Thursday, November 11, 2010

facts part8

The Tibetan name for Mount Everest is Chomolungma

The word "laser" stands for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission by radiation."

In a lifetime, on average a honey bee produces 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey

There are 315 species of parrot in the world

The TV show Doctor Who, when it was popular, had an audience of 110 million people

The cost to build the Empire State Building was $40,948,900

A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day will on average lose two teeth every ten years

Wasps that feed on ferment occasionally get drunk and pass out

The largest cereal company in the world is Quaker Oats, located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA

The first Olympic games only had one event - a foot race

Colonel Sanders traveled over 250,000 miles a year visiting various parts of his Kentucky Fried Chicken Empire

Some desert snails have been known to sleep for three to four years

Over 80% of the brain is water

From the age of thirty, humans gradually begin to shrink in size

Jackrabbits can reach a speed of fifty miles per hour and can leap as far as twenty feet

There are 40 official jelly belly flavours

Early sewing machines were destroyed by mobs or workers who felt their jobs were threatened by automation

In 1992, the Antarctic Ozone hole was larger than the continent of North America.

Someone gets divorced every ten to thirteen seconds

There is a certain type of Hawk Moth caterpillar from Brazil that inflates its thorax, which makes its head look like a head of a snake when it feels it is in danger or alarmed

The CIA has made a disk camera that is as big as a quarter. This gadget can take many pictures at a time when the disk is opened.

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

In Hong Kong, delivery times are primarily influenced by traffic conditions on elevators. It often takes drivers longer to travel vertically than horizontally, as access to elevators is so congested during "high peak" hours. This is due to the volume of people residing in high rises

The ancient Greeks had a fascination with the planet Mars. They attributed the planet to Ares, their god of war, because of its red colour

The only lizard that has a voice is the Gecko

In Israel, religious law forbids picking your nose on Sabbath

In twins, there is a great chance that one will be left handed

In the 1920's, Q-Tips were invented by Leo Gerstenzang who got the idea after watching his wife clean their baby's ears with cotton stuck onto a toothpick.

In the Pacific Islands when people get burns they often use a banana leaf as treatment

Acorns were used as a coffee substitute during the American Civil War

An airplane mechanic invented Slinky while he was playing with engine parts and realized the possible secondary use for the springs. Barbie was invented by Ruth Handler after watching her daughter play with baby dolls imagining then in grown up roles

When the female grasshopper lays eggs, she covers her eggs with a pasty liquid that protects the eggs throughout the winter

The longest recorded duration of a total solar eclipse was 7.5 minutes.

On average, an American makes three pounds of garbage in a day

Even if you eat food standing on your head, the food will still end up in your stomach

Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

The most common name in the world is Mohammed

Apple seeds are poisonous as they contain a cyanide compound

The word breakfast was coined due to the fact that after sleeping for hours, we are "breaking our fast."

The cardigan was originally made to be a military jacket made of knitted wool

The month of December is the most popular month for weddings in the Philippines

The deepest cave in the world is the "Lamprechtsofen-Vogelshacht" cave which can be found in Salzburg, Austria. The cave is 5,354 feet deep

The capital of Vermont, Montpelier is the only state capital in the United States that does not have a McDonalds

The longest engagement lasted 67 years, and the couple ended up marrying when they were 82 years old

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears. never stop growing

Milk and cheese can aid in the reduction of tooth decay

On average, a strawberry has 200 seeds on it

Coconuts kill more people in the world than sharks do

The average person spends two weeks of their life kissing

Research has indicated that indoor pollution is 10 times more toxic than outdoor pollution

Eating a banana at night can help in falling asleep

The stapler was invented in Spring Valley, Minnesota.

