monopoly is printed yearly than real money throughout the world.
* The "save" icon on Microsoft Word shows a floppy disk, with the shutter on backwards
* Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails
* Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
* A teaspoon of neutron star material weighs about 110 million tons.
* Neck ties were first worn in Croatia.
* The entire worlds output of urine takes about 45 minutes to go over the Niagra falls.
* The bridge across the Niagra Falls began with a kite carrying a line across it.
* It is impossible for anyone to verbally count up to the number 1 trillion
* Your nose smells best when you are about 10 years old.
* Your nostrils take turns inhaling. You breathe through one for about 3-4 hours then switch to the other one
* A man named Charles Osborne had the hiccups for 69 years
* In the 1960's, the US spent millions developing a zero gravity pen for use in space, and the Russians...., they used pencils.
* If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction
* In ancient Egypt, priests plucked EVERY hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes.
* Pears ripen from the inside out, and according to a survey on the lifestyle channel, men prefer hard pears while women prefer soft pears.
* Ingredients in pineapples might cause an abortion if eaten during pregnancy!!!!!!!!!!!
* When potatoes were brought from South America over to Spain, it took about 200 years before it was recognized as a food.
* Prague consumes 3 times more beer than all the soft drinks combined
* A Red Giant(a kind of exploded star) has a lower density than any vacuum here on earth
* Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.
* Rubberbands last longer when refregerated
* Rice and some other grains contain chemicals that can enhance brain functions
* No piece of dry square paper can be folded more than 7 times in half!
* Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie
* A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 100 m.p.h. The highest recorded "sneeze speed" is 165 km per hour
* A young lady named Ellen Church convinced Boeing Air Transport that her nursing skills and love of flying would qualify her to assist with the passengers and emergencies. She became the first known stewardess.
* On average, people fear spiders more than they do death
* All the coal, oil, gas, and wood on Earth would only keep the Sun burning for a few days.
* An area of the Sun's surface the size of a postage stamp shines with the power of 1,500,000 candles.
* It is impossible for a solar eclipse to last for more than 7 minutes 58 seconds
* The salute of uniform bodies (eg. army, police) originated from knights who lifted their visors to show their face to a royalty.
* When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. First off would be your sight
* Each day, there are over 120 million sexual intercourse taking place all over the world. (Now dont you feel more contented each night before you go to sleep ALONE http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/wink.gif)
* Your body releases growth hormones when you sleep.
* Scarecrows frighten birds because of the human odor emitted from the clothes they wear. Come rain and wind, this odor dissapears. (tip for people who dont bathe often)
* In the Simpsons series, Homer has said 3267 times "Doh!"
* An average secretary's left hand does 56% of the typing.
* The sun's average period of rotation is 27 days.
* The average person swallows one liter of snot every day.
* Shirley Temple always has 56 curls in her hair
* St. Teresa of Avila is the patron saint of chess-players!!
* The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1
* TYPEWRITER is one of the longest words that can be made using the letters only one row of the keyboard.
* Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Anne Archer are members of the Church of Scientology
* When the German army invaded France in WWI, they actually followed the schedules of the local trains to invade (it was faster by rail and they wanted to surprise France), checking the timetable and abiding by it. And France, whose army was waiting at the border, sent taxis to pick up and transport the troops to counter the attack!
* The telescope on Mount Palomar, California, can see a distance of 7,038,835,200,000,000,000,000 miles.
* It is impossible to get water out of a rimless tyre. (If any of you are acutely that free.., try confirming this one)
* In most comic strips and magazine advertisments, the time on the clock is 10:10.
* The average life expectancy of a toilet is 50 years.
* Some reconstituted tobacco contains the same ingredients found in fart.
* The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language (I have no trouble believing that)
* Uranus was originally called George, in honour of King George III of Britain
* Saint Agnes, the patron saint of virgins, was martyred when she was only thirteen years old. She was the saint who bore a child but was still a virgin.
* Laid end-to-end, the arteries, capillaries and veins would stretch for about 60,000 miles in the average child and would be about 100,000 miles in an adult - enough to wrap around the world nearly four times
* In the southern hemisphere, water always swirl anti-clockwise down into a pipe.
* We lose half a litre of water a day through breathing. This is the water vapour we see when we breathe onto glass
* The longest word in the English language is 1909 letters long and it refers to a distinct part of DNA.
* 10% of human dry weight comes from bacteria
* Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand
* Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
* A whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound.
* Hot water weighs more than cold.
* If hot water is suddenly poured into a glass that glass is more apt to break if it is thick than if it is thin. This is why test tubes are made of thin glass.
* The words racecar, kayak, level and Navy Van are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left, and these are called palindromes. The longest palindromes in the dictionary however are the words 'Malayalam', 'rotavator' and 'redivider'. Now check this out: 'A man, a plan, a canal: Panama!'
* The combination "ough" can be pronounced in 9!! different ways. Read this: "A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed"
* If you pile up the cans of Yeo's products, you would be able to reach the moon.
* If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. (unsure)
* The term Y2K was invented by David Eddie in June 1995 through the email.
* Zero point energy is a source of energy which is released when atoms stop moving, at -273.15 Celcius (= O Kelvin = -459.67 Fahrenheit)




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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* The first ever roller-coasters were made from frozen water. Riders would climb up a wooden frame and slide down a sheet of ice
* Centuries ago, Europe suffered from dance mania epidemics - thousands of religious fanatics would boogie in the streets untill they collapsed with exhaustion!
* Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel, "Gadsby", which contains over 50,000 words - none of them with the letter E!
* Of all the words in the English language, the word set has the most definitions
* A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans.
* Taphephobia is the fear of being buried alive.

To be continued

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Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 24, 2002).]

[jettmotto]

GOin bk on track: "Only 1% on ur fart is smelly."

[/B][/QUOTE]

did anyone hear about that guy in cali. a couple yrs back who died from smelling his farts for like 1 hr straight!!!!

[jettmotto]

Quote/ The United States of America has never lost a war

but there are plenty of wars they haven't won too, hense the drug war which has been a battle for how many decades now!

[Phreakmeister]

THE LEGEND CONTINUES

* Rugby dates back to when William Webb Ellis, a pupil of UK's Rugby School, took the ball in his arms and ran with it during a soccer match in 1873

* So many forces are at work in baseball that a whole science of advanced statistical analysis has been created, purely to study them - called sabermetrics

* In 1986 the completion of the new Texas railroad was celebrated with a staged head-on crash between two trains, but the stunt killed two spectators

* Unlike most people's beliefs, the 12 stars in the flag of the European Union do not represent the number of member states when the flag was designed (which coincidentally happened to be 12 as well). In reality, the number 12 stands for perfection.

* The official anthem of the EU is 'Ode an die Freude' from Beethovens 9th symphony.

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

U.S. PRESIDENTS

* Of the twelve presidents who won close elections (which I define as those where the victor wins the popular vote by less than three percent, or the electoral college by less than five percent), nine presidents failed to serve a subsequent term

* Only three narrow-margin presidents- Thomas Jefferson, Grover Cleveland, and Richard Nixon - survived the curse and served a subsequent term in office. And only Jefferson obtained eight years of uninterrupted rule after winning a close election

* 15 presidents of the US were Masons (Buchanan, Ford, Garfield, Harding, Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Lyndon B. Johnson, McKinley, Monroe, Polk, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Taft, Truman, Washington)

* The highest income of a US president ever, is the income of George W. Bush ($400,000 + $50,000 expense account)

* Calvin Coolidge was the only US president born on the 4th of July (1872)

* John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826. This was 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

* Pres. Warren G. Harding (1865) was born exactly 70 years after Pres. James K. Polk (1795)

* Most presidents (6) were born in October. 3 of them were born in the first week of October, 2 of them were born in the last week of October

* No president has his birthday on the 3rd, 17th, 21st, 25th, 26th or 31st of the month

* 5 couples of US presidents were born in the same year: Jackson/Adams (1767), Grant/Hayes (1822), Nixon/Ford (1913), Carter/Bush Sr. (1924), Clinton/Bush Jr. (1946)

* 7 presidents graduated at Harvard, 5 at Yale. 1 graduated at Oxford (Bill Clinton), none at Cambridge.

* 8 U.S. Presidents haven't been to college. Amongst them the likes of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. The only 20th century president not to have been to college was Harry S. Truman.

* George W. Bush is the second son-of-a-former-president to become president himself. The first was John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams.

* 3 U.S. presidents have never known their fathers. Bill Clinton, Rutherford B. Hayes and Andrew Jackson lost their father before birth

* John F. Kennedy is the only president to have died before his parents

* The youngest U.S. president to leave office was John F. Kennedy (we all know why), who left office at the age of 46 years and 5 months. The oldest U.S. president to leave office by far was Ronald Reagan, who left office at the age of 77 years and 11 months

* 8 U.S. presidents and 6 vice-presidents died in office

* Most U.S. presidents (11) were Episcopalian. 7 were Presbyterian. Only one (JFK) was Roman Catholic. 3 (Jefferson, Johnson and Lincoln) were not religious, or not bound to any church.

* Abraham Lincoln was the tallest U.S. president (6'4"), James Madison the smallest (5'4")

* John F. Kennedy had affairs with no less than 9 different women.

* 9 U.S. presidents have been involved in affairs

* No less than 24 U.S. presidents originally were lawyers. Father and son Bush are the only presidents to come from the world of business.

* Most U.S. presidents are from Virginia (8) and Ohio (7)

* Martin van Buren was the first president who was born a U.S. citizen

* Bill Clinton was listed as the 41st president of the US, but only 40 men have held the office. Why? Grover Cleveland held office during 2 nonconsecutive terms. He was the 22nd and 24th president.

* James Buchanan is the only U.S. president who remained single.

* 2 presidents (John Q. Adams and Theodore Roosevelt) got married abroad. Both got married in England. Adams in Barking, Essex, Roosevelt in London.

* 3 presidents got married whilst president: Cleveland, Tyler and Wilson

* The most popular names for First Ladies are Abigail (2), Edith (2) and Julia (2)

* John Tyler had the most children (no less than 15), 6 presidents remained childless. One of them (Andrew Jackson) adopted his nephew, another (Warren G. Harding) is said to have had a daughter by one of his mistresses.

* 3 presidents (Harrison, Tyler and Wilson) were widowed in office

* The Republican Party has supplied most presidents (18). Democrats have supplied 14 presidents. 4 were Whigs, 4 were Democratic Republicans, 2 were Federalists

* The biggest share of popular votes was won by Lyndon B. Johnson (61.4%). The smallest share of popular votes was won by John Quincy Adams (30.9%)

* 5 presidents became president by succession

* The biggest share of votes in the Electoral College was won by George Washington. In both 1789 and 1792 he won a staggering 100% of the votes. The smallest share of votes in the Electoral College was won by John Quincy Adams in 1824. In The Electoral College he got only 32.2% of the votes, but he was elected by the House of Representatives

* The most states won in election, was 49, by both Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984. The least states won in election was 2, by William Taft in 1912.
* The least states won in election by the losing candidate, was 0, by Martin van Buren in 1848. The most states won in election by the losing candidate, was 27, by Gerald R. Ford.

* The top 10 of most popular U.S. presidents ever, according to a survey of the Siena College Research Institute in 1994, is as follows:

1 Franklin D Roosevelt
2 Abraham Lincoln
3 Theodore Roosevelt
4 George Washington
5 Thomas Jefferson
6 Woodrow Wilson
7 Harry Truman
8 Dwight D Eisenhower
9 James Madison
10 John F Kennedy

Bill Clinton is 16th, Nixon is 23rd. Last is Warren Harding.

* Franklin Delano Roosevelt granted no less than 3687 pardons. James Garfield and William H. Harrison granted no pardons whatsoever. Bill Clinton is only 20th on the list, with 456 pardons.

* Ten presidents were elected in a year ending with zero (0). Only 3 presidents (James Monroe (1820), Ronald Reagan (1980) and George W. Bush (so far) (2000)) survived the presidency............

* 14 candidates were running for presidency after having been defeaten. 4 of them made it to the White House.

* 4 presidents sought a second, non-consecutive term. Only 1 (Grover Cleveland, 1892) succeeded.

* 4 presidents were assassinated, 6 presidents escaped assassination attempts

* Franklin D. Roosevelt issued no less than 635 vetoes, 9 of which were overridden. Martin van Buren and James Monroe issued only one veto each. 7 presidents issued no vetoes at all

* The first African American Cabinet Member was Robert C. Weaver, who was Secretary of Housing under Lyndon B. Johnson.

* In only 3 of the original 13 states of the Union, the ratification of the American Constitution was unanymous.

* Most states joined the Union under Benjamin Harrison (6). Under Buchanan, 7 states seceded, 4 more states seceded under Lincoln. 8 were readmitted under Andrew Johnson, 4 were readmitted under Grant. Georgia was readmitted under Johnson in 1868, unseated in 1869 and readmitted under Grant in 1870.

* The last president to have been a Cabinet Member in a previous cabinet was Herbert C. Hoover, who from 1923 to 1928 was Secretary of Commerce under Calvin Coolidge

* The shortest presidency was that of William H. Harrison (31 days). The longest presidency was that of Franklin D. Roosevelt (12 years, 39 days)

* Jimmy Carter was the first president born in a hospital

* 2 presidents used non-existent names. Ulysses S. Grant was originally called Hiram S. Grant. Harry S Truman has S as a middle name. His parents couldn't choose between Solomon and Shippe, the names of his grandfathers. So instead they just named him S.

* Beginning in 1840, and in each consecutive twenty-year presidential administration through 1960, the incumbent President has died in office. The "Twenty Year Curse" was supposedly cast upon the presidency at the hands of an unknown Indian Chief.

1840 - William Henry Harrison......pneumonia
1860 - Abraham Lincoln......assassination
1880 - James Garfield......assassination
1900 - William McKinley.......assassination
1920 - Warren Harding........heart failure
1940 - Franklin Roosevelt.......cerebral hemorrhage
1960 - John Kennedy.....assassinated

1980 - President Reagan...Although he did not die in office, he was shot and nearly killed by an assassin.
The President was also diagnosed by some as having developed Alzheimer's disease while in office


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Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 24, 2002).]

[Phreakmeister]

LINCOLN VS. KENNEDY


The Hundred Year Gap


* Abraham Lincoln was elected to the House of Representatives in 1846; John Kennedy, 1946.
* Lincoln failed to win the vice presidential nomination in 1856, Kennedy in 1956.
* The republican conventions of 1860 and 1960 were held in Chicago.
* Mr. Lincoln was elected to the presidency in 1860, John Kennedy in 1960.
* Lincoln defeated Stephen Douglas, born in 1813; Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon born in 1913.
* John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Lincoln, was born in 1839, Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President Kennedy in 1939.

* Both presidents had vice presidents named Johnson.
* Andrew Johnson served in the House of Representatives in 1847, Lyndon Johnson, 1947.
* In 1860 and 1960 both VP's were serving as Senators.
* Andrew Johnson was older than Lincoln and was born in 1808, Lyndon Johnson, born in 1908, was older than Kennedy.
* Even though Lincoln was a republican, both vice presidents were democrats.
* Andrew Johnson was defeated for re-election, Lyndon Johnson elected not to run for a second complete term.
* Andrew Johnson died of a stroke; Lyndon Johnson a heart attack.


Other similarities

* Both presidents won their respective elections with less than fifty-percent of the popular vote.
* Each was concerned with the issue of civil rights.
* Both presidents while in their thirties, married women in their early twenties.
* Both wives suffered the death of a child while in the White House.
* Lincoln and Kennedy repeatedly spoke of, and had dreams regarding, assassination attempts.
* Each was subsequently warned by advisors not to attend the events that led to their death.
* Lincoln and Kennedy were shot from behind, in the head.
* They were killed on a Friday, and in the presence of their wives.
* The assassins, Booth and Oswald, were southerners who favored unpopular ideas.
* Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and was captured in a barn, a warehouse. Oswald allegedly shot Kennedy from a warehouse, the depository, and was arrested at a theater.
* Lincoln was killed in Ford's Theater, Kenny was killed in a Ford automobile; a Lincoln.
* Both Booth and Oswald were killed before going to trail.
* The popular belief is that the two presidential tragedies were conspiracies with subsequent governmental cover up.
* The names Lincoln and Kennedy contain seven letters.
* The names Stephen and Richard, their political opponents have seven letters each.
The name Johnson contains seven letters.
* The fathers of the presidents, Thomas and Joseph respectively, each have six letters.
* The names Andrew Johnson and Lyndon Johnson each contain 13 letters, as do the names of their wives, Eliza McCardle and Claudia Taylor.
* The names John Wilkes booth and Lee Harvey Oswald both total 15 letters



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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* John Q. Adams, son of John Adams, lost the popular vote in 1824, but was elected president.
* Benjamin Harrison, grandson of William Henry Harrison, lost the popular vote in 1888, but was elected president.
* George W. Bush, son of George Bush, lost the popular vote in 2000, but was elected.

* Neither J. Q. Adams or B. Harrison were re-elected.
* In each respective election, the opponent they beat came back to win the next election. Jackson defeated Adams, and Cleveland defeated Harrison. Gore in 2004?

* No president with four letters in their last name served more than one term: James Polk 1845, Howard Taft 1909, Gerald Ford 1974, and George Bush 1989. George W. Bush has four.
* No president whose last name began with the letter B was re-elected: Van Buren 1837, Buchanan 1857, and Bush 1989.
* No one with a B in their first name has served two terms: Abraham Lincoln 1861, Herbert Hoover 1929, and Benjamin Harrison 1889.
* No one who used the middle initial B served a second term: Rutherford B. Hayes 1877, and Lyndon B. Johnson 1963.
* George W. Bush's last name begins with a B, and Gore's first name is Albert........

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* Bank robber John Dillinger played professional baseball.

* If you toss a penny 10000 times, it will not be heads 5000 times, but more like 4950. The heads picture weighs more, so it ends up on the bottom.

* The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

* The housefly hums in the middle octave, key of F.

* If your eyes are six feet above the surface of the ocean, the horizon will be about three statute miles away.

* Hydroxydesoxycorticosterone and hydroxydeoxycorticosterones are the
largest anagrams.

* Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots

* The band Duran Duran got their name from an astronaut in the 1968 Jane Fonda movie "Barbarella.

* Cleo and Caesar were the early stage names of Cher and Sonny Bono.

* Ben and Jerry's send the waste from making ice cream to local pig farmers to use as feed. Pigs love the stuff, except for one flavor: Mint Oreo.

* The company providing the liability insurance for the Republican National Convention in San Diego is the same firm that insured the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic.

* Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

* Dr. Samuel A. Mudd was the physician who set the leg of Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth... and whose shame created the expression for ignominy, "His name is Mudd."

* The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

* Wilma Flintstone's maiden name was Wilma Slaghoopal, and Betty Rubble's Maiden name was Betty Jean Mcbricker.

* 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

* The Ramses brand condom is named after the great pharaoh Ramses II who fathered over 160 children.

* If NASA sent birds into space they would soon die, they need gravity to swallow.

* The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life"

* It was discovered on a space mission that a frog can throw up. The frog throws up its stomach first, so the stomach is dangling out of its mouth. Then the frog uses its forearms to dig out all of the stomach's contents and then swallows the stomach back down again.

* White Out was invented by the mother of Mike Nesmith (Formerly of the Monkees)

* Sylvia Miles had the shortest performance ever nominated for an Oscar with "Midnight Cowboy." Her entire role lasted only six minutes.

* Charles Lindbergh took only four sandwiches with him on his famous transatlantic flight.

* Goethe couldn't stand the sound of barking dogs and could only write if he had an apple rotting in the drawer of his desk.

* If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if
the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

* Gilligan of Gilligan's Island had a first name that was only used once, on the never-aired pilot show. His first name was Willy. The skipper's real name on Gilligan's Island is Jonas Grumby. It was mentioned once in
the first episode on their radio's newscast about the wreck.

* In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

* Playing cards were issued to British pilots in WWII. If captured, they could be soaked in water and unfolded to reveal a map for escape.

* The "L.L." in L.L. Bean stands for Leon Leonwood.

* Ivory bar soap floating was a mistake. They had been overmixing the soap formula causing excess air bubbles that made it float. Customers wrote and told how much they loved that it floated, and it has floated ever since.

* Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor of a building it has about thirty percent less chance of surviving than a cat that falls off the twentieth floor. It supposedly takes about eight floors for the
cat to realize what is occurring, relax and correct itself.

* The saying "it's so cold out there it could freeze the balls off a brass monkey" came from when they had old cannons like ones used in the Civil War. The cannonballs were stacked in a pyramid formation, called
a brass monkey. When it got extremely cold outside they would crack and break off... Thus the saying.

* Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself.

* The Sanskrit word for "war" means "desire for more cows."

* A walla-walla scene is one where extras pretend to be talking in the background -- when they say "walla-walla" it looks like they are actually talking.

* The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

* 101 Dalmatians and Peter Pan (Wendy) are the only two Disney cartoon features with both parents that are present and don't die throughout the movie.

* The Baby Ruth candy bar was actually named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth.

* A whale's !%!%!%!%!% is called a dork.

* Armadillos have four babies at a time and they are always all the same sex.

* Armadillos are the only animal besides humans that can get leprosy.

* To escape the grip of a crocodile's jaws, push your thumbs into its eyeballs -- it will let you go instantly.

* Reindeer like to eat bananas.

* A group of unicorns is called a blessing.
* Twelve or more cows are known as a "flink."
* A group of frogs is called an army.
* A group of rhinos is called a crash.
* A group of kangaroos is called a mob.
* A group of whales is called a pod.
* A group of geese is called a gaggle.
* A group of ravens is called a murder.
* A group of officers is called a mess.
* A group of larks is called an exaltation.
* A group of owls is called a parliament.

* Physicist Murray Gell-Mann named the sub-atomic particles known as quarks for a random line in James Joyce, "Three quarks for Muster Mark!"

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

BLACK FACTS

* The word, "coffee," comes from Caffa, Ethiopia, where it was first used and where it still grows wild.

* George Washington sent a 'Negro' slave to Barbados to be exchanged for a hogshead of molasses, a cask of rum and 'other good old spirits,' in 1776.

* The Ganges, the sacred river of India, is named after an Ethiopian king of that name who conquered Asia as far as this river


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Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 24, 2002).]

[Phreakmeister]

NUCLEAR FACTS

* Cost of the Manhattan Project (through August 1945): $20,000,000,000

* Total number of nuclear missiles built, 1951-present: 67,500

* Estimated construction costs for more than 1,000 ICBM (Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles) launch pads and silos, and support facilities, from 1957-1964: nearly $14,000,000,000

* Total number of nuclear bombers built, 1945-present: 4,680

* Peak number of nuclear warheads and bombs in the stockpile: 32,193 (in 1966)

* Total number and types of nuclear warheads and bombs built, 1945-1990: more than 70,000, of 65 types

* Number of nuclear warheads and bombs in the stockpile in 1997: 12,500 (8,750 active, 2,500 hedge/contingency stockpile, 1,250 awaiting disassembly)

* Number of nuclear warheads requested by the Army in 1956 and 1957: 151,000

* Projected U.S. nuclear warheads and bombs
after completion of the START II reductions in 2003: 5,000

* Additional warheads the military wants to hold in inactive reserve to "hedge" against future threats: 2,500

* Largest and smallest nuclear bombs ever deployed:
B17/B24 (~42,000 lbs., 10-15 megatons);
W54 (51 lbs., .01 kilotons, .02 kilotons-1 kiloton)

* Peak number of operating domestic uranium mines (1955): 925

* Fissile material produced: 104 metric tons of plutonium and 994 metric tons of highly-enriched uranium

* Amount of plutonium still in weapons: 43 metric tons

* Number of thermometers which could be filled with mercury used to produce lithium-6 at the Oak Ridge Reservation: 11 billion

* Number of dismantled plutonium "pits" stored at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas: 12,067 (as of May 6, 1999)

* States with the largest number of nuclear weapons: New Mexico (2,450), Georgia (2,000), Washington (1,685), Nevada (1,350), and North Dakota (1,140)

* Total known land area occupied by U.S. nuclear weapons bases and facilities: 15,654 square miles. Total land area of the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey together: 15,357 square miles

* Legal fees paid by the Department of Energy to fight lawsuits from workers and private citizens concerning nuclear weapons production and testing activities, from October 1990 through March 1995: $97,000,000

* Money paid by the State Department to Japan following fallout from the 1954 "Bravo" test: $15,300,000

* Money and non-monetary compensation paid by the the United States to Marshallese Islanders since 1956 to redress damages from nuclear testing: at least $759,000,000

* Money paid to U.S. citizens under the Radiation Exposure and Compensation Act of 1990, as of January 13, 1998: approximately $225,000,000 (6,336 claims approved; 3,156 denied)

* Total cost of the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion (ANP) program, 1946-1961: $7,000,000,000

* Total number of nuclear-powered aircraft and airplane hangers built: 0 and 1

* Between July 1955 and March 1957, a specially modified B-36 bomber made 47 flights with a three megawatt air-cooled operational test reactor (the reactor, however, did not power the plane).

* Number of secret Presidential Emergency Facilities built for use during and after a nuclear war: more than 75

* Currency stored until 1988 by the Federal Reserve at its Mount Pony facility for use after a nuclear war: more than $2,000,000,000

* Amount of silver in tons once used at the Oak Ridge, TN, Y-12 Plant for electrical magnet coils: 14,700

* Total number of U.S. nuclear weapons tests, 1945-1992: 1,030 (1,125 nuclear devices detonated)

* First and last test:
July 16, 1945 ("Trinity")
and September 23, 1992 ("Divider")

* Estimated amount spent between October 1, 1992 and October 1, 1995 on nuclear testing activities: $1,200,000,000 (0 tests)

* Cost of 1946 Operation Crossroads weapons tests ("Able" and "Baker") at Bikini Atoll:
$1,300,000,000

* Largest U.S. explosion: 15 Megatons (March 1, 1954 ("Bravo"))

* Number of islands in Enewetak atoll vaporized by the November 1, 1952 "Mike" H-bomb test: 1

* Number of nuclear tests in the Pacific: 106
* Number of U.S. nuclear tests in Nevada: 911
* Number of nuclear weapons tests in Alaska, Colorado [1 and 2], Mississippi and New Mexico [1, 2 and 3]: 10

* Operational naval nuclear propulsion reactors vs. operational commercial power reactors: 129 vs. 108

* Current number of attack (SSN) and ballistic missile (SSBN) submarines: 80 SSNs and 18 SSBNs

* Number of high level radioactive waste tanks in Washington, Idaho and South Carolina: 239

* Volume in cubic meters of radioactive waste resulting from weapons activities: 104,000,000

* Number of designated targets for U.S. weapons in the Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP) in 1976, 1986, and 1995:
25,000 (1976), 16,000 (1986) and 2,500 (1995)

* Cost of January 17, 1966 nuclear weapons accident over Palomares, Spain (including two lost planes, an extended search and recovery effort, waste disposal in the U.S. and settlement claims): $182,000,000

* Number of U.S. nuclear bombs lost in accidents and never recovered: 11

* Number of Department of Energy federal employees (in 1996): 18,608
* Number of Department of Energy contractor employees (in 1996): 109,242

* Minimum number of classified pages estimated to be in the Department of Energy's possession: 280 million

* Ballistic missile defense spending in 1965 vs.1995: $2,200,000,000 vs. $2,600,000,000

* Average cost per warhead to the U.S. to help Kazakhstan dismantle 104 SS-18 ICBMs carrying more than 1,000 warheads: $70,000

* Estimated 1998 spending on all U.S. nuclear weapons and weapons-related programs: $35,100,000,000



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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* The life span of a taste bud is ten days.

* "Stewardesses" and "reverberated" are the two longest words (12 letters each) that can be typed using only the left hand.

* Alaska could hold the 21 smallest States.

* In 1986 Danny Heep became the first player in a World Series to be a designated hitter (DH) with the initials "D.H."

* Before Prohibition, Schlitz Brewery owned more property in Chicago than anyone else, except The Catholic Church.

* If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom.

* Kermit the Frog is left-handed.

* Pamela Anderson Lee is Canada's Centennial Baby, being the first baby born on the centennial anniversary of Canada's independence.

* Non-dairy creamer is flammable.

* The car in the foreground on the back of a $10 bill is a 1925 Hupmobile.

* If you can see a rainbow you must have your back to the sun. If you don't, you can't see it.

* The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

* The first song played on Armed Forces Radio during operation Desert Shield was Rock the Casbah by the Clash.

* It's rumored that sucking on a copper penny will cause a breathalyzer to read zero.

* In the 1940s, the FCC assigned television's Channel 1 to mobile services (two-way radios in taxicabs, for instance) but did not renumber the other channel assignments. That is why your TV set has channels 2 and up but no channel 1.

* Dogs and humans are the only animals with prostates.

* The highest scoring word in the English language game of Scrabble is 'Quartzy'. This will score 164 points if played across a red triple-word square with the Z on a light blue double-letter square. It will score 162 points if played across two pink double-word squares with the Q and the Y on those squares. 'Bezique' and 'Cazique' are next with a possible 161 points. All three words score an extra 50 points for having seven letters and therefore emptying the letter rack in one go.

* The ashes of the average cremated person weighs nine pounds

------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* Assuming Rudolph was in front, there are 40,320 ways to arrange the other eight reindeer. (8 x 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1)

* The dial tone of a normal telephone is in the key of "F".

* The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene.

* In the four major US professional sports, (Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Hockey), there are only seven teams whose names do not end with an "S".
Basketball: Miami Heat, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic.
Baseball: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox.
Hockey: Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning.
Football: None.

* Beelzebub, another name for the devil, is Hebrew for "Lord of the Flies," and this is where the book's title comes from.

* It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is shake and the 46th word from the last word is spear.

* The ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2, should always be written as QE2. QEII is the actual queen.

* There were no squirrels on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts until 1989.

* The correct response to the Irish greeting, "Top of the morning to you," is "and the rest of the day to yourself."

* The Les Nessman character on the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati wore a Band-Aid in every episode. Either on himself ,his glasses, or his clothing.

* Columbia University is the second largest landowner in New York City, after the Catholic Church.

* When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers play football at home to a sellout crowd, the stadium becomes the state's third largest city.

* John Larroquette of "Night Court" and "The John Larroquette Show" was the narrator of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

* Former US Senator Barry Goldwater attended the opening night ceremonies and festivities at Bugsy Siegel's famous Las Vegas Casino. They left him out of the movie "Bugsy."

* In 1963, baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry remarked, "They'll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run." On July 20, 1969, a few hours after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Gaylord Perry hit his first, and only, home run.

* Ohio is listed as the 17th state in the U.S., but technically it is Number 47. Until August 7, 1953, Congress forgot to vote on a resolution to admit Ohio to the Union.

* When Saigon fell, the signal for all Americans to evacuate was Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" being played on the radio.

* The pet ferret (Mustela putorias furo) was domesticated more than 500 years before the house cat.

* The dome on Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, conceals a billiards room. In Jefferson's day, billiards were illegal in Virginia.

* The term "devil's advocate" comes from the Roman Catholic church. When deciding if someone should be sainted, a devil's advocate is always appointed to give an alternative view.

* The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the alphabet.

* Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.

* A duck's quack doesn't echo. Noone knows why.

* The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

* The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable".

* Hang On Sloopy is the official rock song of Ohio.

* Did you know that there are coffee flavored PEZ?

* The airplane Buddy Holly died in was the "American Pie." (Thus the name of the Don McLean song.)

* When opossums are playing 'possum, they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror.

* The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

* Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. Spades - King David, Clubs - Alexander the Great, Hearts Charlemagne, and Diamonds - Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar actually was no king. He was a consul (comparable to a modern president).

* Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get fired."

* Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Han**** and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

* "I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

* The term "the whole 9 yards" came from WWII fighter pilots in the Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."

* Hershey's Kisses are called that way because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

* David Prowse was the guy in the Darth Vader suit in Star Wars. He spoke all of Vader's lines, and didn't know that he was going to be dubbed over by James Earl Jones until he saw the screening of the movie.

* The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General Purpose" vehicle, G.P.

* The Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia, has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s, the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites.

* If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.

* No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Superbowl.

* The first toilet ever seen on television was on "Leave It To Beaver". (I'm not saying anything...............

* The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League All-Star Game.

* In Cleveland, Ohio, it's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license. (Kinda reminds me of Calif.)

* It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs.

* There are an average of 178 sesame seeds on a McDonald's Big Mac bun.

* Pound for pound, hamburgers cost more than new cars.

* The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

* When Heinz ketchup leaves the bottle, it travels at a rate of 25 miles per year.

* It's possible to lead a cow upstairs... but not downstairs.

* The Bible has been translated into Klingon.

* Humans are the only primates that don't have pigment in the palms of their hands.

* Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from the sale of vodka.

* Ninety percent of New York City cabbies are recently arrived immigrants.

* On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year.

* In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined. (WHOOPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

* Reno, Nevada is west of Los Angeles, California.

* Average age of top GM executives in 1994: 49.8 years. Average age of the Rolling Stones: 50.6.

* Elephants can't jump. Every other mammal can.

* The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

* Five Jell-O flavors that flopped: celery, coffee, cola, apple, and chocolate.

* According to one study, 24% of lawns have some sort of lawn ornament in their yard.

------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* The longest word that can be typed using only the right hand is lollipop.

* Skepticisms is the longest word that alternates hands.

* A group of geese on the ground is a gaggle, a group of geese in the air is a skein.

* The underside of a horse's hoof is called a frog. The frog peels off several times a year with new growth.

* The verb "cleave" is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.

* Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order, as does arsenious, meaning "containing arsenic."

* The shape of plant collenchyma cells and the shape of the bubbles in beer foam are the same - they are orthotetrachidecahedrons.

* The word 'pound' is abbreviated 'lb.' after the constellation 'libra' because it means 'pound' in Latin, and also 'scales'. The abbreviation for the British Pound Sterling comes from the same source it is an 'L' for Libra/Lb. with a stroke through it to indicate abbreviation. Sames goes for the Italian lira which uses the same abbreviation ('lira' coming from 'libra'). So British currency (before it went metric) was always quoted as "pounds/shillings/pence", abbreviated "L/s/d" (libra/solidus/denarius).

* Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason.

* The word "Checkmate" in chess comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat," which means "the king is dead".

* Pinocchio is Italian for "pine head."

* Camel's milk does not curdle.

* An animal epidemic is called an epizootic.

* Murphy's Oil Soap is the chemical most commonly used to clean elephants.

* The United States has never lost a war in which mules were used.

* Blueberry Jelly Bellies were created especially for Ronald Reagan.

* All porcupines float in water.

* The world's largest wine cask is in Heidelberg, Germany.

* Lorne Greene had one of his nipples bitten off by an alligator while he was host of "Lorne Greene's Wild Kingdom."

* If you bring a raccoon's head to the Henniker, New Hampshire town hall, you are entitled to receive $.10 from the town.

* St. Stephen is the patron saint of bricklayers.

* Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

* Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

* The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses. No one in Greece has memorized all 158 verses.

* There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

* Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.

* The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."

* On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament Building is an American flag.

* All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20.

* No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

* "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt."

* All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on back of the $5 bill.

* Almonds are a member of the peach family.

* Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during dance.

* Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.

* There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

* Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

* A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours.

* A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

* A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

* On an American one-dollar bill, there is an owl in the upper left-hand corner of the "1" encased in the "shield" and a spider hidden in the front upper right-hand corner.

* John Lennon's first girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles.

* The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

* There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

* Dr. Seuss coined the word "nerd" in his 1950 book "If I Ran the Zoo"

* Reno, Nevada is west of Los Angeles, California

* Internationally, Baywatch is the most popular TV show in history

* Nearly a third of all bottled drinking water purchased in the US is contaminated with bacteria.

* You are more likely to be struck by lightning that to be eaten by a shark. You are more likely to be infected by flesh-eating bacteria than you are to be struck by lightning.

* If you urinate when swimming in a South American river, you may encounter the candiru. Drawn to warmth, this tiny fish is known to follow a stream of urine to its source, swim inside the body, and flare is barbed fins. It will remain firmly embedded in the flesh until surgically removed.

* When a pilot light in a gas barbecue fails to ignite the gas jets properly, it is easy for you to inhale gas accidentally while trying to light it by hand. If this has happened, when the match does light, sometimes a trail of flame will blaze from the jet onto your mouth, filling your lungs with fire. Oddly enough, you would suffocate before burning to death as the flame would consume the oxygen in every breath you would take. (gee, thnx for the info........ makes me feel a lot better)

* The soft plastic headphones used on airplanes create a warm, moist environment in the ear canal that is ideal for breeding bacteria. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

* On a plane, if the passenger in your seat on the incoming flight had serious gas, then you are sitting on a cushion full of disease-causing microbes.

* Homely criminals get 50% longer jail sentences, on average, than good-looking criminals.

* Four sunken nuclear submarines sit at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. One, a Russian sub resting in deep water off of Bermuda, holds 16 live nuclear warheads. Scientists and oceanographers are unsure what the impact of the escaping plutonium will have, but warn that corrosion could create the proper chemical environment for a massive nuclear chain reaction.

* In 1994, electromagnetic interference (EMI) from a nearby cellular telephone captivated a power wheelchair at a scenic vista in Colorado, sending the passenger over a cliff.............

* If the government has no knowledge of aliens, then why does Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations, implemented on July 16, 1969, make it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrial or their vehicles?

* More people working in advertising died on the job in 1996 than died while working in petroleum refining


------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* Martin Luther King, Jr., was originally named Michael, like his father. When Jr. was 5, dad changed both their names to Martin.

* Amelia Earhart designed her own line of clothes that were sold all over the United States.

* Degas, the great French painter, lived in New Orleans for one year, 1872-1873.

* Calvin Coolidge had 2 pet racoons.

* There are no poisonous snakes in Maine.

* President James Garfield devised an original proof of the Pythagorean Theorem and published it in 1876. He once taught maths at Hiram College.

* Jimmy Carter was the first president born in a hospital.

* President William H. Taft had quite a second career. 9 years after his presidency, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by President Harding. Taft was also the first president to submit a national budget and set a precedent by doing so.

* Gen. Robert E. Lee married a relative of George Washington, Mary Ann Randolph Custis.
She owned a plantation called "Arlington." They lived there 30 years until Gen. Lee resigned his commission to avoid fighting against his home state. The Lees vacated the property in 1861. Union troops occupied it and 200 acres were set aside to bury fallen Union soldiers. Today over 250,000 war dead are buried there. Now of course, it is known as Arlington National Cemetery.

* In the middle of the Mojave Desert in California, sits a lone telephone booth, 50 miles from Interstate 15, and basically in the middle of nowhere. Nobody seems to remember when and why it was built. Years ago miners who worked nearby used it. Today you can get to it on dirt roads. It has a world-wide cult following now, with people from all over the world calling and visiting it. Nicknamed the Mojave Desert Phone Booth, it's number is: (760)733-9969.

* A mechanical engineer invented a device in the 1870's to oil train wheels while the train kept running. It was called a lubricator. He made several others for various machines. His name was Elijah McCoy, and imitators followed. These imitations did not work as well, and people coined the phrase, "The Real McCoy" to denote the originals. What is so amazing about this fact? He was born to a runaway slave family. That's right, The Real McCoy was an African-American!

* Immigrants being awed by the Statue of Liberty is a tale that has been romanticized over the years. This was a view of richer passengers. The truth is, most immigrants who came here by ship near the turn of the century were very poor. As a result, they traveled below deck with hardly any view at all. The first thing most of them remember is being herded like cattle onto Ellis Island.

* A town called Terminus was founded in Georgia in 1837 because it was the end of a railroad line. This town was made into Marthasville in 1843. Since 1845 it has been called Atlanta

* The original bell, now referred to as the Liberty bell, was cast in London and came to the U.S. in 1752. It cracked a month later and was recast twice. The time and place of the current crack is actually unknown.

* Contrary to many peoples' beliefs, no star on the flag is specifically representing any one state. In fact, no law exists as to how they are even to be arranged.

* A redwood tree in California has been dubbed the Tallest Living Thing. It is about 367 feet high and resides in Montgomery Woods State Reserve. It is now taller than the previous "Tallest" tree because it was damaged in a storm and is now about 10 feet shorter.

* July 4, 1776, is the "official" date when the U.S. was born, but actually was not one country until 1788.

* Edgar Allan Poe was once an army cadet at West Point.

* The first American poet to achieve any notoriety was an African female slave named
Phillus Wheatly. One of her poems was first published when she was 13. She wrote a poem
about George Washington and later met him. She died tragically at the age of 30 in 1784.

* Benjamin Franklin composed his own epitaph when he was 22 years old.

* Charles Lindbergh was not the first person to fly across the Atlantic. He was the
first to make it alone. 2 Britains did it in 1919, and 2 weeks later U.S. Navy pilots did
the same thing.

* Amelia Earhart was the first female to fly across the Atlantic, once as a passenger,
and once as a solo pilot. She was the first to fly solo from California to Hawaii, and
the first to fly solo from Mexico City to New Jersey.

* During the American Civil War, more soldiers died of disease than they did from
gunshots and fighting.

* Maine is the only state in the lower 48 that touches only one other state.

* Long before the island of Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay became a prison, it was used as a military fort. Shortly prior to this, the first light house located on the West Coast was built here in 1854.

* In 1924, 14 buffalo were taken to Catalina Island off the coast of California. They were used in a movie, "The Vanishing American." The buffalo were left behind, the herd grew larger, and today about 250 still roam free on the island. During later years, the population has been "controlled".

* In 1940, Maurice and Richard McDonald opened a barbecue car-hop type restaurant located in San Bernardino, Ca. Shortly after W.W.II, they paired the menu down to offer burgers, fries, and shakes. Ray Croc, a restaurant appliance salesman, was baffled as to why they needed so many milk shake
makers. He found out soon enough. Franchise rights were sold in 1955, and Ray Croc opened one up in Des Plaines, Ill. This was his first, but actually the 9th McDonalds. And the rest, as they say, is history. A museum has recently opened up at the original location-14th and E streets in San Bernardino.

* Charles Lindbergh, the famous aviator, had visited Hawaii and became aware of its beauty. He lived most of his life on the East Coast, however. When he was ill and weeks away from dying, he checked himself out of a New York hospital and traveled to Hawaii. He made plans for his burial, and when he died he was buried at a site on Maui.

* Los Angeles was not as "tall" as other large cites, and sprawls for miles. One reason is that before 1957, there was a law against any building having more than 13 stories. They were afraid of earthquakes. City Hall, built in 1927, was the lone exception. This is the building that dominates the skyline in the old Dragnet and Superman TV series. Today, it seems quite hidden.

* According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are 140 towns and cities in the U.S.
that have the word "Christmas" in their names.

* General Motors, in 1954, became the first corporation in the U.S. to have $1 billion
in net income.

* The Poinsettia plant was named after Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to
Mexico in the early 1800's. He "discovered" them in Mexico in 1825.

* In 1971, cigarette ads were banned from television in the U.S.

* The first two navel orange trees in the U.S. were from Brazil and planted in Riverside, California, about 1875. Virtually all navel oranges grown in the U.S. are offspring from these trees. One of the original trees was replanted by Teddy Roosevelt in in 1903 but died. The other is still alive today in a park in Riverside!

* The first holiday celebrated nation wide in the U.S. was the 100th anniversary of
George Washington's inauguration, April 30, 1889.

* You don't need to travel out of the U.S. to see one of Egypt's ancient ruins. A 3,000 year old obelisk, named Cleopatra's Needle is located in New York's Central Park. Stands about 66 feet tall, weighs somewhere near 220 tons. It was given as a gift of friendship in 1879. Its "sister" is in London.

* The largest oil-producing field in the lower 48 states is in Taft, California.

* The spillway over Shasta Dam in Redding, California creates the world's largest man-made waterfall at 438 feet.

* The crookedest street in the world is Snake Alley, located in Burlington, Iowa.

* The first motel was built in San Luis Obispo, California during the 1920's when the Motor Inn merged the two words, motor and hotel. It is still there today!

