... Buddy's Trivia Page 2 ...

I think some of us thrive on these kinds of ridiculously arcane and esoteric tidbits to get us through cocktail parties, airplane flights, and job interviews. Well now, let me tell you something, I don't ... no cocktail parties (hate parties), no plane flights (hate flying), and no job interviews (hate working) ... you know I'm just kidding you.

Calculate ... from the Latin calculi (pebbles), used by the Romans as counters. When using the abacus, the round balls were called calculi, and it was by this instrument the Roman boys were taught to count and calculate ... The Greeks voted by pebbles dropped into an urn, a method adopted both in ancient Egypt and Syria; and counting these pebbles was "calculating" the number of voters.
Camel's milk does not curdle.
Canada is an Indian word meaning "Big Village".
Cars ... Karl Benz probably was the first to crash a motorcar. Benz built his first car in 1885 but crashed it into a wall. Benz also built the first motorcycle in 1885, the world's first pick-up truck in 1896, and the first taxi in 1897. Benz, having had the first car, obviously set the first auto land speed record. However, the first "official" world speed record - only later called the Land Speed Record - was set not in a car with an internal combustion engine, but in an electric car. In 1898, Frenchman Comte Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat reached a speed of 62,78 km/ (39.24 mph) in his Jeantaud electric car. In 1921, a radio was fitted in a car for the first time. In the same year, the first reverse light was fitted to a car. Luxury motoring was also introduced in that year: The American Pan company fitted a car seat that could be made up into a bed.
Catgut ... used in some tennis rackets and stringed instruments; is it actually...?
I was appalled by this word when I was a kid. I didn't want to even consider the possibility that it was what it said it was. Well those who favor felines can read on, but if you're a lamb lover be warned: what we have here is a sheep in cat's clothing.
These days tennis rackets tend to be strung with steel or nylon, but some are still made from sheep gut, which is known for its strength. And when you strum a guitar, don't be surprised if you think you hear a bleat among the twangs. Sheep gut is still a mainstay in string instruments. It also shows up in surgical sutures and--don't faint--sausage casings.
So why do they call it catgut? Fewer letters? Because sadism toward pussycats is politically correct? In truth, we don't know.
Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.
Cephalacaudal recapitulation is the reason our extremities develop faster than the rest of us.
Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest.
Checkmate ... the word in chess comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat", which means "the king is dead"
Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
Chicken/Hen Trivia ... There are now 200 breeds of chickens. Chickens came to the New World with Columbus on his second trip in 1493. An average hen lays 300 to 325 eggs a year. A hen starts laying eggs at 19 weeks of age. A mother hen turns over her egg about fifty times per day (so the yolk won't stick to the sides of the shell). About 240 million laying hens produce some 50 billion eggs each year in the U.S.
Chinese noodles ... In the rich world of Chinese food symbolism, noodles enjoy a very auspicious position, and for good reason: Chinese noodles are long (especially the hand-made type called la mein.) That length symbolizes a long, unbroken life, whether the life belongs to a person, career, relationship, or even an imperial dynasty. Next time you are eating Chinese food, slurp those noodles with care and try as hard as you can to safely suck each strand into your mouth in one piece. If you cut a noodle with your teeth, legend has it that you'll similarly shorten the life of whomever or whatever you're celebrating.
Choke-pear was used in Holland, and was a piece of iron in the shape of a pear, which would be forced into the mouth of the victim. On turning a key, a number of springs thrust forth points of iron in all directions, so that the instrument of torture could never be taken out except by means of the key.
Christopher Columbus ... he discovered America (as though there were no people living here) in 1492, making his first landing in the New World on San Salvador, one of the Bahamiam islands. Columbus believed he had reached India and seeing that these natives he saw there were living peacefully and productively, he gave them the name "Indians." The Europeans then systematically proceeded to slaughter these "peaceful and productive" people ... and for this we celebrate Columbus Day, which btw, was first celebrated in 1792.
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."
Clock Time (12 hours) ... The number 12 is not as random as it sounds. There are 12 moons in a year. The number 12 is easy to divide into halves, thirds, and quarters. Also, some cultures counted in base 12: three joints on each finger (thumb as the counter).
Clue ... originally meant a ball of thread. This is why one is said to "unravel" the clues of a mystery.