The first television newscaster was Kolin Hager, who used to broadcast farm and weather reports in 1928

Pixie, a Siberian Husky, gave birth to 7 puppies, one of which was bright green

Back in 1953, it took 27 hours to make one Marshmallow Peep. Now it takes only six minutes

On average, an ear of a corn has 16 rows and approximately 800 kernels

The green ring that is formed around the yolk of eggs that have been cooked too long is formed by the chemical reaction from the iron in the yolk and the sulphur in the white part of the egg

The silk that is produced by spiders is stronger than steel

The first president to have a picture taken was John Quincy Adams

Some brands of toothpaste contain glycerin or glycerol, which is also an ingredient in antifreeze

1 in 2000 babies are born with a tooth that is already visible

It was during World War II that clothes with elastic waists were introduced. This is because the metal used in zippers was badly needed for the war

In 1902, the game table tennis was brought to the U.S. from Europe by Parker Brothers

Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes themlooks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

The fat from sheep, which is called tallow can be used to make soap and candles

Next to bone marrow, hair is the fastest growing tissue in the human body

Sigmund Freud had a morbid fear of ferns

When playing competitive darts the player must be 7 feet 9 1/4 inches back from the dartboard. Also the board must be 5 feet 8 inches above the floor

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

Earthworms have 5 hearts

If all the gold sitting in the oceans and seas were mined, every person on this plant would get about 20 kilograms of gold each.

To make an espresso 42 coffee beans are needed

The oil that is found in poison ivy is called "urushiol."

Of all the days of the week, the most popular day for people to eat ice cream is Sunday

The first museum in Moscow that was set up in 1791 was the Natural History Laboratory at Moscow University. This later was changed to the Zoological Museum

A surfer once sued another surfer for "stealing his wave." The case was thrown out because the court was unable to put a price on "pain and suffering" endured by the surfer watching someone else ride "his" wave

Many people in parts of China eat insects. Some common insects are bean worms, scoprions, and locusts

The largest dog in the world is the Irish Wolfhound

Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a fifty thousand-word novel, "Gadsby," without any word containing the letter "e."

The projection light used for IMAX theaters can be seen from space.

The human liver performs over 500 functions

Ballroom dancing is a course at Brigham Young University in Utah

The word "maverick" came into use after Samuel Maverick, a Texan, refused to brand his cattle. Eventually any unbranded calf became known as a Maverick

Finnish folklore states that when Santa comes to Finland to deliver gifts, he leaves his sleigh behind and rides on a goat named Ukko instead

More than $1 billion is spent each year on neck ties in the United States

In the 18th century, potatoes were given out as a dessert. They were served in a napkin, salted and hot

The only poisonous birds in the world are the three species of Pitohui. The Hooded Pitohui from Papua New Guinea is the most deadliest out of the three

Pretzels were originally invented for Christian Lent. The twists of the pretzels are to resemble arms crossed in prayer

The American Airlines Center in Dallas has more toilets per capita than any other sports and entertainment venue in the country

After 8 months, babies are more likely to get a diaper rash

The first modern toothbrush was invented in China. Its bristles came from hogs hair or the mane of a horse that were then put into ivory handles

The New Zealand Kiwi bird cannot fly

66% of wedding cards are hand delivered by people

Heavier lemons produce more, and tastier, juice

The leading cause of poisoning for children under the age of six in the home is liquid dish soap

The same amount of calories are burned by doing 6 sessions that are 5 minutes each of an activity and doing 1 session of that activity for 30 minutes

General William Booth is the founder of the Salvation Army

Iguanas can stay under water for up to thirty minutes

The fastest flying butterfly is the Monarch, which has been clocked with a speed as high as 17 miles per hour

Egyptian pyramid builders used to eat a lot of garlic because they thought it would increase their strength

The average office document gets copied 19 times

In just the first 56 days of life, the larva of the polyphemus moth eats about 86,000 times its birthweight

Every hour one billion cells in the body must be replaced

American actor Jack Nicholson, and American singer Bobby Darrin were raised believing their grandmothers were their mothers and their mothers were their older sisters

The first Ford cars had Dodge engines

The average height of an NBA basketball player is 6 feet 7 inches

One in five Americans move homes every year

The chocolate chip cookie was invented in 1933

The capital of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou

A catfish has about 100,000 taste buds

The Liberty Bell was the first mechanical slot machine, which was invented by Charles Fey, a car mechanic in 1895.

A Russian man who wore a beard during the time of Peter the Great had to pay a special tax

The silkworm moth has lost the ability to fly ever since it has been domesticated

The first cheerleaders in the U.S. were men

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

The odds of having quadruplets are 1 in 729,000

In 1965, the price for an issue of TV Guide was 15 cents

In 1565 In St. Augustine, Florida the first orange trees were planted

Nose prints are used to identify dogs, much like humans use fingerprints

In the United States, six tubs of Cool Whip, a brand of whipping cream, are sold every second

The most popular chocolate bar in the United Kingdom for the last 15 years has been Kit Kat

White-Out was invented by Bette Nesmith Graham, who is the mother of Michael Nesmith from the "The Monkees."