* Japan sent bombs aboard balloons to the United States during World War II. Dozens of them actually landed, doing some damage. A family in Oregon was actually killed by one in 1944. There might be more just laying around undiscovered

* The largest man-made lake in the U.S. is Lake Mead, created by Hoover Dam.

* Boulder City, Nevada, is the only place left in the state where gambling is illegal. The government did not want workers on the Hoover Dam to gamble their money away.

* All banks in the U.S. were closed during the week of March 5th - 12th, 1933. This was to keep scared people from taking all their money out.

* The deadliest hurricane in the U.S. hit Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900. There is no exact count, but estimates are between 6,000 and 10,000 people were killed.

* The 30's gangster Machine Gun Kelly gave the FBI the nickname "G-Men."

* The first gold rush in the United States happened in Dahlonega, Georgia, 1828.

* Before 1913, the U.S. had no income tax. The 16th Amendment was needed so the government could do what they wanted to do with the money.

* Iced tea was first served at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. A British businessman called Lipton wanted to increase tea sales in America.

* The first coast-to-coast telephone line in the U.S. was established in 1914.

* Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary, was the first known carrier of typhoid fever in the U.S. She was confined to a hospital
the last 20 years of her life because she refused to stop working as a cook. She died in 1938.

* The London Bridge, built about 160 years ago in London, was transplanted in 1968 to Lake Havasu, Arizona.

* In 1850, the U.S. wanted to build a canal through Nicaragua, not Panama. The French started the Panama Canal, gave up, and sold the rights to the U.S.

* 150 residences in New York City got the first televisions in 1936. The first program NBC broadcast to them was a cartoon of
Felix The Cat!

* More Civil War battles were fought in Virginia than in any other state.

* The Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee, is the world's only reproduction of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.

* Hernando de Soto became the first European to reach the Mississippi River in 1581.

* More than one-fourth of the entire population of Memphis, Tennessee, was wiped out by yellow fever in 1878.

* Cathedral Caverns in Alabama, has what is believed to be the largest stalagmite, named Goliath, as well as the largest cave opening and cavern room in the world.

* In the 1930's, the U.S. government sent farmers from the midwest to "colonize" the Matanusk Valley in Alaska. It proved a success and today that region is perhaps the only important agricultural area in the state.

* The largest meteorite crater in the world is in Winslow, Arizona. 4,150 feet across and 150 feet deep.

* Virginia was once one state. People in the western half did not want to secede. So, West Virginia was "admitted" to the union in 1863. The other half, still named Virginia
became a member of the confederate states.

* US Highway 550, near Durango and Silverton, Colorado, is called the Million Dollar Highway because it was paved
with low grade gold ore in the road bed.

* The oldest capital city in the U.S. is Santa Fe, New Mexico, founded in 1610.

* Grand Canyon of the Snake River, Idaho, is deeper than the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

* Blackbeard, the infamous pirate, was killed in a cave on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, in 1718.

* George Washington was in command of the first U.S. "navy," created in 1775. It started with 4 ships. The ships were sold
after the war and the "real" navy began in 1798.

* In 1918 a flu epidemic killed 548,000 people in the U.S.

* The tallest point in Florida is only 345 feet.

* Ford Motor Company paid its auto workers $5 per day in 1914.

* American Indians were not made citizens of the U.S. until congress acted in 1924.

* Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, everyone knows that. But did you know that he was almost the first man "lost" in space? He was aboard Gemini 8 when it began spinning out of control while attempting a docking maneuver. Armstrong almost blacked out before correcting the problem.

* The last known passenger pigeon, Martha, died in 1914 at a Cincinnati zoo. They were then extinct.

* Peanut butter was invented by the brilliant African-American scientist George Washington Carver (1864-1943).

* Zamboni machines, the ice rink resurfacers, were invented and still being manufactured near Los Angeles, California. Sonja Henning had one made for her.

* Skylab, the first American space station, fell to the earth in thousands of pieces in 1979. Thankfully mostly over the ocean.

* 1816 has been called the "Year Without Summer". Canada and the northeastern U.S. experienced cold and snow throughout the summer months. An erupting volcano in the
Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) was to blame.

* The tomato was put "on trial" on September 25, 1820 in Salem, New Jersey. In front of a courthouse, Robert Johnson ate a basket of tomatoes to prove they were not poisonous.
The crowd waited for him to keel over dead. He never did.

* The streets in Virginia City, Nevada, were once unknowingly paved with silver ore. When the locals found out what it was,
they tore up the streets in a frenzy in less than 2 days.

* The first rockets in America were deployed by the British against Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. This attack was witnessed by Francis Scott Key who immortalized them in what is now the American national anthem.

* The Missouri River is 2,466 miles long and the Mississippi River is 2,348 miles. Why is the Mississippi called the longest river in the US?
The Missouri is not continuous. More correctly, the Mississippi should be referred to as the longest continuous river.

* In 1811, earthquakes hit an area near Tiptonville, Tennessee, and created what was to become Reelfoot Lake. It is 14 miles long.

* The United States captured Mexico City in 1847.

* Roger Sherman, was the only shoemaker to sign the Declaration
of Independence.

* The Rolling Stones gave their first official concert in the United States in San Bernardino, California, June 1964

------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[CBranski]

Gotta tell you Phreak, your knowledge of American history is pretty impressive. Now here are some other facts I've learned through the years, some of which are about my hometown:

The deadliest US war was the Civil War, in which 620,000 people perished.

Robert E. Lee was actually opposed to slavery.

The first US state to have TV broadcasts was New York, when sporadic broadcasts came from NYC (Thanks, Phreak) in 1936. The last US state to begin broadcasts was South Carolina, which in the year 1953 saw WIS-TV (Columbia), WCSC-TV (Charleston), and WSPA-TV (Spartanburg) first go on the air within days of one another.

Television stations in Jackson, Mississippi during some years in the 1960's would simply go off the air during national news broadcasts of the Civil Rights Movement-they were afraid of reprisals from groups like the KKK.

Former Arkansas governor Orval Faubus is most famous for refusing orders to intergrate Little Rock Central High School in the late 1950's. It took over 1,000 troops dispatched by President Eisenhower to finally accomplish this goal. Strangely enough, Faubus was thought to be a liberal before this incident, and his father was an avowed Socialist. He lost re-election, and took a job as a bank teller in his hometown.

Mississippi is the US's poorest state, with a per capita income of around $20,000 per year. If it were an independent nation, it would be amongst the 20 wealthiest.

Two US states-Texas and Hawaii-were at one time independent nations.

The US did not allow women to vote on the federal level until 1920, though some states allowed them the vote before then. In fact, Wyoming was the first state to elect a woman governor, even though she was not eligible to vote for president at the time! Switzerland did not extend the franchise to women until 1971!

Phoenix, Arizona in 1950 had a population of around 100,000. Today, it's population tops 1 million.

------------------
Tony Soprano for Sherriff!

[CBranski]

OK, here's some more fun facts:

Carl Ziedler joined the US Navy in World War II while he was still mayor of Milwaukee. He was killed in action shortly after.

The oldest man ever to join the US Marines was Illinois senator Paul Douglas, who went to boot camp in World War II in the middle of his term. He was 50.

Green Bay Packer Paul Hornig was a reservist when he was called to duty in the early 1960's while on the team. Coach Vince Lombardi got Hornig to Green Bay for an important game on a "weekend pass" after he called President Kennedy on his private line.

I share a common address with Milwaukee's two most famous fictional residents-Laverne and Shirley-we both lived on Knapp Street. Also, the Pfister Hotel is often mentioned on episodes of "Laverne and Shirley:" you can find the Pfister downtown on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Jefferson Street.

Though Milwaukee is most known for beer, less than 1% of the workforce is involved in brewing beer.

In the year 1950, half of the homes in the US lacked either electricity, telephones, or running water.

More than half of the world's telephones are in the US and Canada.

Canada is the second largest country in terms of land mass, but has a population smaller than that of California.

The US Postal Service handles 40% of the world's mail.

------------------
Tony Soprano for Sherriff!

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by CBranski:
Phoenix, Arizona in 1950 had a population of around 100,000. Today, it's population tops 1 million.

Phoenix is growing so rapidly, that in order to keep up with the inflow of people, the city has to finish a house once every 15 seconds... You probably all know that that's quite impossible

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

EARTH FACTS

* 99% of the living space on the planet is found in the oceans.

* Biologists estimate that somewhere between 500,000 and 5,000,000 marine species have yet to be discovered and described.

* A slow cascade of cold water beneath the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland sinks 2.2 miles (3.5 km), over three-and-a-half times farther than the tallest waterfall on land, Venezuela's Angel Falls.

* The average depth of the oceans is 2.5 miles (4 km). The deepest point lies in the Mariana Trench, 6.8 miles (10.9 km) down. By way of comparison, Mount Everest is only 5.5 miles (8.8 km) high.

* Fishermen and -women harvest over 4 million tons each year from bays and open oceans.

* 90% of all volcanic activity occurs in the oceans. In 1993, scientists located the largest known concentration of active volcanoes on the sea floor in the South Pacific. This area, the size of New York state, hosts 1,133 volcanic cones and sea mounts. Two or three could erupt at any moment.

* The highest tides in the world are at the Bay of Fundy, which separates New Brunswick from Nova Scotia. At some times of the year the difference between high and low tide is 53'6" inches, the equivalent of a three-story building.

* The oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface and contain 97% of the Earth's water. Less than 1% is fresh water, and 2 to 3% is contained in glaciers and ice caps.

* Earth's longest mountain range is the Mid-Ocean Ridge, which winds around the globe from the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic, skirting Africa, Asia and Australia, and crossing the Pacific to the west coast of North America. It is 46,000 miles (74,000 kms), four times longer than the Andes, Rocky Mountains, and Himalayas combined.

* Canada has the longest coastline of any country, at 56,453 miles or around 15 percent of the world's 372,384 miles of coastlines.

* At the deepest point in the ocean the pressure is more than 8 tons per square inch, or the equivalent of one person trying to support 50 jumbo jets.

* At 39 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of almost all of the deep ocean is only a few degrees above freezing.

* If mined, all the gold suspended in the world's seawater would give each person on Earth 9 pounds.

* In 1958, the United States Coast Guard icebreaker East Wind measured the world's tallest known iceberg off western Greenland. At 550' it was only 5'6" shorter than the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.

* Although Mount Everest, at 29,028 feet, is often called the tallest mountain on Earth, Mauna Kea, an inactive volcano on the island of Hawaii, is actually taller. Only 13,796 feet of Mauna Kea stands above sea level, yet it is 33,465 feet tall if measured from the ocean floor to its summit.

* If the ocean's total salt content were dried, it would cover the continents to a depth of 5 feet.

* Undersea earthquakes and other disturbances cause tsunamis, or great waves. The largest recorded tsunami measured 210 feet above sea level when it reached Siberia's Kamchatka Peninsula in 1737.

* The Antarctic Ice Sheet is almost twice the size of the United States

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

ATMOSPHERE AND LAND SURFACE

* In 1992, the Antarctic Ozone hole was larger than the North American Continent?

* The annual mean temperature at the Antarctic South Pole is -56.7 degrees Fahrenheit (-49.3 degrees Celsius).

* The Earth's ozone layer is far from uniform. There are regions of high ozone (thicker) and regions of low ozone (thinner), and these regions are constantly moved around by the winds. As a result, the global ozone field changes from day to day.

* The U.S. has the world's most violent weather. In a typical year, the U.S. can expect some 10,000 violent thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, 1,000 tornadoes and several hurricanes. For example, a record 148 tornadoes in 24 hours plowed through the midwest on April 3-4, 1974, killing 309 people and injuring five thousand others.

* Weather is a factor in about 40% of all aviation accidents.

* Residents of warm southern California are moving to Alaska, whether they like it or not. Scientists, using the theory of plate tectonics, say that southern California is moving north and will collide with Alaska in approximately 150 million years.

* The Brazilian Amazon is the largest continuous tropical forest region in the world. Estimates of tropical deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon range as high as 20,000 square miles (50,000 square kilometers) per year to 32,000 square miles (80,000 square kilometers) in the late 1980s. While occupying less than 7% of the Earth's surface, tropical forests are the home to more than half of all plant and animal species.

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

BILL GATES

* The real name of "the" Bill Gates is William Henry Gates III. Nowadays he is known as Bill Gates (III). By converting the letters of his current name to the ASCII-values and adding his (III), you get the following:

B = 66
I = 73
L = 76
L = 76

G = 71
A = 65
T = 84
E = 69
S = 83

I = 1
I = 1
I = 1
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= 666

Coincidence?


* Bill Gates has been heard saying that he wishes to become the first private citizen put into space. He is worth enough money to fund his own mission to Mars, twice.

* Bill Gates is worth enough money to send every single 18 year old in the country to a 4 year college

[Phreakmeister]

* Tallest man ever: Robert Pershing Wadlow. He stood at a staggering 2m72 (9'1") at his death, aged 19. He was still growing at the time..................

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by CBranski:
Two US states-Texas and Hawaii-were at one time independent nations.

There still is an independence movement operating in/on Hawaii

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

PEN1S FACTS

* There are no bones in b0ners

* The average speed of an ejaculatory spurt is 25 miles (40 kms) an hour

* Most men under age 55 have erections every 70 to 100 minutes in their sleep. Sexy dreams have nothing to do with it.

* One foreskin contains enough genetic material to grow 250,000 square feet of skin

* An octopus's pen1s resides on one of his eight tentacles. When it's time to mate, the entire pen1s-arm detaches and tracks down a female. After copulation, the pen1s dies but remains attached to the female.

* 25 years ago, almost 90% of America’s newborn boys said farewell to foreskins they barely knew. Today, that snip-snip into manhood is anything but standard procedure. Foreskins are back in a big way.

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

FELINE FACTS

* Ailurophilia is the "love of cats."

* The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.

* There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with 33 different breeds.

* The American cat population reached nearly 68 million in 1996. American Demographics magazine estimates that's about 200 million kitty yawns per hour and a whopping 425 million catnaps each day!

* A cat's heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats per minute.

* 25% of cat owners blow dry their cats hair after a bath.

* The largest cat breed is the Ragdoll. Males weigh twelve to twenty pounds, with females weighing ten to fifteen pounds. The smallest cat breed is the Singapura. Males weigh about six pounds while females weigh about four pounds.

* Calico cats are almost always female.

* If your cat is near you, and her tail is quivering, this is the greatest expression of love your cat can give you. If her tail starts thrashing, her mood has changed --- Time to distance yourself from her.

* Cats wag their tails when in a stage of conflict. The cat wants to do two things at once, but each impulse blocks the other. For example: If your cat is in the doorway wanting to go outside, and you open the door to find it raining, the cat's tail will wag because of internal conflict. The cat wants to go outside, but doesn't want to go into the rain. Once the cat makes a decision and either returns to the house or leaves into the rain, the tail will immediately stop wagging.

* Don't pick a kitten or a cat up by the scruff of its neck; only mother cats can do this safely, and only with their kittens.

* Cats knead with their paws when they're happy.

* Your cat loves you and can "read" your moods. If you're sad or under stress, you may also notice a difference in your cat's behavior.

* The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. All wild cats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.

* An average cat has 1-8 kittens per litter, and 2-3 litters per year.

* During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens.

* In 1952, a Texas Tabby named Dusty set the record by having more than 420 kittens before having her last litter at age 18.

* The largest known litter (with all surviving) was that of a Persian in South Africa named Bluebell. Bluebell gave birth to 14 kittens in one litter!

* A single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years.

* More than 35,000 kittens are born in the U.S. each year.

* Cats have 290 bones in their bodies, and 517 muscles.

* A cat has five more vertebrae in her spinal column than her human does.

* There are three body types for a cat.
Cobby type is a compact body, deep chest, short legs and broad head. The eyes are large and round.
Muscular type is a sturdy body and round, full-cheeked head.
Foreign type is a slender body, with long legs and a long tail. The head is wedge-shaped, with tall ears and slanting eyes.

* Sir Isaac Newton, discoverer of the principles of gravity, also invented the cat door.

* A cat will amost never "meow" at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans.

* Know how old your cat really is.
If your cat is 3, your cat is 21 in human years. If your cat is 8, your cat is 40 in human years. If your cat is 14, your cat is 70 in human years.

* The average age for an indoor cat is 15 years, while the average age for an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.

* The oldest cat on record was Puss, from England, who died in 1939 just one day after her 36th birthday.

* The weirdest cat on record was a female called Mincho who went up a tree in Argentina and didn't come down again until she died six years later. While treed, she managed to have three litters with equally ambitious dads.

* A cat's normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit (38.6 degrees Celsius). This is slightly warmer than a human's.

* People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.

* Cats love to chew on grass, catnip, parsley or sage. Become a green thumb and plant an indoor garden for your cat! But be careful -- many plants are toxic to your cat!

* There are cats (my late cat, to be precise) who eat whipped cream, bread, soup, etc. etc.

* There are two species of wild cats in Africa and Europe that still hunt. These two species both resemble the domestic tabbies.

* The behaviors shown by most house cats have a parallel in the wild.

* A cat will kill it's prey based on movement, but may not necessarily recognize that prey as food. Realizing that prey is food is a learned behavior.

* The greatest number of mice killed by one cat? 28,899! Towser, a tortoise-shell tabby in charge of rodent control in Scotland, killed 28,899 mice in her 21 years. This is about four mice per day, every day, for 21 years. Towser died in 1987.

* The first cat show was held in 1895 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

* A falling cat will always right itself in a precise order. First the head will rotate, then the spine will twist and the rear legs will align, then the cat will arch its back to lessen the impact of the landing.

* "Sociable" cats will follow you from room to room to monitor your activities throughout the day.

* What kind of "mood" is kitty in? Her eyes, whiskers and ears will tell you. Learn to read the signs she gives you.

* The most popular names for female cats in the U.S. are Missy, Misty, Muffin, Patches, Fluffy, Tabitha, Tigger, Pumpkin and Samantha.

* Give your cat a quality scratching post to deter her from scratching your furniture. Still scratching? Try putting lemon scent or orange scent on the area. Cats hate these smells.

* Try hanging an orange or lemon scented air freshener in the inner branches of your Christmas tree, if your cat is a seasonal "climber."

* In English, cat is "cat". In French, cat is "chat". In German, your cat is "katze", while in The Netherlands your cat is called "kat". The Spanish word for cat is "gato", and the Italian word is "gatto". Japanese prefer "neko" and Arabic countries call a cat a "kitte".

* Cats get their sense of security from your voice. Talk to your cats! And be mindful of your tone of voice. Cats know when you're yelling at them (though they may not care).

* The more cats are spoken to, the more they will speak to you.

* The richest cat in the Guinness Book of World Records is a pair of cats who inherited $415,000 in the early '60s. The richest single cat is a white alley cat who inherited $250,000.

* The Giraffe, Camel and Cat are the only animals that walk by moving both their left feet, then both their right feet, when walking. This method of walking ensures speed, agility and silence.

* It is believed that a white cat sitting on your doorstep just before your wedding is a sign of lasting happiness. White cats are a symbol of good luck in America, while black cats are a sign of bad luck.

* Cats can see in color. They are partially color blind however. They have the equivalency of human red/green color blindness. (Reds appear green and greens appear red; or shades thereof)

* Cats don't see "detail" very well. To them, their person may appear hazy when standing in front of them.

* Cats need 1/6th the amount of light that humans do to see.

* Cats can see up to 120 feet (40 meters) away. Their peripheral vision is about 285 degrees.

* Cats eyes come in three shapes: round, slanted and almond.

* The color of a kitten's eyes will change as it grows older.

* At birth, kittens can't see or hear. Cats open their eyes after five days and begin to develop their eyesight and hearing at approximately 2 weeks. They begin to walk at 20 days.

* Kittens begin dreaming at just over one week old.

* A cat's ear pivots 180 degrees. They have 30 muscles in each ear, and use twelve or more muscles to control their ear movement.

* A group of kittens is called a "kindle."
* A group of grown cats is called a "clowder."

* Cats rub up against other cats, and people, in an attempt to "mark" them with their scent glands. They most often use the scent glands between their eye and ear (near the temple area) or their scent glands near the base of their tail.

* Have you ever tried to feed your cat food that was just taken out of the refrigerator? Most cats prefer their food at room temperature, and will boldly REFUSE any food that is too cold or too hot.

* Many experts report that cats will purr when feeling any intense emotion (pleasure or pain).

* Give your cat fresh water at least once a day. If your cat refuses your tap water, it may be sensing (with it's superior sense of smell) the chlorine or other minerals in your water. Many finicky felines demand bottled water, just like their human counterparts.

* Don't put your cat on an all-vegetarian diet. Cats need protein to survive.

* Never feed your cat dog food. Cats need five times more protein than dogs do.

* If your cat misses one meal, a trip to the vet may be necessary.

* Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals. They spend 16 hours of each day sleeping. With that in mind, a seven year old cat has only been awake for two years of its life!

* Cats are more active during the evening hours.

* Cats spend 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves.

* 95% of all cat owners admit they talk to their cats.

* Backward-pointing spikes on a cat's tongue aid in their grooming.

* The average cat weighs 12 pounds.

* If you can't feel your cat's ribs, she's too heavy.

* If an overweight cat's "sides" stick out further than her whiskers, she will lose her sense of perception and stability. Don't be surprised if she starts to squeeze into an opening that the rest of her can't fit into, only to back herself back out quickly!

* According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the heaviest cat on record was Himmy, an Australian cat, who weighed 46 pounds, 15.25 ounces in 1986. Himmy's waist was 33 inches! The previous record-holder had been Spice, a ginger-and-white tom cat from Connecticut, who weighed 43 pounds when he died in 1977.

* The tiniest cat on record was Tinker Toy from Illinois. A male Himalayan-Persian, he weighed 1 pound, 8 ounces fully grown and was 7.25" long and 2.75" tall!

* Your cat is probably either a "righty" or a "lefty." Only 40% of cats are ambidextrous while another 40% are either right-pawed or left-pawed. (What about the remaining 20%?

* Cats love high places. They share this love with leopards and jaguars, who sleep in trees. If a cat begins to fall, his inner ear canal (which controls balance) will help him right himself and land on his feet.

* Domestic cats are essentially loners. When placed in a group, they develop their own hierarchy. As long as there is plenty of food on hand, a cat can learn to share it's domain with other cats.

* Cats are more aggressive when they are not neutered or spayed.

* 21% of U.S. households have at least one cat.

* The number of pet-owning households is expected to grow nearly 12% between 1993 and 2000, and another 5% between 2000 and 2010.

* 34% of cat-owning households have incomes of $60,000 or more.

* 32% of those who own their own home, also own at least one cat.

* "Pair bonds" can develop between two cats who live together, or between a cat and a person.

* A cat that bites you after you have rubbed his stomach, is probably biting out of pleasure, not anger.

* An adult cat has 32 teeth.

* Never leave your cat in a vehicle alone. On summer days, temperatures in an automobile can reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit (over 71 degrees Celsius) in just minutes, even with the windows cracked.

* "PSI trailings" attempt to explain a cat's ability to travel a long distance to return to their home. It is said they use the earth's gravity to determine "their place" in the world, and to develop the ability to return there when necessary.

* According to myth, a cat sleeping with all four paws tucked under means cold weather is coming.

* Each year Americans spend four billion dollars on cat food. That's one billion dollars more than they spend on baby food!

* Expect to spend an average of $80 per year on vet bills, for the lifetime of each cat you own.

* It costs $7000 to care for one household cat over its lifetime. This covers only the necessities; the pampered pet will carry a higher price.

* In an average year, American cat owners spend $2.15 billion on cat food and $295 million on kitty litter.

* There have been three different cats who have played the famed "Morris the Cat."
The first Morris was adopted from a shelter in 1968. In 1969 he landed the role of Morris the Cat in the famous 9 Lives Cat Food commercials... and was an overnight success! The first Morris died in 1978 and was subsequently replaced by two more cats who played "Morris." All three of the "Morris the Cat" cats were rescued from shelters.

* Choose your cat toys carefully. Choose light toys (for tossing), soft toys (for teeth and claws) and toys large enough that they can't be swallowed.

* A flashlight makes a great cat toy! Turn the flashlight on in a dark room, and watch your feline "chase" the beam of light!

* Cats love to hide! If yours comes up "missing", be sure to check in the bathtub, in your closet, in the dresser drawers, under a blanket or rug... or anywhere else you can possibly think of! (another good advice from personal experience: a park is another great hide-out for cats)

* A collar and tag can help your cat find his way home should he ever be lost. Better yet -- outfit your cat with an electronic identification chip.

* To make sure your cat's collar fits properly, make sure you can slip two fingers under the collar, between the collar and your cat's neck.

* The easiest way to pick up cat hair? Spray an anti-static spray on the area you want to clean. Wait one minute, then wipe up the hair with a six inch brush.

* Egyptians shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when they lost a beloved cat.

* Hebrew folklore believes that cats came about because Noah was afraid that rats might eat all the food on the ark. He prayed to God for help. God responded by making the lion sneeze a giant sneeze -- and out came a little cat!

* Stings to the mouth can be very dangerous to cats. If your cat is stung, or ever experiences any type of sting to the mouth, take her to the vet immediately. As her mouth swells from the sting, she may be unable to breath. Stings require urgent medical care.

* Redecorating your home? Let your cat explore after the decorating is done. Paints, wallpaper pastes and paint thinners can be toxic to cats. Play it safe!

* Pet-proof your house by looking for items that may be dangerous to them. These include cleaners, antifreeze, automobile coolant, and rat poison.

* The fumes from moth balls destroy a cat's liver cells. Use cedar in your closet instead

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Do you believe in death after life?

[weldordave]

Another version of "The Real McCoy"
McCoy was a booze runner during prohibition. Good stuff. People wanted the good stuff and particulary if McCoy had smuggled it. Hence booze was sold as "The Real McCoy".
The Kennedy's made a mint during prohibition by breaking the law. They smuggled Cutty Sark into the US from Canada.

[Phreakmeister]

ROBERT PERSHING WADLOW

Robert Pershing Wadlow was born, educated and buried in Alton, Illinois. His height of 8' 11.1" (2m72) qualifies him as the tallest person in history, as recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. At the time of his death he weighed 490lbs. (220.5 kgs)
Robert was born on February 22, 1918, and weighed a normal 8lbs. 6oz.(3.8 kgs). He drew attention to himself when at six months old, he weighed 30lbs. (13.5 kgs) A year later at 18 months, he weighed 62lbs. (27.9 kgs). He continued to grow at an astounding rate, reaching 6'2" (1m88) and 195lbs. (87.75 kgs) by the time he was eight years old.

His middle name, Pershing, was in honor of the World War I General Pershing, then commanding officer of the European conflict.

Robert was the first born of Addie and Harold Wadlow. Later the Wadlow family grew with the addition of two sisters, Helen and Betty, and two brothers, Eugene and Harold Jr. Despite Robert's size, all of his family members were of normal height and weight.

Trying to maintain a normal life, Robert enjoyed collecting stamps, photography, and become the world's tallest Boy Scout at 7'4" (2m23), when he was 13 years of age. Later he became a member of DeMolay and the Masons.

At age 18, he had reached 8'4" (2m54) tall, and weighed 390lbs. (175.5 kgs) His clothing required three times the normal amount of cloth, and his size 37 shoes (for comparison: US size 9 = European size 43) cost $100 a pair (a lot of money back in the 1930's). Two years later his shoes were provided free by the International Shoe Company.

When he turned 20 Robert traveled for the shoe company, visiting over 800 towns and 41 states. His father had to modify the family car, removing the front passenger seat so Robert could sit in the back seat and stretch out his long legs. The father and son team traveled over 300,000 miles on their goodwill tour for the shoe company.

He established his place in the history books when he exceeded 8'4" (2m54) in 1937, surpassing the record previously held by an Irishman who died in 1877.
Robert was very fond of his mother Addie, and there was a quiet manner about him that earned him the title 'Gentle Giant'.

Robert's unique size was attributed to an over active pituary gland, which produced much higher than normal levels of growth hormone. Today's medical science can compensate for such problems - but in the 1920s there was no therapy available.

As a youth, Robert had enjoyed good health, but his large feet had troubled him for many years. He had little sensation in his feet and did not feel any chafing until blisters formed. While making an appearance in Manistee, Michigan in July 1940, a fatal infection set in when such a blister formed. On July 4th, doctors had Robert confined to a hotel bed, unable to find suitable accommodations at the local hospital. Days later, after emergency surgery and blood transfusions, the infection lingered and his temperature continued to rise. At 1:30 a.m., on the 15th of July (my birthday, but that's not the issue), Robert Wadlow passed away in his sleep.

Robert's body was brought back to his home town of Alton for burial. The 1,000-pound (450 kgs.) casket required a dozen pallbearers, assisted by eight other men. Out of respect for Alton's Gentle Giant, all city businesses closed for the funeral. Over 40,000 people signed the guest register. Robert's gravestone simply reads "At Rest."

Robert Wadlow holds a special place in Alton's history. He is remembered as a quiet young man who overcame a unique handicap, and who was an inspiration to all of those that knew him.

In 1984 a citizens committee organized efforts to immortalize Robert, and in 1985 a bronze statue was erected on the campus of the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine.
Upon Robert's death in 1940, his family had almost all of his belongings destroyed. They did not want collectors to obtain his clothes or personal items, and be displayed as 'freak' memorabilia.


IMPORTANT DATES

1918 Robert was born February 22, 1918 to Harold F. and Addie (Johnson) Wadlow on Monroe Street in Alton, Illinois, weighing 8.6lbs. (3.8 kgs.)

1919 When Robert began to walk he weighed 40 lbs. (18 kgs)

1920-1926 The family lived in Roxana, Illinois.

1923 At 5 years of age, attending kindergarten, Robert was 5' 6 1/2" (1m69) tall. He wore clothes that would fit a 17 year old boy.

1928 Ten years old. Robert weighed 210 lbs. (94.5 kgs) and was 6' 5" (1m95) tall. His shoes were size 17 1/2.

1929 Robert takes his first airplane ride.Just before his 12th birthday Robert had his first checkup at Barnes Hospital (St. Louis), where the family learned of his over-active pituitary gland that caused his fantastic growth.

1929-1931 Robert sold magazines to earn money for a savings account. In 1931 the banks failed, and he lost his savings. He gave up the magazine business.

1931 At the age of 13, and a member of the Boy Scouts, he was the largest Boy Scout in the world. His weight was 270 pounds (121.5 kgs), and his height was 7' 4" (2m23). It took 14 yards of 36" wide material to make his Boy Scout uniform.

1933 Robert received the largest birthday postcard ever delivered by the Alton Post Office. It measured 14" x 22".
Robert attended the World's fair in Chicago. It took two turns and 20¢ to get Robert through the turnstile.

1935-1936 Robert became Advertising Manager of the Tatler - Alton High School Year Book. He graduated in the January class, 1936.

1936 In February, Robert enrolled in Shurtleff College.

1937 Robert and his father made an extensive trip west, including Hollywood and most of the western states, as a goodwill ambassador for International Shoe Company. Thereafter, the firm made his shoes free of charge.

1940 Robert Wadlow died July 15, 1940. His weight was 490lbs. (220.5 kgs), his height was 8' 11.1" (2m72). He was buried July 19, 1940 in Upper Alton Cemetery

FOR MORE INFO: http://www.altonweb.com/history/wadlow/index.html

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Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 28, 2002).]

[amr]

I think it's amazing how many facts Phreakmeister has taken the time to gather and post! http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif



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a politician is an arse upon which
everything has sat except a man
--e.e. cummings

[Phreakmeister]

THE WORLD'S SMALLEST COUNTRIES

Vatican City - 0.2 square miles: The world's smallest state, the Vatican has a population of 770. The country which surrounds St. Peter's Basilica is the spiritual center for the world's Roman Catholics (over 1 billion strong). Also known as the Holy See, it is surrounded by Rome, Italy.

Monaco - 0.7 square miles: The tiny state of Monaco lies along the French Riviera on the French Mediterranean coast near Nice. An impressive 30,000 people live in this state known for its Monte Carlo casinos, Princess Grace and the Formula 1 race through the streets of Monte Carlo. It has been independent off-and-on since the 13th century.

Nauru - 8.5 square miles: The 10,000 residents of the Pacific island Nauru rely on diminishing phosphate deposits (which should run out around the year 2000). The state became independent in 1968 and was formerly known as Pleasant Island.

Tuvalu - 9 square miles: Tuvalu is composed of 9 coral atolls along a 360 mile chain in Polynesia. They gained independence in 1978. The former Ellice Islands are home to 9,700. The name Tuvalu means eight islands, referring to the eight inhabited islands which form Tuvalu

San Marino - 24 square miles: Located on Mt. Titano in north central Italy, San Marino has 25,000 residents. are proud to be the oldest state in Europe. The country claims to be the oldest state in Europe, having been founded in the fourth century. (With two nations located within its borders, Italy is the perfect example of a perforated state)

Liechtenstein - 62 square miles: This microstate of 29,000 inhabitants is located on the Rhine River between Switzerland and Austria in the Alps.

Marshall Islands - 70 square miles: The atolls (including the world's largest, Kwajalein), reefs, and 34 islands (population 52,000) gained independence in 1986; they were formerly part of the Trust Territory of Pacific Islands (and administered by the United States).

St. Kitts and Nevis - 104 square miles: This Caribbean country of 41,000 gained independence in 1983. Nevis is the smaller island of the two and is guaranteed the right to secede.

Seychelles - 107 square miles: The 69,000 residents of this Indian Ocean island group have been independent of the United Kingdom since 1976.

Maldives - 115 square miles: 200 of the 2000 Indian Ocean islands which make up this country are occupied by 181,000 residents. The islands gained independence from the U.K. in 1965.

Malta - 122 square miles: This island is just south of the Italian island of Sicily. It became independent from the United Kingdom in 1964 and the British military were completely gone by 1979. Population: 362,000.

Grenada - 133 square miles: Caribbean country, Grenada (population 98,000), became independent of the U.K. in 1974. It's located quite close to South America.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - 150 square miles: 109,000 people live on these Windward Caribbean islands which gained independence from Britain in 1979.

Barbados - 166 square miles: About 260,000 people live on this Caribbean island, the farthest east of the Lesser Antilles. Barbados obtained independence from the U.K. in 1966.

Antigua and Barbuda - 171 square miles: This Caribbean nation of 83,000 has been independent from the United Kingdom since 1981. The three islands which compose this country rely on tourism (as do many of the Caribbean countries and territories).

Andorra - 180 square miles: The independent Principality of Andorra is co-governed by the President of France and the Spain's Bishop of Urgel. With just over 64,000 people, this mountainous tourist destination tucked in the Pyrenees between France and Spain has been independent since 1278.

Palau - 191 square miles: Palau (also known as Belau) was also a Trust Territory of Pacific Islands, just like the Marshall Islands. It was formerly known as the Carolines and is composed of more than 200 islands in the Pacific; the population is about 16,000. It became independent in 1994. The United States maintains responsibility for defense and foreign policy.


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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

AMERICANA

STATE CAPITAL AND LARGEST CITY
In 17 states in the US, the state capital is also the largest city of the state. The cities are:
Phoenix (Arizona)
Little Rock (Arkansas)
Denver (Colorado)
Atlanta (Georgia)
Honolulu (Hawaii)
Boise (Idaho)
Indianapolis (Indiana)
Des Moines (Iowa)
Boston (Massachusetts)
Jackson (Mississippi)
Columbus (Ohio)
Oklahoma City (Oklahoma)
Providence (Rhode Island)
Columbia (South Carolina)
Salt Lake City (Utah)
Charleston (West Virginia)
Cheyenne (Wyoming)


LARGEST AND SMALLEST COUNTIES

LARGEST COUNTIES IN THE US
1 Los Angeles Co., California (9,519,338)
2 Cook Co., Illinois (5,376,741)
3 Harris Co., Texas (3,400,578)
4 Maricopa Co., Arizona (3,072,149)
5 Orange Co., California (2,846,289)

SMALLEST COUNTIES IN THE US
1 Loving Co., Texas (67)
2 Kalawao Co., Hawaii (147)
3 King Co., Texas (356)
4 Kenedy Co., Texas (414)
5 Arthur Co., Nebraska (444)


LARGEST CITIES IN AREA IN THE US

While New York City is the most populous city in the United States, Juneau, Alaska is the largest city in area. Juneau includes a whopping 3081 square miles (composed of 2,593.6 square miles of land and 487.6 square miles of water). The city is larger than the state of Delaware!

Jacksonville, Florida is the largest in the contiguous 48 states at 841 square miles. Jacksonville includes all of Duval County, Florida with the exception of the beach communities (Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach) and Baldwin


10 LARGEST CITIES IN THE US

New York (New York) (8,008,278)
Los Angeles (California) (3,694,820)
Chicago (Illinois) (2,896,016)
Houston (Texas) (1,953,631)
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) (1,517,550)
Phoenix (Arizona) (1,321,045)
San Diego (California) (1,223,400)
Dallas (Texas) (1,188,580)
San Antonio (Texas) (1,144,646)
Detroit (Michigan) (951,270)

Fastest riser in the top 50: Las Vegas (Nevada), from 63 to 32.
Fastest sinker in the top 50: Cleveland (Ohio), from 23 to 33

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD

SIZE
Russia (6.6 million square miles / 17 million km2)
Canada (3.9 million square miles / 9.9 million km2)
China (3.7 million square miles / 9.6 million km2)
United States of America (3.7 million square miles / 9.1 million km2)
Brazil (3.3 million square miles / 8.5 million km2)
Australia (3 million square miles / 7.6 million km2)
India (1.2 million square miles / 3 million km2)
Argentina (1.1 million square miles / 2.7 million km2)
Kazakhstan (1,050,000 square miles / 2.7 million km2)
Sudan (966,000 square miles / 2.4 million km2)


POPULATION (May 11th 1998)
1) China, 1.237 billion
2) India, 970 million
3) United States, 268 million
4) Indonesia, 204 million
5) Brazil, 160 million

6) Russia, 147 million
7) Pakistan, 138 million
8) Japan, 126 million
9) Bangladesh, 122 million
10) Nigeria, 107 million

11) Mexico, 95 million
12) Germany, 82 million
13) Vietnam, 75 million
14) Philippines, 73 million
15) Iran, 67 million

16) Egypt, 65 million
17) Turkey, 64 million
18) Thailand, 60 million
19) United Kingdom, 59 million
20) Ethiopia, 58.7 million

21) France, 58.6 million
22) Italy, 57 million
23) Ukraine, 51 million


NEW COUNTRIES
The following countries became independent in the 1990's:

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Lithuania, Moldovia (Moldova), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, (also known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), Slovenia,

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Eritrea, Germany (unification of FRG and GDR), Marshall Islands, Palau, Micronesia, Namibia

Possible future new countries:
Chechnya Ingushetia, Ossetia, Dagestan, Palestine, Rio de Oro (aka Western Sahara), Basque Region, Faer Oer, Greenland, Montenegro, East Timor (in May East Timor will officially become independent), Taiwan (still not recognized), Tibet, Maluku Selatan, Korea (North and South unified), Sinkiang-Uyghur, Kashmir, Tigre, Somaliland, Scotland, Wales, etc.......


SMALLEST CAPITAL
Smallest capital in the world: Yaren, the capital of Nauru: 559 inhabitants


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Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 28, 2002).]

[Phreakmeister]

NATIVE AMERICANS

NAMES OF STATES

Alabama
* From the Alibamu, tribe of Indians, members of the Creek Confederacy.
* The name may have come from words in the Choctaw language, "Alba ayamute" meaning "I clear the thicket."

Alaska
* From the Aleut word "Alakshak", meaning "peninsula"; used by the aleuts in referring to the part of the mainland that is now known as the Alaskan peninsula.

Arizona
* Not yet really proved, but possibly from Papago Indian words for "small springs," which the Spanish fitted to their own pronunciation.

Arkansas
* From local Indians, The Quapaws, meaning "downstream people". Called arkansa by the French.

Connecticut
* From the Indian expression "quinnitukg-ut", meaning "at the long tidal river."

Hawaii
* Possibly from "Havaiki" or "Hawaiki", which according to legend was the name of the original homeland of the Polynesians.

Idaho
* Comanche "Idahi"
* Shoshone "ee-dah-how" which means something like "Good Morning"
* Salmon River Tribe of Indians "Ida" means salmon and "ho" means tribe so we might be saying "Salmon eaters".

Illinois
* From the Indian word "ilhiniwek" or "illiniwek". "Illini" meant "man" and the ending made the word plural. The French changed the word to illinois.

Iowa
* From a Dakota Indian word: the name had many different spellings until it became "Ioway" and the "Iowa".

Kansas
From "Kansa", the name of a tribe of Indians who once lived in the area; first applied to the river, then to the state.

Kentucky
Probably related to the Iroquois Indian word "Kenta" -- "level" or "Meadow-land" referring to the level land in the south central part of the state.

Massachusetts
From Massachuset Indians, who lived around the Blue hills near Boston, meaning "about the big hill".

Michigan
Chippewa - "Michigama" meaning "Large lake" or "big water".

Minnesota: Dakota - "Minisota" meaning "White water".

Mississippi
Indian word meaning "big river". (Choctaw meaning "Great water" or "Father of Waters")

Missouri
Indian mis meaning "big". "Owners of big canoes".

Nebraska
Oto Indians "Nebrathka" meaning flat water.

New Mexico
Named after an Aztec god named "Mertili".

Ohio
Iroquois - "Oheo" meaning "beautiful".

Oklahoma
Choctaw - "Oklahummaa" or "Oklahomma" meaning "red people".

South & North Dakota
"Dahkota" meaning allies or friends -- tribes who joined together in friendship.

Tennessee
Cherokee village "Tanasi" meaning "unknown".

Texas
Caddo Indians - "Techas" meaning allies or friends.

Utah
Ute Indians called themselves "Yuta" meaning people who live high in the mountains"

Wisconsin
"Wishkonsing" -- place of the beaver.

Wyoming
From Indian words meaning "On the Great Plain."