Cogito ergo sum ... is a famous axiom of Descartes, a 17th century French philosopher, meaning: I think, therefore I am. There is a problem here. "I think" can only prove this: that "I think." He might just as well infer from it the existence of thought as the existence of I ... He is asked to prove the latter, and immediately assumes that it exists and does something, and then infers that it existsbecauseit does something ... Now suppose I were asked to prove the existence of ice, and were to say, ice is cold, therefore there is such a thing as ice. Manifestly I first assume there is such a thing as ice, then ascribe to it an attribute of "cold" and then argue back that this attribute is the outcome of ice. This is not proof, but simply arguing in a circle.
Computer ... According to the Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, computer came into use in English in 1646 as a word for a "person who computes'" and then by 1897 as a "mechanical calculating machine." The word referred to an electronic machine by 1946, perhaps as early as 1941. It is formed from the word compute, which was borrowed in 1631 from the French computer, which was a learned borrowing from Latin computare, meaning "to count, sum up."
Cranberry Jell-0 is the only kind that contains real fruit.
Criminal ... Richard Milhouse Nixon was the first US President in whose name all the letters from the word "criminal" can be found ... William Jefferson Clinton is the second ... I'm glad I live in America, and am able to say that.
Ctrl+Alt+Del (also called the task manager) ... invented by David Bradley. While working for IMB, he wrote the code for this key combination which forces obstinate computers to restart when they will no longer follow other commands. It eventually became a cultural icon.
Cyber ... the combination form cyber-, used in such terms as cybernetics and cyberspace; was coined in 1948 by Norbert Wiener (1894-1964), an American mathematician. He derived it from the Greek kubernetes, or steersman, which is also the root of the word govern. Wiener may have based his word on an 1830s French usage of cybernétique, which meant the art of governing.
Dandelion ... the word, dandelion, comes from the French name "dente de lion" which means Lion's Tooth, for the toothlike points on its leaves.
Dashboard ... the term "dashboard", a car's instrument panel, 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.
Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
Devil ... did you realize that the word "evil" is in it?
Devil on the Neck was an instrument of torture used by persecuting papists. It was an iron winch which forced a man's neck and legs together.
Did you know that there are coffee flavored PEZ?
Diet Coke was only invented in 1982.
Disney trivia … 101 Dalmatians and Peter Pan are the only two Disney cartoon features with both parents that are present and don't die throughout the movie.
Dolphins don't automatically breath; they have to tell themselves to do it.
Don Quixote de la Mancha fights the windmills ... while he's riding through the plains of Montiel, he approaches thirty or forty windmills, which he declares to Sancho Panza "are giants, two leagues in length or more." And then striking his spurs into Rosinante, with his lance in rest, he drives at one of the "monsters dreadful as Typhoeus" ... The lance lodges in the sail, and the latter, striking both man and beast, lifts them into the air, shivering the lance to pieces. When the valiant knight and his steed fall to the ground they are both much injured, and Don Quixote declares that the enchanter Freston, "who carried off his library with all the books therein," had changed the giants into windmills "out of malice." (Cervantes. Don Quixote, bk. i. ch. viii.)
Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he didn't wear pants.
Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.
Dous ... only four words in the English language end with the suffix, "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
Dr. Seuss coined the word "nerd" in his 1950 book "If I Ran the Zoo"
Dreamt ... is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer
Drinks ... Coca-Cola was invented in Atlanta, Georgia by Dr. John S. Pemberton in 1886; Pepsi-Cola was invented by Caleb Bradham 12 years later. 7 Up was invented by Charles Leiper Grigg in 1929. The world's most popular drink, tea, was invented by a Chinese emperor in 2737 BC.
Dry cereal for breakfast was invented by John Henry Kellogg at the turn of the century.
Dry fish food can make goldfish constipated.
Dulcinea del Toboso ... was Don Quixote's lady. Sancho Panza, his squire, said she was ... "a stout-built sturdy wench, who could pitch the bar as well as any young fellow in the parish." The knight had been in love with her when he was simply a gentleman by the name of "Quixada" ... She was then called Aldonza Lorenzo, the daughter of Lorenzo Corchuelo and Aldonza Nogales; but when the gentleman became a don, he changed the style of address of the village damsel into one more befitting his new rank.