There are over 2,000 different types of cheese in the world

The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world

Owls swallow their prey whole because they have no teeth. After approximately 12 hours they cough up the feathers, bones, and fur in a shape of a football pellet

Historically, a blue ribbon has been awarded for first prize

Seventy-one percent of households report they have at least one snorer. Forty-five percent of those surveyed admit they snore, 35% said their partner snores, 12% said their child snores and 9% reported their pet snores

The original meaning of the word grocer was referring to a person who traded food in wholesale. These people would usually sell in large quantities, or by the "gross."

Research indicates that mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas

Actress Michelle Pfeiffer was the first choice to play Clarice Starling in the movie "Silence of the Lambs." She turned down the role because she found it too scary

The White House has 35 bathrooms, 3 elevators, 132 rooms, and 412 doors in it

Due to the deforestation of the forests in North China, over one million tons of sands blows into Beijing from the Gobi desert. It sometimes causes the sky to turn yellow.

Cows are able to hear lower and higher frequencies better than human beings

Approximately 60% of the water used by households during the summer is used for watering flowers, and lawns

The largest diamond that was ever found was 3106 carats.

In 1970, Chip maker Intel purchased a pear orchard to build their corporate headquarters on

The mating call of a male toadfish, who are underwater, is so loud that it can be heard by humans above water

The most popular jelly belly jellybean flavour is buttered popcorn

The Nike swoosh was invented by Caroline Davidson back in 1971. She received $35 for making the swoosh. The first shoe with the swoosh was introduced in 1972

Slaves under the last emperors of China wore pigtails so they could be picked out quickly

A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out

Kiwis are the only known bird to have nostrils located at the tip of their beak

An adult esophagus can range from 10 to 14 inches in length and is one inch in diameter

A squash ball moving at 150 kilometers per hour has the same impact of a .22 bullet

Telephonophobia is the fear of telephones

The word alligator comes from the Spanish word El Lagarto, which means "The Lizard."

While still in college, Bill Gates and Paul Allen once built a special purpose machine called "Traff-O-Data." It was a machine that would analyze information gathered by traffic monitors. They never found any buyers.

The citric acid found in lemon juice is said to be able to dissolve a pearl

Robert Southey wrote the story "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" in 1834

The tallest woman in the world is American Sandy Allen who is 7 feet 7 inches

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class

Astronauts get taller when they are in space

Only 5 to 10 percent of cheetah cubs make it to adulthood

Dentyne gum was invented in 1899 by a druggist from New York named Franklin V. Canning

It takes about three hours for food to be broken down in the human stomach

When former Texas Governor James Hogg was on his deathbed he made a special request that a pecan tree be planted at the head of his grave instead of a tombstone. The governor passed away on March 2, 1906, which is Texas Independence Day. The pecan tree is now the state tree of Texas

In a year, there are 60,000 trampoline injuries that occur in the U.S

There is an organization called SCROOGE in Charlottesville, Virginia that stands for Society to Curtail Ridiculous, Outrageous, and Ostentatious Gift Exchanges. This was formed to keep gift giving affordable and simple

The first World Series baseball playoffs occurred in 1903

Archipelago is the word to describe a large group of islands that are located close together

The life expectancy of a garbage disposal is about 5 to 10 years

In the original movie "101 Dalmatians," there are exactly 6,469,952 spots on all 101 Dalmatians as they are shown in 113,760 frames of the film combined

The average North American car contains 300 pounds of plastics

A person who is a specialist in wine making is called an oenologist

You can only smell 1/20th as well as a dog

The number one cause of rabies in the United States are bats

The music for "The Star Spangled Banner" comes from a British drinking song named "Anacreon."

27 percent of U.S. male college students believe life is "a meaningless existential hell." (big surprise, eh?)

Close to fifty percent of the bacteria in the mouth lives on the surface of our tongue

Less than 1% of the women in the world will ever be able to wear a diamond that is the size of a carat or more

Ketchup originated in China as a pickled fish sauce called ke-tsiap

An ostrich's eye is bigger that it's brain.