In short:

ALABAMA - "I clear the thicket"
- Alibamu
ALASKA - Peninsula
ARIZONA - Small Springs
ARKANSAS - Downstream people
CONNECTICUT - At the long tidal river
IDAHO - Good Morning
- Salmon eaters
ILLINOIS - Men
KANSAS - A tribe of Native Americans
KENTUCKY - Meadow land
MASSACHUSETTS - About the big hill
MICHIGAN - Large lake
MINNESOTA - White water
MISSISSIPPI - Big river
MISSOURI - Owners of big canoes
NEBRASKA - Flat water
OHIO - Beautiful
OKLAHOMA - Red people
SOUTH DAKOTA - Dahkota = allies or friends
NORTH DAKOTA - Dahkota = allies or friends
TENNESSEE - Unknown place
TEXAS - Allies or friends
UTAH - People who live high in the mountains
WISCONSIN - Place of the Beaver (no further comment......)
WYOMING - On the Great Plain


Names of places
Allegheny - Fairest River
Savannah - Grassy Plain
Passaic - Peace Valley
Natchez - Hurrying People
Pensacola - Hairy People
Okeechobee - Grassy Lake
Appalachian - Appalachee Indians
Appomattox - Tobacco Country
Alaska - Great Country
Rappahannock - Quick Rising River
Milwaukee - Rich Land
Tippecanoe - Buffalo Fish
Mississinewa - Water On A Slope
Ottawa - Trade Or Exchange
Chattanooga - Eagles Nest
Topeka - Potato Country
Roanoke - Shell Or Shells
Chillicthe - Town Or Village
Toronto - Meeting Place
Chickamauga - River Of Death
Tuscaloosa - Black Warrior
Peoria - Place Of Fat Beats
Kenosha - Long Fish, "Pike"
Chautauqua - Foggy Place
Saginaw - Pouring Out At Mouth
Omaha - Up Stream
Chesapeake - Salty Pond
Cashocton - Habitat Of Owls
Scioto - Hairs In River
Mackinac - Turtle Island
Potomac - Burning Pines
Tacoma - Big Snow Mountain
Canada - Collection Of Wigwams
Saskatchewan - Swift River
Kokomo - Black Walnut
Muncie - Strong Place
Chicago - Wild Onions
Wabash - White, Flat Rocks
Kalamazoo - Otter's Trail
Shawnee - Southerners
Tecumseh - Shooting Star
Oshkosh - Claws Or Scratches
Nantucket - Far Away
Penobscot - Rocky Place
Niagara - Thundering Water
Wasatch - Beautiful
Yosemite - Grizzly Bear
Tucson - Black Base
Schuglkill - Hidden Creek
Mankato - Green Earth
Lycoming - Sandy Stream
Rearearge - High Place
Kaibab - On The Mountain
Winamac - Mudfish, Catfish
Merrimac - Swift Stream
Suwannee - Echo River
Shenanoah - Hillside Stream
Lackawanna - Streams That Fork
Suequehanna - Pure Water
Muskegon - Plenty Of Fish
Muskingun - Moose-Eye River
Saratoga - Sparkling Place
Tallahassee - Old Town
Keokuk - Watchful Fox
Rearearge - High Place
Kaibab - On The Mountain
Winamac - Mudfish, Catfish
Merrimac - Swift Stream
Suwannee - Echo River
Walla Walla - Many Waters
Shenanoah - Hillside Stream
Lackawanna - Streams That Fork
Suequehanna - Pure Water
Muskegon - Plenty Of Fish
Muskingun - Moose-Eye River


Names of tribes

Comanche - Snakes
Mohegan - Wolf
Ute - Dark Skinned
Shoshone - Sheep Eaters
Shawnee - Southerners
Cheyenne - Finger Cutters
Osage - Shaved Heads
Mohawk - Flesh, Man Eaters
Dakotas - Related People
Miami - Cry Of The Crane
Seminole - Run Away People
Sioux - French for "Cut-Throats"
Apache - Elk Horn Fiddlers
Arapaho - Mother Of Tribes
Menomonee - Wild Rice Eaters
Delaware - From Lord De La Warr
Cherokee - Cave People
Huron - Hair Style
Chippewa - "To Pucker Up"
Pawnee - Horn People
Ottawa - Traders
Winnebago - Filthy Water

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Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 29, 2002).]

[amr]

Originally posted by Phreakmeister:
Wisconsin
"Wishkonsing" -- place of the beaver.
[/B]

As a native of Wisconsin I feel compelled to point out that I leaned it meant "Gathering of the waters."

Much more pleasing, isn't it? http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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a politician is an arse upon which
everything has sat except a man
--e.e. cummings

[Phreakmeister]

* The richest 20% of the world's people consumes 86% of all goods and services. The poorest 20% consumes just 1.3%

* The richest 20% consumes 45% of all meat and fish, 58% of all energy used and 84% of all paper, has 74% of all telephone lines and owns 87% of all vehicles.

* Since 1970, the world's forests have declined from 4.4 square miles per 1,000 people to 2.8 square miles per 1,000 people. In addition, a quarter of the world's fish stocks have been depleted or are in danger of being depleted and another 44% are being fished at their biological limit.

* The Ganges River symbolizes purification to Hindus, who believe drinking or bathing in its waters will lead to salvation. But 29 cities, 70 towns and countless villages deposit about 345 million gallons of raw sewage a day directly into the river. Factories add 70 million gallons of industrial waste and farmers are responsible for another 6 million tons of chemical fertilizer and 9,000 tons of pesticides.

* The three richest people in the world have assets that exceed the combined gross domestic product of the 48 least developed countries.

* The average African household today consumes 20% less than it did 25 years ago.

* The world's 225 richest individuals, of whom 60 are Americans with total assets of $311 billion, have a combined wealth of over $1 trillion -- equal to the annual income of the poorest 47% of the entire world's population.

* Americans spend $8 billion a year on cosmetics -- $2 billion more than the estimated annual total needed to provide basic education for everyone in the world.

* Of the 4.4 billion people in developing countries, nearly three-fifths lack access to safe sewers, a third have no access to clean water, a quarter do not have adequate housing and a fifth have no access to modern health services of any kind.

* Americans each consume an average of 260 pounds of meat a year. In Bangladesh, the average is six and a half pounds.

* By 2050, 8 billion of the world's projected 9.5 billion people -- up from about 6 billion today -- will be living in developing countries.

* Of the estimated 2.7 million annual deaths from air pollution, 2.2 million are from indoor pollution -- including smoke from dung and wood burned as fuel which is more harmful than tobacco smoke. 80 percent of the
victims are rural poor in developing countries.

* Two thirds of India's 90 million lowest-income households live below the poverty line -- but more than 50% of these
impoverished people own wristwatches, 41% own bicycles, 31% own radios and 13% own fans.

* Sweden and the United States have 681 and 626 telephone lines per 1,000 people, respectively. Afghanistan, Cambodia, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have only one line per 1,000 people.

* Europeans spend $11 billion a year on ice cream -- $2 billion more than the estimated annual total needed to provide clean water
and safe sewers for the world's population.

* At the end of 1997 nearly 31 million people were living with HIV, up from 22.3 million the year before. With 16,000 new infections a day -- 90% in developing countries -- it is now estimated that 40 million people will be living with HIV in 2000.

* More than 110 million active landmines are scattered in 68 countries, with an equal number stockpiled around the world. Every month more than 2,000 people are killed or maimed by mine explosions.

* Americans and Europeans spend $17 billion a year on pet food -- $4 billion more than the estimated annual additional total needed to provide basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world.

* It is estimated that the additional cost of achieving and maintaining universal access to basic education for all, basic health care for all, reproductive health care for all women, adequate food for all and
clean water and safe sewers for all is roughly $40 billion a year -- or less than 4% of the combined wealth of the 225 richest people in the world.

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

The "invention" of language is not known except for references in the Bible. It is not known what language Adam and Eve spoke. The first mention of different languages is the reference to the tower of Babel when different tongues were bestowed.

The invention of writing, however, is credited to the Sumerians of Mesopotamia in the 4th Century BC. Their descendants, the Sumero-Babylonians, developed the time system that we use today: an hour divided into 60 minutes, which are divided into 60 seconds.

Today, there are more than 2 700 different languages spoken in the world, with more than 7 000 dialects. In Indonesia alone, 365 different languages are spoken. More than 1,000 different languages are spoken in Africa. The most difficult language to learn is Basque, which is spoken in north-western Spain and south-western France (I speak a bit of Basque, and I can tell you: it's true). It is not related to any other language in the world (but more importantly: there's no structure). Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world, followed by English. But as home language, Spanish is the second most spoken in the world.

The youngest language in the world is Afrikaans, spoken by South Africans. Dutch and German Protestants fled persecution from the Roman Catholic Church in the 17th and 18th century to settle in the Dutch colony of Cape of Good Hope on the southern point of Africa. By the early-20th century Afrikaans had developed from Dutch, German and other influences into a fully fledged language with its own dictionary. After a mere 90 years, it is the second most spoken language in South Africa (Zulu being the most spoken, the Zulu people being the largest ethnic group there).


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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* The first ship to sail around the world was the Vittoria (Victoria) commanded by Portugese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The voyage started in 1519 and ended in 1522.

* Matthew Webb, a British sea captain was the first person to swim across the English Channel in 1875. It took him 21hours 45 minutes.

* Thomas Cook, the world's first travel agency in the world, was founded in 1850.

* The South Pole was reached for the first time on 14 December 1911 by a team of explorers led by Roald Amundsen.

* The 16th century Escorial palace of King Phillip II of Spain had 1,200 doors.

* A dog was the first in space and a sheep, a duck and a rooster the first to fly in a hot air balloon.

* Music was sent down a telephone line for the first time in 1876, the year the phone was invented.
* Beer was the first trademarked product - British beer Bass Pale Ale received its trademark in 1876.

* Playing-cards were known in Persia and India as far back as the 12th century. A pack then consisted of 48 instead of 52 cards.

* Tasmania is named after the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who became the first European to reach the island in 1642. He also discovered New Zealand.

* America is named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Colombia (the country) and Columbia (as in DC) were named after the rediscoverer of America, Cristobal Colon, better known as Christopher Columbus

* Julius Caesar was the first to encode communications, using what has become known as the Caesar Cipher.

* The first mention of soap was on Sumerian clay tablets dating about 2,500 BC. The soap was made of water, alkali and cassia oil.

* Excavations from Egyptian tombs dating to 5,000 BC show that the ancient Egyptian kids played with toy hedgehogs.

* Accounts from Holland and Spain suggest that during the 1500s and 1600s urine was commonly used as a tooth-cleaning agent. (don't look at me..........)


* The first animal in space was the female Samoyed husky named Laika, launched by the Soviets in 1957.
* In 1958 the US sent two mice called Laska and Benjy into space.
* In 1969 the US launched a male chimpanzee called Ham into space.
* In 1963 the French launched a cat called Feliette into space.

* Edward, son of King Edward III of England, was named "The Black Prince" because he wore black armour in battle.
* Prince Otto von Bismarck was known as the Iron Chancellor - he created the nation of Germany.

* Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the United States four times - in 1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944.

* Augustus, who lived from 63 BC to AD 14, was the first emperor of ancient Rome.

* John Rolfe married Pocahontas the Red Indian Princess in 1613.

* Great Britain was the first county to issue postage stamps, on 1 May 1840. Hence, UK stamps are the only stamps in the world not to bear the name of the country of origin.

* Napoleon's christening name was Italian: Napoleone Buonaparte. He was born on the island of Corsica one year after it became French property. As a boy, Napoleon hated the French.

* Only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still survives: the Great Pyramid of Giza.

* The first parachute jump from an airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1912.

* On 21 June 1913, over Los Angeles, Georgia Broadwick became the first women to parachute from an airplane.

* The first written account of the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie, was made in 565 AD.

* The world's first skyscraper was the 10-storey Home Insurance office, built in Chicago in 1885. (During Roman times buildings were up to 8 storeys high.)

* In ancient times, it was believed that certain colours could combat the evil spirits that lingered over nurseries. Because blue was associated with the heavenly spirits, boys were clothed in that colour, boys then being considered the most valuable resource to parents. Although baby girls did not have a colour associated with them, they were mostly clothed in black. It was only in the Middle Ages when pink became associated with baby girls.

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

U.S. PRESIDENTS

Here are some more facts about US presidents:

* George Washington was inaugurated for his first term, on 30 April 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City. His second inauguration took place in Philadelphia.

* Thomas Jefferson was the first to be inaugurated in Washington DC. Jefferson also was the only one to walk to and from his inauguration.

* William Henry Harrison had the shortest term of office as president. He served from for 32 days, from 4 March to 4 April 1841.

* Franklin D. Roosevelt had the longest term of office: 12 years.

* Roosevelt had three vice presidents serve during his four terms: John Nance Garner (1933-1941), Henry Wallace (1941-1945), Harry Truman (1945).

* 14 of the 45 vice presidents have become president:
* 5 vice presidents have been elected to the presidency: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, Richard Nixon, and George Bush.

* 4 vice presidents assumed the presidency after the president was assassinated: Andrew Johnson, Chester Authur, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson.

* 4 vice presidents assumed the presidency after the president died of natural causes: John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Calvin Coolidge, and Harry Truman.

* Gerald Ford assumed the presidency following the resignation of Richard Nixon.

* Only Richard Nixon served two terms as Vice President and also was elected to two terms as President

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Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* In 1750 there were about 800 million people in the world.
* In 1850 there were a billion more.
* By 1950, the world had reached 3 billion.
* Then it took just 50 years to double to 6 billion.

* Half the world's population earns about 5% of the world's wealth.
* There are more than 600 million telephone lines today, yet almost half the world's population has never made a phone call.
* More personal telephone calls are made on Mother's Day in the USA than on any other day in any other country.
* One in ten people in the world live on an island.
* The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven. (1-6, 2-5, 3-4)
* In the US, murder is committed most frequently in August and least frequently in February.
* In 1870 there were more Irish living in London than in Dublin.
* In 1870 there also were more Catholics living in London than in Rome.
* The chance of being born on Leap Day is about 684 out of a million, or 1 in 1461. Only 4,1 million have their birthday on Leap Day.
* The odds of being struck by lightning are about 600,000 to one.
* About 27% of food in developed countries are wasted each year. It's simply thrown away.
* Almost 1,2 billion people are underfed - the same number of people that are overweight to the point of obesity.
* The world average of egg consumption per capita is 230.
* In the US, about 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations.
* Half the world's population is under 25 years of age.
* On average in the West, people move house every 7 years.
* US Post Office handles 43% of the world's mail. Its nearest competitor is Japan with 6%.
* In the developed countries, the proportion of adults married has declined from 72% in 1970 to 60% in 1996. The chance of a first marriage ending in divorce is between 50% and 67%. The chance that a second marriage will end in divorce is about 10% higher than for the first marriage.
* The world's average school year is 200 days per year. In the US, it is 180 days; in Sweden 170 days, in Japan it is 243 days.
* Since 1972, some 64 million tons of aluminum cans (about 3 trillion cans) have been produced. Placed end-to-end, they could stretch to the moon about a thousand times. Cans represent less than 1% of solid waste material.
* More than a billion transistors are manufactured... every second.
* 92% of Chinese belong to the Han nationality, which has been China's largest nationality for centuries. The rest of the nation consists of about 55 minority groups.
* According to the US Census Bureau, 19% of US children live in poverty. (1999)
* In 1998, US states spent $30 billion in funds on correctional services and $24 billion on social welfare.
* In 1998, American people, foundations and corporations gave more than $175 billion to charities and churches. Churches received 40% of the contributions, while public charities and educational organizations received the remainder.
* According to the US Weather Service, their one day forecasts are accurate more than 75% of the time. They send out 2 million forecasts a year.
* There are more than 150 million sheep in Australia, a nation of 17 million people.
New Zealand is home to 4 million people and 70 million sheep
* The Netherlands (over 16 million people) and Australia (about 17 million people) have about as many people, although Australia is 185 times as big.

------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 29, 2002).]

[Phreakmeister]

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

1) The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were built on the banks of the Euphrates river by King Nebuchadnezzar II.

2) The gigantic gold statue of Zeus was built by the sculptor Pheidias at Olympia.

3) The temple of Artemis was erected in the Asia Minor city of Ephesus in honour of the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature.

4) The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a huge tomb constructed for King Maussollos, Persian satrap of Caria.

5) The Colossus of Rhodes was a massive statue erected by the Greeks in honour of Helios the sun-god.

6) The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos and as mentioned:

7) The Great Pyramid of Giza was built near the ancient city of Memphis for Pharaoh Khufu.


THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE MODERN WORLD

1) The Taj Mahal - built in 1630 -48

2) The Great Wall of China - constructed during 1368-1644

3) The Easter Island Statues - discovered in 1722

4) The Eiffel Tower - built in 1889

5) The Mayan city of Tikal, Central America - dates from 300 BC, rediscovered in 1848

6) The space shuttle - launched in 1981

7) Chartres Cathedral - dating from 12th and 13th centuries


------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

GROUPS OF ANIMALS

A herd of antelope
A colony or an army of ants
A shrewdness of apes
A herd or pace of asses
A culture of bacteria
A cete of badgers
A shoal of bass
A sleuth or sloth of bears
A colony of beavers
A swarm, grist or hive of bees
A flock, flight, congregation or volery of birds
A sedge or siege of bitterns
A sounder of boars
A herd of buffalo
A brace or clash of bucks
An army of caterpillars
A kine of cows (twelve cows are a flink)
A band of coyote
A sedge or siege of cranes
A float of crocodiles
A murder of crows
A litter of cubs
A herd of curlews
A cowardice of curs
A clowder or clutter of cats
A herd or drove of cattle
A brood or peep of chickens
A clutch or chattering of chicks
A bed of clams
A quiver of cobras
A rag of colts
A cover of coots
A herd of deer
A pack of dogs
A dule of doves
A brace, paddling or team of ducks
A clutch of eggs
A herd of elephants
A pod of elephant seals
A weaner pod is yearling elephant seals
A gang of elks
A mob of emus
A business or fesnyng of ferrets
A charm of finches
A school, shoal, run, haul, catch or draught of fish
A swarm of flies
A skulk or leash of foxes
An army or colony of frogs
A flock, gaggle or skein (in flight) of geese
A cloud or horde of gnats
A herd, tribe or trip goats
A charm of goldfinches
A band of gorillas
A leash of greyhounds
A down or husk of hares
A cast or kettle of hawks
A brood of hens
A hedge of herons
A drift, or parcel of hogs
A team, pair or harras of horses
A pack, mute or cry of hounds
A smack of jellyfish
A troop or mob of kangaroos
A kindle or litter of kittens
A labour of moles
A troop of monkeys
A barren or span of mules
A parliament of owls
A yoke, drove, team or herd of oxen
A bed of oysters
A company of parrots
A covey of partridges
An ascension or exaultation of larks
A leap (leep) of leopards
A pride of lions
A plague of locusts
A tiding of magpies
A sord of mallards
A stud of mares
A richness of martens
A muster or ostentation of peac0cks
A litter of peeps
A nest, nide (nye) or bouquet of pheasants
A flock or flight of pigeons
A litter of pigs
A wing or congregation of plovers
A string of ponies
A pod of porpoises
A covey or bevy of quail
A nest of rabbits
A pack or swarm of rats
A rhumba of rattlesnakes
An unkindness of ravens
A crash or herd of rhinos
A bevy of roebucks
A building or clamour of rooks
A herd or pod of seals
A drove or flock of sheep
A nest of snakes
A walk or wisp of snipe
A host of sparrows
A dray of squirrels
A murmuration of starlings
A mustering of storks
A flight of swallows
A bevy, herd, lamentation or wedge of swans
A flock of swifts
A sounder or drift of swine
A spring of teal
A knot of toads
A hover of trout
A rafter of turkeys
A pitying or dule of turtledoves
A bale of turtles
A pod of walrus
A school, gam or pod of whales
A nest of vipers
A pack or route of wolves
A fall of woodc0cks
A descent of woodpeckers

------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 30, 2002).]

[Phreakmeister]

YOUNG ANIMALS

Antelope - calf
Bear - cub
Beasts of prey - whelp
Beaver - kit
Birds - fledgling, nestling
Cat - kitten
Codfish - codling, sprat
Cow - calf
Deer - fawn, yearling
Dog - pup, puppy
Duck - duckling
Eagle - eaglet
Eel - elver
Elephant - calf
Elephant seal - weaner
Fish - fry
Fowl - chick, chicken
Fox - cub, pup
Frog - polliwog, tadpole
Goat - kid
Goose - gosling
Grouse - cheeper
Guinea fowl - keet
Hawk - eyas
Hen - pullet
Hippo - calf
Horse - foal, yearling, or colt (male), filly (female)
Kangaroo - joey
Lion - cub
Owl - owlet
Partridge - cheeper
Pig - piglet, shoat, farrow, suckling
Pigeon - squab, squeaker
Quail - cheeper
Rabbit - bunny, kit
Rat - pup
Rhino - calf
Swan - cygnet
Tiger - cub, whelp
Turkey - poult
Rooster - c0ckerel
Salmon - parr, smolt, grilse
Seal - pup
Shark - cub
Sheep - lamb, lambkins
Whale - calf
Zebra - foal

------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[This message has been edited by Phreakmeister (edited March 30, 2002).]

[Phreakmeister]

THE WORLD'S FEARS

Ablutophobia- Fear of washing or bathing.
Acarophobia- Fear of itching or of the insects that cause itching.
Acerophobia- Fear of sourness.
Achluophobia- Fear of darkness.
Acousticophobia- Fear of noise.
Acrophobia- Fear of heights.
Aerophobia- Fear of drafts, air swallowing, or airbourne noxious substances.
Aeroacrophobia- Fear of open high places.
Aeronausiphobia- Fear of vomiting secondary to airsickness.
Agateophobia- Fear of insanity.
Agliophobia- Fear of pain.
Agoraphobia- Fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places like markets. Fear of leaving a safe place.
Agraphobia- Fear of sexual abuse.
Agrizoophobia- Fear of wild animals.
Agyrophobia- Fear of streets or crossing the street.
Aichmophobia- Fear of needles or pointed objects.
Ailurophobia- Fear of cats.
Albuminurophobia- Fear of kidney disease.
Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens.
Algophobia- Fear of pain.
Alliumphobia- Fear of garlic.
Allodoxaphobia- Fear of opinions.
Altophobia- Fear of heights.
Amathophobia- Fear of dust.
Amaxophobia- Fear of riding in a car.
Ambulophobia- Fear of walking.
Amnesiphobia- Fear of amnesia.
Amychophobia- Fear of scratches or being scratched.
Anablephobia- Fear of looking up.
Ancraophobia or Anemophobia- Fear of wind.
Androphobia- Fear of men.
Anemophobia- Fear of air drafts or wind.
Anginophobia- Fear of angina, choking or narrowness.
Anglophobia- Fear of England, English culture, etc.
Angrophobia - Fear of anger or of becoming angry.
Ankylophobia- Fear of immobility of a joint.
Anthrophobia or Anthophobia- Fear of flowers.
Anthropophobia- Fear of people or society.
Antlophobia- Fear of floods.
Anuptaphobia- Fear of staying single.
Apeirophobia- Fear of infinity.
Aphenphosmphobia- Fear of being touched. (Haphephobia)
Apiphobia- Fear of bees.
Apotemnophobia- Fear of persons with amputations.
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
Arachnephobia or Arachnophobia- Fear of spiders.
Arithmophobia- Fear of numbers.
Arrhenphobia- Fear of men.
Arsonphobia- Fear of fire.
Asthenophobia- Fear of fainting or weakness.
Astraphobia or Astrapophobia- Fear of thunder and lightning.
Astrophobia- Fear of stars and celestial space.
Asymmetriphobia- Fear of asymmetrical things.
Ataxiophobia- Fear of ataxia (muscular incoordination)
Ataxophobia- Fear of disorder or untidiness.
Atelophobia- Fear of imperfection.
Atephobia- Fear of ruin or ruins.
Athazagoraphobia- Fear of being forgotton or ignored or forgetting.
Atomosophobia - Fear of atomic explosions.
Atychiphobia- Fear of failure.
Aulophobia- Fear of flutes.
Aurophobia- Fear of gold.
Auroraphobia- Fear of Northern lights.
Autodysomophobia- Fear of one that has a vile odor.
Automatonophobia- Fear of ventriloquist's dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues - anything that falsly represents a sentient being.
Automysophobia- Fear of being dirty.
Autophobia- Fear of being alone or of oneself.
Aviophobia or Aviatophobia- Fear of flying.
Bacillophobia- Fear of microbes.
Bacteriophobia- Fear of bacteria.
Ballistophobia- Fear of missiles or bullets.
Bolshephobia- Fear of Bolsheviks.
Barophobia- Fear of gravity.
Basophobia or Basiphobia- Inability to stand. Fear of walking or falling.
Bathmophobia- Fear of stairs or steep slopes.
Bathophobia- Fear of depth.
Batophobia- Fear of heights or being close to high buildings.
Batrachophobia- Fear of amphibians, such as frogs, newts, salamanders, etc.
Belonephobia- Fear of pins and needles. (Aichmophobia)
Bibliophobia- Fear of books.
Blennophobia- Fear of slime.
Bogyphobia- Fear of bogies or the bogeyman.
Botanophobia- Fear of plants.
Bromidrosiphobia or Bromidrophobia- Fear of body smells.
Brontophobia- Fear of thunder and lightning.
Bufonophobia- Fear of toads.
Cacophobia- Fear of ugliness.
Cainophobia or Cainotophobia- Fear of newness, novelty.
Caligynephobia- Fear of beautiful women.
Cancerophobia- Fear of cancer.
Carcinophobia- Fear of cancer.
Cardiophobia- Fear of the heart.
Carnophobia- Fear of meat.
Catagelophobia- Fear of being ridiculed.
Catapedaphobia- Fear of jumping from high and low places.
Cathisophobia- Fear of sitting.
Catoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors.
Cenophobia or Centophobia- Fear of new things or ideas.
Ceraunophobia- Fear of thunder.
Chaetophobia- Fear of hair.
Cheimaphobia or Cheimatophobia- Fear of cold.
Chemophobia- Fear of chemicals or working with chemicals.
Cherophobia- Fear of gaiety.
Chionophobia- Fear of snow.
Chiraptophobia- Fear of being touched.
Chirophobia- Fear of hands.
Cholerophobia- Fear of anger or the fear of cholera.
Chorophobia- Fear of dancing.
Chrometophobia or Chrematophobia- Fear of money.
Chromophobia or Chromatophobia- Fear of colors.
Chronophobia- Fear of time.
Chronomentrophobia- Fear of clocks.
Cibophobia or Sitophobia or Sitiophobia- Fear of food.
Claustrophobia- Fear of confined spaces.
Cleithrophobia or Cleisiophobia- Fear of being locked in an enclosed place.
Cleptophobia- Fear of stealing.
Climacophobia- Fear of stairs, climbing or of falling downstairs.
Clinophobia- Fear of going to bed.
Clithrophobia or Cleithrophobia- Fear of being enclosed.
Cnidophobia- Fear of stings.
Cometophobia- Fear of comets.
Coimetrophobia- Fear of cemeteries.
Coitophobia- Fear of coitus.
Contreltophobia- Fear of sexual abuse.
Coprastasophobia- Fear of constipation.
Coprophobia- Fear of feces.
Coulrophobia- Fear of clowns.
Counterphobia- The preference by a phobic for fearful situations.
Cremnophobia- Fear of precipices.
Cryophobia- Fear of extreme cold, ice or frost.
Crystallophobia- Fear of crystals or glass.
Cyberphobia- Fear of computers or working on a computer.
Cyclophobia- Fear of bicycles.
Cymophobia- Fear of waves or wave like motions.
Cynophobia- Fear of dogs or rabies.
Cypridophobia, Cypriphobia, Cyprianophobia, or Cyprinophobia - Fear of prostitutes or venereal disease.
Decidophobia- Fear of making decisions.
Defecaloesiophobia- Fear of painful bowels movements.
Deipnophobia- Fear of dining or dinner conversations.
Dementophobia- Fear of insanity.
Demonophobia or Daemonophobia- Fear of demons.
Demophobia- Fear of crowds. (Agoraphobia)
Dendrophobia- Fear of trees.
Dentophobia- Fear of dentists.
Dermatophobia- Fear of skin lesions.
Dermatosiophobia or Dermatophobia or Dermatopathophobia- Fear of skin disease.
Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body.
Diabetophobia- Fear of diabetes.
Diaphobia- Fear of Zeus
Didaskaleinophobia- Fear of going to school.
Dikephobia- Fear of justice.
Dinophobia- Fear of dizziness or whirlpools.
Diplopiaphobia- Fear of double vision.
Dipsophobia- Fear of drinking.
Dishabiliophobia- Fear of undressing in front of someone.
Domatophobia or Oikophobia- Fear of houses or being in a house.
Doraphobia- Fear of fur or skins of animals.
Doxophobia- Fear of expressing opinions or of receiving praise.
Dromophobia- Fear of crossing streets.
Dutchphobia- Fear of the Dutch.
Dysmorphophobia- Fear of deformity.
Dystychiphobia- Fear of accidents.
Ecclesiophobia- Fear of church.
Ecophobia- Fear of home.
Eicophobia or Oikophobia- Fear of home surroundings.
Eisoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors or of seeing oneself in a mirror.
Electrophobia- Fear of electricity.
Eleutherophobia- Fear of freedom.
Elurophobia- Fear of cats. (Ailurophobia)
Emetophobia- Fear of vomiting.
Enetophobia- Fear of pins.
Enochlophobia- Fear of crowds.
Enosiophobia or Enissophobia- Fear of having committed an unpardonable sin or of criticism.
Entomophobia- Fear of insects.
Eosophobia- Fear of dawn or daylight.
Ephebiphobia- Fear of teenagers.
Epistaxiophobia- Fear of nosebleeds.
Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge.
Equinophobia- Fear of horses.
Eremophobia- Fear of being oneself or of lonliness.
Ereuthrophobia- Fear of blushing.
Ergasiophobia- 1) Fear of work or functioning. 2) Surgeon's fear of operating.
Ergophobia- Fear of work.
Erotophobia- Fear of sexual love or sexual questions.
Euphobia- Fear of hearing good news.
Eurotophobia- Fear of female genitalia.
Erythrophobia, Erytophobia or Ereuthophobia- 1) Fear of redlights. 2) Fear of blushing. 3) Fear of red.
Febriphobia, Fibriphobia or Fibriophobia- Fear of fever.
Felinophobia- Fear of cats. (Ailurophobia, Elurophobia, Galeophobia, Gatophobia)
Francophobia- Fear of France, French culture. (Gallophobia, Galiophobia)
Frigophobia- Fear of cold, cold things.
Galeophobia or Gatophobia- Fear of cats.
Gallophobia or Galiophobia- Fear of France, French culture. (Francophobia)
Gamophobia- Fear of marriage.
Geliophobia- Fear of laughter.
Geniophobia- Fear of chins.
Genophobia- Fear of sex.
Genuphobia- Fear of knees.
Gephyrophobia, Gephydrophobia, or Gephysrophobia- Fear of crossing bridges.
Germanophobia- Fear of Germany, German culture, etc.
Gerascophobia- Fear of growing old.
Gerontophobia- Fear of old people or of growing old.
Geumaphobia or Geumophobia- Fear of taste.
Glossophobia- Fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak.
Gnosiophobia- Fear of knowledge.
Graphophobia- Fear of writing or handwriting.
Gymnophobia- Fear of nudity.
Gynephobia or Gynophobia- Fear of women.
Hadephobia- Fear of hell.
Hagiophobia- Fear of saints or holy things.
Hamartophobia- Fear of sinning.
Haphephobia or Haptephobia- Fear of being touched.
Harpaxophobia- Fear of being robbed.
Hedonophobia- Fear of feeling pleasure.
Heliophobia- Fear of the sun.
Hellenologophobia- Fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology.
Helminthophobia- Fear of being infested with worms.
Hemophobia or Hemaphobia or Hematophobia- Fear of blood.
Heresyphobia or Hereiophobia- Fear of challenges to official doctrine or of radical deviation.
Herpetophobia- Fear of reptiles or creepy, crawly things.
Heterophobia- Fear of the opposite sex. (Sexophobia)
Hierophobia- Fear of priests or sacred things.
Hippophobia- Fear of horses.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words.
Hobophobia- Fear of bums or beggars.
Hodophobia- Fear of road travel.
Hormephobia- Fear of shock.
Homichlophobia- Fear of fog.
Homilophobia- Fear of sermons.
Hominophobia- Fear of men.
Homophobia- Fear of sameness, monotony or of homosexuality or of becoming homosexual.
Hoplophobia- Fear of firearms.
Hydrargyophobia- Fear of mercurial medicines.
Hydrophobia- Fear of water or of rabies.
Hydrophobophobia- Fear of rabies.
Hyelophobia or Hyalophobia- Fear of glass.
Hygrophobia- Fear of liquids, dampness, or moisture.
Hylephobia- Fear of materialism OR the fear of epilepsy.
Hylophobia- Fear of forests.
Hypengyophobia or Hypegiaphobia- Fear of responsibility.
Hypnophobia- Fear of sleep or of being hypnotized.
Hypsiphobia- Fear of height.
Iatrophobia- Fear of going to the doctor or of doctors.
Ichthyophobia- Fear of fish.
Ideophobia- Fear of ideas.
Illyngophobia- Fear of vertigo or feeling dizzy when looking down.
Iophobia- Fear of poison.
Insectophobia - Fear of insects.
Isolophobia- Fear of solitude, being alone.
Isopterophobia- Fear of termites, insects that eat wood.
Ithyphallophobia- Fear of seeing, thinking about or having an erect !%!%!%!%!%.
Japanophobia- Fear of Japanese.
Judeophobia- Fear of Jews.
Kainolophobia- Fear of novelty.
Kainophobia- Fear of anything new, novelty.
Kakorrhaphiophobia- Fear of failure or defeat.
Katagelophobia- Fear of ridicule.
Kathisophobia- Fear of sitting down.
Kenophobia- Fear of voids or empty spaces.
Keraunophobia- Fear of thunder and lightning.
Kinetophobia or Kinesophobia- Fear of movement or motion.
Kleptophobia- Fear of stealing.
Koinoniphobia- Fear of rooms.
Kolpophobia- Fear of genitals, particularly female.
Kopophobia- Fear of fatigue.
Koniophobia- Fear of dust. (Amathophobia)
Kosmikophobia- Fear of cosmic phenomenon.
Kymophobia- Fear of waves.
Kynophobia- Fear of rabies.
Kyphophobia- Fear of stooping.
Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables.
Laliophobia or Lalophobia- Fear of speaking.
Leprophobia or Lepraphobia- Fear of leprosy.
Leukophobia- Fear of the color white.
Levophobia- Fear of things to the left side of the body.
Ligyrophobia- Fear of loud noises.
Lilapsophobia- Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.
Limnophobia- Fear of lakes.
Linonophobia- Fear of string.
Liticaphobia- Fear of lawsuits.
Lockiophobia- Fear of childbirth.
Logizomechanophobia- Fear of computers.
Logophobia- Fear of words.
Luiphobia- Fear of lues, syphillis.
Lutraphobia- Fear of otters.
Lygophobia- Fear of darkness.
Lyssophobia- Fear of rabies or of becoming mad.
Macrophobia- Fear of long waits.
Mageirocophobia- Fear of cooking.
Maieusiophobia- Fear of childbirth.
Malaxophobia- Fear of love play. (Sarmassophobia)
Maniaphobia- Fear of insanity.
Mastigophobia- Fear of punishment.
Mechanophobia- Fear of machines.
Medomalacuphobia- Fear of losing an erection.
Medorthophobia- Fear of an erect !%!%!%!%!%.
Megalophobia- Fear of large things.
Melissophobia- Fear of bees.
Melanophobia- Fear of the color black.
Melophobia- Fear or hatred of music.
Meningitophobia- Fear of brain disease.
Menophobia- Fear of menstruation.
Merinthophobia- Fear of being bound or tied up.
Metallophobia- Fear of metal.
Metathesiophobia- Fear of changes.
Meteorophobia- Fear of meteors.
Methyphobia- Fear of alcohol.
Metrophobia- Fear or hatred of poetry.
Microbiophobia- Fear of microbes. (Bacillophobia)
Microphobia- Fear of small things.
Misophobia- Fear of being contaminated with dirt of germs.
Mnemophobia- Fear of memories.
Molysmophobia or Molysomophobia- Fear of dirt or contamination.
Monophobia- Fear of solitude or being alone.
Monopathophobia- Fear of definite disease.
Motorphobia- Fear of automobiles.
Mottephobia- Fear of moths.
Musophobia or Murophobia- Fear of mice.
Mycophobia- Fear or aversion to mushrooms.
Mycrophobia- Fear of small things.
Myctophobia- Fear of darkness.
Myrmecophobia- Fear of ants.
Mysophobia- Fear of germs or contamination or dirt.
Mythophobia- Fear of myths or stories or false statements.
Myxophobia- Fear of slime. (Blennophobia)
Nebulaphobia- Fear of fog. (Homichlophobia)
Necrophobia- Fear of death or dead things.
Nelophobia- Fear of glass.
Neopharmaphobia- Fear of new drugs.
Neophobia- Fear of anything new.
Nephophobia- Fear of clouds.
Noctiphobia- Fear of the night.
Nomatophobia- Fear of names.
Nosocomephobia- Fear of hospitals.
Nosophobia or Nosemaphobia- Fear of becoming ill.
Nostophobia- Fear of returning home.
Novercaphobia- Fear of your step-mother.
Nucleomituphobia- Fear of nuclear weapons.
Nudophobia- Fear of nudity.
Numerophobia- Fear of numbers.
Nyctohylophobia- Fear of dark wooded areas, of forests at night
Nyctophobia- Fear of the dark or of night.
Obesophobia- Fear of gaining weight.(Pocrescophobia)
Ochlophobia- Fear of crowds or mobs.
Ochophobia- Fear of vehicles.
Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8.
Odontophobia- Fear of teeth or dental surgery.
Odynophobia or Odynephobia- Fear of pain. (Algophobia)
Oenophobia- Fear of wines.
Oikophobia- Fear of home surroundings, house.
Olfactophobia- Fear of smells.
Ombrophobia- Fear of rain or of being rained on.
Ommetaphobia or Ommatophobia- Fear of eyes.
Oneirophobia- Fear of dreams.
Oneirogmophobia- Fear of wet dreams.
Onomatophobia- Fear of hearing a certain word or of names.
Ophidiophobia- Fear of snakes. (Snakephobia)
Ophthalmophobia- Fear of being stared at.
Opiophobia- Fear medical doctors experience of prescribing needed pain medications for patients.
Optophobia- Fear of opening one's eyes.
Ornithophobia- Fear of birds.
Orthophobia- Fear of property.
Osmophobia or Osphresiophobia- Fear of smells or odors.
Ostraconophobia- Fear of shellfish.
Ouranophobia- Fear of heaven.
Pagophobia- Fear of ice or frost.
Panthophobia- Fear of suffering and disease.
Panophobia or Pantophobia- Fear of everything.
Papaphobia- Fear of the Pope.
Papyrophobia- Fear of paper.
Paralipophobia- Fear of neglecting duty or responsibility.
Paraphobia- Fear of sexual perversion.
Parasitophobia- Fear of parasites.
Paraskavedekatriaphobia- Fear of Friday the 13th.
Parthenophobia- Fear of virgins or young girls.
Pathophobia- Fear of disease.
Patroiophobia- Fear of heredity.
Parturiphobia- Fear of childbirth.
Peccatophobia- Fear of sinning. (imaginary crime)
Pediculophobia- Fear of lice.
Pediophobia- Fear of dolls.
Pedophobia- Fear of children.
Peladophobia- Fear of bald people.
Pellagrophobia- Fear of pellagra.
Peniaphobia- Fear of poverty.
Pentheraphobia- Fear of mother-in-law. (Novercaphobia)
Phagophobia- Fear of swallowing or of eating or of being eaten.
Phalacrophobia- Fear of becoming bald.
Phallophobia- Fear of a !%!%!%!%!%, esp erect.
Pharmacophobia- Fear of taking medicine.
Phasmophobia- Fear of ghosts.
Phengophobia- Fear of daylight or sunshine.
Philemaphobia or Philematophobia- Fear of kissing.
Philophobia- Fear of falling in love or being in love.
Philosophobia- Fear of philosophy.
Phobophobia- Fear of phobias.
Photoaugliaphobia- Fear of glaring lights.
Photophobia- Fear of light.
Phonophobia- Fear of noises or voices or one's own voice; of telephones.
Phronemophobia- Fear of thinking.
Phthiriophobia- Fear of lice. (Pediculophobia)
Phthisiophobia- Fear of tuberculosis.
Placophobia- Fear of tombstones.
Plutophobia- Fear of wealth.
Pluviophobia- Fear of rain or of being rained on.
Pneumatiphobia- Fear of spirits.
Pnigophobia or Pnigerophobia- Fear of choking of being smothered.
Pocrescophobia- Fear of gaining weight. (Obesophobia)
Pogonophobia- Fear of beards.
Poliosophobia- Fear of contracting poliomyelitis.
Politicophobia- Fear or abnormal dislike of politicians.
Polyphobia- Fear of many things.
Poinephobia- Fear of punishment.
Ponophobia- Fear of overworking or of pain.
Porphyrophobia- Fear of the color purple.
Potamophobia- Fear of rivers or running water.
Potophobia- Fear of alcohol.
Pharmacophobia- Fear of drugs.
Proctophobia- Fear of rectum.
Prosophobia- Fear of progress.
Psellismophobia- Fear of stuttering.
Psychophobia- Fear of mind.
Psychrophobia- Fear of cold.
Pteromerhanophobia- Fear of flying.
Pteronophobia- Fear of being tickled by feathers.
Pupaphobia - fear of puppets Pyrexiophobia- Fear of Fever.
Pyrophobia- Fear of fire.
Radiophobia- Fear of radiation, x-rays.
Ranidaphobia- Fear of frogs.
Rectophobia- Fear of rectum or rectal diseases.
Rhabdophobia- Fear of being severely punished or beaten by a rod, or of being severely criticized. Also fear of magic.(wand)
Rhypophobia- Fear of defecation.
Rhytiphobia- Fear of getting wrinkles.
Rupophobia- Fear of dirt.
Russophobia- Fear of Russians.
Samhainophobia: Fear of Halloween.
Sarmassophobia- Fear of love play. (Malaxophobia)
Satanophobia- Fear of Satan.
Scabiophobia- Fear of scabies.
Scatophobia- Fear of fecal matter.
Scelerophibia- Fear of bad men, burglars.
Sciophobia Sciaphobia- Fear of shadows.
Scoleciphobia- Fear of worms.
Scolionophobia- Fear of school.
Scopophobia or Scoptophobia- Fear of being seen or stared at.
Scotomaphobia- Fear of blindness in visual field.
Scotophobia- Fear of darkness. (Achluophobia)
Scriptophobia- Fear of writing in public.
Selachophobia- Fear of sharks.
Selaphobia- Fear of light flashes.
Selenophobia- Fear of the moon.
Seplophobia- Fear of decaying matter.
Sesquipedalophobia- Fear of long words.
Sexophobia- Fear of the opposite sex. (Heterophobia)
Siderodromophobia- Fear of trains, railroads or train travel.
Siderophobia- Fear of stars.
Sinistrophobia- Fear of things to the left, left-handed.
Sinophobia- Fear of Chinese, Chinese culture.
Sitophobia or Sitiophobia- Fear of food or eating. (Cibophobia)
Snakephobia- Fear of snakes. (Ophidiophobia)
Soceraphobia- Fear of parents-in-law.
Social Phobia- Fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations.
Sociophobia- Fear of society or people in general.
Somniphobia- Fear of sleep.
Sophophobia- Fear of learning.
Soteriophobia - Fear of dependence on others.
Spacephobia- Fear of outer space.
Spectrophobia- Fear of specters or ghosts.
Spermatophobia or Spermophobia- Fear of germs.
Spheksophobia- Fear of wasps.
Stasibasiphobia or Stasiphobia- Fear of standing or walking. (Ambulophobia)
Staurophobia- Fear of crosses or the crucifix.
Stenophobia- Fear of narrow things or places.
Stygiophobia or Stigiophobia- Fear of hell.
Suriphobia- Fear of mice.
Symbolophobia- Fear of symbolism.
Symmetrophobia- Fear of symmetry.
Syngenesophobia- Fear of relatives.
Syphilophobia- Fear of syphilis.
Tachophobia- Fear of speed.
Taeniophobia or Teniophobia- Fear of tapeworms.
Taphephobia Taphophobia- Fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries.
Tapinophobia- Fear of being contagious.
Taurophobia- Fear of bulls.
Technophobia- Fear of technology.
Teleophobia- 1) Fear of definite plans. 2) Religious ceremony.
Telephonophobia- Fear of telephones.
Teratophobia- Fear of bearing a deformed child or fear of monsters or deformed people.
Testophobia- Fear of taking tests.
Tetanophobia- Fear of lockjaw, tetanus.
Teutophobia- Fear of German or German things.
Textophobia- Fear of certain fabrics.
Thaasophobia- Fear of sitting.
Thalassophobia- Fear of the sea.
Thanatophobia or Thantophobia- Fear of death or dying.
Theatrophobia- Fear of theatres.
Theologicophobia- Fear of theology.
Theophobia- Fear of gods or religion.
Thermophobia- Fear of heat.
Tocophobia- Fear of pregnancy or childbirth.
Tomophobia- Fear of surgical operations.
Tonitrophobia- Fear of thunder.
Topophobia- Fear of certain places or situations, such as stage fright.
Toxiphobia or Toxophobia or Toxicophobia- Fear of poison or of being accidently poisoned.
Traumatophobia- Fear of injury.
Tremophobia- Fear of trembling.
Trichinophobia- Fear of trichinosis.
Trichopathophobia or Trichophobia or Hypertrichophobia- Fear of hair. (Chaetophobia)
Triskaidekaphobia- Fear of the number 13.
Tropophobia- Fear of moving or making changes.
Trypanophobia- Fear of injections.
Tuberculophobia- Fear of tuberculosis.
Tyrannophobia- Fear of tyrants.
Uranophobia- Fear of heaven.
Urophobia- Fear of urine or urinating.
Vaccinophobia- Fear of vaccination.
Venereophobia- Fear of veneral diseases
Venustraphobia- Fear of beautiful women.
Verbophobia- Fear of words.
Verminophobia- Fear of germs.
Vestiphobia- Fear of clothing.
Virginitiphobia- Fear of rape.
Vitricophobia- Fear of step-father.
Walloonphobia- Fear of the Walloons.
Wiccaphobia: Fear of witches and witchcraft.
Xanthophobia- Fear of the color yellow or the word yellow.
Xenoglossophobia- Fear of foreign languages.
Xenophobia- Fear of strangers or foreigners.
Xerophobia- Fear of dryness.
Xylophobia- 1) Fear of wooden objects. 2) Forests.
Xyrophobia-Fear of razors.
Zelophobia- Fear of jealousy.
Zeusophobia- Fear of God or gods.
Zemmiphobia- Fear of the great mole rat.
Zoophobia- Fear of animals.