During the time of Peter the Great, any Russian man who had a beard was required to pay a special tax.
During World War II, a German U-boat was sunk by a truck. The U-boat in question attacked a convoy in the Atlantic and then rose to see the effect. The merchant ship it sank had material strapped to its deck including a fleet of trucks, one of which was thrown in the air by the explosion, landing on the U-boat and breaking its back.
E.T.L.N.L.T.E ... is an acrostic where the word/sentence can be read the same forwards and backwards. An example are the initial letters of "Eat To Live, Never Live To Eat;" which in Latin would be, E.U.V.N.V.U.E. (Ede Ut Vivas, Ne Vivas Ut Edas). Interesting how it works in both languages.
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history, eg, Spades - King David ... Clubs - Alexander the Great ... Hearts - Charlemagne; and Diamonds - Julius Caesar.
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.
Each year there is one ton of cement poured for each man woman and child in the world.
Earth is the only planet not named after a pagan God.
eBay's Humble Beginnings ... it all started with a Pez. You know, those little plastic dispensers with funny heads that flip up and present you with a rectangular piece of candy. To help out his girlfriend (who is an avid Pez collector), a Silicon Valley software engineer named Pierre Omidyar created a Web site so she could chat and trade with other people online. The site was so successful that he expanded it to include other kinds of collectibles. He began charging a small fee to list items, just so he could break even. Legend has it that one day $10,000 in fees arrived in Pierre's mailbox; he quit his day job. eBay was born on Labor Day 1995. The name eBay is taken from the word "electronic" and "bay" for the Bay Area of San Francisco, where Pierre is from.
Eighteen per cent of all global carbon dioxide emissions are from cars.
Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
Elephants are the only animals that can't jump. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.
Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason.
English writer Ben Johnson was buried standing up in Westminister Abbey because he couldn't afford normal grave space.
Enough beer is poured every Saturday across America to fill the Orange Bowl.
Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel with over 50,000 words, none of which containing the letter "e"
Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
Even though it is widely attributed to him Shakespeare never actually used the word 'gadzooks'.
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. treasury.
Every minute in the U.S. six people turn 17.
Every person has a unique tongue print.
Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.
Every year the sun loses 360 million tons.
Every year, the Moon moves 1.50393 inches further from the Earth.
Evidence ... testimony in proof of something, has a large number of varieties:
- Circumstantial evidence. That based on corroborative incidents.
- Demonstrative evidence. That which can be proved without leaving a doubt.
- Direct evidence. That of an eye-witness.
- External evidence. That derived from history or tradition.
- Internal evidence. That derived from conformity with what is known.
- Material evidence. That which is essential in order to carry proof.
- Moral evidence. That which accords with general experience.
- Presumptive evidence. That which is highly probable.
- Prima facie evidence. That which seems likely, unless it can be explained away.
- State's evidence. That of an accessory against his accomplices, under the promise of pardon.
- Secondary evidence. Such as is produced when primary evidence is not to be obtained.
- Self evidence. That derived from the senses; manifest and indubitable.
Executions used to be totally without mercy ... It would be described to the condemned as follows: "You will be drawn on hurdles to the place of execution, where you are to be hanged, but not till you are dead; for, while still living, your body is to be taken down, your bowels torn out and burnt before your face; your head is then cut off, and your body divided into four quarters."
Existentialism professes that the past and future are intangible; the present is all that humans can be sure of. For humans, being—what IS— is the only truth; everything else is nothing.
Eyeglasses ... Roman tragedian Seneca is said to have read "all the books in Rome" by peering through a glass globe of water. Presbyopic monks developed magnifying glasses 1000 years later. The first mention of actual eyeglasses is found in a 1289 manuscript. In 1306, a monk of Pisa mentioned in a sermon: "It is not yet 20 years since the art of making spectacles, one of the most useful arts on earth, was discovered." But nobody mentioned the inventor.
Falco peregrinus is the technical term for the peregrine falcon ... This bird, wings down, may also be the fastest animal of any kind on earth. Estimates of its top speed when diving might start around 200 miles per hour, and some authorities put it considerably higher, perhaps 275 m.p.h. Its top horizontal speed is 60 m.p.h. or more ... These high speeds are essential to the normal feeding habits of the this falcon, which overtakes and kills other birds and bats in midair. The bird cruises for hours, then plunges in a move known as a stoop. The prey is often killed by violent impact with the peregrine's talons. It's about 15 to 21 inches long, and its wingspan is about 36 to to 44 inches long.
