interesting facts

[fanera17]

\Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

The average person'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.

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 the back of the $5 bill.

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

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

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

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

Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula."

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.

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

The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life."

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.

It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.

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

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister.

The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

"Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.

[tsc]

In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.

but do you know why? I do. ;)

Because on analog clocks (or the ones with the hands:) ) 10:10 makes the shape of a V. Research has apperently shown you are happier looking at a V than you are an upside down V, because the shapes mimic a smile and a frown, respectivly.

This post brought to you by the Society of Usless Bits of Information.

[FooTemps]

Originally posted by Sarah


but do you know why? I do. ;)

Because on analog clocks (or the ones with the hands:) ) 10:10 makes the shape of a V. Research has apperently shown you are happier looking at a V than you are an upside down V, because the shapes mimic a smile and a frown, respectivly.

This post brought to you by the Society of Usless Bits of Information.

I noticed that and I've seen digital watch/clock commercials with 10:10...

[Miscue]

Queue has the most consecutive vowels.

[rifleman]

Hey, those are pretty cool!

Here's some that doc gave me in respondance to my post "What's up Doc?"

Did you know that Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny- among others- was allergic to carrots?

He also once awoke in the hospital, after being knocked unconsious in a car wreck, and for the first half hour or so, could only speak in Bugs Bunny's voice.

[tsc]

In Jonathan Swift's book "Gulliver's Travels" have a look at chapter 3 of "A Voyage To Laputa". It reads : "They have likewise discovered two lesser stars, or satellites, which revolve about Mars, whereof the innermost is distant from the centre of the primary planet exactly 3 of his diameters, and the outermost 5". There is nothing unusual in that except Gulliver's Travels was published in 1726 and Mars' 2 moons were first discovered by US astronomer Asaph Hall in 1877!




Italian mathematician Geronimo Cardano published the laws of chance governing card & dice games. But he became most famous for his accurate horoscope predictions. He even predicted his own death in 1576 - even down to the exact hour. When the time came he was still healthy, so he killed himself rather than being proved wrong!




When Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835, Halley's Comet was visible in the sky over Florida, Missouri. It did not pass very near to the earth that year, but its presence was enough to create a legend. Aware throughout his life that he was born when Halley's Comet was visible, Mark Twain predicted in 1909 that he would die when it returned: "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.... The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'" He was right. When Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910, Halley's Comet was once again visible in the sky.


Winston Churchill was not only a great speech maker, his wit was also legendary. In the House of Commons Nancy Astor MP, angry with Churchill, said 'If I were married to you, I'd put poison in your coffee'. Churchill replied 'Nancy, if you were my wife, I'd drink it'. Another female MP, Bessie Braddock when seeing Churchill intoxicated, said 'Winston you're drunk' to which Churchill replied 'Bessie you're ugly. And tomorrow I shall be sober'.




King Mithridates VI ruled in Asia Minor in the first century BC. He was so afraid of assassination by poisoning, he came up with a novel idea. He gave himself small doses of poison each day in the hope that he would naturally build up a resistance to poisons. It was so successful that when the Romans invaded in 63 BC, instead of being captured he tried to commit suicide, but the poison he took had no effect on him. Eventually the King ordered a slave to kill him with his sword!



After being killed during the celebrated Battle of Trafalgar, British Admiral Horatio Nelson was put into a large barrel of brandy to preserve his body during the voyage back to England. When the ship arrived back home Lord Nelson was removed from the barrel and the crew celebrated his achievements by drinking the remaining brandy!




Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England and scourge of the monarchists died peacefully on 3rd Spetember 1658. 18 months later the monarchy had been restored and the royalists wanted revenge for the regicide of King Charles I. Cromwell's corpse was exhumed from his tomb in Westminster Abbey and dragged through the streets of London to Tyburn. He was then given a symbollic hanging. 6 hours later his corpse was taken down from the gallows and beheaded by an executioner. His head was then paraded through the streets before being stuck on an iron spike and displayed atop Westminster Hall.