------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* The three wise monkeys are Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).
* An atomic clock is accurate to within 1 second in 1,7 million years.
* A fathom is 1,8 metres (6 feet).
* There are more TV sets in the US than there are people in the UK.
* Before the year 1000, the word "she" did not exist in the English language. The singular female reference was the word "heo", which also was the plural of all genders. The word "she" appeared only in the 12th century, about 400 years after English began to take form. "She" probably derived from the Old English feminine "seo", the Viking word for feminine reference.
* There are no letters assigned to the numbers 1 and 0 on a phone keypad. These numbers remain unassigned because they are so-called "flag" numbers, kept for special purposes such as emergency or operator services.
* After the French Revolution of 1789 selling sour wine was considered against national interest and the merchant was promptly executed.
* For 3000 years, until 1883, hemp was the world's largest agricultural crop, from which the majority of fabric, soap, paper, medicines, and oils were produced.
* George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp. Benjamin Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. The US Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.
* The word malaria comes from the words mal and aria, which means bad air. This derives from the old days when it was thought that all diseases are caused by bad, or dirty air.
* The names of all the continents end with the letter they start with.
* On every continent there is a city called Rome
* The oldest inhabited city is Damascus, Syria.
* The first city in the world to have a population of more than one million was London, which today is the 13th most populated city, with about 8 million residents.
* The most populated city in the world - when major urban areas are included - is Tokyo, with 30 million residents.
* Tokyo was once known as Edo.
* The pin that holds a hinge together is called a pintle.
* To most Americans, the orient is China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam; to Europeans it is the area of India and Pakistan.
* The words "electronic mail" might sound new but was introduced 30 years ago. Queen Elizabeth of Britain sent her first email in 1976.
* Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing.
* MasterCard was originally called MasterCharge.
* Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first.
* Lightning strikes men about seven times more often than it does women.
* Women make up 49% of the world population.
* About 50% of Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace. This is called propinquity.
* The pleasant feeling of eating chocolate is caused by a chemical called anadamide, a neurotransmitter which also is produced naturally in the brain.
* From the Middle Ages until the 18th century the local barber's duties included dentistry, blood letting, minor operations and bone-setting. The barber's striped red pole originates from when patients would grip the pole during an operation.
* The US nickname Uncle Sam was derived from Uncle Sam Wilson, a meat inspector in Troy, New York. Other theories state that it stands for the United States of AMerica (U.S.AM.)
* The living do not outnumber the dead: since the creation about 60 billion people have died.
* The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
* Midday refers to the moment the sun crosses the local meridian.
* Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 metres.
* It is not true that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure that can be viewed from space - many man-made objects, including the Dutch polders, can be viewed from space.
* It is not true that the Great Wall of China can be seen from the moon. It is not broad enough to be seen from the moon. The only man-made object that can be seen from the moon is the Afsluitdijk, the Dutch dam/dyke that connects North Holland with Friesland and forms the barrier of the IJsselmeer.

------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* Is a world population of 6 billion too many? Compare that with animals.
- There are more than a million animal species.
- There are 6,000 species of reptiles, 73,000 kinds of spiders, and 3,000 types of lice.
- For each person there is about 200 million insects.
- The 4,600 kinds of mammals represent a mere 0,3% of animals and the 9000 kinds of birds only 0,7%. The most numerous bird specie is the red-billed quelea of southern Africa. There are an estimated 100 trillion of them.

* A few mammals living in Australia called monotremes lay eggs rather than have babies. These include the duck-billed platypus.
* Mammals are the only animals with flaps around the ears.
* The scales of a crocodile are made of ceratin, the same substance that hooves and fingernails are made of.
* Compared to other animals, much more of a mammal's brain is cerebrum, the part of the brain devoted to intelligent behavior. In humans and apes, the proportion is biggest of all.
* African elephants only have four teeth to chew their food with.
* Elephants eat up to 150 kg of food per day and drink about 180 litres of water a day.
* There are over 1,700 species of rodent, including rats and mice, rabbits and guinea pigs.
* There are about one billion cattle in the world of which 200 million are in India.
* Elephants live longer than all mammals apart from man, surviving up until the age of 80 in captivity.
* A house fly lives only 14 days.
* Apes are so closely related to humans that some zoologists divide apes into three kinds - lesser apes (gibbon and siamangs), great apes (orang-utans, gorillas and chimpanzees) and man. None has a tail.
* The largest bear is the Kodiak, a type of brown bear from Alaska, which measures up to 2.5m and weighs up to 780 kg. The smallest of the bears is the sun bear of the Southeast Asian rainforest. It is only about 1.4m tall and 27 kg in weight.
* The oldest breed of dog is the Saluki.
* Finback whales can hear each other 850km apart.

* The bee hummingbird of Cuba is the smallest bird in the world.
* The Ancient Egyptians tamed wild African bushcats to catch mice 3,500 years ago. Later, the Egyptians thought the cats sacred.
* An ostrich can run up to 70 km/h (43mph).
* The tallest dog of all is the Irish wolfhound - 110 cm to the shoulder.
* An annoyed camel will spit at a person.
* The smallest fish are dwarf gobies, which can be as little as nine millimetres long.
* The world's smallest dog is the Chihuahua, which means "tiny dog in the sky."
* Cows produce around 16 litres of milk a day, or 6,000 litres a year.
* Pea crabs (the size of a pea) are the smallest crabs in the world.
* The longest living captive birds are the sulphur crested ****atoos of Australia - up to 80 years.
* 75% of wild birds die before they are 6 months old.
* The oldest known bird was a Siberian red crane that died in 1988, aged 82.
* The keen-eyed peregrine falcon can spot a pigeon at 8km away.
* The pig is rated the fourth most intelligent animal but are mentioned only twice in the Bible. Sheep are mentioned 45 times and goats 88 times in the Bible.
* Snakes have no ears, but sense their prey from sound vibrations on the ground. They also use their tongues to smell with - but only use their eyes when close to as their eyesight is poor.
* Pork is the world's most widely-eaten meat.
* In Denmark there are twice as many pigs as people.
* The largest frog is the goliath from West Africa which measures up to 80cm when stretched out and weighs up to 3kg. The smallest is a Brazilian frog: 8.5mm.
* Dinosaurs did not eat grass: there weren't any at that time.
* The coyote is a member of the dog family and its scientific name, "canis latrans" means barking dog.
* A giraffe can clean its ears with its 50cm (20 in) tongue.
* The world's smallest insect is the fairy fly, just 0.2mm long.
* The South American giant anteater eats more than 30,000 ants a day.
* An ant can lift 50 times its own weight - that is like you lifting a lorry.
* It is impossible to out-swim a shark - sharks reach speeds of 70 km/h (44 mph).
Humans can run about 35 km/h (21 mph)
* The queen bee can lay up to 1,000 eggs a day..
* The sailfish is the fastest swimmer, reaching 109 km/h (68 mph).
* The slowest fish is the Sea Horse, which moves along at about 0.016 km/h (0.01 mph).
* Dolphins can reach 60 km/h (37 mph).
* The slowest creature in the jungle is the sloth. Hanging upside down in the trees, the three-toed tree sloth takes a minute to lope just three metres. On the ground it can manage only two.
* Of the 650 types of leeches, only the Hirudo medicinalis is used for medical treatments.
* The heart of a blue whale is the size of a small car.
* The tongue of a blue whale is as long as an elephant.
* Howler monkeys have a sound-box in their throats which resonates very loudly. When a small group howls together, the din can be heard over 3 km away.
* A crocodile's tongue is attached to the roof of its mouth and cannot move it.
* A snail has two pairs of tentacles on its head. One pair is longer than the other and houses the eyes. The shorter pair is used for smelling and feeling its way around
* The world's longest insect is the giant stick insect of Indonesia which grows up to 33cm long.
* The heaviest crustacean ever found was a lobster weighing 19 kg (42 lb), caught in 1934.
* The largest jellyfish ever caught measured 2,3 m (7'6") across the bell with a tentacle of 36 m (120 ft) long.
* The largest giant squid ever recorded was captured in the North Atlantic in 1878. It weighed 4 tons. Its tentacles measured 10 m (35 ft) long. The giant squid has the biggest eyes of any animal: its eyes measure 40 cm (16 in) in diameter.
* Sharks are immune to all known diseases.
* Sharks and rays also share the same kind of skin: instead of scales, they have small tooth-like spikes called denticles. The spikes are so sharp that shark skin has long been used as sandpaper.
* Animals also are either right-handed or left-handed. Polar bears are left-handed - and so is Kermit the Frog.
* Alligators are generally rounder and fatter, with short, blunt snouts. Crocodiles are slightly thinner, and their snouts are longer and thinner. Crocodiles also have a fourth tooth on the lower jaw that can be seen when their mouths are shut.
* There are 701 types of pure breed dogs.
* There are about 53 million dogs in the US, and Paris is said to have more dogs than people.
* Reindeer are one of the longest domesticated of all creatures. The people of Siberia were using them to pull sleighs and for riding over 7,000 years ago
* Domestic cats purr at about 26 cycles per second, the same frequency as an idling diesel engine.
* Some bird species, usually flightless birds, have only a lower eyelid, whereas pigeons use upper and lower lids to blink.
* Fish and insects do not have eyelids - their eyes are protected by a hardened lens.
* All 18 species of penguin live in the southern hemisphere, and most live in or near Antarctica.
* Measured in straight flight, the spine-tailed swift is the fastest bird. It flies 170 km/h (106 mph). Second fastest is the Frigate, which reaches 150 km/h (94 mph).
* Millions of trees are accidentally planted by squirrels who bury nuts and then forget where they hid them.

------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* Caligula of Rome had his father, mother and two brothers killed to become emperor.
* Nero had his mother and first wife killed. These two emperors were hated so much by the people that all references to them were deleted from official Roman documentation.

* The first French king, Clovis II, went mad after steeling the arm of a martyr.
* His great-grandson, Childeric III was known as "the idiot".
* The mother of Louis IX (St. Louis) complained that he was "not sound of mind". * And his younger son, Robert of Clermont went mad after being hit on the head with a sledge-hammer.
* Charles VI, called Charles the mad, ruled France from 1380 to 1415. At stages, he believed that he was made of glass and inserted iron rods into his clothing to prevent him from breaking.

* The Habsburg Kings of Spain descended from Queen Juana The Mad of Castile, who was mentally unstable. Her ancestors increased her inheritance by inbreeding. These incestuous marriages resulted in the mentally and physically handicapped King Carlos II of Spain, who had an enormous, misshapen head, and a chin exaggerated to almost caricature-like proportions rendering him unable to chew and barely able to speak.

* Several British kings went mad as a result of a blood disorder that causes gout and mental derangement. The most famous was Mad George III, who ruled England in the 18th Century. George was afflicted with porphyria, a maddening disease which disrupted his reign as early as 1765. Several attacks strained his grip on reality and debilitated him in the last years of his reign. He died blind, deaf and mad at Windsor Castle on January 29 1820. In those years, the British Princess Caroline Mathilda married, at age 15, the deranged Christian VII of Denmark.

* The United States briefly enjoyed the services of a monarch, Emperor Norton I, who proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico in 1859. He had all his "state proclamations" published in San Francisco's newspapers and wrote letters that were seriously considered by Abraham Lincoln and Queen Victoria


------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[Phreakmeister]

* Most orgasms in 1 hour:
134 for women
16 for men
(OMG, guess I gotta keep on practicing)


------------------
Do you believe in death after life?

[Lis]

Originally posted by Phreakmeister:
PEN1S FACTS
* One foreskin contains enough genetic material to grow 250,000 square feet of skin


That's true you know, the most effective skin grafts are done with babies foreskins...Im sure they're glad to be of assistance http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

[Sjax]

Drugs are the second largest commodity traded, by value, in the world market, according to UN, equal to 8% of world trade, second only to oil.

USA defence budget is equal to the 6 next countries

------------------
It is amazing what little harm doctors do when one considers all the opportunity they have.
(Mark Twain)

[aclu14]

Someone's got a LOT of time on his hands............PHREAK!!!!

------------------
*****Join the Oppositionist Party!***** (http://www.geocities.com/lucifer_is_hungry/opinionated_online)

[~wildangel~]

great posts phreak:clap

[RockBottomDLux]

Phreaky.

[Jeff]

Several British kings went mad as a result of a blood disorder that causes gout and mental derangement. The most famous was Mad George III, who ruled England in the 18th Century. George was afflicted with porphyria, a maddening disease which disrupted his reign as early as 1765. Several attacks strained his grip on reality and debilitated him in the last years of his reign. He died blind, deaf and mad at Windsor Castle on January 29 1820. In those years, the British Princess Caroline Mathilda married, at age 15, the deranged Christian VII of Denmark.

Wasn't there a movie made about King George's predictament?

[aclu14]

I've read about porphyria. There was some girl who had it and she could purr like a cat.

[Serendipity]

Excellent stuff, Freak, but:The electric chair was invented by a dentist. Off topic. This fact is not amazing. It is no surprise at all! :lol

Jeff, yes there was a film about King George III. Written by Alan Bennett, in the UK it was called "The Madness of George III", but I understand that in the US it was something like"The Madness of King George". This renaming was because with the British title, Americans would want to know why they missed "The Madness of George" I & II !! :lol

[aclu14]

Yes, we Americans are pretty stupid...:(

[Serendipity]

Originally posted by aclu14
Yes, we Americans are pretty stupid...:( And we Brits are able neither to laugh at ourselves, nor to see ourselves through others' eyes :rolleyes: I'm laughing at a real but trivial cultural difference, Aclu, not an intelligence difference of any sort - AFAIK the film's name was changed on the advice of its American distributors.

[aclu14]

Actually, we CAN be pretty stupid.

[Serendipity]

So can we... :)

[kontulib]

FINLAND, by finnish Suomi, by saamish Suobma.
*surface area: 338 145 square kilometers
*population: about 5 million
*capital city: Helsinki
*official languages: finnish and swedish
*religion: lutheran (88%)
*currency: euro (1 euro = about 1 U.S $)

[The Horseman]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned these, but.....

Due to an administrative oversight during the drawing up of the Treaty of Versailles, Andorra was left out of the Treaty. This meant that while every other country on the Allied side of the war declared peace with Germany, Andorra was technically at war with the country from 1914-1945.

Until 1949, there was no such thing as Australian citizenship. All people born or naturalised in Australia were officially Britons.

Until very recently (i.e, in the last month or so), the USA has reserved the right to seize Bermuda in event of an emergency. The British government negociated a treaty with America during WWII that allowed for the American military personnel stationed on an American base on the island to seize the colony if it seemed likely that it was going to fall into Nazi hands.

Soon after his wife became Queen, Prince Phillip started to be fascinated by the fact that a bottle of whisky was delievered to their bedroom every morning, even though neither of them had requested it. He investigated the matter, and found that one morning, Queen Victoria had had a head cold, and had asked to have a bottle of whisky delievered to her room to help her get better. Because no-one ever told any of the servants to stop delievering the whisky, it was continually delievered for the next 100 years.

And the most useless fact in the world.....

There are 52 windows in Bath Cathedral. One for every week of the year

[aclu14]

My new purple bracelet has 25 clear glass beads in it.

[The Horseman]

OK, you win

[kontulib]

In Finland
*you have right to vote when you are 18 years old
*your criminal responsibility begins when you are 15 years old
*your learning duty begins when you are 7 years old
*you can get a driving license when you are 18 years old
*you can drive tractor when you are 15 years old
*you have right to control your own property when you are 15 years old
*you can get a life sentence when you are 18 years old
*age for sexual consent is 16 years

[Sjax]

Originally posted by The Horseman
Due to an administrative oversight during the drawing up of the Treaty of Versailles, Andorra was left out of the Treaty. This meant that while every other country on the Allied side of the war declared peace with Germany, Andorra was technically at war with the country from 1914-1945.
That reminds me: The danish island Als is technically in war with Belgium, and has been since 1864.
Back then Denmark was in war with Germany who was allied with Belgium. The germans never occupied Als, who declared war on Germany and Belgium. They made peace with Germany, but not with Belgium, so technically they are still in war. There is a movement on Als called BBN, which is an abreviation of "Bomb Belgien Nu", which means "Bomb Belium Now".

[The Horseman]

Wait a second. The islands at war with Belgium, but Denmark isn't? That can't work, can it?

[Phreakmeister]

Of all women in video games, 38% has unusually big breasts, 46% has an unusually small waist and 54% is extremely violent

Of every dollar a Hollywood movie makes, 10 cents go to the actors. 90 cents go to the production company, the director, the crew and others.

Wataru Tsurumi has written a "Suicide Guide". It sold 1.2 million copies...

On Thursday, May 16th, 2002, a record number of 45 climbers stood on the summit of Mt. Everest. It was so crowded, it was impossible to take a picture for people at home.

With 5.4 people per square meter, noone would be able to move anymore.

The biggest collection of bulbs in the world belonged to the American dentist Hugh Hicks. When he died in May 2002, at the age of 79 years, his collection measured 60,000 bulbs.

An average Hollywood movie costs 15 hours of work a day, 5 days a week, for 12 weeks. Average costs a day: 0.5 million dollar.

9% of all new VCR's dies within 12 months.

DNA-tests among the Icelandic women have revealed, that 98% of the women on Iceland have directly descended from 7 women...

[The Horseman]

Frogs eat with their eyes closed.

[ILENSER]

Frogs eat with their eyes closed.

If you ate flies wouldn't you?

[The Horseman]

Excellent point

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by The Horseman
Frogs eat with their eyes closed.

So do sharks

[ILENSER]

Sharks dont have eyelids....they roll their eyes back in to the head.

[DV8]

Originally posted by Phreakmeister
Of all women in video games, 38% has unusually big breasts, 46% has an unusually small waist and 54% is extremely violent

Who would buy a video game consisting of a band of large waisted, flat chested tomb raiders which killed people with a skwert of a flower?

Did you know when you fart, only 1 % is odour?

[The Horseman]

Originally posted by DV8

Who would buy a video game consisting of a band of large waisted, flat chested tomb raiders which killed people with a skwert of a flower?

*Quickly deletes most of his hard drive....*

[DV8]

Originally posted by The Horseman


*Quickly deletes most of his hard drive....*
*catches Horseman in the act.
You sad, sad person.. Tsk Tsk..
Deprived of a sink and a life. :p

~You loose more energy eating mushrooms then you get from them...
~A full-grown Tyrranosaur could lift 8 tons with his arms...just his arms....
~Buetrice Arthur is really a man....(No, not really, but close enough to be considered one)
~Tutankahmun married his half-sister...
~The UNIVAC, was one of the first real computers-it had almost 80,000 vaccum tubes, and was about the size of a football field or larger......(that may be a little off, I'm not sure)
~Beavers, on average, chew up to 5 tons of wood in about a dozen years or so.......
~There is a city in Michigan called, "Joliet's Toliet"...
~In 1989, a book was published, titled: "Titan"...It was about a ship that over 800 feet long, and carried about 2,000 people...In the story, the ship, on its maiden voyage, struck an iceberg and sunk in the north Antlantic, on its way from England to New York. The event claimed 1,500 lives in the story.....Titanic sunk on April 14, 1912.....

Maderic

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by Maderic
~Tutankahmun married his half-sister...

Queen Hatshepsut married at age 12 her 28-year old half-brother

Cleopatra was married to her brother

Nero, the Roman emperor, had sexual relationships with his mother and his sisters

[The Horseman]

Originally posted by DV8
Deprived of a sink and a life. :p

I just wanna sink, is that too much to ask?

[aclu14]

Originally posted by Maderic

~In 1989, a book was published, titled: "Titan"...It was about a ship that over 800 feet long, and carried about 2,000 people...In the story, the ship, on its maiden voyage, struck an iceberg and sunk in the north Antlantic, on its way from England to New York. The event claimed 1,500 lives in the story.....Titanic sunk on April 14, 1912.....


The book was written in 1889.

[DV8]

Originally posted by The Horseman


I just wanna sink, is that too much to ask?
Hmm, maybe if they gave you a sink you could wash away all those dirty thoughts about them overweight, flat chested tomb raiders from your life, or what insignificant bit of it there is... :p

Whoops.....small typo.....Now that I read, that doesn't make any sense at all....Thanks, Alcu, for pointing that out.....

~There are 24,000 different species of ear-wigs....
~Nothing rhymes with silver, or purple.
~0 degrees on a Farienhiet thermometer is actually the freezing point of salt water.....
~Kaloua Bears don't need to drink water, they get all of their moisture through the Eucalypicus leaves.
~If were to lay them, the Great Lakes would cover both North and South America with 4 feet of water. And Lake Superior alone would cover the United States in 7 feet of water.
~The fastest animal on earth is the Perigin Falcon...
~The fastest moving man-made object, a space-probe launched in the 1970's, will reach the nearest star, in a short, 279,000 years....

[Phreakmeister]

The highest speed attained by a railed vehicle is Mach 8, or 9,851 km/h (6,121 mph), by an unmanned rocket sled over the 15.2-km (9.4-mile) rail track at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, USA, on October 5, 1982. Propelled by rockets to supersonic speeds, rocket sleds are typically used to simulate the flight of rocket or jet-powered vehicles or missiles.

That speed would mean 164 kms (100 miles) per minute. This would reduce a trip from New York to Los Angeles and back to 54 minutes and 49 seconds...

[Phreakmeister]

Our lungs contain 300 million air sacs called alveoli - if you unfolded them all, they would cover 69.75 sq m (750 sq ft!)

M Hari Prasad correctly calculated the square root of a six digit number in 1 minute 3.8 seconds at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, on October 30, 1999. Without the use of a calculator or computer he worked out the square root of 732,915 as 856.1045496. He also made two other successful mathematical attempts - most calender dates calculated in a minute and the fastest time to multiply two eight digit numbers.

The fastest three course meal was eaten by Peter Dowdeswell of Earlsbarton, Northampton, UK, in 45 seconds on the UK Guinness World Records TV show on May 13, 1999. The meal consisted of 500 ml (1 pint) of strained oxtail soup, 454 g (1 lb) of mashed potatoes, 227 g ( ½ lb) of tinned baked beans and sausage, and 50 prunes.

Peter Dowdeswell of Earls Barton, Northants, England, drank a yard of ale containing 1.42 liters (2 pints) in 5 sec. at RAF Upper Heyford, Oxon on May 4, 1975

America's Bruce Choy successfully styled a head of hair using eight pairs of scissors in one hand, controlling each pair independently at his salon Flying Sheers in San Francisco, California, USA on March 11, 2002.

Rory Blackwell, aided by his double left-footed perpendicular percussion-pounder, three-tier right-footed horizontal 22-pronged differential beater, and 12-outlet bellow-powered horn-blower, played 108 instruments simultaneously on May 27, 1985.

The greatest distance at which a grape thrown from ground level has been caught in the mouth is 99.82 m (327 ft 6in), by Paul J. Tavilla (USA) at East Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on May 27, 1991.

The loudest burp: 118.1 decibels, by Paul Hunn from London, on April 5, 2000.

The loudest finger snap: 108 decibels, by Bob Hatch from Pasadena, California, on May 17th, 2000.

Ralf Laue held 326 standard playing cards in a fan in one hand, so that the value and colour of each one was visible, at Leipzig, Germany, on March 18, 1994.

Kevin Thackwell of Alsager, Stoke-on-Trent, England, managed to attach 116 clothes pegs to his face and neck in five minutes at the Horseshoe Inn, Church Lawton, on September 27, 1999.

The most venomous cobras kissed consecutively is 11 by Gordon Cates, of Alachua, Florida, USA. He puckered up to ten monacle cobras and a 4.57-m (15-ft) king cobra on September 25, 1999, in Los Angeles, California, on the set of Guinness World Records: Primetime.

In November 1998, on the set of Guinness World Records: Primetime, Stevie Starr of Glasgow, Scotland, earned the moniker The Human Regurgitator when he swallowed then regurgitated a billiard ball, a bumble bee, and a black and white goldfish, which he brought up in an order specified by an audience member. He then swallowed a ring, a padlock and a key, and brought up the ring locked inside the padlock!

Michel Lotito (aka Henri Mangetout) from Grenoble, France, has been eating metal and glass since 1959. Gastroenterologists have described his ability to consume 900 g (2 lb) of metal per day as "unique". Mangetout - Michel's nickname - literally translates as "eats everything". Michel says bananas and hard-boiled eggs make him sick.

Michael Kearney started studying for an Associate of Science degree at Santa Rosa Junior College, California, USA in September 1990 at the age of 6 years 7 months. He became the world's youngest graduate in June 1994, at the age of 10 years 4 months, when he obtained his BA in anthropology from the University of South Alabama. He gained a Master of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University in August 1998 - at the age of 14. When he is not studying he enjoys doing what any other American teenager enjoys - playing video games, traveling, and playing soccer. As for the future, Michael would love to have the opportunity to host an educational television show for children.
Tathagat Avatar Tulsi (b. September 9, 1987) of New Delhi, India, successfully passed his M.Sc in Physics from Patna University, at the age of 12 years, two months, and 19 days, on November 28, 1999.

The youngest reigning monarch is King Mswati III of Swaziland (b. April 19, 1968). He was crowned on April 25, 1986, at the age of 18. In Swaziland it is customary for the line of succession to be passed to the youngest son, rather than the first-born, to improve the chances of a long reign.

The youngest head of government is currently Dr Mario Frick (b. May 8, 1965), who became Prime Minister of Liechtenstein at the age of 28 on December 15, 1993. Dr Frick was born in Switzerland and studied law at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland.

[Phreakmeister]

Fastest Bicycle Speed
The highest speed ever achieved on a bicycle is 268.831 km/h (167.043 mph), by Fred Rompelberg (The Netherlands) at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA, on October 3, 1995. His record attempt was greatly assisted by the slipstream from his lead vehicle. Fred has been cycling professionally for nearly 30 years and during that time has held 11 world records.

Busiest Port
The world’s busiest port is Rotterdam, The Netherlands, which covers an area of 100 km² (39 miles²). The port handled 315.5 million tonnes (310.5 million tons) of sea-going cargo in 1998. Almost half the bulk raw material (more than 100 million tonnes) arriving at the port is crude oil and oil products, and the port is home to one of the largest petro-chemical complexes in the world. It covers approximately 60% of port land and is home to five oil refineries and 30 large chemical and petro-chemical companies. There are 1200 km of pipelines between the various facilities and the complex provides direct employment for 13,500 people.

Fastest Indianapolis 500
Arie Luyendyk (Netherlands) completed the Indianapolis 500 in 2 hours 41 minutes 18.404 seconds, at an average speed of 299.3 km/h (186 mph), in a Lola-Chevrolet on May 27, 1990. Although he no longer competes, Aire is these days still involved in racing, guiding his son’s driving career and he is a consultant to an IndyCar Racing League team.

Fastest Indy 500 Qualification
The fastest qualification for the Indianapolis 500, taken as an average speed for four laps, is 381.392 km/h (236.986 mph), by Arie Luyendyk (Netherlands) in a Reynard-Ford-Cosworth on May 12, 1996.

Longest Ice Skating Race
The "Elfstedentocht" ("Tour of the Eleven Towns"), held in The Netherlands from 1909-63, 1985-86, and in 1997, covers 200 km (124 miles). An estimated 16,000 skaters took part in 1986.

Most Olympic Gold Medals - Women
The most Olympic gold medals won by a woman is four, an achievement shared by: Fanny Blankers-Koen (1948, Netherlands), Betty Cuthbert (1956, Australia), Barbel Wockel (1976 & 1980, GDR), and Evelyn Ashford (1984, 1988, 1992, USA).

Largest Tree Transplanted
A 100-year-old horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum, measuring 16 m (52 ft) in height, with a crown width of 19 m (62 ft), and a trunk girth of 4 m (13 ft), was transplanted by Bomen BSI Service, of The Netherlands, on March 27, 1997.

Longest Flower Line
From November 3–5, 1997, 370 students at the Agricultural Education Centre, Clusius College of Alkmaar, The Netherlands, with help from 146 volunteers, created a flower line 1,965 m (6,446 ft) long, using 185,400 flowers.

Most Interactive TV Programme
In the TV show Big Brother, broadcast in The Netherlands in 1999, nine contestants were placed in a house fitted with cameras and microphones and watched by 4.7 million viewers, over 100 days. The website had 52 million people logging on.

Largest Ballbath
The largest ballbath contained about 130,000 balls, and was made on December 30, 1999, in Plantagebaan, Wouwse Plantage, Netherlands, by the Stichting Carnaval Wouwse Plantage. It had a surface area of 252.9 m² (2,722.2 ft²) with an average depth of 0.4 m (1ft 4 in), and had 2,700 visitors in three days.

Biggest Simultaneous Balloon Skydive
Twelve skydivers from the Paraclub Flevo, Lelystad, The Netherlands, simultaneously jumped at 1,828 m (6,000 ft) from a Cameron A-415 PH-AGT balloon, over Harfsen, the Netherlands, on April 22, 2000. Although most of the passengers traveled in the balloon cabin, two jumpers attached themselves with ropes to the top of the balloon. As it inflated, they dragged themselves to the top using the ropes. Because of the heat generated by the burning propane gas beneath them, special heat-resistant blankets were placed on top of the balloon for them to lie on.

Largest Trombone Ensemble
The largest trombone ensemble consisted of 289 musicians, who gathered to play for 9 minutes 28 seconds at Café-zalencentrum, Broekhuizen, Netherlands, on June 8, 1997.

Largest Accordion Ensemble
The largest accordion ensemble was organized by the Stedeker Dansers, and consisted of 566 musicians playing the accordion for 22 minutes, during the International Folklore Festival in Diepenheim, The Netherlands, on June 1, 2000.

Longest Full Body Ice Contact Endurance
Wearing only swimming trunks, The Netherlands' Wim Hof was able to endure standing in a tube filled with ice cubes for 66 minutes 4 seconds on the set of Tomorrow's World, at BBC Television Centre, London, UK on March 13, 2002. Wim uses yoga, breathing exercises, and positive visualisation techniques as a means of mental preparation before his sub-zero record attempts. Wim also holds the record for swimming furthest under ice.

Fastest Men's 5,000 m Speed Skating
The fastest 5,000 m speed skate is 6 minutes 14.66 seconds by the Netherlands' Jochem Uytdehaage.The ice-cool Dutchman shaved 4 seconds off the previous world record at the Utah Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA on February 9, 2002.

Lowest World Championship Speed Skating Score
The record score achieved for the world overall title is 152.651 points. This score was achieved by Rintje Ritsma of the Netherlands, in Hamar, Norway on February 6-7, 1999.

Fastest Women's 50 m Butterfly
The Netherlands' Inge de Bruijn holds the world record for the fastest women’s long-course 50-m butterfly swim with a time of 25.64 seconds. The new record was set in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK, on May 26, 2000. Bruijn has an identical twin who plays on the Dutch national water polo team.

Fastest Women's 50 m Freestyle
The Netherlands's Inge de Bruijn set the world record for the fastest women’s long course 50-m freestyle swim, finishing in 24.32 seconds at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, on September 20, 2000.

Fastest Women's 100 m Freestyle
The Netherlands' Inge de Bruijn set the world record for the fastest women’s long course 100-m freestyle swim in 53.77 seconds at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, on September 20, 2000.

Tallest Sunflower
In 1986, Martien Heijms of Oirschot, The Netherlands, grew a sunflower with a total height of 7.76 m (25 ft 5 in). Martien Heijms has portioned off a section of his garden for the exclusive cultivation of sunflowers, and devotes a portion of each day to nurturing his record-breaking plants.

Largest Matchstick Collage
In 1998, Manfred Schumann, of Rhoon, The Netherlands, constructed a collage of the town hall in Haarlem, comprising 80,000 wooden matchsticks. The finished picture measured 110 x 75 cm (3 ft 6 in x 2 ft 5.5 in).

Best Selling Diary
The Diary of Anne Frank has sold more than 25 million copies and has been translated into 55 languages. The diary is a true, autobiographical account of events that took place whist Anne Frank, her family and friends were hiding in an attic in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to escape Nazi persecution during WWII.

Smallest Comic Book
This diminutive Dutch comic featured Hendrick Ijzerbroot as the crimefighter of the title. Agent 327's archenemy is the evil Dr Maybe who aims to rule the world with the help of his fiendish sidekicks Fi-Doh and Habraken. IJzerbroot appears at the beginning of each story wearing a bad disguise and saying the line, "The things a secret agent has to do arrive at his office without being recognized."

Largest Hockey Stick
A hockey stick made by the Jubilee Committee of AMHC Upward, of Arnhem, The Netherlands, measured 12.07 m (39.7 ft) long and weighed 580 kg 1,278 lb on September 11, 1999.

Longest 24-Hour Barrel Roll
In 24 hours, from November 28 to 29, 1998, a team of 10 people from Groningen, The Netherlands, rolled a 63.5-kg (140-lb) barrel a distance of 263.9 km (164.1 miles), at Stadspark, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Tallest Champagne Fountain
Between December 28 and 30, 1999, Luuk Broos, director of Maison Luuk-Chalet Fontaine, constructed a 56-storey champagne fountain at the Steigenberger Kurhaus Hotel, Scheveningen, Netherlands. It was made from 30,856 traditional long-stem champagne flutes.

Largest Popsicle
In August 1997, Jan van den Berg and friends from the Dutch village of Katwijk aan den Rijn, with the help of manufacturers Iglo-Ola, made a giant Rocket weighing 9.081 tonnes (20,020 lb). The titanic thirst-quencher was 6.5 m (21 ft) long, 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in) wide, and averaged 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) thick. The former record holder, a 7,915-kg (17,450-lb) popsicle, was well and truly licked! Made from water, dextrose, sugar, and additives, it contained enough frozen liquid to make 250,000 ice cubes. The popsicle measured a quarter of the length of the Mercury spacecraft, which launched Alan Shepart, America’s first man in space.

Largest Airsickness Bag Collection
Marketing and investment consultant Niek Vermeulen of the Netherlands has 2,112 airline sickness bags from 470 different airlines, and heads a list of over 50 serious collectors. He currently resides in Vietnam.

Oldest Stock Exchange
The Stock Exchange in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, was founded in 1602 for dealings in printed shares of the United East India Company of the Netherlands.

Largest Tidal Barrier
The Oosterscheldedam, a storm-surge barrier in the southwest of the Netherlands, is the world's largest tidal river barrier. It covers a total length of 9 km (5.6 miles), and was opened by HM Queen Beatrix on October 4, 1986.

[Phreakmeister]

Oldest Director Of A Documentary Film
The Dutch director Joris Ivens (1898–1989) directed the French documentary Une Histoire De Vent (1988) at the age of 89. He made his directorial debut with the silent short De Wigwam (Neth 1911) at the age of 14.

Smallest Birds Egg
An egg laid on October 5, 1998, by a posture canary of the German Crested variety measured 7 mm (0.275-in) in length, 5.25-mm (0.2-in) in diameter and weighed 0.027 g 0.0009 oz . The bird was owned by M.J de Rijck of Heijen, The Netherlands.

Largest Sail
The 47.42-m (155.56-ft) long sloop Hyperion, built by Dutch boatbuilder Wolter Huisman, has the largest mainsail ever made, with an area of 516 sq m (5,500 sq ft). It can cope with a wind force equivalent to 10 tonnes (9.81 tons).

Tallest Mast
The 47.9-m (157-ft) long sloop Hyperion, built by Dutch boatbuilder Wolter Huisman, has a mast 59 m (193.57 ft) tall. Hyperion was commissioned in 1995 by Jim Clark (USA), the internet entrepreneur who founded Netscape.

Most Valuable Painting
Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in Holland, and after leaving school at age 15, he was offered an apprenticeship at an art dealership. In 1873 he moved to London and spent hours wandering around art galleries. He briefly worked as a schoolteacher in England, before studying religion at Amsterdam University in 1877. He became a missionary in Belgium and started painting the oppressed miners with whom he worked. From 1880 he pursued his love of art before committing himself to an asylum in 1889. He shot himself on July 27, 1890, aged 37, but when he didn't kill himself, he tried again two days later and succeeded. Although Vincent van Gogh is one of the world's most famous postimpressionist artists he only sold one painting before he died... to his brother.

Greatest Distance, Le Mans 24-Hours
The greatest distance covered during the Le Mans 24-hour race is 5331.998 km (3313.150 miles) (av. speed 222.166 km/h, 138.047 mph), by Jan Lammers (Holland), Johnny Dumfries, and Andy Wallace (both UK) in a Jaguar XJR-9LM on June 11-12, 1988.

~The world's shortest war, was between Britian and the country of Zanzibar, it lasted 48 minutes.......

[The Horseman]

The four-letter word meaning copulation was used 365 times in the movie 'Casino'

And I love you too DV...

[DV8]

*prepares to start typing out everything out of her Book of Records...

Originally posted by The Horseman
The four-letter word meaning copulation was used 365 times in the movie 'Casino'

And I love you too DV...
You know I love you :p, you just needed a lil helpin hand to show you how to be more lovable, like a sink... a life...

[Phreakmeister]

In Italy, not only Friday the 13th is an "unlucky" day. Tuesday the 17th is also an unlucky day.
(Perhaps because it takes 4 days for Italians to realize what has happened?)

The first artificial kidney was invented in 1943 by Dutchman Willem Kolff. The thing leaked so heavily, that doctors had to wear boots not to get wet.

[DV8]

*throws away her squirt guns and runs around looking for an artificial kidney. *Squirts @ Phreaki.*

[DV8]

Did you know...

... sex and laughter are the best execises?:rolleyes:

[DV8]

Yesterday out head master had a lil talk in Chapel. I wasnt listening but here are a few of the facts I could remember...

... In your body there is enough:
Phrosphorous to deflee a dog
Glycerine to blow a shell
Iron to make a 2 inch nail
Sodium to make thousands of matches.
Chlorine to disinfect 2 pools
fat to make about 15 bars of soap (average hehe)
And did you know...
...1/4 of the bones in ur body are in ur feet
Your body consists of about 24 pounds of carbon
Ur eyes are actually red when on the outside appear blue like the veins
The skull if stronger that steel but weighs 5 times less
Hair is as strong as aluminium and if spun into rope can pull a small car
That your hearing is most sensative in the morning and worst at lunch? (YOU WHAT? I CANT HEAR YOU OVER MY BURGER!)

As you can see, my head master speaks a lot. There were atleast twice that many facts and the whole point was only to explain how God must have made everyone because all of the above could not have been chance.

~In the 1940's, a chicken, who was about to be slaugtherd, got it's head chopped off. And like normal chickens, this one ran around with it's head cut-off, but this time, this chicken ran around for 5 years......Mike "The Headless Chicken", lived for 5 years with out his head.....when they beheaded him, they hit it wrong and the chicken was able to live with the majority of his brain stem gone...but what was left, was enough to keep him alive with his basic functions-eat, sleep, drink, run, etc....... They feed it with an eye-dropper....he lived until he choked to death, and they were un-able to save the chicken's life.......Would you believe it?

Maderic......

[DV8]

Yes I have hear of Mike the headless chicken. He even has his own webpage and merchandise. It is fake thought. I read the evidence of it not being real (like the Bonzai Kittens) on some webpage or another. I'll find out some how. But I'll leave you with the Mike the Headless Chicken (http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org)

[DV8]

Did u know there is a statue honoring Mike the Headless Chicken in Salt Lake?!? :confused:

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To find his head. :p

[The Horseman]

Originally posted by DV8
You know I love you :p, you just needed a lil helpin hand to show you how to be more lovable, like a sink... a life...

A haircut, face moisturiser, a dress sense, the ability to dance/sing...yeah, yeah, I get your point :D

4/5 German submariners during World War II never returned home

[ILENSER]

Did you know if you took a seven gauge surgical steel needle and push it through the anterior chamber of your eye it would hurt like hell.

No really, It would.

[The Horseman]

No! Really!

[DV8]

Illy! You are kidding!

Did u know ur ears never stop growing so if u live up to be 1000 or so you'd make a good resemblence of an elephant.

And you are hairy every where but the palms of ur feet and and the bottoms of ur hands. Or the other way around. Whatever.
This is unless self conscious people like Horse start waxing their chests &c..

[The Horseman]

Oh, you're so spiteful DV! :D

[DV8]

Spite is my middle name :p

[Phreakmeister]

Only one region in history has ever been peacefully given back to the native population: Nunavut province in Canada.

[Phreakmeister]

The State Flower of Connecticut is the Mountain Laurel.
The State Bird is the Robin.
The State Tree is the White Oak.
The State Animal is the Sperm Whale, Physeter Catodon.
The State Insect is the Praying Mantis, Mantis Religiosa.
The State Mineral is the Garnet.
The State Song is "Yankee Doodle".
The State Ship is USS Nautilus.
The State Hero is Nathan Hale.
The State Heroine is Prudence Crandall.
The State Shellfish is the Eastern Oyster.
The State Composer is Charles Edward Ives.
The State Fossil is Eubrontes Giganteus.