In Britain, The Red Lion is the most common name for a pub

In 1997, the record for the highest skydive by a dog at 4,572 feet was established by a dog named Brutus

The majority of burglaries occur during the daytime when people are not home

Traditionally, wild cabbage was used as an aphrodisiac

Tiger Woods was introduced to golf at nine months of age by his father

A person will burn 7 percent more calories if they walk on hard dirt compared to pavement

It would take 29 million years for a car travelling 100 miles per hour to reach the nearest star

Blue Jays can imitate the calls of hawks

There are over three trillion craters on the moon, with some being having a diameter over three feet

In India, a 9-year-old girl was "married" to a stray dog, which tribal custom requires in order to protect a child whose first tooth appears on the upper gum

There is now an ATM at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, which has a winter population of two hundred people

In Canada, men are three times more likely than women to have seen a doctor in the last year

The most expensive spice in the world is saffron

In one night, an adult hippopotamus eats approximately 150 pounds of grass

The U.S. paid Russia $7.2 million for Alaska in 1867

Cows can detect odors up to five miles away

There are about 125 million multiples (twins, triplets, etc.) worldwide

Arthur Giblin was the inventor of the first "flushable" toilet

Consuming chocolate was once considered a sin during the 16th and 17th century. During that time it was provided in the form of a drink and since drinking wine during lent was a sin, so was drinking chocolate

Approximately 40% of the states in the U.S. have severe, or extreme pollution problems

Wendel Clark holds the record for the longest span between NHL All-Star appearances, with 13 years (1986-1999)

Ancient Egyptians believed that onions would keep evil spirits away

Dill seeds are so small that approximately 10,000 dill seeds would be required to make an ounce

To make one pound of whole milk cheese, 10 pounds of whole milk is needed

If all the insects in the world were put on a scale, they would out weigh all creatures

Women smile more than men do

A ripe cranberry will bounce. Another name for a cranberry is bounceberry

Termites work 24 hours per day -- they do not sleep

The Romans used to clean themselves with olive oil since they did not have any soap. They would pour the oil on their bodies, and then use a strigil, which is type of blade, to scrape off any dirt along with the oil

The act of stretching and yawning is referred to as pandiculation

In the 1960 movie "Psycho" by Alfred Hitchcock, chocolate syrup was used to show the blood in the shower scene

Carolyn Shoemaker, famous astronomer, has discovered 32 comets and approximately 300 asteroids

The longest fangs of a snake are found on the Gaboon Viper (Bitis gabonica), and can reach over 2 inches in length

Once a human reaches the age of 35, he/she will start losing approximately 7,000 brain cells a day. The cells will never be replaced

The only king without a moustache in a deck of cards is the king of hearts

Approximately 100,000 people get married in Las Vegas each year

Amish people do not believe in the use of aerosal air fresheners

Coca-cola used to use the slogan "Good to the last drop," in 1908. This slogan was later used by Maxwell House

The blind cavefish is born with eyes, but they fall off as the fish grows

In ancient Egypt, Priests plucked EVERY hair from their bodies including their eyebrows and eyelashes

The Indian election in 1984 was the largest election of any country. Over 379,000,000 voters were eligible to vote at over 480,000 polling stations

A single chocolate chip gives enough energy to a human being to walk 150 feet

There are 54 bones in your hands including the wrists

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 town of Churchill, Manitoba, located in Canada, is known as the "Polar Bear Capital of the World"

Amtrak is the combination of the words "American" and "Track"

On average, an American relocates 11 times in their life

Fires onland generally move faster uphill than downhill

The cartoon character Popeye was actually based on a real person named Frank "Rocky" Fiegel who was a tough guy who was quite similar to Popeye physically

Frisbee got its name from William Russel Frisbee, who was a pie baker. He used to sell his pies in a thin tin pan, which had Frisbee written on it. When Walter Frederick Morrison thought of the idea of making saucer like disks to play catch, he visited the campus of Yale and noticed people there were using the pie pan to play catch so he therefore renamed his invention to Frisbee

Some arthritis medications contain gold salts, which is used as an anti-inflammatory

Lemon juice can aid in reducing the swelling caused by insect bites

LSD is made from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a type of fungus

DC-10, the name of an airplane stands for "Douglas Commercial."