Fillip ... the act of snapping one's fingers (betcha never knew that).
First novel ever written on a typewriter was "Tom Sawyer."
Floccinaucinihilipilification ... (flok-si-no-si-ni-hil-i-pil-i-fi-kay-shun) estimating something as worthless. What is interesting is that this word was coined by combining four Latin terms flocci, nauci, nihili, pili, all meaning something of little or no value. Here it is: flocci, from floccus (tuft of wool) + nauci, from naucum (a trifling thing) + nihili, from Latin nihil (nothing) + pili, from pilus (a hair, trifle) + -fication (making). An example of its use: I loved her for nothing so much as her flocci-nauci-nihili-pili-fication of money (her making such a trifle of money).
Florida's beaches lose 20 million cubic yards of sand annually.
Footprints on the sands of time ... is a beautiful expression that was probably suggested by a letter from Napoleon sent to his Minister of the Interior, with respect to the poor-laws. He writes ... "It is melancholy to see time passing away without being put to its full value ... Surely in a matter of this kind we should endeavor to do something, that we may say that we have not lived in vain, that we may leave some impress of our lives on the sands of time."
For a year and a day. In law many acts are determined by this period of time, e.g. if a person wounded does not die within a year and a day, the offender is not guilty of murder.
Four letters containing the name of G-d, and called the "tetragrammaton" are, in Hebrew-JHVH (JeHoVaH), Scandinavian-Odin, Greek-Theo, Latin-Deus, in French-Dieu, Assyrian-Adat, Portuguese-Deus, Dutch-Godt, German-Gott, in Danish-Godh, Swedish-Goth, Persian-Soru, Arabic-Alla, Spanish-Dios, etc.
Fourteeners or quatorziennes, were persons of recognised position in society who at one time, held themselves in readiness to accept an invitation to dinner when otherwise the number of guests would be thirteen.
France has the highest per capita consumption of cheese.
Francis Scott Key was a young lawyer who wrote the poem, 'The Star Spangled Banner', after being inspired by watching the Americans fight off the British attack of Baltimore during the War of 1812. The poem became the words to the national anthem.
George Washington Carver invented peanut butter.
George Washington grew marijuana in his garden.
Giraffe ... the giraffe's heart is huge; it weighs twenty-five pounds, is two feet long, and has walls up to three inches thick.
Give me where to stand, and I will move the world ... So said Archimedes of Syracuse; and the instrument he would have used is the lever.
Goldfish swallowing started at Harvard in 1939.
Goodbye ... the everyday word "goodbye" was earlier "god be with ye" Similarly, "How do ye?" (or "How do you do?" morphed into the informal greeting, "Howdy".
Google … a 1 followed by 100 zeros. It was coined by a nine-year-old boy andt was the inspiration behind the naming of the Google search engine.
Grasshopper ... a grasshopper can leap over obstacles 500 times its own height. In relation to its size, it has the greatest jumping ability of all animals.
Greek National Anthem has 158 verses.
Green Eggs and Ham, one of Dr. Seuss' most popular titles, was the result of a bet between Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) and the founder of Random House, Bennett Cerf. Dr. Seuss wagered that he could write a book using only 50 words and Cerf bet him he couldn't. Dr. Seuss won, but never collected the money. Btw, did you know that Dr. Seuss pronounced "Seuss" such that it rhymed with "rejoice?
Guillotine was so named from Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin, a French physician, who proposed its adoption to prevent unnecessary pain (1738-1814) ... It was facetiously called "Mademoiselle Guillotin" or "Guillotin's daughter," and was introduced April 25th, 1792, to execute highwayman Nicolas J Pelletier ... Now the Maiden (also called the Widow), was a machine resembling the guillotine for beheading criminals in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and it was brought to Scotland by the Regent Morton from Halifax in 1566. Thomas Scott, a murderer, was beheaded by it in 1566, fifteen years before Morton himself, was executed ... by the very machine he introduced ... now that's irony; wouldn't you say his success went to his head?