[Phreakmeister]

State Flowers of the US States

Alabama - Camellia (Camellia)
Alaska - Forget Me Not (Myosotis alpestris)
Arizona - Saguaro Cactus Blossom (Carnegiea gigantea)
Arkansas - Apple Blossom (Pyrus coronaria)
California - California Poppy (Eschscholtzia californica)
Colorado - Rocky Mountain Columbine (Aquilegia caerules)
Connecticut - Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
Delaware - Peach Blossom (Prunus persica)
Florida - Orange Blossom (Citrus sinensis)
Georgia - Cherokee Rose (Rosa laevigata)
Hawaii - Pua Aloalo (Hibiscus brackenridgei)
Idaho Syringa - Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii)
Illinois - Purple Violet (Viola)
Indiana - Peony (Paeonia), Dogwood blossom (Cornus kuosa chinensus), Tulip blossom (Tulipa humilis) and Zinnia (Zinnia Acerosa)
Iowa - Wild Prairie Rose (Rosa pratincola)
Kansas - Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Kentucky - Goldenrod (Solidago altissima)
Louisiana - Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Maine - White pine cone (Pinus strobus) and tassel (Pinus linnaeus)
Maryland - Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Massachusetts - Mayflower (Epigaea regens)
Michigan - Apple Blossom (Pyrus coronaria)
Minnesota - Pink and white lady's-slipper (Cypripedium reginae)
Mississippi - Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Missouri - Hawthorn (Crataegus)
Montana - Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva)
Nebraska - Goldenrod (Soldiago gigantea)
Nevada - Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)
New Hampshire - Purple lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
New Jersey - Violet (Viola sororia)
New Mexico - Yucca flower (Yucca glauca)
New York - Rose (Rosa)
North Carolina - American Dogwood (Cornus florida)
North Dakota - Wild Prairie Rose (Rosa arkansana)
Ohio - Scarlet Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus)
Oklahoma - Mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum)
Oregon - Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium)
Pennsylvania - Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latiflolia)
Rhode Island - Violet (Viola)
South Carolina - Yellow Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
South Dakota - Pasque Flower (Ppulsatilla hirsutissima)
Tennessee - Iris (Iridaceae)
Texas - Bluebonnet (Lupinus)
Utah - Sego lily (Calochortus gunnisonii)
Vermont - Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Virginia - American Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Washington - Pink Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum)
West Virginia - Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum)
Wisconsin - Wood Violet (Viola papilionacea)
Wyoming - Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja linariaefolia)

Notice how:
Arkansas and Michigan
New Jersey and Rhode Island
(Illinois and Wisconsin)
Washington and West Virginia
North Carolina and Indiana
Louisiana and Mississippi
Kentucky and Nebraska
(New York, Georgia and North Dakota)
have (about) the same state flowers

[Phreakmeister]

Alabama - Yellowhammer
Alaska - Willow Ptarmigan
Arizona - Cactus Wren
Arkansas - Mockingbird
California - California Valley Quail
Colorado - Lark Bunting
Connecticut - Robin
Delaware - Blue Hen Chicken
Florida - Mockingbird
Georgia - Brown Thrasher
Hawaii - Nene
Idaho - Mountain Bluebird
Illinois - Cardinal
Indiana - Cardinal
Iowa - Eastern Goldfinch
Kansas - Western Meadowlark
Kentucky - Cardinal
Louisiana - Eastern Brown Pelican
Maine - Chickadee
Maryland - Baltimore Oriole
Massachusetts - Chickadee
Michigan - Robin
Minnesota - Common Loon
Mississippi - Mockingbird
Missouri - Bluebird
Montana - Western Meadowlark
Nebraska - Western Meadowlark
Nevada - Mountain Bluebird
New Hampshire - Purple Finch
New Jersey - Eastern Goldfinch
New Mexico - Roadrunner
New York - Bluebird
North Carolina - Cardinal
North Dakota - Western Meadowlark
Ohio - Cardinal
Oklahoma - Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Oregon - Western Meadowlark
Pennsylvania - Ruffed Grouse
Rhode Island - Rhode Island Red
South Carolina - Great Carolina Wren
South Dakota - Ring-necked Pheasant
Tennessee - Mockingbird
Texas - Mockingbird
Utah - California Seagull
Vermont - Hermit Thrush
Virginia - Cardinal
Washington - Willow Goldfinch
West Virginia - Cardinal
Wisconsin - Robin
Wyoming - Western Meadowlark

Same bird for:
Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota Oregon and Wyoming
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia
Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas
Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin
Maine and Massachusetts
Missouri and New York

Two states (California and Utah) have a bird with California in the name as State Bird
Two State Birds have a Major League baseball club named after them: Cardinal and Baltimore Oriole

[Phreakmeister]

Alabama - Hematite
Alaska - Gold
Arizona - Fire Agate
Arkansas - Quartz Crystal
California - Gold, Serpentine, Rock
Colorado - Rhodochrosite
Connecticut - Garnet
Delaware - Sillimanite
Florida -
Georgia - Staurolite
Hawaii -
Idaho -
Illinois - Fluorite
Indiana -
Iowa -
Kansas -
Kentucky - Coal
Louisiana -
Maine - Tourmaline
Maryland -
Massachusetts - Babingtonite
Michigan -
Minnesota -
Mississippi -
Missouri - Galena
Montana -
Nebraska -
Nevada -
New Hampshire - Beryl
New Jersey -
New Mexico -
New York -
North Carolina -
North Dakota -
Ohio -
Oklahoma -
Oregon -
Pennsylvania -
Rhode Island - Bowenite
South Carolina -
South Dakota - Rose Quartz
Tennessee -
Texas -
Utah - Copper
Vermont - Talc, Grossular Garnet
Virginia -
Washington -
West Virginia -
Wisconsin - Galena
Wyoming -

Anyone know the state minerals of the blank states?

[Phreakmeister]

State Dance:

Alabama - Folk dance
Arkansas - Square Dance
Colorado - Square Dance
Connecticut - Square Dance
Idaho - Square Dance
Maryland - Square Dance
Massachusetts - Square Dance
Missouri - Square Dance
Nebraska - Square Dance
New Jersey - Square Dance
North Dakota - Square Dance
Oklahoma - Oklahoma Wind, Square Dance
Oregon - Folk Dance
South Carolina - The Shag, the Square Dance, the Richardson Waltz
Tennessee - Square Dance
Utah - Square Dance
Virginia - Square Dance
Washington - Square Dance
Wisconsin - Polka


State Beverages:

Arkansas - Milk
Delaware - Milk
Florida - Orange Juice
Louisiana - Milk
Maryland - Milk
Massachusetts - Cranberry Juice
Minnesota - Milk
Mississippi - Milk
Nebraska - Milk, Kool-Aid
North Carolina - Milk
North Dakota - Milk
Oklahoma - Milk
Oregon - Milk
South Carolina - Milk, Tea
Virginia - Milk
Wisconsin - Milk


State Cooking Pot

Utah - Dutch Oven


State Musical Instrument

Arkansas - Fiddle
Louisiana - Diatonic accordion
Missouri - Fiddle
Oklahoma - Drum


State Cookie

Massachusetts - Chocolate chip cookie
New Mexico - Bizcochito


State Sport

Alaska - Dog mushing
Maryland - Jousting
New Hampshire - Skiing


State Artifact

Nevada - Tule Duck


State Muffin

Massachusetts - Corn muffin
Minnesota - Blueberry


State Bean

Massachusetts - Navy Bean


State Dessert

Massachusetts - Boston cream pie


State Neckwear

Arizona - The bolo tie


State Nut

Alabama - Pecan


State Quilt

Alabama - Pine burr quilt

[aclu14]

Originally posted by Phreakmeister
State Dance:

Arkansas - Square Dance
Colorado - Square Dance
Connecticut - Square Dance
Idaho - Square Dance
Maryland - Square Dance
Massachusetts - Square Dance
Missouri - Square Dance
Nebraska - Square Dance
New Jersey - Square Dance
North Dakota - Square Dance
Oklahoma - Oklahoma Wind, Square Dance

South Carolina - The Shag, the Square Dance, the Richardson Waltz
Tennessee - Square Dance
Utah - Square Dance
Virginia - Square Dance
Washington - Square Dance





Yee Haw!!!!

[DV8]

Do americans actually enjoy square dancing?

[ILENSER]

In the 1800s maybe....

[The Horseman]

Originally posted by Phreakmeister

State Cooking Pot

Utah - Dutch Oven

I can just imagine the meeting

[jericho]

Wow!!! Those are a whole lot of wierd facts....


Square Dancing?! Why?

[King Solomon]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Phreakmeister

State Musical Instrument


California (San Francisco area)-Skin Flute

[aclu14]

Is it made of skin or something?

Speaking of skin....

Dust mites are microscopic creatures that crawl all over humans and eat dead skin cells.

[Circeus]

Did you know the Bs in "doubt" and "debt" (previously borrowed from French) were added in the 18th century so they would look closer to latin words dubitus and debitum ? However, the S added to "island" make little sense as the word as no latin origins (it's from old English iegland ), while the one in "isle" is perfectly natural (the old french french word was written that way, but it's now "île", because most mute S were removed ever since)

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by aclu14
Is it made of skin or something?

How sweet, the naive youth :)))))))))))))))))
Jazz musicians couldn't use the term fellatio in their songs. To still be able to talk about this, but to get the songs through rating at the same time, they used the term "to play the skin flute". To be able to play the skin flute, one had to "blow", hence "blow job"...

[The Horseman]

Between 1882 and 1916, Egypt was a Ottoman dominion, under British control, but reigned over by it's own monarch?

[DV8]

The sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the English language.

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

The average human eats 8 spiders in their lifetime at night.

"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair.

The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.

A polar bear's skin is black. Its fur is not white, but actually clear.

Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes.

Shakespeare invented the word "assassination" and "bump."

If you keep a Goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.

The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.

TYPEWRITER, is the longest word that can be made using the letters on only one row of the keyboard.

If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction

The word racecar and kayak are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left.

A snail can sleep for 3 years.

China has more English speakers than the United States.

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

Did you know you share your birthday with at least 9 other million people in the world.

The longest word in the English language is 1909 letters long and it refers to a distinct part of DNA.

Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, dogs only have about ten.

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

Feb 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

Cat's urine glows under a black light.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2-6 years of age.

Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.

Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.

On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.

The strongest muscle in the body is the TONGUE.

It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

Polar bears are left-handed.

The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds, that makes the catfish rank #1 for animal having the most taste buds.

A cockroach will live nine days without its head, before it starves to death.

Butterflies taste with their feet. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Starfish haven't got brains.

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

The average secretary's left hand does 56% of the typing.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

There are more chickens than people in the world.

Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is
"screeched."

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.

"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

Almonds are members of the peach family.

There are only four words in the English language which end in "- dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

In most advertisements, including newspapers, the time
displayed on a watch is 10:10.

A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

The name for Oz in the "Wizard of Oz" was thought up when the creator, Frank Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N and O-Z, hence "Oz."

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.


Now, does anyone know how to copy and paste? :p :rolleyes: :p

[jericho]

"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language


Um...

I think I disagree on this one. I have heard that "Go." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.


I also heard that the longest word in Webster's dictionary is, "antidisistablishmentarienisium". I have no clue what means, or if I spelled it right.

You can hold a crocidile's mouth shut with just a simple rubberband, because all of it's powerful muscles are only meant to bite down.

A Kamodo Dragon can kill an animal just by breathing on it.

A mouse's brain is simple enough, that scientists can actually attach a small machine into it and control the mouse with a remote-control, thus commanding it which way to move, and so on.

50,000 people every year are injured by toliets.

More people are killed by pigs, than sharks.

In the American Civil War, the Confederacy was so low on supplies during the war, that woman in the South, used their urine to extract sulfer for gunpowder.

A person who can't swim, is sometimes referred to as an "antolimigist".

In 1883, on the island of Krakatua, a volcano blew, destroying the island and sending tidal waves as high as 128 feet.

If wound together, (to the same thickness), horse hair is nearly 15x more strong than steel cable.

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by DV8
The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.

This fact has been posted here about 3 times so far, and in every case, the amount of minutes is different.

The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.

Except for Oceania

Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.

Where is Nutmeg, btw?

The strongest muscle in the body is the TONGUE.

The tongue also is the longest muscle in the body, stretching from deep down in your abdomens to your mouth. Some people can actually put the tongue up an own nostril...

A cockroach will live nine days without its head, before it starves to death.

Male spiders mate headless. During the copulation, the male spider throws himself in the mouth of the female spider, thus killing himself. Death prolongues the orgasm, thus improving the chance of reproduction, and after eating one mating partner, the female won't mate ever again.

In most advertisements, including newspapers, the time
displayed on a watch is 10:10.

Anyone know why?

The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.

On average 25 centimeters (10 inches), the size of a dinner plate or the screen on a laptop computer.

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

Question: Then what did Betty Boothroyd become famous for? ("ORDER!!!!!!! ORDER!!!!!!!!!!!")

The name for Oz in the "Wizard of Oz" was thought up when the creator, Frank Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N and O-Z, hence "Oz."

Trivial information: ANOZ is an insurance company from the city where I live :)

Now, does anyone know how to copy and paste? :p :rolleyes: :p

Use the right button of your mouse

[ILENSER]

The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 5 minutes and 32sec.:)

[DV8]

No Illy it was 3 minutes and 50 seconds.:rolleyes:

[Phreakmeister]

Queen Victoria eased the discomfort of her menstrual cramps by having her doctor supply her with marijuana.

Louis Pasteur (the discoverer of penicillin) wrote in his laboratory notes, "This damned mold keeps destroying my cultures."

In 410 A.D., Alaric the Visigoth demanded one and a half tons of pepper as ransom from Rome. Two years later, he started receiving three hundred pounds in pepper annually from the city.

The astronauts on Apollo 8 played with Silly Putty during their flight and used it to keep tool from floating around in zero gravity.

In the 1870s, William Russell Frisbie opened a bakery called the Frisbie Pie Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His lightweight pie tins were embossed with the family name. In the mid-1940s, students at Yale University tossed the empty pie tins as a game.

In 1945, with just $500, ex-magician Benjamin Hirsch set up shop in a small Chicago storefront at 2207 Chicago Avenue, where he developed Plastone Liquid Car Polish by mixing batches in a bathtub. Benjamin Hirsh's wife and partner, Marie, would bottle the polish, and Ben would sell it. Hirsh's best sales technique was to wax parked cars while waiting for the owner to return. ***This wax became known as Turtle wax.

Goethe couldn't stand the sound of barking dogs and could only write if he had an apple rotting in the drawer of his desk.

Charles Dickens was an insomniac. He believed he had the best chance of getting some sleep if he positioned himself exactly in the middle of the bed which must at all times be pointed in a northerly direction.

Charles Dickens had to be facing north before he could write a word.

Chopin, the composer, wore a beard on only the left half of his face. He claimed that when he performed at the piano, the other side of his face didn't matter since the audience saw only one side.

Fourteen years before the Titanic sailed on an April day in 1912 on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, a novel titled "Futility" was published about an unsinkable and glamorous Atlantic liner, the largest in the world. Like the Titanic's, its passenger list was the creme de la creme and there were not enough lifeboats on board. On a cold April night, the fictional "unsinkable" vessel strikes an iceberg and glides to the bottom of the Atlantic. The name of this liner, in the story by Morgan Robertson, was "The Titan."

At the height of the teddy bear's huge popularity in the early 1900s, there is record of one Michigan priest who publicly denounced the teddy as an insidious weapon. He claimed that the stuffed toy would lead to the destruction of the instincts of motherhood and eventual racial suicide.

The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

In a famous New Year's Day column, newspaperman Westbrook Pegler repeated the same sentence 50 times. It was "I will never mix gin, beer, and whiskey again."

A car's instrument panel is called a dashboard. The term dates back to horse-and-buggy days when dashing horses kicked up mud, splashing the passengers riding behind them. The dashboard was devised to protect them.

Abdul Kassem Ismael, Grand Vizier of Persia in the tenth century, carried his library with him wherever he went. The 117,000 volumes were carried by 400 camels that were trained to walk in alphabetical order.

Vincent Van Gogh sold exactly one painting while he was alive, Red Vineyard at Arles. He sold it to his brother, Theo van Gogh...

Bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers were all invented by women.

In the 1700s, European women achieved a pale complexion (which was fashionable in yore days) by eating "Arsenic Complexion Wafers" actually made with the poison.

Lead poisoning has been blamed for contributing to the fall of the Roman Empire. Women became infertile by drinking wine from vessels whose lead had dissolved in the wine, and the Roman upper classes died out within a couple centuries. The Romans used lead as a sweetening agent and as a cure for diarrhea. It added up to massive self-inflicted poisoning.

In 1859, a shower of fish fell from the sky in Glamorgan, Wales. The fish covered an area the size of three tennis courts.

In 1939, a shower of tiny frogs fell on the English town of Trowbridge. Strong winds had carried them aloft from streams and ponds.

Every queen named Jane has either been murdered, imprisoned, gone mad, died young, or been dethroned.

December 25 was not celebrated as the birth date of Christ until the year 440 A.D. (Astrological investigation btw has shown that Jesus Christ was born in April or May)

Mistletoe was associated with peace and friendship in ancient Scandinavia. In the time of the Druids, mistletoe was believed to have magical properties. People who met under a tree bearing mistletoe were forbidden to fight, even if they were enemies, and anyone who entered a home decorated with mistletoe was entitled to shelter and protection.

John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress, wrote most of his famous book while in jail. He was imprisoned for twelve years for preaching without a license.

Leonardo da Vinci wrote notebook entries in mirror (backwards) script, a trick that kept many of his observations from being widely known until decades after his death. It is believed that he was hiding his scientific ideas from the powerful Roman Catholic Church, whose teachings sometimes disagreed with what Leonardo observed.

Commonly found on the internet, but doubtful fact: During the bubonic plague of London, the city was sealed off to avoid contamination. This meant no food was permitted in. The only people willing to trade with London were the Dutch, who left food on jetties and then would take the money left there. They used to steel their nerves with liquor before landing on the plague-infested shores, hence "Dutch courage." To this day, the Dutch still have the freedom of the river Thames, which was granted as a reward for their courage and kindness.

The word Casanova conjures up images of a charmingly amorous and debonair hero, capable of seducing women at will. Little know is the little fact that Casanova ended his life as a, get this, librarian...

In 1492 when western European countries started their occupation of the Americas, more than 50 million Indians were living there.

In ancient times, salt was considered a mild antidote for poison and people often added a bit of salt to a suspicious drink offered by someone they don't trust. From this comes the expression "take it with a grain of salt", referring to the consumption of anything suspicious.

Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a statue of a dung beetle at the London Zoo, but declined to attend the dedication of a children's playground and walkway dedicated to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Einstein couldn't speak fluently when he was nine. His parents thought he might be retarded.

Alfred Hitchcock had no belly button for it was eliminated during surgery.

Aztec emperor Montezuma II had a nephew, Cuitlahuac, whose name meant "owner of excrement."

14th Century Crusaders defending the city of Caffa in Crimea were horrified when the Tartars began catapulting the dead bodies of plague victims over the city walls. The Tartars themselves died of plague, after which the Crusaders returned to Italy, bringing plague with them. Within two decades the bubonic plague had wiped out 25% of the population of Europe from Yugoslavia to Greenland.

George Eastman, inventor of the Kodak camera, hated having his picture taken.

During the time that the atomic bomb was being hatched by the United States at Alamogordo, New Mexico, applicants for routine jobs like janitor were disqualified if they could read. Illiteracy, in other words, was a job requirement. The reason: The authorities didn't want their trash or other papers read.

Heroin was first marketed by the Bayer Aspirin Co.

After consuming a bucket or two of vibrant brew they called aul, or ale, the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle often without armor or even shirts. In fact, the term "berserk" means "bare shirt" in Norse, and eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles.

There is a town/city called London on all seven continents.

Wilhelm the Second (the German Kaiser) was prone to extreme fits and immense anger. Once he arrived unexpectedly at one of his army bases. They were unprepared and had no entertainment available. Wilhelm was so enraged that he forced one of his highest-ranking Generals, General Dietrich von Hülsen-Haeseler, chief of the military cabinet, to put on a tutu and do ballet. The General who was extremely unfit and overweight promptly keeled over and died.

In 1875 the Director of the United States Patent Office sent in his resignation, and advised the administration that his department be eliminated, because he was convinced there was nothing left to invent.

On June 10, 1958, a tornado was crashing through El Dorado, Kansas. The storm pulled a woman out of her house and carried her sixty feet away. She landed, relatively unharmed, next to a phonograph record titled "Stormy Weather."

In order to sell his sets of Shakespeare door-to-door, David McConnell offered free perfume to his customers. He realized the perfume was more popular and began selling cosmetics door-to-door. This began the company that grew into Avon.

Roman statues were made with detachable heads, so that one head could be removed and replaced by another.

The Cairo Opera House was destroyed by fire in 1970. The Cairo fire station was located inside the same building.

In the 1700's you could purchase insurance against going to hell, in London, England.

[Phreakmeister]

Since most people are right-handed, the holes on men's clothes have buttons on the right - to make it easier for men to push them through the holes. Well, that's easy, but aren't women mostly right-handed too? Women's buttons are on the OPPOSITE side so their maids can dress them. When buttons were first used, they were expensive and only wealthy women had them. Since a maid faces the woman she is dressing, having the buttons on the left of the dress places them on the maid's right.

Commonly found on the internet, but false fact:
In the 19th century, the British Navy attempted to dispel the superstition that Friday is an unlucky day to embark on a ship. The keel of a new ship was laid on a Friday, she was named H.M.S. Friday, commanded by a Captain Friday, and finally went to sea on a Friday. Neither the ship nor her crew were ever heard of again.

The Automobile Association in London was formed in 1905 for the purpose or providing "scouts" who could warn motorists of hidden police traps.

History's first recorded toothpaste was an Egyptian mixture of ground pumice and strong wine. But the early Romans brushed their teeth with human urine, and also used it as a mouthwash. Actually, urine was an active component in toothpaste and mouthwashes until well into the 18th century - the ammonia it contains gave them strong cleansing power.

In a tradition dating to the beginning of the Westminster system of government, the bench in the middle of a Westminster parliament is two and a half sword lengths long. This was so the government and opposition couldn't have a go at each other if it all got a bit heated.

Virgina Woolf wrote all her books standing.

Adolf Hitler's mother seriously considered having an abortion but was talked out of it by her doctor.

Albert Einstein was considered retarded, Isaac Newton was thought to be a slow learner, Joseph Priestly (the discoverer of oxygen) never took a science course, and Louis Pasteur got a C in chemistry.

In 1876 when G.G. Hubbard learned of his future son-in-law's invention, he called it "only a toy". This daughter was engaged to a young man named Alexander Graham Bell.

Charles Goodyear began his experiments on rubber in a debtors' prison. He was there so often that he referred to it as his "hotel".

Leonardo da Vinci spent twelve years painting the Mona Lisa's lips.

While living in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1866-67, Thomas Edison developed a device to electrocute cockroaches.

In 1984, a New Jersey man opened a summer camp for Cabbage Patch dolls.

Peter the Great taxed men for wearing beards.

Charles VI, called Charles the Mad, ruled France from 1380 to 1415. At stages, he believed that he was made of glass and inserted iron rods into his clothing to prevent himself from breaking.

Karl Marx once wrote for the New York Tribune.

Albert Einstein's brain spent over 30 years in a bottle in a small-town doctor's office near Kansas City before being studied.

The Roman emperor Domitian took great pleasure in catching flies, stabbing them with the point of a pen and tearing their wings out.

In Elizabethan England women wore egg whites over their faces to create a glazed look.

When Einstein was 2 years old and his mother brought home Albert’s new baby sister Maja, all Albert could do is stare quizzically, then respond, "where are the wheels?"

The S.S. Halliburton was officially the smallest craft to use the Panama Canal, being charged $0.36 (assessed by weight) for use of the locks. Richard Halliburton dubbed himself the S.S. Halliburton in order to swim the canal because the locks could only be filled for a ship.

Early Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, and Roman writings describe numerous mixtures for both tooth pastes and powders. The more palatable ingredients included powdered fruit, burnt shells, talc, honey, ground shells, and dried flowers. The less appetizing ingredients included mice, the head of a hare, lizard livers, and urine.

While Mary Todd Lincoln's husband, Abraham Lincoln, was president of the United States her brothers were Confederate soldiers.

Because she was a Confederate sympathizer and apparently still had deep feelings about the outcome of the Civil War, President Truman's mother would not sleep in Lincoln's bed during a visit to the White House.

The World's first university was established in Takshila, India in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects.

A two-cent coin was minted from 1864-1873 and was the first coin to bear the motto "In God We Trust".

The Lincoln cent is the only circulating coin currently produced in which the portrait faces to the right.

47 czars are buried in the Kremlin.

As a child, Thomas Edison sat on goose eggs with the intent of hatching them.

Benjamin Harrison had the White House wired for electricity, but because he was afraid of getting shocked, he would not touch the switches.

In 1902, 92% of all cocaine sold in major cities in the United States was in the form of an ingredient in tonics and potions available from local pharmacies.

In the 1880s, the Sigmund Freud created a sensation with a series of papers praising cocaine's potential to cure depression, alcoholism, and morphine addiction.

The first time “Silent Night” was ever played, it wasn’t on an organ as one might suspect. Because the church organ was broken, this classic Christmas song was written to be played on a guitar.

King Louis XI of France once commanded an abbot to invent a new and ridiculous musical instrument for his amusement. The abbot gathered together a series of pigs, each with their own distinctive squeal, and proceeded to prick each one of them in turn to provide the desired tune.

In 23-79 AD, ashes from burnt mice heads, rabbits heads, wolves heads, ox heels and goats feet were thought to benefit the gums.

The olive and its oil were so important to the populace during the Renaissance that when one city-state overtook another, the punishment of the vanquished citizenry was not imprisonment or death, but death to their olive trees.

According to Country Living Gardener magazine, archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 B.C.

Celtic warriors sometimes fought their battles naked, dyed blue from head to toe. They also bleached their long hair until it was white and so stiff that it stood on end in long hard points.

James Madison declared Thanksgiving twice in 1815. Neither of these holidays was celebrated in the autumn.

Thanksgiving myth! Thanksgiving myth!
Most people believe that the first pilgrims were Puritans, but instead they were Separatists. Puritans believed in purifying the Church of England, while Separatists wanted to completely separate from it. The Puritans were stricter in social customs, while the Separatists were more focused on separation from the Church of England.

Cornell College, located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, is the only school in the nation to have its entire campus listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The oldest letter in Britain is an invitation to a birthday party. Sent by a Roman to his friend at Hadrian's Wall, the letter is about 1900 years old. source

The names for the directions of wind (north, east, south, west) were named after the four dwarfs of Norse mythology who held the skies in the four corners of the earth.

The Norse goddess of the underworld was called Hel. Hence "hell". In the Edda, the "Bible" of Norse mythology, Hel was the Land of the Dead

The use of evergreen trees to celebrate the winter season occurred before the birth of Christ.

The Rune alphabet (http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~cherryne/myth.cgi/Runes.html) was a Germanic alphabet used since about 3CE. It is referred to as FUTHARK, after the first 6 letters (Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, Ansuz, Raido, Kenaz). Each rune was a letter in the alphabet and also stood for a word (its name). The earliest use of runes was for magical purposes. There were many different Futharks.

In order to spread more easily in Europe, Christianity adopted several Germanic rites. Among these are: Christmas, the christmas tree, the Easter bunny, Easter, Pentecost, etc.

The Roman Emperor, Nero, used lenses made of emeralds to view gladiator games. These precious gem lenses probably did not help him to see better, but they did become a fashion must-have for the upper classes.

The oldest operating gas station in the United States is in Zillah, Washington.

During the Middle Ages in Europe, a chair was reserved only for the lord of the house, while everyone else sat on benches or stools. Nobility were the only ones to own chairs, and most often they had only one chair.

The oldest fossilized imprint of a rose was left on a slate deposit in Florisant, Colorado, which is estimated to be 35 million years old.

The legend of Groundhog Day is founded on an old Scottish couplet or saying: "If Candlesmas Day is bright and clear, There'll be two winters in the year."

Groundhog Day was once celebrated by ancient Celts. It's halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox.

The Blue Fish Caves on the Bluefish River in the northern Yukon contain the earliest evidence of human habitation in North America. Today, some experts believe humans have lived in this region for more than 14,000 years...

The first St. Patrick's Day in America was celebrated in Boston in 1737

Queen Elizabeth I had over 80 wigs!

The first Easter baskets resembled birds’ nests. In early times, people placed Easter eggs in grass nests to honor Eostre, the goddess of Spring.

[Phreakmeister]

Mailing an entire building has been illegal in the U.S. since 1916 when a man mailed a 40,000-ton brick house across Utah to avoid high freight rates.

In Texas it is illegal to have sex with a fish, in Florida it is illegal to get a fish drunk, and North Carolina thought both laws were good, so in North Carolina it is illegal to have sex with a drunk fish.

In Switzerland, it is illegal to flush the toilet after 10 P.M. if you live in an apartment.

In 1471, a chicken in Basel, Switzerland, was accused of being 'a devil in disguise' after laying a brightly colored egg. The chicken stood trial, was found guilty and burned at the stake.

It's still a law in Canada that the government will pay a bounty for all Indian scalps brought in.

In Gainesville, Georgia - the chicken capital of the world - it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork

To "testify" was based on men in the Roman court swearing to a statement made by swearing on their testicles.

Bowling used to be done with nine pins. When a law was passed in colonial Connecticut making "bowling at nine pins" illegal, those who ran the games simply started using ten pins.

In Minnesota, you may not hang male and female underwear next to each other on a clothesline.

In Brooklyn, New York, it's illegal to let a dog sleep in your bathtub.

There's a law in International Falls, Minnesota, which states it's illegal for cats to chase dogs up telephone poles in that city.

According to a British law passed in 1845, attempting to commit suicide was a capital offense. The offense was punishable by hanging.

It was illegal to sell ET dolls in France because there is a law against selling dolls without human faces.

In North Dakota, it is legal to shoot an Indian on horseback, provided you are in a covered wagon.

It is illegal to hunt camels in the state of Arizona.

In Atlanta, Georgia, it is illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp.

In Riverside, California, there is an old law on the city's books which makes it illegal to kiss unless both people wipe their lips with rose water.

Every citizen of Kentucky is required by law to take a bath once a year.

Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.

In the 1800s, the Church of England prohibited women from using anesthesia during labor because the Holy Bible mentioned "in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children." Once Queen Victoria used anesthesia to numb her pain while delivering her child, it became common practice.

Pennsylvania was the first colony to legalize witchcraft.

According to law, no store is allowed to sell a toothbrush on the Sabbath in Providence, Rhode Island. Yet, these same stores are allowed to sell toothpaste and mouthwash on Sundays.

Impotence is grounds for divorce in 24 states in the United States.

In Alaska, it is illegal to look at a moose from the window of an airplane or any other flying vehicle.

In Florida, women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer, as can the salon owner.

In Massachusetts, snoring is prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked. It is also illegal to go to bed without first having a full bath.

In Milan, Italy, there is a law on the books that requires a smile on the face of all citizens at all times. Exemptions include time spent visiting patients in hospitals or attending funerals. Otherwise, the fine is $100 if they are seen in public without a smile on their face.

In Somalia, Africa, it's been decreed illegal to carry old chewing gum stuck on the tip of your nose.

In some smaller towns in the state of Arizona, it is illegal to wear suspenders.

It is against the law to remove your shoes if your feet smell bad while you're in a theater in Winnetka, Illinois.

It is against the law to yell out "Snake!" within the city limits of Flowery Branch, Georgia.

It is illegal to ride a street car on Sunday if have been eating garlic in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In Michigan, USA, a man legally owns his wife's hair.

It is against the law to whale hunt in Oklahoma.

In 1837 a British Judge ruled that if a man kissed a woman against her will she was legally allowed to bite his nose off.

Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

It is illegal to own a dog in Reykjavik.

It is illegal to cross the state boundaries of Iowa with a duck on your head.

It's against the law to catch fish with your bare hands in Kansas.

New York cities administrative code still requires that hitching posts be located in front of City Hall so that reporters can tie their horses.

Sheep theft is still legally a hangable offense in Scotland.

In Chester, England, you can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight.

It is specifically against the law for a woman over 200 pounds and attired in shorts to be seen eating onions in a restaurant or any public picnic in Ridgeland, South Carolina.

In Blue Hill, Nebraska, no female wearing a 'hat which would scare a timid person' can be seen eating onions in public.

By law, in Bourbon, Mississippi, one small onion must be served with each glass of water in a restaurant.

In Tamarack, Idaho, you can't buy onions after dark without a special permit from the sheriff

In Grants Pass, Oregon, you can throw onions at 'obnoxious salesmen' if they won't stop knocking on your door or ringing your bell.

It is 'illegal' by US Navy law to bring a red pen, pencil, or marker onto the bridge of a ship. Ships run at 'red light' at night and if a red pen or marker is accidently used to mark a shoal; it would not be seen with the red light. One of the worst naval disasters occurred when a shoal was marked with a red pen and a formation of ships ran aground in the late 1920's.

In Utah it is illegal to swear in front of a dead person

In Knoxville, Tennessee, it is illegal to lasso fish.

In Tennessee, USA, a man must walk in front of any car driven by a woman, while waving a red flag as a warning.

According to 1649 Massachusetts law, punishment for children over the age of 16 acting stubborn or rebellious was death.

In Greene, New York, you cannot walk backwards and eat peanuts on the sidewalks during a concert.

In Hartford, Connecticut, you may not, under any circumstances, cross the street walking on your hands.

In Cleveland, Ohio, it's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.

A law in Fairbanks, Alaska, does not allow moose to have sex on city streets.

Women must address bachelors as master instead of mister, according to an Illinois state law.

In Connorsville, Wisconsin no man shall shoot a gun while his female partner is having a sexual orgasm.

A San Diego man sued the city for emotional trauma during a concert when he saw women using the men's rest room.

In Lexington, Kentucky, women cyclers can't wear a swimsuit unless they're carrying a knife or stick or are escorted by two policemen.

In South Dakota, single, divorced, or widowed women are not allowed to ride a motorcycle on Sunday.

In Clearbrook, Minnesota, when a woman biker orders a beverage where alcohol is served on Sunday, she must stand five feet away from the bar.

In Lowes Crossroads, Delaware, it's a crime for children to laugh at women motorcyclists.

In Florissant, Mississsippi, it's illegal to make a silly face at women motorcyclists.

In Old Furnace, Massachusetts, women can't whistle while repairing motorcycles on Sunday.

In Moosehead, Maine, women on motorcycles aren't allowed to wink at a man they don't know.

In Hickory Ridge, Arizona, no woman may ride a motorcycle while wearing a nightgown.

A honeymooning couple are suing Holiday Inn for 10,000 dollars, claiming their sex life is now dysfunctional because an employee mistakenly walked in on them on their wedding night.

In Michigan, it is illegal to chain an alligator to a fire hydrant.

During the great plague of Europe, the Pope passed a law to say "God bless you" to one who sneezed. At the time it was believed that when people sneezed, they were expelling evil from their bodies.

In Washington State, it is against the law to brag about one's parents being rich.

In Maryland, it's illegal to play Randy Newman's "Short People" on the radio.

In Alabama it is illegal to play Dominoes on Sunday.

In Minneapolis, according to law, double-parkers can be put on a chain gang.

An old law in Kentucky states that men who push their wives out of bed for inflicting their cold toes on them can be fined or jailed for a week.

A 100-year-old law in Willowdale, Oregon makes it illegal to swear during sex.

In Melbourne, Australia it is illegal for men to parade in strapless dresses; however, they are allowed to cross-dress in anything with sleeves.

In Texas, men over 50 and men with only one eye are exempt from “peeping tom” charges.

In Normal, Oklahoma you could be sent to prison for "making an ugly face at a dog."

In Hawaii it is against the law to laugh after 10pm.

In Hartford, Connecticut, it is illegal to educate dogs.

In Sterling, Colorado, it is against the law to allow a pet cat to run loose without a taillight.

In California, animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship.

In Paulding, Ohio an officer of the law may bite a dog to quiet him.

In Clawson, Michigan, there is a law that makes it legal for a farmer to sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens.

In Seattle, Washington, an ordinance was passed that states that goldfish could ride the city buses in bowls only if
they kept still.

It is forbidden for horses to eat fire hydrants in Marshalltown, Iowa

In Utah it is illegal to fish from horseback

[Phreakmeister]

It is illegal to drive more than two thousand sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at one time.

In Dyersburg, Tennessee, it is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date.

In Kirkland, Illinois, it is illegal for bees to fly over the village or through any of its streets.

In Lefors, Texas it is illegal to take more than three swallows of beer at any time while standing.

In Tennessee, it is illegal to shoot any game other than whales from a moving automobile.

In Kansas it is illegal to catch bullfrogs in a tomato patch.

In Baltimore it is illegal to mistreat oysters.

According to Illinois state law, it is illegal to speak English. The officially recognized language is "American."

In Delaware it is illegal to get married on a dare.

In Baltimore, it is illegal to wash or scrub sinks no matter how dirty they get.

In North Andover, Massachusetts, citizens are prohibited from carrying 'space guns.'

Flirtation between the members of the opposite sex on the streets of Little Rock may result in a 30-day jail term.
(What about flirting with a transvestite?)

In Massachusetts, if you get caught eating peanuts in church , you can be jailed for up to one year.

In New York City it is illegal for a man to give 'The Standard Lear' to a woman. Violators are forced to wear horse blinders.

It is against the law for a monster to enter the corporate limits of Urbana, Illinois.

It is illegal for a man to kiss a woman while she is asleep in Logan County, Colorado.

In Miami, it's illegal for men to be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.

It is illegal to take more than 2 baths a month within Boston confines.

In North Dakota it is illegal to keep an elk in a sandbox in your backyard.

Minors in Kansas City, Missouri, are not allowed to purchase cap pistols; they may buy shotguns freely, however.

Every man in Brainerd, Minnesota is required by law to grow a beard.

In Richmond, Virginia it is illegal to flip a coin in any eating establishment to determine who buys a cup of coffee.

In Nags Head, North Carolina, you can be fined for singing out of tune for more than ninety seconds.

Gargling in public is against the law in Louisiana.

In Ohio it is illegal to run out of gas.

In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays may be jailed.

In Denver it is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor.

In Massachusetts you must have a license to wear a goatee.

No man is allowed to make love to his wife with the smell of garlic, onions, or sardines on his breath in Alexandria, Minnesota. If his wife so requests, law mandates that he must brush his teeth.

In Texas criminals are required to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.

In Connecticut any dogs with tattoos must be reported to the police.

In Vermont it is illegal to whistle while underwater.

In Lexington, Kentucky, it's illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your pocket.

In Maine, it is illegal to sell a car on Sunday unless it comes equipped with plumbing.

Florida law forbids rats to leave the ships docked in Tampa Bay.

In Rochester, Michigan, anyone bathing in public must have his or her bathing suit inspected by a police officer.

In Massachusetts, it is unlawful to deliver diapers on Sunday, regardless of emergencies.

An ordinance in Newcastle, Wyoming, specifically bans couples from having sex while standing inside a store's walk-in-meat freezer!

In Joliet, Illinois it is illegal to mispronounce the name Joliet.

In Lebanon, Virginia, it is illegal to kick your wife out of bed.

A Kentucky statute states,
"No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state unless she is escorted by at least two officers or unless she be armed with a club."
Later, an amendment proposed:
"The provisions of this statute shall not apply to any female weighing less than sixty pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds; nor shall it apply to female horses."

In Tulsa, Oklahoma the limit on kisses is three minutes (by law).

In Reno, Nevada staging a marathon dance is illegal, although posting a notice on a fire hydrant about illegal dance marathons is not.

In Washington, anyone under the age of 18 must have parental permission to throw a tear gas canister.

Kansas state law requires pedestrians crossing the highways at night to wear tail lights.

In California you may not set a mouse trap without a hunting license.

In Kentucky you need a license to walk around nude on your property.

All nude people in your house must be registered in Kentucky.

In Vermont it is illegal to deny the existence of God.

In Texas, the entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

In Seattle, Washington, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon that is over six feet in length.

In Nevada it is illegal to ride a camel on the highway.

If a child burps during a church service in Omaha, Nebraska, his or her parents may be arrested.

It is against the law in Pueblo, Colorado, to raise or permit a dandelion to grow within the city limits.

In Arizona it is illegal to take naked photographs before noon on Sunday.

In Bexley, Ohio, Ordinance number 223, of 09/09/19, prohibits the installation and usage of slot machines in outhouses.

In 1659 the state of Massachusetts outlawed Christmas, and the law was not repealed till 1681.

A Blue Earth, Minnesota, law declares that no child under the age of twelve may talk over the telephone unless monitored by a parent.

In Utah, birds have the right of way on all highways.

In Chicago, it is illegal to take a french poodle to the opera.

In Devon, Connecticut, it is unlawful to walk backwards after sunset.

In Detroit, Michigan it is illegal to sleep in a bathtub.

In Pennsylvania:
"Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes."

It is Texas law that when two trains meet each other at a railroad crossing, each shall come to a full stop, and neither shall proceed until the other has gone.

Virginia law forbids bathtubs in the house; tubs must be kept in the yard.

In Ohio women are forbidden from wearing patent leather shoes, lest men see reflections of their underwear

The use of the names of dead presidents to sell alcohol in Michigan is prohibited.

It is illegal to mistreat rats in Denver.

In West Virginia you cannot fly a red flag in front of your house if you are disappointed in your sheriff.

In Texas any artificially constructed underwater barrier reefs must come with an instruction booklet.

In West Virginia it is against the law for men to have sex with any animal over 40 pounds in weight.

In Alaska it is illegal to whisper in someone's ear while they are moose hunting.

In Halethorpe, Maryland, kisses longer than one second are illegal.

The state law of Pennsylvania prohibits singing in the bathtub.

In Saratoga, Florida it is illegal to sing while wearing a bathing suit.

New Hampshire law forbids you to tap your feet, nod your head, or in any way keep time to the music in a tavern, restaurant, or cafe.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, it is against the law to open a soda bottle without the supervision of a licensed engineer.

It's illegal to mispronounce the name of the state of Arkansas in that state.

In Boston, Massachusetts it is illegal to take a bath unless instructed to do so by a physician.

In Ohio it is illegal to ride on the roof of a taxi cab

It's illegal in Wilbur, Washington, to ride an ugly horse.

There was once a law in Salem, Virginia, that made it illegal to leave home without knowing where you were going.

City Ordinance number 352 in Pacific Grove, California, makes it a misdemeanor to kill or threaten a butterfly.

In 1971 the Kroffts (the creators of “H.R. Pufnstuf”) successfully sued McDonald’s for stealing the Pufnstuf characters to create the McDonaldland creatures.

In 1971, a landmark class action suit, filed in Pennsylvania, against Satan (and his staff) was dismissed on a technicality.
UNITED STATES ex rel. Gerald MAYO v. SATAN AND HIS STAFF, 54 F.R.D. 282 (W.D. Pa., 1971).

In 1985, Oreste Lodi sued himself for trying to raid his own trust fund.
Civ. No. 25210 Court of Appeals of California, Third Appellate District October 22, 1985.

In 1991 Jeffrey Stambovsky sued Helen Ackley and Ellis Realty for selling him a haunted house. The New York appellate court declared that the house was haunted, and made Ackley reverse the sale because she failed to disclose that the house she was selling was inhabited by ghosts.

The 1792 law that established the U.S. Mint made coin defacement, counterfeiting and embezzlement by Mint employees punishable by death.

The New Zealand government once passed a law which prevented supermarkets from selling "ordinary" milk. The big stores, however, were allowed to continue selling "flavored milk," presumably on the grounds that this was considered to be a confectionery rather than food. The supermarkets began producing and selling "milk-flavored milk", which was ordinary milk with milk powder added. This was so similar to "pure" milk that people happily bought it as such. A few months later the government was obliged to repeal the law.

A 38-inch-tall man in Tampa filed suit demanding that "dwarf-tossing" be re-legalized in Florida. He claims that his income has dropped significantly since it became illegal for people to hurl him across a barroom.

[Phreakmeister]

It is against the law to drag a dead horse down Yonge Street in Toronto.

In Liverpool, England it is against the law to have topless saleswomen. That is, unless they are working in a tropical fish store.

From the revised Statutes of Kansas, 1923, section 21-2426:
It shall be unlawful for any person to exhibit in a public way within the state of Kansas, any sort of an exhibition that consists of eating or pretending to eat of snakes, lizards, scorpions, centipedes, tarantulas or other reptiles.

[The Horseman]

Okay, okay - you win!

[jericho]

Where do you get all of these from?

[aclu14]

Originally posted by Phreakmeister


How sweet, the naive youth :)))))))))))))))))
Jazz musicians couldn't use the term fellatio in their songs. To still be able to talk about this, but to get the songs through rating at the same time, they used the term "to play the skin flute". To be able to play the skin flute, one had to "blow", hence "blow job"...

Oh, dear.

[The Horseman]

Originally posted by jericho
I also heard that the longest word in Webster's dictionary is, "antidisistablishmentarienisium". I have no clue what means, or if I spelled it right


Antidisenstablishmentarienisium is a point of view. In the UK, the church and the state are not entirely seperate. The Queen is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and also the Head of State. The Prime Minister therefore effectively chooses the bishops and archbishops on her behalf. There are also a number of clergy in the British upper chamber, the House of Lords. This is called enstablishmentarienisium. Those opposed to this are therefore disenstablishmentarienisiumists, and so people opposed to the people opposed to the original point of view (OK, here it gets a little complicated) are called antidisenstablishmentarienisiumists, and believe in Antidisenstablishmentarienisium.