In approximately 18 months, the papaya tree can grow to be 20 feet tall

Parrots cannot eat chocolate because it is poisonous to their body

Americans are responsible for generating roughly 20% percent of the garbage in the world

Termites are roasted and eaten like popcorn in South Africa

The official state tree of Illinois is The White Oak

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

In 1971, the postal code was introduced in Ottawa, Ontario

The tridacna clam can grow up to four feet long and weigh up to 500 pounds

The state that has the most diners in the world is New Jersey, which is referred to as the "Diner Capital of the World."

Approximately 1-2 calorie are burned a minute while watching T.V

The first recipe for a lasagna type dish was found to be from a British cookbook in the 14th century. Therefore, Italians were not the first ones to come up with the popular dish as believed

Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older

If an identical twin grows up without having a certain tooth, the other twin will most likely also grow up with that tooth missing

Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined

According to legend, tea originated in China when tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water

When you sneeze, all your bodily functions momentarily stop, including your heart

Kite flying is a professional sport in Thailand

Urine from men?s public urinals was sold as a commodity in Ancient Rome. It was used as a dye and for making clothes hard

All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5.00 bill

1 out of 350,000 Americans get electrocuted in their life

New Mexico is known as the "Land of Enchantment."

In 1890, Scott Paper produced the first toilet paper to be available on a roll

An elephant in the wild can eat anywhere from 100 - 1000 pounds of vegetation in a 16 hour period

Some of the other names that were thought of for the dwarfs in the Disney movie "Snow White" were Awful, Dirty, Shifty, Hotsy, and Jumpy

In the U.S., over 35 million people have used some sort of illegal drug in the last year

96% of candles that are purchased are by women

The oldest bird on record was Cocky, a cockatoo, who died in the London Zoo at the age of 82

A cow averages 40,000 jaw movements a day

The reason the soft drink Dr Pepper is called that is because the inventor Wade Morrison named it after Dr. Charles Pepper who had given him his first job

Annually 17 tons of gold is used to make wedding rings in the United States

Sex acts like a natural antihistamine, in can clear up a stuffy nose

Women on average live seven years longer than men do

A British term for slot machine is "fruit machine" or "one-armed bandit."

Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin

Even though the rose does not bear any fruit, the rose hips have more Vitamin C than most vegetables and fruits

In 1946 Danon Yogurt were the first to add fruit to commercially produced yogurt in U.S

The first domain name ever registered was Symbolics.com on March 15, 1985.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class

The first flavour of a cheese ball was called "Cheddy Blue."

Over 500 million gallons of Kool-Aid drink are consumed each year

The waste produced by one chicken in its lifetime can supply enough electricity to run a 100-watt bulb for five hours

Hydrogen solid is the most dense substance in the world, at 70.6g/cc

Missouri has been to most NCAA tournaments than any other college without reaching the final four

The hump of a camel can weigh up to 35 kilograms

Lake Malawi has the largest number of fish species in the world

The country of Fiji is made up of 332 islands

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City

The word "sophomore" means "sophisticated moron."

Jim Bristoe, an American, invented a 30-foot-long, 2-ton pumpkin cannon that can fire pumpkins up to five miles.

There are about 61,300 pizza restaurants in the United States of America

To tell if a egg is fully cooked or raw, just spin it. If the egg wobbles then it is still raw, and if it easily spins it is fully cooked

Used in art the word "sfumato" refers to the subtle blending of an outline by gradually blending one tone into another

There is a species of bird, Antpitta avis canis Ridgley, that barks like a dog

The flu pandemic of 1918 killed over 20 million people

Approximately 20% of Americans have a passport

The Nobel prize was first awarded in 1901

The reason why milk is white is because it contains a protein called Casein, which is white. Milk also contains fat, which is also white

After twenty-seven years, Betty Rubble made her debut as a Flintstones Vitamin in 1996

When telephone companies first began hiring telephone operators, they chose teenage boys for the job. They switched to women because the teenage boys were wrestling instead of working and pulling pranks on callers

In a lifetime, the heart pumps about one million barrels of blood

The Sears Tower in Chicago contains enough steel to build 50,000 automobiles

The first words that Thomas A. Edison spoke into the phonograph were, "Mary had a little lamb."

There are 400 species of bacteria in the human colon

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

No comments:

Post a Comment