In the late 1950s Lincoln City Football Club had a centre half named Ray LONG who was over 6 foot tall, and a left winger called David SHORT, who was only 5ft 4. Another piece of football trivia, the great strikers Dixie Dean and Jimmy Greaves, were both aged exactly 23 years 290 days, when they both scored their 200th league goals!




In July 1981, a tortoise was sentenced to death for murder. Tribal leaders in an eastern Kenyan village formally condemned the tortoise because they suspected it of causing the deaths of six people by magic. However, because none of the villagers was prepared to face the tortoise's wrath by carrying out the execution, it was chained to a tree instead. The tortoise was later freed after the government promised an inquiry into the six deaths.


After the death of her husband, poet Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) kept his heart wrapped up in silk until she died.



The cruise liner Queen Mary, now at harbour in Los Angeles, was originally meant to be known by a different name. A director of Cunard - the ship's owners - met King George V intending to name the ship Queen Victoria. He asked if the vessel could be named after 'the greatest Queen this country has ever known'. The King replied 'That is the greatest compliment ever paid to my wife. I'll ask her'. Hence, the ship became the Queen Mary.




The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and Great Britain in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.



In 1994 Los Angeles police arrested a man for dressing as the Grim Reaper - complete with scythe - and standing outside the windows of old people's homes, staring in.

Even more funky stuff!


BTW- I assumed I wouldn't have to put in the fact that the tradition of using 10:10 simply carried over.

[adam68c]

NURPLE as in purple nurple:D

[scarpa43]

a couple responses:

I also thought that the 10:10 deal was that the two hands in the V formation kind of framed the name of the watch maker.

The word Queue is also the only 5 letter word that is pronounced the same if you remove the last 4 letters.

Some things about baseball:

It is the only major sport where the offense does not have possesion of the ball
It is the only sport not regulated by a clock.
It is the only sport in which fields are different sizes in different parks.

What else... spiral staircases were invented back when fire engines were pulled by horses. It seems that the horses would walk a normal staircase.

Thats all i can think of.

[Butterfingers]

36.4568928736 percent of all statistics are made up...

[wireman]

That racecar spelled backwards is, well, uh racecar.LOL

[Miscue]

Originally posted by scarpa43
Some things about baseball:

It is the only sport not regulated by a clock.



Tennis... Table Tennis... other racquet sports... bowling... various forms of wrestling... diving... archery... shooting sports... etc.

[FooTemps]

Originally posted by Miscue


Tennis... Table Tennis... other racquet sports... bowling... various forms of wrestling... diving... archery... shooting sports... etc.

TENNIS!!!

[Army]

Oops, sorry Miscue! Nearly all shooting discplines are time governed:cool:

[Miscue]

Originally posted by Army
Oops, sorry Miscue! Nearly all shooting discplines are time governed:cool:

Eh? Bah. :o

[wyn1370]

bookkeeper has the most double letters.

[Thordic]

Miscue - he meant real sports :)

[rifleman]

"Miscue - he meant real sports"

Hey now, shootings is an Olympic sport :)

Yep, in the highpower shooting that I do:
20 min/20 shots offhand 200yds
60 sec/10 shots/2clips rapid fire sitting - 200yd's
70 sec/10 shots/2clips rapid fire prone - 300yd
20 min/20 shots prone - 600yds

And since I've gone this far into it...I miswell say I'm a nra ranked high expert *gloat*:D :D :D

[Xzion]

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

um... WRONG! firstoff, its a Canadian flag flying over the parlment buildings, I even checked to make 100% sure, and we dont even have two dollar bills anymore, we have a two dollar coin... good thing im a currency collector or I wouldnt have made a point to keep a couple of the old two dollar bills :D

[scarpa43]

In my post about baseball i should have noted that i got that from something i read about the 4 major sports in the US (baseball, football, basketball, and hockey)

[klb311]

Go hang a salami Im a lasagna hog

Think about that one:)