Hope you understood that.

[DV8]

Phreak, you have way too much time.

So antidisenstablishmentarienisiumists could also be known as enstablishmentarienisiumists or are they just a new thing all together? Cuz obviously people who oppose the people who opposed were the people whom the opposed opposed to. So "anti-dis" will just cancel each other out.

Did I make sense? :confused:

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by DV8
So antidisenstablishmentarienisiumists could also be known as enstablishmentarienisiumists or are they just a new thing all together? Cuz obviously people who oppose the people who opposed were the people whom the opposed opposed to. So "anti-dis" will just cancel each other out.

Did I make sense? :confused:

Please DV8, I just woke up...

[jericho]

That's enough to give you a headache....I need some asprin.

[Phreakmeister]

The most common surname in the Czech Republic is Novak, shared by around 8% of the Czech people. The name means "A newly settled neighbor, a newcomer, a newman".
The second most frequent name in the Czech Republic is Novotny, which is shared by 5 to 6% of the people and which means the same as Novak.

Right now, in the USA, it's a trend to use surnames as first names.
The most common surname used as first name in the US among girls, is Taylor. It ranks 9th on the overall ranking of girls' names.
The most common surname used as first name in the US among boys, is Tyler, which ranks 10th on the overall ranking of boys' names.

The most common surname in the US is Smith (which actually ranks only 10th in North Dakota. The most common surname in North Dakota is Johnson, which ranks 2nd in the US. 3rd Surname in the US is Williams, which only ranks 31st in North Dakota and isn't represented in the top 10 surnames in 12 states.
The name McDonald only is 34th in Massachusetts, 49 in New Hampshire and 80th in Maine. It isn't represented in the top 100 of surnames in any other state. The name Black only is 57th in Utah, 73rd in South Carolina, 88th in Pennsylvania and 92nd in Alabama.

[Phreakmeister]

Meaning of the names of the US States

Alabama - Named for the Alabama River, which in turn was named for an Indian tribe
Alaska - Named from Aleut word meaning “great land” or “that which the sea breaks against.”
Arizona - Named from the Indian word Arizonac, meaning "little spring" or "young spring"
Arkansas - A variation of "Kansas," from the Kansas River and Kansas Indians.
California - Named from a make-believe island filled with gold in a Spanish novel
Colorado - Spanish word for "colourful".
Connecticut - Named from Indian word Quinnehtukqut, which was first applied to the Connecticut River
Delaware - Named from Delaware River, which was in turn named by the English for Sir Thomas West, Lord de la Warr, the Virginia Company's first governor.
Florida - Named for the day on which it was discovered (April 2, 1513) by Spanish explorer Ponce de León, who called it La Florida in honor of Pascua Florida, the Spanish Feast of the Flowers at Eastertime.
Georgia - Named by James Oglethorpe for King George II
Hawaii - Named from the Hawaiian language; believed to recall the traditional discover of the islands, Hawaii Loa, or to describe a small or new homeland; in Hawaiian, ii means "raging", which could refer to Hawaii's volcanoes.
Idaho - Invented by George M. Willing, who unsuccessfully sought to become a delegate from what would become the territory of Colorado; Idaho is the only state name that was invented out of thin air!
Illinois - Named from the Illinois River, which was named by the French explorer Sieur de La Salle after the Indians he found living along its banks
Indiana - Created by Congress when it created the Indiana Territory out of the Northwest Territory in 1800, it means "Land of the Indians"
Iowa - Named from the Iowa River, which was named for the Iowa Indians; the tribal name 'Ayuxwa means "one who puts to sleep"
Kansas - The French spelling of the Kansas, Omaha, Kaw, Osage, and Dakota Sioux Indian word KaNze, which means “south wind,” or “people of the south wind”
Kentucky - The Wyandot Indian word for "plain," which referred to the state's central plains
Lousiana - The French explorer Sieur de La Salle named the area along the lower Mississippi River La Louisianne after King Louis XIV of France
Maine - : Origin unknown; may have been named by French colonists aftter the French province of Mayne, or it may derive from "Main," a common term among early explorers to describe a mainland
Maryland - Named by Lord Baltimore in honor of English King Charles I's wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, who was popularly known as Queen Mary
Massachusetts - The name Massachusetts comes from Algonquian Indian words that mean "the great mountain" or "large hill place." The words apparently refer to the tallest of the Blue Hills, though there is some disagreement as to the exact meaing.
Michigan - Named from Chippewa word majigan, which means "clearing," inspired by a clearing on the west side of the lower peninsula
Minnesota - ?
Mississippi - Named after the Mississippi River, whose Chippewa Indian name means "large river"
Missouri - Named after the Missouri river, which was named for the Missouri Indians; the word means "canoe haver"
Montana - Chosen from Latin dictionary by J. M. Ashley, Montana is a Latinized Spanish word meaning “mountainous.”
Nebraska - ?
Nevada - Named for Sierra Nevada range; in Spanish, nevada means "snow," or "snowy," while sierra means "mountains"
New Hampshire - Named for Hampshire County
New Jersey - Named after the Channel Island
New Mexico - The upper region of the Rio Grande was called Nuevo Mexico as early as 1561; the name was anglicized and applied to lands ceded to the United States by Mexico after the Mexican War; Mexico is an Aztec word meaning "place of Mexitli", an Aztec god
New York - New York City was named in honor of the brother of England's King Charles II, the Duke of York and Albany, and the name was later applied to the state.
North Carolina - The colony of Carolina was originally named in honor of France's Charles IX and later in honor of England's Charles I and Charles II
North Dakota - When Dakota Territory was created in 1861, it was named for the Dakota tribe; Dakota is a Sioux word meaning "friends" or "allies."
Ohio[/b] - Named from the Ohio River; Ohio is an Iroquois meaning "large" or "beautiful river".
Oklahoma - The word Oklahoma first appears in the 1866 Choctaw-chickasaw Treaty. The word was made up by Native American missionary Allen Wright by combining two Choctaw words: 'ukla ("person") and humá ("red"); thus, Oklahoma means "red person."
Oregon - This name's origin is a mystery, but there are at least three theories:
1) It may derive from the French Canadian word ouragan, meaning "storm" or "hurricane"; the Columbia River was probably once called "the river of storms."
2) It may come from the Spanish word orejon or "big-ear," a term applied to local Indian tribes.
3) It's a modification of the Spanish word orégano, for the wild sage that grows in eastern Oregon
Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania means "Penn's woods." It was named in honor of Admiral William Penn, whose son, William Penn, founded the colony as a haven for Quakers and other religious minorities in 1682. The state was given its name by England's Charles II in 1680, when the King granted Penn a charter
Rhode Island - When Dutch explorer Adriaen Block discovered an island with red clay shores, he named it Roodt Eylandt, meaning "red island."
South Carolina - The colony of Carolina was originally named in honor of France's Charles IX and then in honor of England's Charles I and Charles II
South Dakota - When Dakota Territory was created in 1861, it was named for the Dakota tribe; Dakota is a Sioux word meaning "friends" or "allies."
Tennessee - Named for the Little Tennessee River, which was in turn named for two villages along its shores which the Cherokee called Tanasi
Texas - Named from the Caddo Indian word teysha, or tejas, which means "hello friend." The Spanish used the name to refer to friendly Indian tribes in the region.
Utah - Named for Ute tribe, whose name means “people of the mountains” In a roundabout way, the state is actually named for the Navajo, who the White Mountain Apache reffered to as Yuttahih, or “one that is higher up.” Europeans thought the Apache term referred to a tribed that dwelled farther up the mountains than the Navajo, and they called these people Utes.
Vermont - French explorer Champlain named mountains he saw from a distance les monts verts, or "green mountains." The two words were combined to form Vermont. (However, leaving the "d" out of Verd Mont makes the translation "worm mountain"!)
Virginia - Named in 1584 in honor of Queen Elizabeth of England, who was popularly called the "Virgin Queen"
Washington - When a new territory was carved out of Oregon Territory in 1853, an eastern politician named it for President George Washington. It is the only state named for a president.
West Virginia - Formerly part of Virginia, it was admitted as a new state during the Civil War as "West Virginia"
Wisconsin - Named after the Wisconsin River, whose name, in Chippewa, means "grassy place"
Wyoming - Named from two Delaware Indian words mecheweamiing, which are translated “at the big flats,” popularly thought to mean “large plains”

[jericho]

The guy who was in the Darth Vader suitwas David Prouse, .the same guy who will be in the suit in Episode III...(If Hayden Christensen gives it up, that is)

I'm a big Star Wars buff.

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by jericho
The guy who was in the Darth Vader suitwas David Prouse, .the same guy who will be in the suit in Episode III...(If Hayden Christensen gives it up, that is)

I'm a big Star Wars buff.

The voice of Darth Vader was James Earl Jones. James Earl Jones unwillingly ended up in the middle of a huge mistake... A plaque had been produced thanking acclaimed actor James Earl Jones for serving as featured speaker at Lauderhill's Martin Luther King jr. Day ceremonies. The plaque however calls James Earl Jones "James Earl Ray". James Earl Ray was the man who was convicted for murdering Martin Luther King jr. in 1968. The plaque says: "Thank you // James Earl Ray // for Keeping the Dream alive".

[Phreakmeister]

Greatest Distance Egg Dropping
The greatest height from which fresh eggs have been dropped to earth and remained intact is 213 m (700 ft). This was achieved by David Donoghue from a helicopter on August 22, 1994. David threw the eggs onto a golf course in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK. Getting the physics right is a vital part of the record. "You have to get the forward velocity equal to the downward velocity, then get the egg to land nearly perpendicular on a steep slope," says David.

Highest Man-Made Temperature
The highest man-made temperature was 520 million Kelvin. It was achieved by the JT-60 (JAERI Tokamak-60) reactor at the Naka Fusion Research Establishment, Nakamachi, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, on 19 July 1996.

Most Accurate Value Of Pi
The most decimal places to which pi (p) has been calculated is 206,158,430,000. Professor Yasumasa Kanada of the University of Tokyo and Dr Daisuke Takahashi made the calculation by running two different programs in 1999.

Most Prolific Mathematician
The prolific output of Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-83) was such that his papers were still being published for the first time more than 50 years after his death. His collected works will eventually occupy over 75 large quarto volumes.

Smallest Bicycle
Zbigniew Rozanek, from Poland, not only constructed the smallest bicycle, he also rode it a distance of 5 m (16 ft) and all the way into record history! The front wheel measured just 11 mm (0.43 in) in diameter. The rear wheel was 13 mm (0.51 in) in diameter. "Breaking records is my hobby," says the enterprising electrician.

Fewest Hospital Beds Per Population
Niger has the fewest hospital beds per capita with 1 per 10,000 people from 1990 to 1998. The country also has the world's highest estimated birth rate: 52 births per 1,000 people (1998 figures).

Most Distant Ancestor
History professor Adrian Targett made history himself in March 1997 when he discovered he was the last known link to the oldest-known family tree in the world. After scientists made a positive DNA match between Adrian and a 9,000-year-old skeleton, he said, "This is a story about roots. We all have ancestors, don't we? Now I know who mine are."

Longest Sneezing Bout
The longest sneezing bout ever recorded was that of 12-year-old schoolgirl Donna Griffiths of Worcestershire, UK. She started sneezing on January 13, 1981, sneezed an estimated million times in the first 365 days, and achieved her first sneeze-free day on September 16, 1983 - the 978th day. Her sneezing put Donna's face on the pages of newspapers around the world. Well-wishers inundated her with handkerchiefs and letters suggesting different cures. At the beginning, her sneezes erupted every minute but at the end they slowed down to one every five minutes. "I'm determined not to let it stop me from doing the things I like. I love swimming and I swim for the school," she said.

Most Fetuses In A Human Body
On July 22, 1971, Dr Gennaro Montanino of Rome, Italy, announced he had removed the fetuses of ten girls and five boys from the womb of a 35-year-old housewife. A fertility drug was responsible for this occurrence. Dr Gennaro Montanino operated on the Rome housewife, whose identity was withheld to protect her, while she was in her fourth month of pregnancy. The unborn children were five inches long and five ounces in weight. The woman and her salesman husband already had an eight-year-old daughter born after similar hormone treatment and had asked doctors for another fertility treatment to have another child.

Highest Fall Survived Without A Parachute
Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant from Yugoslavia, survived a fall from 10,160 m (33,330 ft) when the DC-9 airplane she was traveling in blew up over Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), on January 26, 1972. A terrorist bomb was thought to be the cause, and no other passengers survived. Vesna broke both legs and was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down.

Vesna remembers nothing, but later learned that a former nurse, Bruno Henke, saw Vesna's legs sticking out of the fuselage. Bruno cleared Vesna's airways before rushing her to hospital. Three days later she awoke from a coma in a hospital in Ceska, Karmenice.

She says, "I was so lucky to have survived! I hit the earth – not the trees, not the snow, but the frozen ground." Strangely, the first words she uttered, "Can I have a cigarette," were in English!

Luckily, she suffered no psychological trauma, and no fear of flying. Prevented from returning to her job, she forged a new career in administration. "I was able to fly over the world for free," she says. Her experience has helped her form a philosophical attitude towards life. "I believe we are masters of our lives - we hold all the cards and it is up to us to use them right."

Blindfold Land Speed Record
The UK's Alistair Weaver reached a speed of 226.91 km/h (141 mph) while driving blindfolded at Elvington air field, Yorkshire, UK, on April 8, 2002. He was driving an Audi S8.

Largest Known Prime Number
The largest known prime number was discovered by Michael Cameron, and announced on 5 December 2001. It is (2^13,466,917) – 1. It would have 4,053,946 digits if you were to write it out in full. There is a $100,000 reward to the person who discovers the first ten-million-digit prime number.

[Phreakmeister]

SMARTIES RECORD LICKED
Life is sweet for one 12-year-old girl from Whitley Bay, England. Smartie-pants Kathryn Ratcliffe this week smashed the Guinness World Record for Most Smarties or M&Ms Eaten in 3 Minutes Using Chopsticks! Not only did smartie-pants Kathryn beat the existing record of 94 chocolate beans, set last week at the UK launch of Guinness World Records 2003, but she thrashed this total with an incredible 106. And if that’s not impressive enough, she tried again the same day – and managed a gob-smacking 108! Well done, Kathryn!

Longest Sandboarding Back Flip
Josh Tenge, from Incline Village, Nevada, USA, performed a back flip measured at 13.6 m (44 ft 10 in) at the Xwest Huck Fest, Sand Mountain, Nevada, USA, on May 20, 2000. Josh – a snowboarding instructor who rides motocross for kicks – is now a familiar face on the relatively young sandboarding circuit, having twice won the Sand Master Jam competition at Dumont Dunes, California. But maybe Josh had an unfair advantage over his rivals when it came to tackling the slopes… he grew up in Incline Village, Nevada!

Milk Squirting
Mike Moraal of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, squirted milk from his eye a distance of 2.615 m on the set of L'Émission des Records, Paris, France on September 7th, 2001.

Most Clothespins Cipped On Face
The UK's Garry Turner clipped 133 ordinary wooden clothes pegs on his face at the offices of Guinness World Records, London, on August 3, 2001. Garry is the landlord of the Red Lion pub in Caistor, Norfolk.

Most Swords Swallowed
On August 13, 1999, Brad Byers of Moscow, Idaho, USA, swallowed ten 68.5-cm (27-in) long swords, and rotated them through 180 degrees in his oesophagus. He performed the stunt on the set of Guinness World Records: Primetime. Brad says he once cut his epiglottis so badly that he couldn't eat or drink for 48 hours.

Steepest Tightrope Walk
Javier Gomez of the USA completed a 18.74-m (61.5-ft) tightrope walk, with an average slope of 33 degrees without a balancing pole, in Bettendorf, Iowa, USA, on July 12, 1999. The slope was at angle of 24 degrees at the base and 44 degrees at the top.

Slingshot Ears
The farthest an American dime has been propeled by the ear lobe is 3 m 30.6 cm (10 ft 10.5 in), by Monte Pierce, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA, on the set of Guinness World Records: Primetime. If you give Monte Pierce an earful, he might just fling it back in your face - literally! He began pulling his ears when he was a kid after an earache nearly drove him bananas. Unable to kick the habit, he decided to put his extra long earlobes to good use and use them as a slingshot. Currently both of his earlobes hang just under an inch when not being pulled.

Greatest Temperature Range On Earth
The greatest temperature range recorded is around the Siberian “cold pole”, in eastern Russia. Temperatures in Verkhoyansk have spanned 105 degrees Celsius (221 degrees Fahrenheit): from -68 degrees Celsius (-90.4 degrees Fahrenheit) to 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit).

Biggest Temperature Difference In A Day
The biggest temperature variation recorded in one day is 56°C (100°F), in a fall from 7 to -49°C (44 to -56°F) at Browning, Montana, USA on January 23–24, 1916. The town is located on a native American reservation, inhabited by the Blackfeet tribe. It has a population of around 1,170 and is close to the Glacier National Park.

[Phreakmeister]

Among the many protesters appearing outside the US Republican political convention was a group wearing "Ban Breast-feeding Now" T-shirts. Spokesman Bruce Spencer, 56, of New York, was quoted as saying that breast-feeding is an immoral act, and "the worst part of it is, the child doesn't have a choice."

To "testify" was based on men in the Roman court swearing to a statement made by swearing on their testicles.

Representative Tom Moore sponsored a resolution in the Texas House of Representatives to commend Albert de Salvo for his unselfish service to "his country, his state and his community." The resolution stated that "this compassionate gentleman's dedication and devotion to his work has enabled the weak and the lonely throughout the nation to achieve and maintain a new degree of concern for their future. He has been officially recognized by the state of Massachusetts for his noted activities and unconventional techniques involving population control and applied psychology.'' The resolution was passed unanimously. Representative Moore then revealed that he had only tabled the motion to show how the legislature passes bills and resolutions often without reading them or understanding what they say. Albert de Salvo was the Boston Strangler...

Ohio is listed as the 17th state in the U.S., but technically it is number 47. Until August 7, 1953, Congress forgot to vote on a resolution to admit Ohio to the Union.

John Hanson not George Washington was the first president of the U.S. When the Congress met in 1781, the U.S. was governed by the Articles of Confederation, which were adopted in 1777 and ratified by the states in 1781. At that meeting, Congress elected John Hanson its "President of the U.S. in Congress assembled." George Washington became the first president of the U.S. under the U.S. Constitution in 1789.

Hitler was voted "Time Magazine's" man of the year in 1938.

On his way home to visit his parents, a Harvard student fell between two railroad cars at the station in Jersey City, New Jersey, and was rescued by an actor on his way to visit a sister in Philadelphia. The student was Robert Lincoln, heading for 1600, Pennsylvania Avenue. The actor was Edwin Booth, the brother of the man who a few weeks later would murder the student's father...

During his entire 47 years in government, Herbert Hoover turned over all his Federal salary checks to charity.

Benjamin Franklin slept in four beds every night. He had a theory that a warm bed sapped a man's vitality. So when one bed became too warm, Ben jumped into another.

President Ulysses S. Grant was once arrested during his term of office. He was convicted of exceeding the Washington speed limit on his horse and was fined $20.

In 1861, John Wentworth fired the entire Chicago Police Department when his term as mayor came to an end. Those terminated included sixty patrolmen, three sergeants, three lieutenants, and one captain. The city of Chicago was entirely without police protection for twelve hours until the Board of Commissioners swore in new officers.

U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Oscar-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones were roommates at Harvard.

Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he refused.

U.S. presidential candidate Al Gore was born nine months after the alleged UFO landing at Roswell, New Mexico...

The new IRS employee manual includes provisions for collecting taxes in the aftermath of a nuclear war.

When Spain declared war on the U.S. in 1898, the U.S. in turn declared war on Spain but backdated the declaration by three days so it would look more heroic to have declared war first.

In an interview on February 2, 1967, former President Lyndon B. Johnson made this caustic observation: "The CIA is made up of boys whose families sent them to Princeton, but wouldn't let them into the family brokerage business."

Isaac Newton's only recorded utterance while he was a member of Parliament was a request to open the window.

The budget of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare ($200 billion) is larger than the combined operating expenses of all the governments of the 50 U.S. states combined.

In the US Capitol there is a 100-year-old safe, called the Centennial Safe. It was given to the government at the 1876 Exposition and it was supposed to be opened and it's secret contents were to be revealed in 1976, but the Smithsonian Institute was trusted with the key, and they LOST IT!

Stalin was only five feet, four inches tall. His left foot had webbed toes, and his left arm is noticeably shorter than his right.

52% of Americans say they'd rather spend a week in jail than be President.

In accordance with a US Supreme Court ruling in 1893, the difference between a fruit and a vegetable is as follows: 'Any plant or part thereof eaten during the main dish is a vegetable. If it is eaten at any other part of the meal, it is a fruit.'

The title of a $230,000 research project proposed by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare was: "Evaluation and Parameterization of Stability and Safety Performance Characteristics of Two and Three Wheeled Vehicular Toys for Riding." The project was meant to study the various ways children fall off bicycles.

Only 41% of American teenagers can name the three branches of government, but 59% can name the Three Stooges.

While testing a microphone for a weekly radio show and not knowing it was on, Ronald Reagan said, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you that I just signed legislation that would outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

"Yes, the president should resign. He has lied to the American people, time and time again, and betrayed their trust. He is no longer an effective leader. Since he has admitted guilt, there is no reason to put the American people through an impeachment." This is a quote from Bill Clinton about Richard Nixon and Watergate.

David Rice Atchison was President of the United States for 1 day. Polk's presidency officially expired March 3, 1849. As President Pro Tempore of the Senate and because Zachary Taylor, a staunch Episcopalian, refused to be sworn in on a Sunday, Atchison served as President for one day.

The first woman President? Edith Wilson, the wife of Woodrow Wilson, served as acting President for 1 1/2 years. When her husband suffered a stroke, and because the Constitution had not yet been amended to appoint the Vice-President in his place, Mrs. Wilson handled the Presidential affairs aptly, filling vacancies and administering foreign policy. Some called it the "Petticoat Government'', but this was meant as slur.

Franklin D. Roosevelt is the only man to be chosen as Time Magazine's Man of the Year 3 times.

Dwight D. Eisenhower had his inauguration during the same time spot as I Love Lucy. Almost twice as many viewers tuned in to watch her show than to watch him.

Until 1988, the U.S. Federal Reserve held more than $2,000,000,000 for use after a nuclear war.

On April 27, 1870, a hotly disputed mayoral election case drew a large crowd of spectators to the Capitol building in Richmond, Virginia. They filled the courtroom, and the overflow crowded into the gallery above. The third floor, which had been weakened by the removal of a partition, collapsed under the weight of the crowd, killing 62 people and injuring 251.

District of Columbia police issued 2,312 parking tickets to cars owned by members of Congress in 1995. None were paid.

Federal Triangle, in Washington DC, was once an area known as Murder Bay before the government came and purchased the land for the future site of some of their government buildings.

Former president James Earl Carter Jr. was denied being selected high school class Valedictorian because he played hooky and went to a movie.

Former president Herbert Hoover's son, Allan, had two pet alligators that sometimes were permitted to wander loose around the White House.

From 1840 to 1960, every President elected in a year ending in a zero died in office. This twist of fate was called the "20-year curse", and is said to have ended when Reagan (elected in 1980) survived an attempted assassination.

Commonly found on the internet, but FALSE fact:
George Washington had a set of wooden dentures.
TRUTH:
Washington had chronic dental problems, and several sets of dentures, but it is a well documented fact that none of them were made of wood.

Seen a $3 bill lately? The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has never been authorized to print a $3 note. However, during the early 1800's, banks operating under Federal or State charters issued notes of that denomination.

Whose portrait appeared on the $10,000 bill (no longer in circulation)? It was Salmon Chase! Okay, I know, now you're thinking, "Well who the heck is Simon Chase?" He was the U.S. Treasury Secretary under Lincoln.

Martha Washington is the only woman whose portrait has appeared on a U.S. currency note. It appeared on the face of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1886 and 1891, and the back of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1896.

The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface.

The American Civil War presidents, Abraham Lincoln (United States) and Jefferson Davis (Confederate States), were born in Kentucky, about seven months and 100 miles apart.

The Old Governor's Mansion in Baton Rouge, built by Huey P. Long, was an exact replica of the White House as it was originally designed. Long wanted to be familiar with the building to make it easy for him when he became President.

The first attempt at the assassination of a President took place in January 1835, when a house painter named Richard Lawrence aimed two pistols at Andrew Jackson. Both guns misfired.

In 1849, James K. Polk was the first president to be photographed while in office.

[jericho]

U.S. presidential candidate Al Gore was born nine months after the alleged UFO landing at Roswell, New Mexico...


Maybe they landed on his house, that could explain the reason that he invented the internet.

[jericho]

Are you talking about the man inside the Vader suit, or the man who did his voice?

[Phreakmeister]

The voice of Darth Vader was James Earl Jones.

[jericho]

Yeah, now I understand what you were saying. Like I said, Jones was the voice, David Prouse was in the suit.


Have I been spelling "suit" correctly?

[aclu14]

ah new jersey.....makes u proud...almost....
> >
> > A few words about NEW JERSEY...
> >
> > New Jersey is a peninsula.
> >
> > New Jersey has the highest population density in the US an
> > average 1,030 people per sq. mi., which is 13 times the national
>average.
> >
> > Highland, New Jersey has the highest elevation along the
> > entire Eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida.
> >
> > New Jersey has the highest percentage urban population in
> > the US with about 90% of the people living in an urban area.
> >
> > New Jersey is the only state where all its counties are
> > classified as metropolitan areas.
> >
> > New Jersey has more racehorses than Kentucky.
> >
> > New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq. mi.) than
> > Havana, Cuba.
> >
> > North Jersey is the car theft capital of the world, with
> > more cars stolen in Newark then any other city. Even the
> > 2 largest cities, NYC and LA put together.
> >
> > New Jersey has the most dense system of highways and
> > railroads in the US.
> >
> > New Jersey has 108 toxic waste dumps. Which is the most in
> > any one state in the nation.
> >
> > New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is
> > sometimes referred to as the diner capital of the world.
> >
> > North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in
> > the world with seven major shopping malls in a 25 square mile
radius.
> >
> > New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
> >
> > The Passaic River was the site of the first submarine ride
> > by inventor John P. Holland.
> >
> > New Jersey has over 50 resort cities and towns, some of
> > the nations most famous, Asbury park, Wildwood, Atlantic City,
Seaside
> > Heights,
> > Cape May.
> >
> > New Jersey is a leading industrial state and is the
> > largest chemical producing state in the nation.
> >
> > New Jersey is a major seaport state with the largest
> > seaport in the US located in Elizabeth.
> >
> > The light bulb, phonograph (record player), motion picture
> > projector were invented by Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park
laboratory.
> >
> > The first seaplane was built in Keyport.
> >
> > The first airmail to Chicago was started from Keyport.
> >
> > The first phonograph records were made in Camden.
> >
> > New Jersey is home to the Miss America pageant held in
> > Atlantic City.
> >
> > Atlantic City is where the street names came from for the
> > game Monopoly.
> >
> > Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world.
> >
> > New Jersey has the largest petroleum containment area
> > outside of the Middle East countries.
> >
> > The first Indian reservation was in New Jersey.
> >
> > New Jersey has the tallest water tower in the world.
> >
> > New Jersey is home to the Boy Scouts of America with its
> > headquarters located in New Brunswick.
> >
> > Two-thirds of the world's eggplants are grown in New Jersey.
> >
> > New Jersey had the first Medical Center, Jersey City.
> >
> > The Pulaski Sky Way (first sky way highway) from Jersey
> > City to Newark.
> >
> > The first tunnel under the Hudson River. (Holland Tunnel)
> >
> > The invention and manufacturing of the Colt Revolver was
> > in Paterson.
> >
> > New Jersey is the only state in the nation which offers
> > child abuse prevention workshops to every public school.
> >
> > The first baseball game was played in Hoboken.
> >
> > The first intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick; in 1889 Rutgers College played Princeton. Rutgers won. The first Drive-in Movie Theater was opened in Camden.
Home to both of NEW YORK'S Pro Football Teams. The first radio station and broadcast was in Paterson. Unofficially divided into two parts... This side and that side of the parkway bridge.

Jack Nicholson, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, Bon Jovi, Jason Alexander, Queen Latifa, Shaq, Judy Blume, Aaron Burr, Joan Robertson, Joseph Czesnik, Dr. Carl Gedon, John Milewski, Ken Kross, Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughn, Marilynn McCoo, Flip Wilson, Alexander Hamilton, Whitney Houston, Eddie Money, Frank Sinatra, Eileen Donnely, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Walt Whitman, Jerry Lewis, Richard Wojewodzki, Joyce Kilmer, Bruce Willis, Caesar Romero, Lou Costello, Nick Adams, Nathan Lane, Sandra Dee, Danny DeVito, Richard Conti, Joe Pesci, Robert Blake, John Forsyth, Meryl Streep, Loretta Swit, Norman Lloyd, Jerry Herman, Gorden McCrae, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Phyllis Newman, Susan Sarandon, Jack Farrell, all New Jersey natives.

[nacho cheese]

At least there's the NJ Devils ( and I mean the hockey club :) ).

[Phreakmeister]

In 1967 the CIA fitted a cat with high-tech listening equipment. Was the feline spy a success? Ten minutes after the cat was released it was struck and killed by a taxi.

In 1947, Marilyn Monroe was chosen as the first California Artichoke Queen.

Erwin, Tennessee, is the only place where an elephant has been hanged for murder.

Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865, on Good Friday. In 1995 Good Friday was also on April 14. When Booth shot Lincoln, some people thought it was part of the play.

Aeschylus, the Greek poet and dramatist, was killed when an eagle flying overhead dropped a turtle on his head.

A poodle fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires in October 1988. It killed three people. One was struck on the head, the second run over by a bus while watching, the third witnessed the event and died from a heart attack.

Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln, was present at the assassinations of three presidents: his father's, President Garfield's, and President McKinley's. After the last shooting, he refused ever to attend a state affair again.

In 1980, the Yellow Pages accidentally listed a Texas funeral home under frozen foods.

John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln in a theatre and was found in a warehouse. Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and was found in a theatre.

Dr. Alice Chase, who wrote 'Nutrition for Health' and numerous books on the science of proper eating, died of malnutrition.

More people are killed each year by coconuts than sharks.

In 1997, a man in Portland, Oregon lost a bet and lay down on the ground and put his mouth around the exhaust pipe of his Plymouth Fury. As friends cheered him on he inhaled for slightly over 5 minutes until his head split wide open.

In the last fifteen years over 500 teenage boys have blown themselves to pieces trying to imitate daredevil Wayne Nauga, who carefully blows himself up with reduced charge dynamite.

A falling steel worker will never touch the surface of a vat of molten steel. He will vaporize when he is about one foot off the surface.

In the 90s, 37 jet airplane mechanics servicing engines have accidentally been sucked into the engines and expelled from the rear in very small chunks.

1997 fourteen people were actually blown out of their skins when a propane cooking stove exploded at a camp site in moose nose, Saskatchewan.

85% of the men who die while having sex, die with someone other than their spouse.

On October 16, 1814, in London, England, the explosion of a 22-foot-high vat of beer, and the subsequent destruction of another vat, created a flood of beer that knocked down a brewery wall, then drowned at least 12 people. The bodies of the victims were displayed in a nearby house, and so many people crammed in to view them that the floor gave away, leading to further deaths. Between those two incidents, and some deaths attributed to an alcohol coma, at least 20 people perished.

You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider

In 1983, a Mrs. Carson of Lake Kushaqua, N.Y., was laid out in her coffin, presumed dead of heart disease. As mourners watched, she suddenly sat up. Her daughter dropped dead of fright; killed by a heart attack.

There are 5 times as many deaths due to the negligence of doctors as there are deaths due to firearms.

Napoleon died (at least in part) due to arsenic poisoning. The wallpaper in his room was colored with Scheele’s Green, a dye containing copper arsenite. When the paper became damp, a poisonous vapor form of arsenic was released.

You can now buy a coffin which can be used as a wine rack, table, and/or bookcase before you are buried in it.

Four people every year in the UK die putting their trousers on.

At one time in India, a fiancee was required to deflower his future bride if she died before the wedding. The girl could not be cremated until this ritual was carried out in front of the village priest.

Werner Shenke bit off another man's ear during a bar room battle in Bremen, Germany, and then choked to death on it.

In Aizuwakamatsu Japan, after a car accident injured a woman and her daughter, they returned to their car at the junkyard to find their other passenger, a local woman, dead and still in the back seat. None of the seven police and fire department workers had noticed.

Ethyl alcohol (grain alcohol) is what we order from a bartender, but methyl alcohol (wood alcohol) is something quite different. When consumed, methyl alcohol is absorbed into the body, begins a chemical transition to formaldehyde, and begins to essentially embalm the individual from the inside.

One teaspoon of 2% cyanide solution (about the size of a grain of rice) can kill a person. Over 200,000,000 pounds of cyanide is used in U.S. mining each year.

Abe Lincoln's mother died when the family dairy cow ate poisonous mushrooms and Mrs. Lincoln drank the milk.

When Howard Hughes died, he didn't leave behind a valid last will and testament. As a result, the biggest beneficiary of the reclusive billionaire was the U.S. Treasury, which collected more than $1 billion of the Hughes' fortune.

190,000 deaths per year are results of drug toxicity and 300,000 deaths (the 4th leading cause of deaths in the USA) are from hospital acquired infections.

Former President W.H. Harrison delivered an inauguration speech that lasted two hours in a cold rain after which he contracted pneumonia and died.

Lightning causes more deaths in the U.S. than all venomous animals combined.

When the French king Louis XIV died his heart was preserved. Many years later it was eaten by William Buckland, the Dean of Westminster, who saw it sitting in a jar on the mantelpiece at a house he was visiting and mistook it for a pickled walnut.

On average, 80 people shoot at the Goodyear blimp each year.

Chances that a drug offense by a black U.S. juvenile with no prior jail time will result in imprisonment: 48 in 100,000. Chance that a drug offense by a white juvenile with no prior jail time will do so : 1 in 100,000

In 1471, a chicken in Basel, Switzerland, was accused of being 'a devil in disguise' after laying a brightly colored egg. The chicken stood trial, was found guilty and burned at the stake.

A frightened Englishwoman rang the police emergency line, she could hear burglars, she was sure, drilling into her house from a building site next door. However, when the law arrived they found the rapid thumping noise was caused by a faulty sex toy, that was humming along all by itself in a bedside cabinet.

One Saturday, police received not 1 or 2 or 10 but 35 emergency calls from Razorback Stadium. The local team were "battering the oposition" (final score 58-6), but there was no clear emergency happening. Eventually the calls were traced to a fan with his trendy little cellphone tucked into a back pocket. Every time he stood up to cheer, and sat down he was hitting the 'one button dial' feature.

According to one study, people who keep guns at home nearly triple their chances of being murdered, usually by friends or relatives, but fail to protect themselves from intruders. However, Paul Blackman, research coordinator at the National Rifle Association, criticized the study, "These people were highly susceptible to homicide," he said. "We know that because they were killed."

A man was arrested in Belo Horizonte with tubes of glue stuck right up both nostrils. He died in custody. Someone called him Walrus face and he laughed so much he hemorrhaged.

De Sa, a glue sniffer who steals from shops to feed his habit, broke into a glue factory and started inhaling directly from the vats. He was overcome by fumes after one sniff and lost his balance, upsetting a vat of glue as he fell. By the time he came round, he was stuck to the floor and had to lie there until the workers turned up on Monday. According to Sergeant Paulo Quadros, of the Belo Horizonte police force, it took 12 men to saw through the floor, then De Sa and a dozen boards were taken into custody.

A hunter in Uganda is being sought by local authorities for illegally hunting gorillas. He shoots them with a tranquilizer gun and dresses them in clown suits. So far six gorillas have been found wandering around in this condition.

President Franklin Pierce was arrested while in office for running over an old woman with his horse, but the case was dropped for insufficient evidence in 1853.

The bible is not only the best selling book of all time, it is also the best selling book EVERY year! But then, the Bible is the most shoplifted book in the USA.

The slogan on New Hampshire license plates is 'Live Free or Die.' These license plates are manufactured by prisoners at the state prison in Concord.

Ben Chandler is the UK's most notorious criminal. He has been arrested over 100 times for crimes including drunk and disorderly, grand theft auto, murder and drug dealing, he has even got a cell in Camborne Police Station with his name on the chalk board all the time. He is only 17 years old!!!!

Jorge Rodriguez, 22, went before a Kenosha, Wisconsin, municipal judge in November, 1995, on a charge that he had hit a parked car while driving drunk. Rodriguez earnestly handed the judge a Monopoly-like "Get out of jail free" card that had been distributed by a candidate for sheriff as a gimmick during the just-ended campaign. Said the prosecutor, "Clearly, the defendant had the impression it was legitimate." Rodriguez received a fine and probation.

A Texan convicted of robbery worked out a deal to pay $9600 in damages rather than serve a two-year prison sentence. For payment, he gave the court a forged check. He got his prison term back, plus eight more years.

[Phreakmeister]

Organized crime is estimated to account for 10% of the United States' national income.

When police arrived in Appleton, Wisconsin to remove a woman's children because of a complaint that she had given her 11-year-old daughter a "swirlie" (Holding her head in a flushing toilet). The woman reportedly said, "I haven't had a vacation in 13 years, go ahead and take them!"

Wayne Black, a suspected thief, had his own name tattooed on his forehead. When confronted by police, Black insisted he wasn't Wayne Black. To prove it, he stood in front of a mirror and insisted he was Kcalb Enyaw.

In 1978 a man charged with murder escaped from the custody of the Irish police. The Garda Press Office, issued a statement to the effect that 'he is no more dangerous than any other murderer.'

A psychology student in New York rented out her spare room to a carpenter in order to nag him constantly and study his reactions. After weeks of needling, he snapped and beat her repeatedly with an axe leaving her mentally retarded.

2800 BC is the first recorded incident of a drunk-driving fatality. In ancient Egypt, an inebriated charioteer is apprehended after running down a vestal virgin of the goddess Hathor. The culprit is crucified on the door of the tavern that sold him the beer, and his corpse allowed to hang there until scavengers have reduced it to bones.

Surprised while burgling a house in Antwerp, Belgium, a thief fled out the back door, clambered over a nine-foot wall, dropped down and found himself in the city prison.

A man was caught masturbating on a couch in downtown Victoria, BC, while holding a rooster, while his friend filmed him. He claimed it was an art project.

The town council of Gold Hill, Oregon, voted to fire Police Chief Katie Holmboe for selling Mary Kay cosmetics out of her cruiser and praying on behalf of a suspect she believed was possessed by the devil. Holmboe, who was the town's only paid police officer, also reportedly required suspects to profess their faith in God before she would release them.

Herman Melville (author of Moby Dick) was once imprisoned in Tahiti as a mutineer but was able to escape.

During Prohibition, a jury for a bootlegging case in Los Angeles was put on trial after it drank the evidence. The jurors argued that they had sampled the evidence to determine if it contained alcohol, which it did. However, because they consumed the evidence, the defendant charged with bootlegging had to be acquitted.

The last stagecoach holdup took place in Tennessee on October 15, 1882.

In Thurston County, Washington, the coroner is the only person in the county who can arrest the sheriff.

In 1649, Oliver Cromwell abolished Christmas and he declared it to be an ordinary working day. Anybody caught celebrating Christmas was arrested.

In ancient Greece, a bronze statue was built of a famous boxer named Theagenes after his death. An angry rival of his would beat on the statue every night, until one night the statue fell on top of him, killing him. The family of the man took the statue to court, where it was found guilty of murder, and sent into exile!

In France in 1740, a cow was found guilty of sorcery and hanged.

In December 1999, judges in Saudi Arabia sentenced a Filipino man to 6 months in prison and 75 lashes. The offense? Possession of alcohol. He was caught at the airport with two liquor-flavored chocolates in his luggage.

The verb "cleave" is one of many English words with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate. source

The name for the Australian marsupial Kangaroo came about when some of the first white settlers saw this strange animal hopping along and they asked the Aborigines what it was called. They replied with 'Kanguru', which in their language means 'I don't know'.

The word 'Loo' comes from the fact that a long time ago the English did not like other guests to know when they were going to do their business in hotels, so, instead of writing the word 'toilet' on the toilet door, they wrote the number 100, which looks like the word loo.

Barbie's measurements, if she were life-size, would be 39-23-33.

Fresca, the soft drink, had problems when it was sold in Mexico. There, Fresca is slang for lesbian.

In Mexico, the Chevy "Nova" was a bit of a joke -- "no va" in Spanish means, "Won't go.."

The smallest unit of time is the yoctosecond.

The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

On the Chinese written language, the ideograph that stands for "trouble" represents two women under one roof.

The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle. source

A three-letter, one-syllable word that becomes a three-syllable word by adding one letter to the end of it:
The word "are" has three letters and one syllable "area" has three syllables.

If you add together all the numbers on a roulette wheel (1 to 36), the total is the number 666.

There is a seven letter word in the English language that contains ten words without rearranging any of its letters:
"therein": the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, herein.

The word denim comes from 'de Nîmes', or from Nîmes, a place in France.

The numbers '172' can be found on the back of the U.S. $5 dollar bill in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.

The Sanskrit word for "war" means "desire for more cows."

Beelzebub, another name for the devil, is Hebrew for Lord of the Flies, and this is where the books title comes from.

Blype is the skin that peels off after a bad sunburn.

A "clue" originally meant a ball of thread. This is why one is said to "unravel" the clues of a mystery.

The longest English word consisting entirely of consonants (and not including "y" as a vowel) is the word "crwth" which is from the fourteenth century and means crowd.

"Hockey" is archaic slang for "semen."

"Fraternity" used to be a term groups of thieves applied to themselves.

The derivation of the word trivia comes from the Latin "tri-" + "via", which means three streets. This is because in ancient times, at an intersection of three streets in Rome, they would have a type of kiosk where ancillary information was listed. You might be interested in it, you might not, hence they were bits of "trivia."

When a gazelle leaps vertically into the air, it is called "pronking".

A “gravida” is a pregnant woman.

The word Yankee comes from the Dutch name Jan Kees (equivalent to John Smith).

"Pizza" means "slice" in Italian, making the phrase "slice of pizza" a tad redundant.

In 1631 a printer was fined £300 for omitting the word "not" from the seventh commandment (thou shalt not commit adultery)!
All copies had to be destroyed on the orders of Charles I. This then became known as The Wicked Bible.

In 1801 a misprint in a Bible declared: "these are murderers" (instead of murmurers), while the initial letter in the word "filled", as in "let the children first be filled" changed from an f to a k! This became known as the Murderers Bible.

In 1653 a misprinted Bible (later known as the Unrighteous Bible) stated 'Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God' was printed - instead of 'not inherit'. (1 Corinthians 6.9)

A misprint in a Bible in 1702 stated that instead of princes, "printers have persecuted me". (Psalm 119.161)

In the middle ages (about the 15th century), metal was scarce. When housewives were able to save a little money, they put it in a jar made of pygg (a type of clay) which they called their pygg bank. As time went on people forgot the origin of the name and instead developed banks shaped like pigs.

The word grenade comes from the French word for pomegranate, early grenades looked like pomegranates.

As the popularity of shaving spread through most of the world, men of unshaven societies became known as "barbarians," meaning the "unbarbered."

The word “alarm” originally meant “To arms!” It was a sudden warning of danger, not just something to get sleepy people to wake up. source

Some Welsh fishermen named a bird they saw penguin. But they seem to have been a little confused. Pen is the Welsh word for "head," and gwyn is the Welsh word for "white." So penguin means "white head." But penguins' heads are black.

What does it mean if someone offers you some “love apple”? The tomato, as we know it today, was developed in Mexico where it was known as tomatil and traveled to Europe by boat with the returning conquistadors. Upon arrival in Italy, the heart-shaped tomato was considered an aphrodisiac, thus tomato in Italian, poma amoris, means "love apple."