Guinness Book Of Records holds the record for being the book most stolen from Public Libraries.
Hair is the fastest growing tissue in the body, second only to bone marrow.
Ham radio operators got the term "ham" from their expression, "ham fisted operators," a term used to describe early radio users who sent Morse code. When sending a message, they pounded their fist ... well, it looked that way.
Hang On Sloopy is the official rock song of Ohio.
Haplography ... the accidental omission of a letter or letter group that should be repeated in writing, for example, mispell for misspell, Missippi for Mississippi, and probly for probably. Perhaps some day "probly" will be considered standard and "probably" obsolete.
Happy Birthday To You ... Two sisters, Mildred Hill, a teacher at a Kentucky Kindergarten, and Dr. Patty Hill, principal of the school, wrote a song entitled "Good Morning to All" and published it in a collection entitled "Song Stories of the Kindergarten" in 1893. Thirty-one years later, a man named Robert H. Coleman published the song, without the sisters' permission. He added a second verse, the familiar "Happy Birthday to You." Mr. Coleman's addition of the second verse popularized the song and, the sisters' original first verse disappeared. "Happy Birthday to You" had altogether replaced the sisters' original title, "Good Morning to All." After Mildred died in 1916, Patty, with a third sister named Jessica, took Mr. Coleman to court and proved that they legally owned the melody and are entitled to royalties from it, whenever it is sung for commercial purposes. And now get this: Happy Birthday is the song most frequently heard in the world
Hawaii ... is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. It is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines. The Hawaiian language was an oral tradition. The Hawaiian alphabet (piapa), was written by 19th century missionaries. The alphabet contains 12 letters: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 7 consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w). Some scholars count the 'okina' or glottal stop as a 13th letter.
Henry Ford produced the model T only in black because the black paint available at the time was the fastest to dry.
Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.
History has had its men of genius averse to music ... Byron just had no ear for music (and neither vocal nor instrumental music would afford him the slightest pleasure) - Edmund Burke, Charles Fox, David Hume, Dr. Samuel Johnson, and Daniel O'Connell, Robert Peel, William Pitt ... the three poets Robert Southey, Alfred Tennyson, and Sir Walter Scott ... Alexander Pope preferred a street organ to Handel's oratorios, and the poet Rogers felt actual discomfort at the sounds of music ... Seven of these twelve were actually poets, and five were orators. The Princess Mathilde (Demidoff), an excellent artist, may be added to those who have had a real antipathy to music ... I guess music does not have its charms for everyone ... imagine not appreciating Puccini; imagine being dead ... just imagine.
Ho ... is often used merely to call attention ... Isaiah says "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters" ... the word is really a contracted form of "hello" ... Now in the sentence, "She is a ho" the meaning is entirely different.
Honey is the only natural food that is made without destroying any kind of life. What about milk you say? A cow has to eat grass to produce milk and grass is living.
Hors d'oeuvre (ohr DERV) ... an extra little dish outside of and smaller than the main course, usually served first [from French hors (outside of), oeuvre (job or work)]. I included this only because it is one of those culinary words that are either untranslatable or would look downright silly in translation.
Horses can't vomit.
House of Rothschild (Red Shield), started with Mayer Amschel, who in 1763, made his appearance in Hanover barefoot, with a sack on his shoulders and a bundle of rags on his back. Successful in trade, he returned to Frankfort and set up a small shop, over which hung the signboard of a red shield. As a dealer in old coins he became known to William I, Elector of Hesse-Cassel, who then appointed him confidential agent. The serene electorwas compelled to flee his country ... and Mayer Amschel took charge of his cash, amounting to 250,000. When Napoleon was banished to Elba, and the elector returned, Amschel was dead, but his son Anselm restored the money ... an act of noble honesty which the elector mentioned at the Congress of Vienna. Hence arose the greatness of the house, which assumed the name of the Red Shield, the Rothschilds.
Human brain contains more than 100 billion neurons--as many as there are stars in the Milky Way.
Human hair and fingernails continue to grow after death.
Humans are the only primates ... if I can use that word ... that don't have pigment in the palms of their hands.
Hummingbirds are the only animal that can fly backwards.
Hydrogen gas is the least dense substance in the world, at 0.08988g/cc ... and hydrogen solid is the most dense substance in the world, at 70.6g/cc.