There is no such thing as a "Shamrock Plant". The word shamrock comes from the Irish word "seamrog" meaning "little clover". However, there are hundreds of varieties of clover.

In a group of 23 people, the probability is greater than 1/2 that at least two have the same birthday.

[kontulib]

Person who use intoxicants on public in Helsinki, will be fined.

Just now I´m writing this text on my workplace and time is 6.16 pm GMT+2 hours.

[The Horseman]

'New Jersey - I spent a year there one weekend'

Detective Briscoe - Law & Order

[Phreakmeister]

By raising your legs slowly and laying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand. source

In the book "Les Miserables", there is a sentence that is 3-pages long, 823-words, and is divided by 93 commas, 51 semicolons and 4 dashes. source

There is a sentence in James Joyce’s Ulysses that extends for over forty pages, finally concluding with an affirmative "yes!" source

Proust's Rememberance of Things Past (À la Recherche du Temps Perdu) includes a sentence that is 958 words long: "Their honor precarious, their liberty provisional, lasting only until the discovery of their crime; their position unstable . . ."

The blueprints for the Eiffel Tower covered more than 14,000 square feet of drafting paper.

Out of all of the postage stamps in the United States with people's faces on them, there is not one that has the picture of someone alive.

Researchers don't know why, but people living in mountain states eat 30% more cookies than other people.

The giant sequoia, which produces millions of seeds, can take 175 to 200 years to flower. No other organism takes this long to mature sexually. It has a common age of 2000 to 3000 years and can have bark up to 4 feet thick.

The Boeing Commercial Airplane factory in Everett, Washington is the largest building in the world. The entire Disneyland amusement park, including its parking lots, could fit inside of it.

Antarctica is the only continent that does not have land areas below sea level.

People in Sweden, Japan, and Canada are more likely to know the population of the United States than Americans.

Australian soldiers used the song "We're Off to See the Wizard" as a marching song in WWII.

Midgets were once employed to construct air-ducts from the inside. California was the first to outlaw the procedure when several midgets were sealed up inside and the buildings had to be fumigated at great cost.

A human with his/her mouth glued to a hose, and nostrils shut, can absorb approximately eight gallons of water before bursting.

On July 27, 1994 Ralph Nader came out with another study showing that 70% of the doctors treating Medicare patients flunked the exam on how to do it safely and effectively.

After severe flooding in Jeddah in 1979, the Arab News gave the following bulletin:"We regret we are unable to give you the weather. We rely on weather reports from the airport which is closed because of the weather. Whether we are able to give you the weather tomorrow depends on the weather."

In 1989 there was the great Silly Putty drop at Alfred University. A graduate student decided to do an experiment to settle the question of what would happen to a ball of Silly Putty if dropped from a certain height. Would the putty bounce, break, or splatter? An egg of Silly Putty that weighed 100 pounds was dropped from the roof of McMahon Engineering Building. This drew a crowd all wondering what was going to happen. When it was dropped, the ball bounced about 8 feet into the air, returned to Earth, and shattered on the second impact.

At first they didn't believe three-year old David Shiffler when he claimed to have found a dinosaur egg with his toy backhoe. However, a trip to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science eventually showed he had discovered one of the oldest (150 million years) dinosaur egg known.

A plot of land in Amazonia the size of a suburban lawn supports 300 species of trees.

The amount of gold dissolved in the oceans is nearly ten million tons, which is about 180 times the total amount of gold dug in mines in the entire history of humanity.

In the summer of 1959, the United States Postal Service experimented with the delivery of letters by guided missile.

At one time, a Wendy's restaurant near Tri-County Mall in Cincinnati had a wheelchair access ramp which sloped out of a pair of wide doors and into the drive-through lane.

There are around 600 working satellites, and over 8000 dead, broken or damaged satellites in orbit around the Earth, all of them traveling at high velocity, many in wildly eccentric orbits.

For $33.80, you can buy a corpse scent kit. These are technically used for training search and rescue dogs, but it is a product with interesting possibilities.

A French painter named Michel Vienkot uses cowdung, crushed mulberries, and violets rather than paint. His pieces sell for $90-$240, and he can often be seen on national television.

In 1958, Thomas Watson, the chairman of IBM forecast a world market for only 5 computers.

Traffic lights were used before the invention of the motorcar. In 1868, a lantern with red and green signals was used at a London intersection to control the flow of horse buggies and pedestrians.

The Sargasso Sea has no coastline. It is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and is encircled by the Gulf Stream and the North Equatorial Current, causing the oval-shaped sea to move in a slow, clockwise drift. It contains a great deal of kelp, and is a huge meeting place for eels.

At age 47, the Rolling Stones' bassist, Bill Wyman, began a relationship with 13-year old Mandy Smith, with her mother's blessing. Six years later, they were married, but the marriage only lasted a year. Not long after, Bill's 30-year-old son Stephen married Mandy's mother, age 46. That made Stephen a stepfather to his former stepmother. If Bill and Mandy had remained married, Stephen would have been his father's father-in-law and his own grandpa.

In a University of Arizona study, rails and armrests in public buses were found to be contaminated by the highest concentration of bodily fluids.

Americans are very familiar with the music from the British drinking song "To Anacreon in Heaven". They used the same music for "The Star-Spangled Banner".

The only women to be sole recipients of the Time magazine “Man of the Year” award were Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson (1936), Elizabeth II (1952), and Corazon Aquino (1986).

In Finland 67% of the population owns cell phones, compared to 32% of North Americans.

Until the 1980’s the federal government allowed the use of uranium in dentures.

There is a man named Merhan Nasseri who landed at Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris in 1988, but was denied entry to the country because his passport and U.N. certificate were stolen. The courts ordered he not be allowed to leave the airport, and as of 1999, he was still there, waiting for admission to England. Right now, in 2002, he STILL is at Charles de Gaulle.

Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.

Enro Rubik, inventor of the Rubik’s Cube, became the first self-made millionaire from the communist block.

Women inventors can be credited with windshield wipers, disposable diapers, kevlar, liquid paper, Scotchgard (just to name a few items).

To quickly cool down a painful sunburn, gently apply full strength vinegar on your skin. Do this the minute you come in from the sun and stop the burn before it starts to hurt in the first place.

One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.

If every U.S. household replaced 4 incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, the same energy would be saved as removing 7 million cars from the road.

No dry piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times. source: try it :)

An aluminium can takes about 90 days to return to the shelf after being recycled.

The average annual precipitation in the interior of Antarctica is less than 2 inches, drier than the Sahara desert. No rain has fallen in the Dry Valleys in approximately a million years and the occasional traces of snow are quickly blown away.

Raindrops are not tear-shaped. Scientists, using high-speed cameras, have discovered that raindrops resemble the shape of a small hamburger bun.

The combined wealth of the world's three richest families is greater than the annual income of 600 million people in the least developed countries.

The 20% of the world’s people who live in the highest income countries consume 86% of the world’s resources.

The Salvation Army is a church, and its officers are ordained ministers.

Poppy seeds can stay in the soil, without germinating, for over 100 years. In newly dug gardens and fields poppies will often flower as their seed is brought to the surface.

The amount of money spent in US schools on trash disposal is equal to the amount of money spent on textbooks.

[Phreakmeister]

Hot-air balloons don't fly in the rain because balloon heat can cause water to boil atop the balloon, and boiling water destroys the fabric.

The "Angeles Gate/L.A. Harbor" lighthouse that guides approaching ships and marks the entrance to Los Angeles Harbor is the only lighthouse in the world that emits an emerald-colored beacon.

An undersea post office was established in 1939 on the sea bed off the Bahamas. They used a special oval postmark that was inscribed "SEA FLOOR/BAHAMAS".

In 1952 Mr. Potato Head® began as a set of eyes, ears and a few noses and mouths. The original Mr. Potato Head® did not come with a "potato body" so parents supplied their own potatoes.

Romance accounts for 48.6% of the mass market book sales in the United States, an estimated $885 million dollars in sales a year.

If all the Harlequin books sold in one day were stacked, the pile would be five times as high as New York's World Trade Center (used to be).

97% of all cars taken out of service are recycled, making them the most recycled product in the world.

In America hundreds of thousands of circumcised foreskins are sold to bio-research laboratories.

A study in 1998 at the University of Illinois Medical Center showed that out of 29 studied patients suffering from epilepsy, 23 showed a dramatic decrease in epileptic activity when listening to Mozart's Piano Sonata.

It is estimated that 100 flashes of lightning per minute occur around the globe.

Only seven out of ten graduating high school seniors would earn passing scores if they took the GED tests.

The last odd day was 11/19/1999 (all digits odd). The next one will not be until 1/1/3111.

The price of your gas?
20¢ per gallon goes to Federal taxes
22¢ to state and local taxes
over 43 different taxes are imposed on the production of petroleum before it gets to the pump.
The pre-tax price of fuel has barely changed in the past decade (around 88¢ per gallon), but in 1990 consumers paid 27¢ per gallon tax as compared to 42¢ today.

Pharmaceutical companies sometimes tell many of their employees to bring back samples of dirt from any foreign places they visit on vacations. Cyclosporine and some other very valuable drugs come from fungus found in dirt from different parts of the world.

In 1999, Federal and state agencies obtained 1,350 court orders last year to tap cell phones, pagers, fax machines and e-mail.

The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. One carat is the weight of one seed of the carob tree.

Candles are a 2 billion dollar-a-year industry (not including candle accessories), and according to manufacturers' surveys, 96% of all candles purchased are bought by women.

Beautiful hand-woven prayer rugs are created in many countries. Though there are many differences in style, there is one similarity in all these rugs: no matter how masterful the weaver, prayer rugs always contain some imperfection. Why? To remind the faithful that only God is perfect.

During a storm in the Pacific ocean in 1992, containers holding 29,000 yellow ducky plastic bath tub toys fell overboard a container ship. The duckies, headed from China to Tacoma, Washington, were not collected, but were allowed to float freely. The Alaska Fisheries Science Center used the duckies to map ocean surface currents, in conjunction with an Ocean Surface Current Simulations model called OSCURS. The British Parliament even talked about giving the duckies protected status once they reached Europe!

Vincent Van Gogh painted four still-life canvases devoted entirely to the potato.

More than 70 freshwater lakes lie beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. One of these lakes, Vostok, is buried 2.5 miles below the ice.

What was the first car to be used in the Antarctic? The Beetle!

In the United States there is a Club which gathers anybody who was born in a Volkswagen: the members are more than 500! Moreover, in the seventies, the same "VW of America" gave a small cash prize to the lucky children with the slogan "Bonds for Babies born in Beetles".

“Look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a flying VW Beetle!”
They fly, they float, they drive themselves out of burning buildings... some great Beetle stories can be found at http://digilander.iol.it/matzama/reports.html

In 1991, Michael Proudfoot was investigating a sunken naval cruiser around Baja California, Mexico, when he accidentally smashed his scuba regulator and lost all his air. He found a big bubble of air trapped in the sunken ship's galley as well as a tea urn almost full of fresh water. By rationing the water, breathing shallowly, and eating sea urchins, he managed to stay alive for two days before being rescued.

Every second, two Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world.

Washers and dryers can account for as much as 25% of the energy you use at home.

The average child in the United States will wear down 730 crayons by his or her 10th birthday.

You think you have a lot of shoes??? Barbie has had more than a billion pair of shoes and over one hundred new additions to her wardrobe annually.

One highly efficient, energy saving light bulb saves, over its lifetime, 524 pounds of coal or almost half a barrel of oil.

The amount of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface is 6,000 times the amount of energy used by all human beings worldwide. The total amount of fossil fuel used by humans since the start of civilization is equivalent to less than 30 days of sunshine.

In the Philippines, it is impolite to be on time for social affairs.

Federal regulations specify that automotive crash-test dummies must be dressed in under garments the color of "tea rose".

Air pollution in the U.S. is not as big of a problem as in third world nations. In Mexico City, only 31 days in 1993 had air considered fit to breathe. In Bombay, India, breathing the air is equivalent to smoking ten packs of cigarette a day.

The summer of 1995 was so hot that at the end of August, methane emitted within big bales of freshly-cut hay in Missouri began spontaneously combusting.

In Austin, Nevada, 1864, a single sack of flour sold for $275,000!!! Okay, it was sold several times to reach that amount, but still! When Reuel Gridley lost a bet, he lugged a 50-lb. sack of flour through the city. Afterward, it was auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the Sanitary Fund (predecessor to the Red Cross). Each buyer returned it to be auctioned again, and eventually it raised $275,000 to aid civil war victims! That amount is equal to $2,820,724.87 in 2001!

"Mr Yuk" was born at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! He was designed in 1971 to warn children about poisonous household items.

The Flaming Fountain, located on the capitol grounds in Pierre, South Dakota, is fed by an artesian well with natural gas content so high that it can be lit. The fountain glows perpetually as a memorial to all veterans.

Birth control pills slow down the rate at which alcohol is eliminated from the body.

On the average, 10 inches of snow melts down to about one inch of liquid rain.

The current official definition of a second is the time it takes for 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the Cesium atom at zero magnetic field...

CHRISTMAS BIRTHDAYS:
1642 sir Isaac Newton
1821 Clara Barton
1887 Conrad Hilton
1893 Robert Ripley
1899 Humphrey Bogart
1907 Cab Calloway
1913 Tony Martin
1918 Anwar Sadat
1924 Rod Serling
1946 Jimmy Buffett
1948 Barbara Mandrell
1949 Ron Foos (of Paul Revere and the Raiders)
1949 Sissy Spacek
1958 Rickey Henderson

New Years Birthdays:
1735 Paul Revere
1752 Betsy Ross
1895 J. Edgar Hoover
1900 Xavier Cugat
1909 Barry Goldwater
1919 J.D. Salinger
1943 Don Novello
2000 Kala Sosefina Mileniume Kauvaka

Groundhog’s Day Birthdays
1882 James Joyce
1905 Ayn Rand
1906 Gale Gordon
1923 James Dickey
1934 Les Dawson
1937 Tom Smothers
1940 David Jason
1944 Graham Nash
1947 Farrah Fawcett
1954 Christie Brinkley
1962 Michael T. Weiss

St. Patrick’s Day Birthdays
1973 Caroline Corr
1972 Mia Hamm
1964 Rob Lowe
1960 Arye Gross
1955 Gary Sinise
1951 Kurt Russell
1949 Patrick Duffy
1944 John Sebastian
1941 Paul Kantner
1938 Rudolf Nureyev
1919 Nat "King" Cole
1918 Mercedes McCambridge
1902 Bobby Jones
1895 Shemp Howard

Over one million acres of land have been planted in Christmas trees.

The algae of the world's oceans produce nearly 50% of the world's oxygen.

One night with no sleep can impair hand-eye coordination the next morning as much as being legally intoxicated!

Covering 122 square kilometers (47 square miles), Walt Disney World is about the size of the city of Ottawa!

The main curtain at the Ohio Theatre weighs 700 pounds.

Enough scrap iron and steel is recycled each year to build 6,700 Eiffel Towers.

Water weighs 8.345264 lbs. per gallon.

[Phreakmeister]

A single glass fiber the thickness of a human hair can carry the equivalent of 300 million simultaneous telephone calls - roughly all the phone calls going on in America at any one time.

Four quarts of oil can cause an eight-acre oil slick if spilled or dumped down a storm sewer.

Central Park in the middle of Manhattan covers a larger area than the principality of Monaco.

The shamrock is a traditional symbol because Saint Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to represent how the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit could exist as separate elements in the same entity.

How do we know what day Easter will fall on each year? The Easter Rule! The rule is that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox (first day of Spring).

Women hold 53.1% of the degrees in art, yet 80% of art faculty members are male, and male artists receive 73% of grants/fellowships.

In 1974, Marva Drew, a housewife in Iowa, finished typing all the numbers from 1 to 1 million. The project took her six years and 2,473 sheets of paper to complete.

Evolution or Creation?
In January 2002, 47% of Americans believed that the theory of human evolution is “probably” or “definitely” not true.

Each door of the locks in the Panama Canal weighs 750 tons

[Phreakmeister]

26% of all McDonald's employees in Ontario, Canada admit to putting some type of bodily fluid in McDonald's food.

In a 1930 Quebec Junior Amateur Game, goalie Abie Goldberry was hit by a flying puck that ignited a pack of matches in his pocket, setting his uniform on fire. He was badly burned before his teammates could put the fire out.

It's still a law in Canada that the government will pay a bounty for all Indian scalps brought in.

In the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, there are towns by the name of Elbow and Eyebrow.

The names of communities and geographical features attest to Newfoundlanders' sense of humour. You'll laugh all the way from Bumble Bee Bight to Ha Ha Bay to Chase Me Further Pond. At Heart's Content you'll find just that, plus the cable station from where telegraph messages traversed the first Trans-Atlantic cable.

The city Halifax has more bars per capita then any other city in North America.

0.3% of all road accidents in Canada involve a moose. 20% of all road accidents in Sweden involve a moose.

It is illegal to ride a street car on Sunday after having eaten garlic in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Dildo is a town in Newfoundland, Canada.

Canadians eat more Kraft macaroni and cheese packaged dinners than any nationality in the world.

Canada has more donut shops per-capita than any other country in the world.

Canada is the largest importer of American cars.

Canada beat Denmark 47-0 at the 1949 world hockey championships.

Canada is an Indian word meaning "village of huts." When the first explorers of Canada asked the Indians what the land was called, the Indians thought they were being asked the name of their village, which was "Kanata." The name stuck.

Canada has more automobiles per person than any other country with at least one car for every two Canadians.

Canada is home to the invention of ice beer. It is produced by freezing the brew and filtering the ice crystals, increasing the alcohol content.

In a 1997 survey by Durex condoms, the French were found to be the best lovers, then Italians, Americans, South Africans, Brits, Australians, and Canadians. Hong Kong came in last.

Canadian scientists originally developed anthrax and other biological weapons that were eventually taken over by the U.S. government.

The Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, where the International Military Tattoo is held each August, legally belongs to Nova Scotia in Canada. Charles I declared it to be Nova Scotia territory so that Nova Scotian baronets might receive their lands there. The decree has never been revoked.

An estimated 500 tons of lead in the form of lead sinkers and jigs are lost in Canada annually.

Canada produces more waste per person than any other country.

More than 75% of the world's supply of maple syrup comes from Canada.

If you are in the process of immigrating to Canada, but have not yet received a work permit (which can take 3 months), you are not allowed to do any volunteer work.

In the province of British Columbia, Canada, alone there are over 40 privately owned and un-inspected poultry processing plants. They may sell meat to any retail outlet. These plants need only be federally inspected and registered if they want to sell their products outside of British Columbia or Canada. Even those that are inspected have only random testing. There are no figures for private and un-inspected slaughterhouses in BC.

Canada celebrates Thanksgiving the second Monday of October, while the U.S. celebrates the fourth Thursday of November. Parliament set the date in Canada, and Lincoln set the date in the U.S., but they do make sense. The growing season is generally shorter in Canada, and Thanksgiving is a holiday to mark the end of harvest, so it should come earlier to the neighbor in the north.

Americans did not invent Thanksgiving. It began in Canada. Frobisher's celebration in 1578 was 43 years before the pilgrims gave thanks in 1621 for the bounty that ended a year of hardships and death.

Ontario is the wealthiest province in Canada, and has about one third of the country's population.

The City of Hamilton, Ontario was so far in debt in the 1860s that the sheriff seized city property and many items at city hall, including the mayor's chair, went under the auctioneer's hammer.

According to official Statistics Canada figures, 83% of Canadians identified themselves as Christians.

[Phreakmeister]

Ancient Egyptians shaved their faces and heads during hand-to-hand combat so the enemy had less to grab. Archaeologists have discovered gold and copper razors in Egyptian tombs dating back to the 4th century B.C.

In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death.

Ancient Egyptians shaved their eyebrows to mourn the deaths of their cats.

In 1500 B.C. in Egypt, a shaved head was considered the ultimate in feminine beauty. Egyptian women removed every hair from their heads with special gold tweezers and polished their scalps to a high sheen with buffing cloths.

Ancient Egyptians preserved the dead bodies of their royalty by first sealing them with bandages and then coating it with a mixture of wax, oil and salt. The Persian translation of wax was mum. Hence the name mummy for these preserved dead bodies.

The earliest cosmetics known to archaeologists were in use in Egypt in the fourth millennium BC, as evidenced by the remains of artifacts probably used for eye makeup and for the application of scented unguents.

During the years 5000 to 3000 B.C., Egyptians made toothpaste using a recipe of powdered ashes of hooves of oxen, myrrh, powdered and burned egg shells and pumice. Directions were given that all should be mixed together, but there were no specific instructions as to how the powder should be used.

The ancient Egyptians thought onions kept evil spirits away. When they took an oath (made a promise), they placed one hand on an onion.

In ancient Egypt cats were often buried with their masters or in special cat cemeteries, along with an ample supply of mummified mice (in case they got hungry along the way).

If you take the perimeter of the pyramid, and divide it by two times the height, you get a number that is exactly equivalent to the number pi (3.14159...)

[Phreakmeister]

Hiroyuki Goto, 21, from Japan, the current world record holder for the most digits of Pi memorized, required over nine hours to recite 42000+ digits.

Zhang Zhuo, 12, from China, recited from memory the value of pi (the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter) to 4,000 decimal places - a feat which took him 25 minutes.

To recite all the known digits of Pi (6.4 billion digits) would take 133 years with no pause for coffee or sleep.

[DV8]

You guys have much too much time :p (over all and per post). Could you guys just post a few facts at a time, I know av done one big chunk before... but...

...It's just so off putting...

*so she whines on...*

[Phreakmeister]

Green Bay, Wisconsin produces the most toilet paper in the world.

Commonly found on the internet, but FALSE fact:
All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.

There is a town somewhere in the Mid-West called Hell, and also an Intercourse, Pennsylvania. There is a town called Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

There is a Stoner Avenue in Bemidji, MN.

Maine has no poisonous snakes.

The slogan on New Hampshire license plates is 'Live Free or Die.' These license plates are manufactured by prisoners at the state prison in Concord.

Maine is the toothpick capital of the world.

Pennsylvania was the first colony to legalize witchcraft.

Until 1796, there was a state in the United States called Franklin. Today it is known as Tennessee.

There are more people in New York City (7,895,563) than there are in the states of Alaska, Vermont, Wyoming, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Hawaii, Delaware, and New Mexico combined.

In Kentucky, 50 percent of the people who get married for the first time are teenagers.

The name Chicago is thought to come from the Algonquian word Chicagou meaning strong or powerful. Some early Frenchmen believed that the name was derived from the Algonquian word for onion place because wild onions grew there.

In the early 1800?s a French woman named Eve began a business in New York for entertaining men. Soon her fame spread, as well as comments about apples. According to some sources (including the Society for New York History), this is how the term Big Apple developed.

Declared a state by President Abraham Lincoln, West Virginia is the only state to be designated by Presidential Proclamation.

According to the Flat Earth Society, North Dakota, Idaho, England and Australia do not exist.

Since the 1930's the town of Corona, CA, has buried, and lost, all 17 of its time capsules.

In 1972, an Atlantic City official proposed changing the names of Baltic and Mediterranean Avenues to eliminate the "low-rent" reputation the areas had gained due to their tiny value in Monopoly gameplay. The proposal was soundly defeated after an international storm of protest.

The Netherlands was the first country to recognize the U.S. flag in 1776 and the second country to establish formal diplomatic relations with the U.S.

Mississippi has more churches per capita than any other state.

Detroit has the most registered bowlers of any city in the United States.

The classics The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick and To Kill a Mockingbird, are still being challenged and banned in a place called Lindale, Texas, because they conflict with the values of the community.

Alma, Arkansas, is the spinach capital of the world.

The average American home can have as much as 100 pounds of household hazardous waste tucked away in basements, garages, and closets.

Every year, enough plastic film is made to shrink-wrap the state of Texas.

[The Horseman]

Umm.........

Phreak - HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS STUFF?

[Phreakmeister]

Good ol' internet

[Phreakmeister]

The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; "7" was selected because the original containers were 7 ounces. "UP" indicated the direction of the bubbles.

Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.

Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 Feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.

American car horns beep in the tone of F.

No piece of paper can be folded more than 7 times.

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.

1 in every 4 Americans has appeared on television.

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older.

The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.

A Boeing 747's wingspan is longer than the Wright brothers' first flight.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating 1 olive from each salad served in first-class.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA."

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

The 57 on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had.

The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.

The first owner of the Marlboro company died of lung cancer.

Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Betsy Ross is the only real person to ever have been the head on a Pez dispenser.

Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

Adolf Hitler's mother seriously considered having an abortion but was talked out of it by her doctor.

Marilyn Monroe had six toes.

All US Presidents have worn glasses. Some just didn't like being seen wearing them in public.

Walt Disney was afraid of mice.

The sound of E.T. walking was made by someone squishing her hands in jelly.

[aclu14]

More, Phreak, more! :clap

[Phreakmeister]

A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

The "save" icon on Microsoft Word shows a floppy disk, with the shutter on backwards.

The verb "cleave" is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.

Facetious, arsenious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order (a-e-i-o-u).

Blueberry Jelly Bellies were created especially for Ronald Reagan.

The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

It's safe to make love while parked in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Police officers aren't allowed to walk up and knock on the window. Any suspicious officer who thinks that sex is taking place must drive up from behind, honk his horn three times and wait approximately two minutes before getting out of his car to investigate.

In Kingsville, Texas there is a law against two pigs having sex on the city's airport property.

Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.

Every time you lick a stamp, you’re consuming 1/10 of a calorie.

The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 3 times its own weight and always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds, which makes the catfish rank #1 for the animal with the most taste buds.

Rene Descartes came up with the theory of coordinate geometry by looking at a fly walk across a tiled ceiling.

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle;
if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle;
if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Ballroom dancing is a major at Brigham Young University.

Some biblical scholars believe that Aramaic (the language of the ancient Bible) did not contain an easy way to say "many things" and used a term which has come down to us as 40. This means that when the bible refers to "40 days", they meant many days.

Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get fired."

Canada is an Indian word meaning "Big Village".
(That explains it all...)

There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 year later.

"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

The term "the whole 9 yards" came from WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."

The original story from Tales of 1001 Arabian Nights begins, "Aladdin was a little Chinese boy."

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard's fish was named Livingston.

The 'y' in signs reading "ye olde.." is properly pronounced with a 'th' sound, not 'y'. The "th" sound does not exist in Latin, so ancient Roman occupied (present day) England use the rune "thorn" to represent "th" sounds. With the advent of the printing press the character from the Roman alphabet which closest resembled thorn was the lower case "y".

The word "samba" means "to rub navels together."

The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672.

The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

The little bags of netting for gas lanterns (called 'mantles') are radioactive--so much so that they will set off an alarm at a nuclear reactor.

Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.

Each unit on the Richter Scale is equivalent to a power factor of about 32. So a 6 is 32 times more powerful than a 5! Though it goes to 10, 9 is estimated to be the point of total tetonic destruction (2 is the smallest that can be felt unaided.). Modern seismic machines are so sensitive that they can even feel 'negative' earthquakes (earthquakes which are below 0 on the Richter scale).

Cinderella's slippers were originally made out of fur. The story was changed in the 1600s by a translator.

It was the left shoe that Aschenputtel (Cinderella) lost at the stairway, when the prince tried to follow her.

Until 1965, driving was done on the left-hand side on roads in Sweden. The conversion to right-hand was done on a weekday at 5pm. All traffic stopped as people switched sides. This time and day were chosen to prevent accidents where drivers would have gotten up in the morning and been too sleepy to realize *this* was the day of the changeover.

Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy.

The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

Dr. Seuss pronounced "Seuss" such that it rhymed with "rejoice."

In Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart never said "Play it again, Sam."

Sherlock Holmes never said "Elementary, my dear Watson."

Captain Kirk never said "Beam me up, Scotty," but he did say, "Beam me up, Mr. Scott".

The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life."

The flag of the Philippines is the only national flag that is flown differently during times of peace or war. A portion of the flag is blue, while the other is red. The blue portion is flown on top in time of peace and the red portion is flown in war time.

It was discovered on a space mission that a frog can throw up. The frog throws up its stomach first, so the stomach is dangling out of it's mouth. Then the frog uses it's forearms to dig out all of the stomach's contents and then swallows the stomach back down again.

Armored knights raised their visors to identify themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.

The "huddle" in football was formed due a deaf football player who used sign language to communicate and his team didn't want the opposition to see the signals he used and in turn huddled around him.

If you are locked in a completely sealed room, you will die of carbon dioxide poisoning first before you will die of oxygen deprivation.

Carnivorous animals will not eat another animal that has been hit by a lightning strike.

The term, "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye" is from Ancient Rome. The only rule during wrestling matches was, "No eye gouging." Everything else was allowed, but the only way to be disqualified is to poke someone's eye out.

Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister.

Sir Isaac Newton was an ordained priest in the Church of England.

A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

Certain frogs can be frozen solid, then thawed, and continue living.

The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

The Baby Ruth candy bar was actually named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth.

Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

Steve Young, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, is the great-great-grandson of Mormon leader Brigham Young.

Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of linen.

[Phreakmeister]

A full-grown pumpkin has about 15 miles of roots.

A porpoise swims slowly in a circle as it sleeps.

At one time in Holland it took four years to train to be a hatmaker but only three years to train to be a surgeon.
(Don't look at me...)

Despite the many rat-infested slums in New York City, rats bite only 311 people in an average year. But 1,519 residents are bitten annually by other New Yorkers.

No one knows why, but 90 percent of women who walk into a department store immediately turn to the right.

The term skyscraper was first used way back in 1888 to describe an 11-story building.

Adults average only one nightmare a year, but typically have seven sexual fantasies a day.

There are twice as many kangaroos in Australia as there are people. The kangaroo population is estimated at about 40 million.

During his entire lifetime, Herman Melville's timeless classic of the sea, 'Moby Dick', only sold 50 copies.

The liver, not the heart, is the sign of romance in northern Morocco. When a Moroccan girl falls in love she says, "Darling, you have stolen my liver."

Drivers tend to drive faster when other cars are around. It doesn't matter whether they are in front, behind or beside them.

A small tribe named the Todas in southern India doesn't greet each other with a handshake, they thumb their noses.

The host team in an NFL football game must have 26 footballs inflated and ready to play with.

The world's greatest lover was King Mongut of Siam. He had 9,000 wives. Before dying of syphilis, he was quoted as saying he "only loved the first 700".

[The Horseman]

*Tries sneaking out through the back door*

Shhh! If we're very quiet, maybe he won't notice

[Phreakmeister]

Walter Cavanaugh, "Mr. Plastic Fantastic," has 1,196 different valid credit cards.

The oldest known goldfish lived to 41 years of age. Its name was Fred.

In 1987, a 1,400-year-old lump of still-edible cheese was unearthed in Ireland.

There is a town in Newfoundland, Canada called Dildo.

In Kentucky, 50% of the people who get married for the first time are teenagers.

Kotex was first manufactured as bandages, during WWI.

If an orangutan belches at you, watch out. He's warning you to stay out of his territory.

Einstein couldn't speak fluently when he was nine. His parents thought he might be retarded.

In Los Angeles, there are fewer people than there are cars.

About a third of all Americans flush the toilet while they're still sitting on it.

In 1984, a New Jersey man opened a summer camp for Cabbage Patch dolls.

You're more likely to get stung by a bee on a windy day than in any other weather.

How can you tell when a gorilla is angry? It sticks its tongue out.

According to one poll, nearly 3/4 of all American women wear a bra that is the wrong size.

In 1976, a Los Angeles secretary formally married her 50-pound pet rock.

The first sperm banks opened in 1964; they were located in Tokyo and Iowa City.

In 1980, the Yellow Pages accidentally listed a Texas funeral home under frozen foods.

Cold showers actually increase sexual arousal.

1,200 college students streaked at the same time in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974.

In 1977, a 13-year-old boy discovered a tooth growing on his left foot...

In 1983, a Japanese artist made a copy of the Mona Lisa completely out of toast.

In the early '80s, a toad was discovered that meows instead of croaking.

In 1984, a Canadian farmer began renting ad space on his cows.

About 96% of all American children can recognize Ronald McDonald.

An average person laughs about 15 times a day.

Research indicates that mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.

Penguins can jump as high as 6 feet in the air.

The average human has seven sex fantasies in a day.

The most money ever paid for a cow in an auction was $1.3 million.

The average person is about a quarter of an inch taller at night.

A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 600 mph.

The condom - made originally of linen - was invented in the early 1500s.

The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by Egyptians in 2000 B.C.

Watch out for flying hockey pucks - they travel at up to 100 mph.

America's first nudist organization was founded in 1929, by 3 men.

98% of American drivers think they drive better than anyone else.

When he's feeling amorous, the male sea otter grabs the female's nose with his teeth.

In 1681, the last dodo bird died.

A Saudi Arabian woman can get a divorce if her husband doesn't give her coffee.

The Neanderthal's brain was bigger than yours is.

An Indian woman can legally wed a goat.

Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

The average bank teller loses about $250 every year.

Howdy Doody had 48 freckles.

What color was Christopher Columbus's hair? Blonde.

In 1980, there was only one country in the world with no telephones - Bhutan.

The most extras ever used in a movie was 300,000, for the film Gandhi in 1981.

Every person has a unique tongue print.

Your right lung takes in more air than your left one does.

Women's hearts beat faster than men's.

When Bugs Bunny first appeared in 1935, he was called Happy Rabbit.

Pollsters say that 40% of dog and cat owners carry pictures of the pets in their wallets.

Bubble gum contains rubber.

You can only smell 1/20th as well as a dog.

In high school, Robin Williams was voted "Least Likely to Succeed."

Only 55% of all Americans know that the sun is a star.

The sex organ on a male spider is located at the end of one of its legs.

Even if you cut off a cockroach's head, it can live for several weeks.

Chicken soup was considered an aphrodisiac in the Middle Ages.

The world population of chickens is about equal to the number of people.

Women are 37% more likely to go to a psychiatrist than men are.

Every time Beethoven sat down to write music, he poured ice water over his head.

In 75% of American households, women manage the money and pay the bills.

About 70% of Americans who go to college do it just to make more money.
(The rest probably is trying to avoid reality for four more years.)

An estimated 6,000 American teenagers lose their virginity every day.

Someone paid $14,000 for the bra Marilyn Monroe wore in Some Like It Hot.

Some toothpastes contain antifreeze.

Sigmund Freud had a morbid fear of ferns.

Millie the White House dog earned more than 4 times as much as Pres. Bush in 1991.

Elvis's nickname for his sexual organ was "Little Elvis."

Bird droppings are the chief export of Nauru, an island nation in the western Pacific.

There are more plastic flamingos in America than real ones.

Most lipstick contains fish scales.

Lee Harvey Oswald's cadaver tag sold at an auction for $6,600 in 1992.

Mosquitos have teeth.

Spotted skunks do handstands before they spray.

Hypnotism is banned by public schools in San Diego.

The three best-known western names in China:
Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley.

When snakes are born with two heads, they fight each other for food.
(Actually it's not one snake with 2 heads, but 2 snakes with 1 body. Siamese twins)

Most cows give more milk when they listen to music.

Captain Kangaroo won five Emmy awards.

27% of U.S. male college students believe life is "a meaningless existential hell."

In 1980, a Las Vegas hospital suspended workers for betting on when patients would die.

An estimated one in five Americans - some 38 million - don't like sex.

Aztec emperor Montezuma had a nephew, Cuitlahac, whose name meant "plenty of excrement."

Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark.

"Kemo Sabe" means "soggy shrub" in Navajo.

[Phreakmeister]

Barbie's measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33

Coca-cola was originally green.

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than for the US Treasury.

Smartest dogs:
1)border collie
2)poodle
3)golden retriever

Dumbest dog:
afghan

Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters.

First novel ever written on a typewriter was "Tom Sawyer".

There are more collect calls on Father's Day than any other day of the year.

Heinz Ketchup leaving the bottle travels at 25 miles per year.

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs.

Men get hiccups more often than woman.

Men can read smaller print than women; women can hear better.

Chances that an American lives within 50 miles of where he/she grew up: 1 in 2

City with the most Rolls Royces per capita: Hong Kong

State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

Chances of a white Christmas in New York: 1 in 4

Portion of US annual rainfall that falls in April: 1/12

Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28
Percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38

Estimated percentage of American adults who go on a diet each year: 44

Percentage of Americans who say that God has spoken to them: 36
Percentage of Americans who regularly attend religious services: 43
City with the highest per capita viewership of TV evangelists: Wash., DC.

Percentage of American men who say they would marry the same woman if they had it to do all over again: 80
Percentage of American women who say they would marry the same man: 50
Percentage of men who say they are happier after their divorce or separation: 58
Percentage of women who say they are happier after their divorce or separation: 85

Number of different familial relationships for which Hallmark makes cards:105

Average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000.

Percentage of Americans who have visited Disneyland or Disney World: 70

Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.

Portion of ice cream sold that is vanilla: 1/3
Portion of potatoes sold that are French-fried: 1/3
Percentage of Americans that eat at McDonalds each day: 7

Percentage of bird species that are monogamous: 90
Percentage of mammal species that are: 3

Number of US states that claim test scores in their elementary schools are above national average: 50
Portion of Harvard students who graduate with honors: 4/5

Chances that a burglary in the US will be solved: 1 in 7

Portion of land in the US owned by the government: 1/3

Only President to remain a bachelor: James Buchanan
Only first lady to carry a loaded revolver: Eleanor Roosevelt
Only president to win a Pulitzer: John F. Kennedy, for "Profiles in Courage"
Only president awarded a patent: Abe Lincoln, for a system of buoying vessels over shoals

Only food that does not spoil: honey
Only bird that can fly backwards: Hummingbird
Only continent without reptiles or snakes: Antarctica
Only animal besides human that can get sunburn: Pig
Ostriches stick their heads in the sand to look for water.
An eagle can kill a young deer and fly away with it.
In the Caribbean there are oysters that can climb trees.
Polar bears are left-handed.

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

Eskimos never gamble.

The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

The youngest pope was 11 years old.

Mark Twain didn't graduate from elementary school.

Proportional to their weight, men are stronger than horses.

Pilgrims ate popcorn at the first Thanksgiving dinner.

Jupiter is bigger than all the other planets combined.

Hot water is heavier than cold.

The parachute was invented by Leonardo da Vinci in 1515.

They have square watermelons in Japan...they stack better.

Starfish have eight eyes - one at the end of each leg.

Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola per capita than any other nation.

Armadillos can be housebroken.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words..

[Phreakmeister]

The Boston University Bridge (on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts) is the only place in the world where a boat can sail under a train driving under a car driving under an airplane.

David Prowse was the guy in the Darth Vader suit in Star Wars. He spoke all of Vader's lines, and didn't know that he was going to be dubbed over by James Earl Jones until he saw the screening of the movie.

Many hamsters only blink one eye at a time.

The Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia, has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s, the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites.

Isaac Asimov is the only author to have a book in every Dewey decimal category (http://www.usbornelibrary.com/dewey.htm).

Columbia University is the second largest landowner in New York City, after the Catholic Church.

Back in the mid to late 80's, an IBM compatible computer wasn't considered 100% compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator.

The first Ford cars had Dodge engines.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

It takes about a half a gallon of water to cook macaroni, and about a gallon to clean the pot.

In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2-6 years of age.

The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado.

Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously

If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.

No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Superbowl.

The first toilet ever seen on television was on "Leave It To Beaver".

In the great fire of London in 1666 half of London was burnt down but only 6 people were injured

Lincoln Logs were invented by Frank Lloyd Wright's son.

One of the reasons marijuana is illegal today is because cotton growers in the 1930s lobbied against hemp farmers -- they saw it as competition. It is not chemically addictive as is nicotine, alcohol, or caffeine.

The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League All-Star Game.

Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older

Actor Jamie Farr who played the character 'Klinger' in M*A*S*H, was the only member of the cast who was actually once a soldier in the Korean War.

[Phreakmeister]

Titanic
In the film, 'Titanic', when Jack walks through the french doors for dinner with Rose and her family, a camera man's reflection can be seen on the glass.

The Sound of Music
During one scene in 'The Sound of Music', an orange box can be clearly seen stamped with the words 'Produce of Israel'. The film was set in 1938, ten years before Israel was founded.

Ben Hur
Some of the chariot racers in 'Ben Hur', and one of the horn/trumpet players in the triumph parade, were seen to be wearing wristwatches.

Falling in Love
In the 1985 movie, 'Falling in Love', a reflection of the camera can be seen in a mirror.

Camelot
Esteemed actor Richard Harris was seen wearing an elastoplast on his neck when playing King Arthur in the film 'Camelot'.

The Last Gangster
Edward G Robinson's character in 'The Last Gangster' gets sent to Alcatraz in 1927. This was probably not as bad a sentence as you might imagine since the prison wasn't opened there until 1934.

Three Men and a Baby
In one scene from this movie a young boy who is nothing to do with the film is scene moving across the set. Later, when this was discovered, no-one knew who he was and rumours started to spread about a possible haunting.

The Wrong Box
Television ariels can clearly be seen on the roofs of Victorian London in the comedy, 'The Wrong Box'.

Excalibur
A red London bus can be seen in the background of one of the battle scenes from the Arthurian legend film, 'Excalibur'.

[Phreakmeister]

In Athens, Greece, a driver's license can be lifted by the law if the driver is deemed either 'poorly dressed' or 'unbathed'.

On the island of Jersey it's against the law for a man to knit during the fishing season.

In Alabama it is illegal to carry a comb in your pocket, because it may be used as a weapon. This comes after a 13 year old boy was killed when he was stabbed with a comb.

In Michigan, it is illegal to chain an alligator to a fire hydrant.

It is against the law to whale hunt in Oklahoma.

In Fairbanks, Alaska it is illegal for a moose to walk on the sidewalk. This dates back to the early days of the town when the owner of the bar had a pet moose that he used to get drunk. The moose would then stumble around the town drunk. The only way the lawmakers could prevent this from happening was to create the law so the moose could not cross the sidewalk and get into the bar.

In Quebec, Canada, an old law states that margarine must be a different colour from butter. This law is the result of Quebec dairy lobbyists' pressure to ''protect'' their dairy business. They claimed margarine was beginning to resemble butter, as to be mistaken for real butter. Make margarine unattractive, and consumers would stick to butter. The Quebec government caved in, and tried to impose a dark vermilion-coloured margarine, which was disgusting. The colour, finally, at the other extreme, is a pallid almost-white-colourless margarine.

According to a British law passed in 1845, attempting to commit suicide was a capital offense. Offenders could be hanged for trying.

It is illegal to sell an ET doll in France. They have a law forbidding the sale of dolls that do not have human faces.

Salt Lake City, Utah, has a law against carrying an unwrapped ukulele on the street.

In Afghanistan under the Taleban, it used to be against the law to fly a kite. To do so was punishable by whipping and imprisonment.

A few more movie errors:

-In "The Wizard of Oz", when the sceen of the Emerald Palace is shown across a field, you can see a small line drop in the background.....The little black line, was actually a man who commited suicide on stage, by hanging himself.....

-"Titanic": Jack mentions a lake in Wisconson, that he said went fishing, but in truth, the lake is a reservoir, and it wasn't built in 1912....
Also in Titanic, Jack mentions the pier at Santa Monica-which didn't exist during 1912-it was built 1918....

More to come.....

Maderic......

[ILENSER]

The little black line, was actually a man who commited suicide on stage, by hanging himself

Nope! Myth....


Claim: The so-called "munchkin suicide" scene occurs at the very end of the Tin Woodsman sequence, as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodsman head down the road on their way to the Emerald City. This sequence begins with Dorothy and the Scarecrow trying to pick fruit from the talking apple trees, encompasses their discovery of the rusted tin man and their encounter with the Wicked Witch of the West (who tries to set the Scarecrow on fire), and ends with the trio heading off to Oz in search of the Wizard. To give the indoor set used in this sequence a more "outdoors" feel, several birds of various sizes were borrowed from the Los Angeles Zoo and allowed to roam the set. (A peacock, for example, can be seen wandering around just outside the Tin Woodsman's shack while Dorothy and the Scarecrow attempt to revive him with oil.) At the very end of this sequence, as the three main characters move down the road and away from the camera, one of the larger birds (often said to be an emu, but more probably a crane) standing at the back of the set moves around and spreads its wings. No munchkin, no hanging -- just a big bird.

The unusual movement in the background of the scene described above was noticed years ago, and it was often attributed to a stagehand's accidentally being caught on the set after the cameras started rolling (or, more spectacularly, a stagehand's falling out of a prop tree into the scene). With the advent of home video, viewing audiences were able to rewind and replay the scene in question, view it in slow-motion, and look at individual frames in the sequence (all on screens smaller and less distinct than those of theaters), and imaginations ran wild. The change in focus of the rumor from a hapless stagehand to a suicidal munchkin (driven to despair over his unrequited love for a female munchkin) seems to have coincided with the heavy promotion and special video re-release of The Wizard of Oz in celebration of its 50th anniversary in 1989: someone made up the story of a diminutive actor who, suffering the pangs of unrequited love for a female "little person," decided to end it all right there on the set, and soon everyone was eager to share this special little film "secret" with others. Since (grossly exaggerated) tales of munchkin lechery and drunken misbehavior on the "Oz" set had been circulating for years (primarily spread by Judy Garland herself in television talk show appearances), the wild suicide story had some seeming background plausibility to it. (Other versions of the rumor combined elements from both explanations, such as the claim that the strange figure was actually a stagehand hanging himself.)

[Phreakmeister]

Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses. No one in Greece has memorized all 158 verses.

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers play football at home, the stadium becomes the state's third largest city.

A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

On an American one-dollar bill, there is an owl in the upper left-hand corner of the "1" encased in the "shield" and a spider hidden in the front upper right-hand corner.

All of the clocks in the movie Pulp Fiction are stuck on 4:20

Who's that playing the piano on the "Mad About You" theme? Paul Reiser himself.

Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.

There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" and it can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: "LA"

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

John Lennon's first girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles.

There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

Bill Gates philanthropically gives away more money in a week than Germany gave to Live Aid period. If he laid his personal wealth end to end in dollar bills it would stretch 170,454 miles, but why would he want to do that when he could lay it end to end in hundred dollar bills and only have to travel three times across America to achieve the same result?

To click a mouse will burn 0.0000024kcals of energy so if you eat a chocolate bar you'll need to click your mouse 765,551,000 times to burn it off.

If every Barbie and Ken doll were placed end to end it would stretch several times around the globe before getting snarled up in the Bill Gates money trail mentioned earlier.

23% of all photocopier faults worldwide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butts.

If the government has no knowledge of aliens, then why does Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations, implemented on July 16, 1969, make it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles?

Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris weighs over 1000 elephants.

In 1879, a mail service in Belgium employed 37 cats to carry bundles of letters to villages around the town of Liege, this experiment was shorted-lived as the cats proved thoroughly undisciplined.

The greatest recorded number of children that have been born by one mother is 69! The poor lass gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and a measly 4 sets of quadruplets. Even in the days before IVF!

Males, on average, think about sex every 7 seconds...

Every 5 seconds a computer gets infected with a virus.

13% of Americans actually believe that some parts of the moon are made of cheese.

If you could count the number of times a cricket chirps in one minute, divide by 2, add 9 and divide by 2 again, you would have the correct temperature in degrees Celcius.

Fish that live more than 800 meters below the ocean surface don't have eyes.

Hydrogen is an explosive gas. Oxygen supports combustion. Yet when these are combined it is water which is used to put out fires.

Walt Disney's autograph bears no resemblance to the famous Disney logo. He was also impotent.

Grapes explode when you put them in the microwave.

The Ramses brand condom is named after the great phaoroh Ramses II who fathered over 160 children.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history.
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs - Alexander the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

The average chocolate bar has 8 insects' legs in it.

101 Dalmatians and Peter Pan (Wendy) are the only two Disney cartoon features with both parents that are present and don't die during the movie.

In York, it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow (except on Sundays)

On average, 90% of Dutch teenagers speak English fluently whereas only 80% of American teenagers can speak English fluently.

The people who make school kitchens, also make electric chairs.

1 person in every 200 is a psychopath and they look just like everyone else......

An average human loses about 200 head hairs per day.

All the chemicals in the human body have a combined value of approximately £4.00 (€6.25)

In Alaska, it is legal to shoot bears. However, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited.

You are most likely to be murdered or raped by a family member or a close friend (98% of all murders). Whereas being murdered by a derranged lunatic down a dark alley is very rare.

Bill "Four eyes" Gates has enough money to buy every house in Alaska!

Mexico City sinks about 10 inches a year.

The word 'corr' actually means 'odd' in Irish.

[Phreakmeister]

In France, a five year old child can buy an alcholic drink in a bar

Channel 4's Ali G's favourite chatchprase "Boyakasha" actually translates to "Death to all white people." And Ali G is, in fact, white.

Sticking your two middle fingers up dates back to the middles ages. When archers were caught they had their two middle fingers cut of so that they couldn't shoot any more arrows. So when an archer was shooting people he would stick his fingers up to say "look I still have them, "hahaha".

In some eastern European countries shaking your head means "yes", whereas nodding your head means "no".

December is the most popular time for Conception.

You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you cant pick your friends nose.

An average western turd contains more vitamins and goodness than what an average third-world child eats in a week from food.

BARBIE'S REAL LIFE MEASURES
Height: 7ft 2 inches (average woman: 5ft 5in)
Neck: Twice the size of a normal human female which would make it very unable to support the weight of her head.
Boobs: 39 inches (or approximately an FF cup)
Waist: 18 inches (which is only possible if you remove 2 ribs and carry both kidneys around in a bag)
Hips: 33 inches
Shoe Size: 5

St Simeon the Younger (521-597) spent the final 45 years of his life living at the top of a stone pillar on the hill of wonders near Antioch in Syria!

14% of all facts and statisticts are made up and 27% of people know that fact.

Eskimos have over 15 words for the english word of 'Snow'

Americans on the average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.... each

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

Contrary to popular belief, the British flag is not called "The Union Jack" its actually called "The Union Flag". Its only called the Union Jack when out at sea on navy ships

You are most likely to get murdered at Christmas time due to more alcohol being drunk.

On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament buildings is an American flag.

In Indian mythology, when an onion is cut horizontally it represents Lord Vishnu’s Chakra and when it's cut vertically, it represents sanku.

A camel's !%!%!%!%!% is called a 'dude'.

Alaska was purchased from Russia for 2 cents per acre.

Mexico’s east coast is sinking into the sea at the rate of one to two inches per year.

In the United States there are more 2nd streets than there are 1st streets, and Main street is not the most common; Pine is.

The only nation whose name begins with an "A", but doesn’t end in an "A" is Afghanistan.

You can call it England, Britain, Great Britain, United Kingdom, or U.K. - however if you buy a stamp there, you won’t find any name. The UK was the first country in the world to issue postage stamps, and it's the only nation in the world today that doesn’t use a national name on their stamps.

Nose prints are used to identify dogs.

You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider.

Canada’s coastline is the world’s longest at 243,792 km or 151,485 miles (including the coastline of the country’s 52,455 islands).

The Vinegar River in Colombia contains eleven parts of sulphuric acid and nine parts of hydrochloric acid in every thousand,and is so bitter that no fish can live in it.

There is only one Underground station in London which doesn’t have any of the letters of the word MACKEREL in it: St John's Wood

[Phreakmeister]

The average human breathes about 700,000 cubic inches of air every day.

Thirteen muscles are used to make a person smile.

The kiwi has nostrils near the tip of its bill that allows it to sniff the ground for food.

Badgers and coyotes hunt ground squirrels together. The badger tracks the squirrel and digs into its tunnels, and the coyote catches it when it tries to escape.

An adult male ostrich, the world's largest bird, can weigh up to 345 pounds.

The average adult has about 3,500 square inches of skin. The skin itself has roughly a billion pores or openings.

Insects shiver when they're cold.

Sea otters have the thickest fur of all animals.

The whiskers on a catfish are called barbells.

Marie Owen was the first policewoman in the United States. She started her career in Detroit in 1893.

A queen bee lays about 1,500 eggs on an average day.

Smith is the most common last name in the United States. A little over 1% of all Americans share that last name.

Police dogs were first used in 1816 in Scotland.

Pink elephants can be found in some regions of India. Because of the red soil, elephants take on a permanent pink color because the spray dust over their bodies to protect themselves from insects.

For a short distance, the bluefin tuna can swim 50 miles per hour.

A grasshopper needs a minimum temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit in order to be able to hop.

The country with the highest rate of cremations is Japan. In 1996, 98.7% of all deaths were cremated.

In the ten years between 1987 and 1997, there was an increase of over 800 million people on the planet.

The barn owl has one ear higher than the other. The left ear is higher and points downward to hear sounds from below it, while the right ear is lower and pointed upward to pick up sounds from above.

In 1999, the most common food allergy was to nuts.

One American of every 16 will have one of the Top 12 most common last names.

At birth, a panda is smaller than a mouse and weighs about four ounces.

It's been estimated that man have been riding horses for over 3,000 years.

The zebra is basically a light-colored animal with black stripes.

Many scientists believe that birds evolved from reptiles. Both species lay eggs, and they both have egg teeth that serve only one purpose: to help the babies break the egg and enter the world. Egg teeth fall off within hours of birth.

According to the Population Council, people overwhelmingly tend to marry partners who live near them.

At sea level there are 2,000 pounds of air pressure on each square foot of your body area.

The chow is the only dog that has a black tongue. The tongues of all other dogs are pink.

Three million people in the United States have an impairment of the back or limbs that is a direct result of an accidental fall. (6-16-01)

Scientists have discovered that the mating call of the Mediterranean fruit fly has exactly the same frequency as lower F# on a harmonica.

Robert Wadlow is regarded as the tallest man ever known. He was 8'11" (2m72) at the time of his death at the age of 21.

A rat can go without water longer than a camel can.

A five and a half year old weighing 250 pounds was exhibited at a meeting of the Physical Society of Vienna on December 4, 1894. She ate a normal diet and was otherwise in good health. The problem: she wasn't able to sweat.

No evidence of man's evolutionary ancestors has so far been found in either North or South America. Fossils and other remains suggest that the first Americans crossed the Bering Straits (which at the time was dry land) from Asia between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago.

A rattlesnake's fangs fold inward when its mouth is closed so it doesn't bite itself.

A honey bee travels an estimated 43,000 miles to gather one pound of honey. A pound of honey consists of 29,184 drops.

The number of times a drowning person will rise to the surface depends on how much air is in his lungs. He could rise once, twice, or five times. Or not at all. Obese people will stay afloat longer than skinny people because fat contains air molecules.

The fleshy projection above the bill of a turkey is called a snood.

The beluga whale, otherwise known as the white whale, is nicknamed the "sea canary" because of the birdlike chirping sounds it makes.

A pied-billed grebe is called a peebeegeebee by birdwatchers.

The largest human organ is the liver, which weighs about 55 ounces in a person weighing 150 pounds. By some definitions, the skin is an organ, in which case skin would be the largest organ at 384 ounces.

The animal whose brain accounts for the largest share of its body weight is the squirrel monkey. It's brain makes up about 5% of its total weight.

The saluki is the oldest known breed of domesticated dog. Carvings of animals resembling the saluki have been found in excavations of the Sumerian Empire. They are believed to have originated from between 6,000 and 7,000 B.C.

The giraffe is the only animal born with horns.

Worldwide, the most common environmental allergy is dust.

A male moth can smell a female moth from 100 yards away.

Hippopotamuses actually sweat blood. Their skin contains a great amount of an oily substance that exudes from the pores, and when the beast perspires a little blood gets mixed in.

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West Virginia is the only state in the Union without a natural lake.

The westernmost point in the contiguous United States is Cape Alava, Washington.

Tennessee and Missouri are bordered by more states than any other (8).
Tennesee is bordered by Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.
Missouri is bordered by Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennesee, Kentucky and Illinois.

Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world.

Grand Rapids, Michigan was the first city in the US to put fluoride in their water.

Only two countries border three oceans -- the United States & Canada.

The shortest intercontinental commercial flight in the world is from Gibraltar (Europe) to Tangier (Africa.) Distance 34 miles, flight time 20 minutes.

Texas is the only state that is allowed to fly its state flag at the same height as the U.S. flag.

Every Swiss citizen is required by law to have a bomb shelter or access to a bomb shelter.

49.6% of US residents live in Eastern time zone, 29.3% live in the Central time zone, 5.3% live in the Mountain time zone, 15.0% live in the Pacific time zone and .8% live in any other time zone.

Alaska could hold the 21 smallest States

Santa Fe, New Mexico is the highest state capital at 7,000 feet above sea level.

Even the State of Hawaii has Interstate Highways...

Sante Fe is also the only State Capital with no regularly scheduled commercial airline service.

Santa Fe was founded in 1607 making it the oldest continuously occupied state capital.

Hudson Bay is the largest bay in the world (larger than England), bordering only one country (Canada) and four provinces (Quebec, Ontaria, Manitoba, Nunavut).

New York City is nicknamed the Big Apple after an early swing dance that originated in a South Carolina club (actually a converted church) called The Big Apple.

Devon is the only county in Great Britain to have two coasts.

There are four Commonwealths in the United States: Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Virginia - the rest are states.

Gilroy, California in Monterey County claims to be the "Garlic Capital of the World," but Fresno County now produces more Garlic. Fresno County is the largest agriculture producing county in the United States.

Illinois has the most personalized license plates of any state.

Ohio is the only state not to have a rectangular flag. It's a pennant.

Dominica, Mexico, Zambia, Spain, Kiribati, Fiji and Egypt all have birds on their flags.

The Dominican Republic has the only national flag with a bible in it.

Cyprus has a map on it's flag.

Nepal is the only country without a rectangular flag (it looks like two pennants glued on on top of the other).

Libya has the only flag which is all one color with no writing or decoration on it.

Australia is the richest source of mineral sands in the world.

Iowa is the only state bordered on both east and west entirely by rivers. (Mississippi on the east, Missouri and Big Sioux on the west.)

I, Q, and X are the only letters that don't start a city that ends in -ville in the state of Ohio. i.e. Brownsville, Zanesville, etc.

The Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific Ocean.

In 1771 the kingdom of Poland was larger in area than any other European country except Russia, and had a bigger population of any other European country except France. But within 25 years it had vanished from the map.
In 1772, Russia, Prussia and Austria between them annexed about one-fifth of Poland. Twenty years later Russia took over half of what remained, and all three powers shared in the final carve-up in 1795. It was not until 1918, in the aftermath of the First World War, that an independent Poland surfaced again, to be overrun yet again in 1939.

The bridge of Sighs, most famous of the 400 bridges in Venice, Italy, connects the Dodge's palace to the old state prisons and the place of execution. It was built in 1600 and is believed to have got its name from the sigh of the condemned.

32% of all land in the U.S. is owned by the federal government. "

There are, surprisingly, very few nations in the world named after an actual person. Among those are Bolivia, for Simon Bolivar; Columbia, for Christopher Columbus; Nicaragua, for Chief Nicarao, Liechtenstein, for Johann von Liechtenstein; Saudi Arabia, for King Saud; and the Philippines, named after King Philip. The United States of America got its name from Amerigo Vespucci.

More than 25 percent of the world's forests are in Siberia.

There are two independent nations, both in Europe, that are smaller than Central Park in New York City. They are Vatican City and Monaco. Each is less than one square mile. The next three smallest countries are Nauru, eight square miles, in the western Pacific Ocean; Tuvalu, ten square miles, the Southwest Pacific; and San Marino, 24 square miles, in Europe.

The capital of Portugal was moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (at the time a colony of Portugal) from 1807 until 1821 while Portugal was fighting france in the Napoleonic Wars.

If the world's total land area was divided equally among the world's people, each person would get 8.5 acres.

Maine is the toothpick capital of the world.

Seoul, the South Korean capital, just means "the capital" in the Korean language.

Panama hats come from Ecuador, not Panama.

Ogdensburg, New York is the only city in the United States situated on the St. Lawrence River.

St. Paul, Minnesota was originally called Pigs Eye after a man who ran a saloon there.

Rhode Island is the smallest state with the longest name. The official name, used on all state documents, is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

The state of Maryland has no natural lakes.

Seattle, Washington, like Rome, was built on seven hills.

Kitsap County, Washington, was originally called Slaughter County, and the first hotel there was called the Slaughter House.

The coast line around Lake Sakawea in North Dakota is longer than the California coastline along the Pacific Ocean.

There are four states where the first letter of the capital city is the same letter as the first letter of the state: Dover, Delaware; Honolulu, Hawaii; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Lake Nicaragua boasts the only fresh-water sharks in the entire world.

The only city in the United States to celebrate Halloween on the October 30 instead of October 31 is Carson City, Nevada. October 31 is Nevada Day and is celebrated with a large street party.

Eleven square miles of southwest Kentucky (Fulton County) is cut off from the rest of the state by the Mississippi River. If you wish to travel from this cut off section to the rest of the state or vice-versa, you must first cross a bordering state.

Point Roberts in Washington State is cut off from the rest of the state by British Columbia, Canada. If you wish to travel from Point Roberts to the rest of the state or vice versa, you must pass through Canada, including Canadian and U.S. customs.

New Jersey has a spoon museum featuring over 5,400 spoons from every state and almost every country.

Of all fifty states, the most crowded is New Jersey, which has the most people per square mile.

The Dutch town of Abcoude is the only reasonably sized town/city in the world whose name begins with ABC.

Alaska is the most northern, western and eastern state; it also has the highest latitude, the most eastern longitude and the most western longitude.

U.S. Interstates which go north-south are numbered sequentially starting from the west with odd numbers, and Interstates which go east-west are numbered sequentially starting from the south with even numbers.

The floral emblem of Western Australia is Mangles' Kangaroo Paw; the state animal is the numbat; and the state bird is the black swan.

The smallest mountain range in the world is outside of Marysville, California and is named the Sutter Buttes.

Of all the East Coast States, New Hampshire has the shortest coastline, about fourteen miles.

[Phreakmeister]

The translation of the Monongahela River's name is "high banks breaking off and falling down in places".

The Monongahela River flows through Monongalia County, West Virginia. While the river is actually the namesake of the county, the difference in spelling is due to a spelling error that was made in the registration process of the county.

New Hampshire is the only State name the has four consecutive consonants in it (in the same word).

Ontario is the only Canadian Province that borders the Great Lakes.

Alaska has the longest border with Canada of all the fifty states. Montana has the longest border with Canada of the lower forty-eight States.

The coastline of Alaska is longer than the entire coastline of the lower-forty-eight states of the United States.
Montana borders the most Canadian Provinces of all the fifty states. It borders three of them.

Arkansas is the only US State that begins with "a" but does not end with "a".

Maine is the only state that borders only one other US State.

Martha's Vineyard once had its own dialect of Sign Language. One deaf person arrived in 1692 and after that there was a relatively large genetically deaf population that had their own particular dialect of sign language. From 1692-1910 nearly all hearing people on the island were bilingual in sign language and English.

New Zealand is the only country that contains every type of climate in the world.

The smallest port in Canada is Port Williams, Nova Scotia.

The Canadian province of Newfoundland has its own time zone, which is half an hour behind Atlantic standard time.

Westmount, Quebec, was the first city in Canada to be granted a coat of arms.

Fitchburg, Massachusetts is the second hilliest city in the US.

Pierre, South Dakota is the only example of a state and capital in the U.S. that don't share any letters.

The Bronx, New York got its name from Danish explorer Henry Bronk.

In left hand drive countries, such as the UK, Ireland, Japan, and Australia, drivers sit on the righthand side of the car, except for Sweden in the old days, where drivers sat on the left, as in North-America.

Japan is the third most densely populated country in the world. First is the Netherlands, followed by Belgium.

If you come from Birmingham, you are a Brummie.

The Dutch town of Leeuwarden can be spelled 225 different ways.

There was once a town named "6" in West Virginia.

Nauru is the only country in the world with no official capital. Its government offices are all in Yaren District, but there's no official capital.

There is only one Transylvania in the United States: Transylvania County, North Carolina and the county seat is Brevard.

There are two countries with only one train station: Singapore and Vatican City.

The airport in La Paz, Bolivia is the world's highest airport.

Chicago is closer to Moscow than to Rio de Janeiro.

The longest U.S. highway is route 6 starting in Cape Cod, Massachusetts going through 14 states, and ending in Bishop, California...

The United States is the fourth largest country based on population and geographic area.

The state with the longest coastline in the US is Michigan.

The most eastern part of the western world is located in Ilomantsi, Finland.

The largest city in the United States with a one syllable name is Flint, Michigan.

Only two states' names begin with double consonants: Florida and Rhode Island.

A person from Glasgow, is called a Glaswegian.

The Fort George Point in Belize City was formed by the silt run off of Hurricane Hattie.

South of Tucson, Arizona, all road signs are in the Metric System.

The northernmost point of the contiguous 48 states is in Minnesota.

There are almost twice as many people in Rhode Island than there are in Alaska.

Little known Cathedral Caverns near Grant, Alabama, has the world's largest cave opening, the largest stalagmite (Goliath), and the largest stalagmite forest in the World.

Zaire is the world leader in cobalt mining, producing two-thirds of the world's cobalt supply.

Michigan was the first state to plow it's roads and the first to adopt a yellow dividing line.

Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, carries the designation M-1, named so because it was the first paved road anywhere.

Alaska was the only part of the United States that was invaded by the Japanese during WWII. The occupied territory was the island of Adakin in the Aleutian Chain.

The southernmost city in the US is Na'alehu, Hawaii.

Mt. Vernon, Washington grows more tulips than the entire country of The Netherlands.

The roads on the island of Guam are made with coral. Guam has no sand. The sand on the beaches is actually ground coral. When concrete is mixed, the coral sand is used instead of importing regular sand from thousands of miles away.

Many northern parishes (counties) of Louisiana did not agree with the Confederate movement. To show their disapproval, they changed their names. That's why there is a Union Parish, Jefferson Parish, Assumption Parish, etc.

At latitude 60 degrees south you can sail all the way around the world.

There were no squirrels on Nantucket until 1989.

Soweto in South Africa was derived from SOuth WEst TOwnship.

The first Eagle Scout west of the Mississippi is buried in San Marcos, Texas.

The parking meter was invented in North Dakota.

Iowa has more independent telephone companies than any other state.

The geographical center of North America is near Rugby, North Dakota.

[Phreakmeister]

In 335 BC Aristotle advised abortion to parents with too many children, saying,
"The neglect of an effective birth control policy is a never failing source of poverty, which in turn is the parent of revolt and crime."

The first recorded Caesarean operation was performed on a living woman by Jakob Nufer, a swiss pig gelder.

The first chemistry textbook was published in 1610. The author to blame was Jean Beguin.

Calibrated candles were first used in England to measure time in 870 AD.

Engagement rings came into fashion in 1200 AD.

Gazettes were so called since they sold for a gazeta, a Venetian coin of little value.

Hops were used as beer wort for the first time in 750 AD.

The yard and the acre were standardised by Edward I in 1305 AD.

[Phreakmeister]

Nobody, not even the British Prime Minister, has a key to 10, Downing Street.

The coldest place in the world is Eastern Siberia where people’s breath actually freezes and falls to the ground in ice crystals.

A 54-year old patient at Sedgefield General Hospital was found to have swallowed 366 halfpennies, 26 sixpences, 17 threepences, 11 pennies, 4 shillings and 27 pieces of wire.

A Japanese General had a moustache 20 inch long and on his death in 1933 it was buried with full honours in a separate casket.

A Canadian tattoo artist had 4,831 tattoos on his body.

A 17-year-old girl of Miami, Flourida, started to sneeze on 4th January 1966 and continued until 8th June 1966.

A fly moves its wing at the rate of 330 strokes a second.

There are 28,000,000 cats in the U.S.A.

Queen Elizabeth I’s courtiers regarded her as very fastidious because she took a bath once a month.

In 1972 a Swede balanced on one foot for 5-½ hrs. Nothing could be used for balance or support.

In 1962 an Adelaide typist typed non-stop for 53 hours.

An American skater jumped over 17 barrels, in 1965.

William Shakespeare spelt his surname eleven different ways.

A bottle of wine sold in London in 1960 was 420 years old.

A 14-year Old French girl had extraordinary electrical powers. With a gentle touch she would knock over heavy pieces of furniture and people in physical contact with her received an electric shock.

In 1905 a man ran up the 720 steps of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 3 minutes 12 seconds.

After Sir Walter Raleigh was executed in 1618, his widow had his head embalmed and carried it in a red leather bag wherever she went until her own death 29 years later.

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400.

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.


The nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosey is a rhyme about the plague. Infected people with the plague would get red circular sores. ("Ring around the rosey..."). These sores would smell very badly so common folks would put flowers on their bodies somewhere (inconspicuously), so that it would cover the smell of the sores ("...a pocket full of posies..."). People who died from the plague would be burned so as to reduce the possible spread of the disease ("...ashes, ashes, we all fall down!")

No theme song separates "60 Minutes," on CBS from every other TV show.

The most popular boat name is Obsession

Mrs. Alton Clapp of the United States talked non-stop for 96 hours, 45 minutes, 11 second.

[Phreakmeister]

Only about 5% of the salt produced end up on the dinner table. The rest is used for packing meat, building roads, feeding livestock, tanning leather, and manufacturing glass, soap, ash and washing compounds.

The yo-yo originated in the Philippines, where it was used as a weapon in hunting.

All of the cobble stones that used to line the streets in New York were originally weighting stones put in the hulls of Belgian ships to keep an even keel.

There are fourteen blimps in the world.Ten of the fourteen blimps are in the United States. The biggest existing blimp is the Fuji Film blimp.

The top layer of a wedding cake, known as the groom's cake, is usually is a fruit cake so it will last until the couple's first anniversary, when they will eat it.

Months that begins with a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th."

The dial tone of a normal telephone is in the key of "F".

Easter is the first Sunday after the first Saturday after the first full moon after the equinox. (The equinox is quite often March 21, but can also occur on the March 20 or 22.)

The San Fransisco Cable cars and the St. Charles streetcar line in New Orleans are the nation's two mobile National Monuments.

Libra is the only inanimate symbol in the zodiac.

The ashes of the average cremated person weigh nine pounds.

In the 1940s, the FCC assigned television's Channel 1 to mobile services (two-way radios in taxicabs, for instance) but did not re-number the other channel assignments. That is why US TV sets have channels 2 and up but no channel 1.

The average sixty minute audio cassette tape has 562.5 feet (over 171.4 meters) of tape in it.

If you told someone that they were one in a million, you'd be saying there were about 1,800 of them in China.

The launching mechanism of a carrier ship that helps planes to take off, could throw a pickup truck over a mile.

The quartz crystal in your wristwatch vibrates 32,768 times a second.

The side of a hammer is a cheek.

The bread slots in a toaster are toast wells.

A bonnet is the cap on the fire hydrant.

Non-dairy creamer is flammable.

If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom.

Before Prohibition, Shlitz Brewery owned more property in Chicago than anyone else, except The Catholic Church.

There are 1,929,770,126,028,800 different color combinations possible on a Rubik's Cube.

The world's largest K-Mart is on the island of Guam.

The first Bowie knife was forged at Washington, Arkansas.

A standard grave is 7'8" x 3'2" x 6' (2.3 x .97 x 1.83 meters)

All gondolas in Venice, Italy must be painted black, unless they belong to a high official.

You can make a glass of apple cider with three apples.

In the game Monopoly, the most money you can lose in one travel around the board (normal game rules, going to jail only once) is $26,040. The most money you can lose in one turn is $5070.

A man named Ed Peterson is the inventor of the Egg McMuffin.

Liquid paper and White Out were invented by Mike Nesmith (of the Monkees)'s mother, Bette Nesmith Graham.

Every male over 18 is considered part of the Arizona Militia according to state constitution.

Craven Walker invented the lava lamp, and its contents are colored wax and water.

In order for a deck of cards to be mixed up enough to play with properly, it should be shuffled at least seven times.

The national average ACT score is 17.

The bubbles in Guiness Beer sink to the bottom rather than float to the top like all other beers. No one knows why.

The now retired architect, then a draftsman, who drew the plans for the original "Golden Arches" (McDonalds) building in Fontana, California, in the early 1950s, was Charles W. Fish.

The next-to-last event is the penultimate, and the second-to-last event is the antepenultimate.

Everyone in the Middle Ages believed - as Aristotle had - that the heart was the seat of intelligence.

In many ancient religions the mistletoe was regarded as a sacred plant. The Druids believed that a sprig of mistletoe fastened above a doorway would ward off all sorts of ills, such as witchcraft, disease, bad luck and fire. In addition, it would enhance the hospitality - and fertility - of the household. Hence the English Christmas custom of kissing under the mistletoe.
But to the Norsemen the mistletoe was a baleful plant, because it caused the death of Baldur, the shining god of youth.

Nearly 50% of all bank robberies take place on Friday.

It costs more to buy a new car today in the United States than it cost Christopher Columbus to equip and undertake three voyages to the New World.

A device invented as a primitive steam engine by the Greek engineer Hero, about the time of the birth of Christ, is used today as a rotating lawn sprinkler.

There are at least a half-million more automobiles in Los Angeles than there are people.

In the next seven days, roughly 800 Americans will be injured by their jewelry.

Personal letters make up only 4.5% of the mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

During the time that the atomic bomb was being hatched by the United States at Alamogordo, New Mexico, applicants for routine jobs like janitor were disqualified if they could read. Illiteracy, in other words, was a job requirement. The reason: The authorities didn't want their trash or other papers read.

The Pilgrims refused to eat lobsters because they believed they were really big insects.

The foundations of the great European cathedrals go down as far as forty or fifty feet. In some instances, they form a mass of stone as great as that of the visible building above the ground.

A person uses more household energy shaving with a hand razor at a sink (because of the water power, the water pump and so on) than he would by using an electric razor.

According to the Recruitment Code of the U. S. Navy, anyone "bearing an obscene and indecent" tattoo will be rejected.

The United States government keeps its supply of silver at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY.

The familiar piece of wood known as a "two-by-four" is not two inches by four inches. Its actual size is one and one half by three and one half. The reason it's smaller than two-by-four is a long standing custom to measure wood before it's seasoned and planed.

Artificial Christmas trees have outsold real ones every year since 1991.

The college degree is called a "Bachelor's" degree after the original meaning of bachelor which was a young apprentice. Since the Bachelor's is the first degree issued, coming before a Master's or Doctor's degree, that first degree became known as a Bachelor's degree.

In Turkey the color of mourning is violet. In most Moslem countries and in China it is white.

If a family had 2 servants or less in the U.S. in 1900, census takers recorded it as "lower middle-class."

There are about 50 nations in the world where people drive on the left.

Ever wondered where the phrase "two bits" came from? Some of the coins used in the American colonies before the Revolutionary War were Spanish dollars, which could be cut into pieces, or bits. Since two pieces equaled one-fourth of a dollar, the expression "two bits" came into being as a name for 25¢.

Coca-Cola contains neither coca nor cola.

Pepsi originally contained pepsin, therefore the name!

Ivory bar soap floating was a mistake. They had been overmixing the soap formula causing excess air bubbles that made it float. Customers wrote and told how much they loved that it floated, and it has floated ever since.

The YKK on the zipper of your Levi's stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushibibaisha, the worlds largest zipper manufacturer.

You use an average of 43 muscles for a frown and 17 muscles for a smile.

Every two thousand frowns creates one wrinkle.

The average human blinks his eyes 6,205,000 times each year.

The average human produces a quart of saliva a day or 10,000 gallons in a lifetime.

The average human's heart will beat 3000 million times in their lifetime.

The average human will pump 48 million gallons of blood in their lifetime.

You burn 26 calories in a one minute kiss.

There are 26 calories in a Hershey Kiss.

Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

The average person will consume one hundred tons of food and twelve thousand gallons of water in a lifetime.

The average human body contains enough:
Iron to make a 3 inch nail
Sulphur to kill all fleas on an average dog
Carbon to make 900 pencils
Potassium to fire a toy cannon
Fat to make 7 bars of soap
Phosphorus to make 2,200 match heads
Water to fill a ten gallon tank

If you toss a penny 10,000 times, it will not be heads 5,000 times, but more like 4,950. The heads picture weighs more, so it ends up on the bottom.

On an American one-dollar bill, there is an owl in the upper left-hand corner of the "1" encased in the "shield" and a spider hidden in the front upper right-hand corner.

There are four cars and ten light posts on the back of a ten-dollar bill.

A quarter has 119 grooves around the edge.
A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

The ridges on the sides of coins are called reeding or milling.

The numbers '172' can be found on the back of the U.S. $5 dollar bill in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.

The face of a penny can hold about thirty drops of water.

On the new hundred dollar bill the time on the clock tower of Independence Hall is 4:10.

Nine pennies weigh exactly one ounce.

The U.S. Mint in Denver, Colorado is the only mint that marks its pennies.

The original fifty cent piece in Australian decimal currency had around $2.00 worth of silver in it before it was replaced with a less expensive twelve sided coin.

Pocahontas appeared on the back of the $20 bill in 1875.

[Phreakmeister]

Woodpecker scalps, porpoise teeth and giraffe tails have all been used as money.

The Australian $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 notes are made out of plastic.

The car in the foreground on the back of a $10 bill is a 1925 Huptmobile.

Money is made of woven linen, not paper.

The first U.S. coin to bear the words "United States of America," was a penny piece made in 1727. It was also inscribed with the plain-spoken motto: "Mind Your Own Business."

97% of all paper money in the US contains traces of cocaine.

How valuable is that penny you found laying on the ground? If it takes just a second to pick it up a person could make $36.00 per hour just picking up pennies!

Since 1874 the mints of the United States have been making coins for foreign governments, whose combined orders have at times exceeded the volume of domestic requirements

Vietnamese currency consists only of paper money; no coins.

The U.S. shreds seven thousand tons of worn-out currency each year

Americans spend $10 million each day on potato chips.

Over 30 million people in the US "suffer" from Diastima. Diastima is having a gap between your front teeth.

Seventy percent of the dust in your home consists of shed human skin.

Each square inch of human skin contains seventy-two feet of nerves.

The letters KGB stand for Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnost.

Glass flutes do not expand with humidity so their owners are spared the nuisance of tuning them.

Neck ties were first worn in Croatia.That's why they were called cravats (CRO-vats).

Urea is found in human urine and dalmatian dogs and nowhere else.

Sarsaparilla is the root that flavors root beer.

Cranberry Jello is the only jello flavor that comes from real fruit, not artificial flavoring.

Soldiers from every country salute with their right hand.

Cyano-acrylate glues (Super glues) were invented by accident. The researcher was trying to make optical coating materials, and would test their properties by putting them between two prisms and shining light through them. When he tried the cyano-acrylate, he couldn't get the prisms apart.

Moisture, not air, causes super glue to dry.

A wedding ring is generally exempt by law from inclusion among the assets in a bankruptcy estate. That means that a wedding ring can't be seized by creditors, no matter how much the bankrupt person owes.

Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.

Benito Mussolini would ward off the evil eye by touching his testicles.

Both Hitler and Napoleon were missing one testicle.

The tailless dinner jacket was invented in Tuxedo Park, New York. Thus it is called the "tuxedo dinner jacket" and is named after the town...not the other way around.

There is no such thing as naturally blue food, even blueberries are purple.

[Phreakmeister]

The average person spends about two years on the phone in a lifetime.

Some insects can live up to a year without their heads.

A shark can grow a new set of teeth in a week.

The elephant snout, an African fish, communicates with other fish by emitting an electrical signal -- sort of a fish's version of Morse Code

Ketchup was once used as a medicine in the United States. In the 1830s it was sold as Dr. Miles's Compound Extract of Tomato

The Chinese lettered goldfish is covered with Chinese characters, achieved through thousands of years of crossbreeding

In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry ice cream in your back pocket.

The IRS would need at least 15 3/4 miles of shelves to store the tax forms they receive each year

Don't get caught chewing gum in Singapore. For this horrible offense, you could be fined $6,250 or spend a year in jail.

The Volkswagen was originally called the "Strength-Through-Joy-Wagon."

The longest recorded flight of a chicken was thirteen seconds, by a headless chicken.

The United States has never lost a war in which mules were used.

The door to the cave in which a bear hibernates is always on the north slope.

Rabbits can suffer from heat stroke.

Statistics show that the sharper the kitchen knife, the less likely you are to cut yourself.

There are more donut shops per capita in Canada than in any other country.

Pearls decay.

New Jersey was once called Albania.

Most burglaries happen above the first but below the seventh floor's in hotel.

Nude models at 2 of Scotland's Art Colleges have gone on strike a time or two in recent years demanding more pay and that the minimum studio temperature be 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius).

It's is said that the height of a wave is half of the winds speed in MPH.

History notes the capes of the southern Baja were favored anchors for pirates

Killer whales have such a good sense of touch that if you dropped a pill into a bucket and feed it to the orca it would eat the fish and spit out the pill.

Studies show the single most common chroninc disability nationwide is hearing loss.

Pigs killed off the dodo bird.

If you say "laugh it off" you are quoting Shakespeare.

Alligators grow about 8 inches a year.

Pigeons were a common food during medieval times.

Almost nothing can grow amidst sagebrush.

Dolphins don't automatically breath, they have to tell themselves to.

Jimmy Hoffa's middle name was Riddle.

There is a butterfly in Africa with enough poison in it's body to kill 6 cats

No photo's are taken at Quaker weddings.

An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing.

Pinocchio is Italian for "pine head."

The infinity sign is called a lemniscate.

Hacky-sack was invented in Turkey.

If you stretch a standard Slinky out flat it measures 87 feet long.

Spencer Eldon was the name of the naked baby on the cover of Nirvana's album Nevermind. When the picture was taken, he was 4 months old, which makes him 11 now. The dollar bill on the cover was added later.

The Roman emperor Caligula made his horse a senator.

The correct response to the Irish greeting, "Top of the morning to you," is "and the rest of the day to yourself."

Giraffes have no vocal cords.

The straw was probably invented by Egyptian brewers to taste in-process beer without removing the fermenting ingredients which floated on the top of the container.

Joe DiMaggio had more home runs than strikeouts during his career.

All porcupines float in water.

The word 'byte' is a contraction of 'by eight.'

Alexander Hamilton was shot by Aaron Burr in the groin.

[Phreakmeister]

Vincent Van Gogh comitted suicide while painting Wheat Field with Crows.

The computer in Stanley Kubrick's Space Oddysey: 2001 was called HAL 9000. If you move the letters in HAL one letter in the alphabet forward, you get IBM.

The Dodge brothers Horace and John were Jewish, which is why the first Dodge emblem had a star of David in it.

Studebaker was the only major car company to stop making cars while making a profit from them.

Studebaker still exists, but is now called Worthington.

Chrysler built B-29's that bombed Japan. Mitsubishi built Zeros that tried to shoot them down. Both companies now build cars in a joint plant call Diamond Star.

A bullet fired from the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge (also called the .308 Winchester) is still supersonic at 1000 yards.

Spiral staircases in medieval castles are running clockwise. This is because all knights used to be right-handed. When the intruding army would climb the stairs they would not be able to use their right hand which was holding the sword because of the difficulties in climbing the stairs. Left-handed knights would have had no troubles except left-handed people could never become knights because it was assumed that they were descendants of the devil.

The word set (http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=set) has more definitions (50) than any other word in the English language.

We witnessed four consecutive full moons in one month in 1999, making two blue moons (January 2 and 31, March 2 and 31). The only other time it happened this century was in 1915 (January 1 and 31, March 1 and 31).

In case you ever find yourself piloting a dogsled, shout "Jee!" to make the dogs turn left and "Ha!" to go right.

Each year there is one ton of cement poured for each man, woman, and child in the world.

At McDonalds in New Zealand, they serve apricot pies instead of cherry pies.

The housefly hums in the middle octave, key of F

Mr. Snuffleupagas' first name was Alyoisus.

When measuring fonts, 'point size' refers to the height of capital letters (one point being one 72nd of an inch). 'Pitch' is a horizontal measurement of the number of letters which can be printed in an inch.

In the movie "The Right Stuff" there is a scene where a government recruiter for the Mercury astronaut program (played by Jeff Goldblum) is in a bar at Muroc Dry Lake, California. His partner suggests Chuck Yeager as a good astronaut candidate. Jeff proceeds to badmouth Yeager claiming they need someone who went to college. During the conversation the real Chuck Yeager is playing a bartender who is standing behind the recruiters eavesdropping. General Yeager is listed low in the movie credits as 'Fred.'

"Speak of the Devil" is short for "Speak of the Devil and he shall come". It was believed that if you spoke about the Devil it would attract his attention. That's why when your talking about someone and they show up people say "Speak of the Devil".

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear

The oldest word in the English language is "town", which comes from the Celtic word dunom, which means fortress.

According to Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, it is possible to go slower than light and faster than light, but it is impossible to go at the speed of light.

Ben and Jerry's send the waste from making ice cream to local pig farmers to use as feed. Pigs love the stuff, except for one flavor: Mint Oreo.

The "D" in D-day means "Day". The French term for "D-Day" is "J-jour".

Lucifer is latin for "Light Bringer" (lux = light; ferre = to bring, to carry). It is a translation of the Hebrew name for Satan, Halael. Satan means "adversary", devil means "liar".

A cat's jaws cannot move sideways.

Avocado is derived from the Spanish word 'aguacate' which is derived from 'ahuacatl' meaning testicle.

Rats like boiled sweets better than they like cheese.

[Phreakmeister]

Big Ben was slowed five minutes one day when a passing group of starlings decided to take a rest on the minute hand of the clock.

Sting got his name because of a yellow-and-black striped shirt he wore until it literally fell apart.

Every photograph of an American atomic bomb detonation was taken by Harold Edgerton.

Dr. Samuel A. Mudd was the physician who set the leg of Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth ... and whose shame created the expression for ignominy, "His name is Mudd."

The muzzle of a lion is like a fingerprint -- no two lions have the same pattern of whiskers.

There is a type of parrot in New Zealand that likes to eat the rubber strips that line car windows.

Cockroaches' favorite food is the glue on envelopes and on the back of postage stamps.

In 1969, the last Corvair was painted gold.

Betsy Ross was born with a fully formed set of teeth.

Devo's original name was going to be De-evolution. They shortened it to Devo.

Steely Dan got their name from a sexual device depicted in the book 'The Naked Lunch'.

Bob Dylan's real name is Robert Zimmerman.

Andy Warhol created the Rolling Stone's emblem depicting the big tongue. It first appeared on the cover of the 'Sticky Fingers' album.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were the two left-handed Beatles.

Chris Ford scored the first ever NBA three-point shot.

Only three angels are mentioned by name in the Bible: Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer.

Lenny Kravitz's mother played the part of "Helen" on "The Jeffersons."

The term "devil's advocate" comes from the Roman Catholic church. When deciding if someone should become a saint, a devil's advocate is always appointed to give an alternative view.

Caruso and Roy Orbison were the only tenors this century capable of hitting e over high c

The average person swallows three spiders anually.

In the Nirvana video "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Kurt Cobain drops a peg from his guitar and stops to fix it.

Marilyn Monroe had six toes.

Elizabeth Taylor is the only person in the world with violet eyes.

Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do

A cockroach will live nine days without it's head, before it starves to death.

When you tie a noose, the rope is wrapped twelve times around because its the same length as a person's head.

There is actually a word for a 64th note -- a hemidemisemiquaver.

The phrase "sleep tight" originated when mattresses were set upon ropes woven through the bed frame. To remedy sagging ropes, one would use a bed key to tighten the rope.

The gene for the Siamese coloration in animals such as cats, rats or rabbits is heat sensitive. Warmth produces a lighter color than does cold. Putting tape temporarily on Siamese rabbit's ear will make the fur on that ear lighter than on the other one.

Charles de Gaulle's final words were, "It hurts."