I am amazed at radio DJ's today. I am firmly convinced that AM on my radio stands for Absolute Moron. I will not begin to tell you what FM stands for.
Ice cream cone ... was first patented by Italo Marchiony in 1903.
Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola per capita than any other nation.
Iceland was the first country to legalize abortion in 1935.
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs 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.
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 leg front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all 4 legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out .
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?
If the head of a cockroach is removed very carefully, so as to prevent it from bleeding to death, the cockroach can survive for several weeks? When it dies, it is from starvation.
If you attempted to count to stars in a galaxy at a rate of one every second it would take around 3,000 years to count them all.
If you bring a raccoon's head to the Henniker, New Hampshire town hall, you are entitled to receive $.10 from the town.
If you can see a rainbow you must have your back to the sun.
If you gave each human on earth an equal portion of dry land, (including the uninhabitable areas) everyone would get roughly 100 square feet.
If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes and 4 pennies, you'd have $1.19.You would also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.
If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies ... you have $1.19. You will also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.
If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom.
If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out.
If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee
Igor Sikorsky invented the first helicopter in 1939.
In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the world's nuclear weapons combined.
In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined.
In 1221 Genghis Khan killed 1,748,000 people at Nishapur in one hour.
In 1800 on 50 cities on earth had a population of more than 100,000.
In 1933, Mickey Mouse, an animated cartoon character, received 800,000 fan letters.
In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
In a jiffy ... is in fact an actual measurement of time. A Jiffy is the amount of time it takes for a particle of light to travel one centimeter, in a vacuum… a "Jiffy" is equal to one hundred thousand billion billionths of a second according to lexicographers.
In a normal lifetime an American will eat 200 pounds of peanuts and 10,000 pounds of meat.
In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand.
In ancient Egypt, priests plucked EVERY hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes.
In ancient Rome it was considered a sign of leadership to be born with a crooked nose
In Casablanca, nobody ever said "Play it again, Sam."
In deep space most lubricants will disappear.
In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.
In every episode of Seinfeld there was a picture of Superman somewhere.
In Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift described the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, giving their exact size and speeds of rotation. He did this more than 100 years before either moon was discovered.
In medieval Thailand, they had moveable type printing presses. The type was made from baked oxen dung.
In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.
In the 1940s, the FCC assigned television's Channel one to mobile services (two-way radios in taxicabs, for instance) but did not re-number the other channel assignments. That's why your TV set has channels 2 and up, but no channel one.
In the 40's, the Bich pen was changed to Bic for fear that Americans would pronounce it “Bitchj.”
In the southern hemisphere, water always swirl anti-clockwise down into a pipe.
Information Superhighway is really an acronym for 'Interactive Network For Organizing, Retrieving, Manipulating, Accessing And Transferring Information On National Systems, Unleashing Practically Every Rebellious Human Intelligence, Gratifying Hackers, Wiseacres, And Yahoos'.
Inventor Samuel Colt patented his revolver in 1836.
Iron Maiden of Nuremberg was an instrument of torture in Germany used for heretics, traitors, parricides, etc. ... It was a box just big enough to admit a man, with folding-doors, the whole studded with sharp iron spikes. When the doors were pressed to these spikes were forced into the body of the victim, who was left there to die in horrible torture.
It is estimated that at any one time, 0.7% of the world's population are drunk.
It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
It is possible for any American citizen to give whatever name he or she chooses to any unnamed mountain or hill in the United States.
It is possible to drown and not die. Technically the term 'drowning' refers to the process of taking water into the lungs, not to death caused by that process.
It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs.
It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs.
It takes a ton of water to make a pound of refined sugar.
It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body.
It takes the average snail 115 days to travel a mile.
It was at once thought unlucky to put the left shoe on before the right ... or to put either shoe on the wrong foot ... It is said that Augustus Caesar was nearly assassinated by a mutiny one day when he put on his left shoe first.
It was discovered on a space mission that frogs can throw up. How? 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.
It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
It's physically impossible for you to lick your elbow. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed t o take i nto account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.
It's rumored that sucking on a copper penny will cause a breathalyzer to read 0. At the time, the newly discovered metal was so rare, it was considered more valuable than gold.

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