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billysgirl5Here's another batch of interesting facts.
• The average tea bag contains two grams of tea.
• St. Isidore of Seville is the patron saint of the Internet.
• Over the course of one evening, a mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long.
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest known raccoon weighed 64.9 pounds, almost 25 times more than the weight of an average raccoon.
• The only two-barreled tank in history, the German Leopard Mk-IV, also proved to be one of the least effective. It was pulled from production after only two months in 1944.
• The ratio between the mass of the Achea Fern's roots to its above ground mass is nearly 18:1.
• The average large pepperoni pizza has 27 slices of pepperoni.
• The occurrence of Harlequin Ichthyosis, a condition that causes profound skin deformities and often proves fatal, has increased 367 percent in babies born from 1990 to 2004.
• In 1993, a lake was discovered in southern Uganda that contained 14 previously undiscovered species of fish. All are thought to be found nowhere else in the world.
• The longest mathematical equation published in a scholarly journal was 215 pages long.
• 12 percent of the U.S. population considers mental diseases to be a lifestyle choice.
• Ancient Latin originally contained only two vowel sounds.
• The average dictator stays in power for 12.3 years.
• Ever since the murder of Pope John XII in 964, the Vatican has avoided the use of the number 12. It is referred to in all holy documents as "Unodecum et Unum" ("eleven and one").
• Three quarters of the ships recorded lost at sea by the World Maritime Bureau have never been found.
• Queen Elizabeth II is the first Queen of the Britons to play a musical instrument: the french horn. Interestingly, King Louis XV of France played the cor anglais.
• Estonia is the only eastern-european nation never to have undergone civil war or other internal strife.
• Propensity for hairy feet is inherited through the mother's side.
• The average person will consume 2.4 pounds of salt every year.
• Nearly half of all new products introduced this year will be discontinued within six months of their introduction.
• The number of words sent over Internet text messaging programs such as AOL Instant Messenger and MSN Messenger in a 24 hour period exceeds the number of words in all the books in the New York City Library.
• Over the course of their education, the average college student will produce 96 pages of formal written work.
• 74 percent of cell phone calls last less than one minute.
• From when it is printed to when it is taken out of circulation, a one dollar bill will be handled by an average of 14,000 people.
• The average person does laundry once every 9.4 days.
• J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb, had a crippling fear of cats.
• Over the course of a day, a person will excrete almost three quarters of a cup of sweat.
• The backup generators in the basement of the Capitol can power the building, and its extensive network of offices, for six months.
• 26 percent of the water consumed in the U.S. is bottled.
• Over the course of their lifetime, the average person will own 11 pieces of luggage.
• The natural oils found in coffee beans have been shown to reduce the risk of eight different types of cancer.
• Each penny costs more than one cent to mint, meaning the federal government loses money in the production of the smallest value coin.
• The average sink contains 3.2 unwashed dishes.
• The presiding doctor at an execution by hanging is known as a ligophysician. Certifications in ligophysiology are available only in the states of New Hampshire and Washington.
• Though the guitar has existed in a recognizable form since the 13th century, standard guitar tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E) was not invented until 1891.
• Persons with severely depressed immune systems are advised against consuming soft cheeses, as they may contract a bacterial infection.
• A rattling noise in an automobile engine can be indicative of 19 different mechanical problems.
• Ancient Latin and Aramaic are related to every modern language, but not to one another.
• 2.5 million fortune cookies are consumed every day.
• Christian August Selmer, of Norway, is the longest serving public official in the world. Born in 1816, he held one elected office or another from the age of 18 until his death 1889.
• When cooking at home Americans are more likely to cook spaghetti with meat sauce than any other dish.
• While biologists have been able to determine the evolutionary need for most human facial features, there is no accepted theory for the evolution of the protruding nose.
• The average person wears a pair of pants for 22.6 months before getting rid of them.
• There are enough molecules of hydrogen cyanide, if collected and concentrated, in one cubic kilometer of air to kill.
• The anti-depressant Prozac was held back by the FDA for nearly a decade because the consumption of the pill by mice almost invariably proved fatal.
• Eight out of the ten oldest known people living today were born prematurely.
• 37 percent of Scottish citizens still believe that the Loch Ness monster exists, despite the confession by the photographer of "Nessie" that the monster was a hoax.
• The Humm-Vee has the worst safety record of any American-made car.
• According to 2004 tax filings, the Central Intelligence Agency claims to have only 600 employees.
• 23 percent of people are thought to suffer from Involuntary Nervous Relay Syndrome, in which sensations from one area of the body are thought to be felt in another. The first case of INRS was found in 1894, when a Cincinnati man believed he could smell with his right knee.
• Stoning was not ruled unconstitutional as a method of execution in the United States until 1932.
• In a royal command performance of "Romeo and Juliet" in 1606, Mercutio accidentally stabbed Tybalt in the arm, badly wounding the actor. The following performance replaced both actors for that scene only, the first documented use of stunt doubles in history.
• Over 31 miles of receipts are printed every day in America.
• The average deck of cards is missing two cards.
• Celebrities who have appeared in one or more movies are almost twice as likely to die of lung cancer than a typical person.
• Washing machines account for 36 percent of household water use.
• Despite the increased focus on accuracy in the media, the number of fact checkers employed at major U.S. newspapers has declined 62 percent since 1999.
• The average parking meter citation is issued 28 minutes after the meter has expired.
• 38 percent of all income tax returns processed by the IRS are postmarked on the April 15th deadline.
• On average, a stoplight will stay green for 22 seconds.
• 21 percent of Americans will never touch a dumbbell in their lifetime.
• There are over 3,000 distinct languages spoken on the African continent.
• Linguists estimate that the first precursors to language had both nouns and verbs, but that adjectives were not introduced until at least 3000 years later.
• The yellow coloring in one Goldfish cracker would still be visibly yellow if diluted into ten gallons of water.
• Until it expired in 1981, the Kleenex company's patent "A method for folding and stacking tissue" was their main point of differentiation from other brands. Now most brands use this method, which keeps one tissue sticking out of the box.
• Prescription drugs account for nine percent of legal drug sales by unit, and 64 percent by revenue.
• 47 percent of political advertisements on television feature smiling children.
• Paperclips were first manufactured for the US Army in 1915.
• An estimated 1.3 trillion pictures are taken each year.
• The average American home contains 6.7 books of matches.
• In October of 1922 a mob of over 200 elevator operators in New York City set fire to the first push button elevator factory, which they saw as a major threat to their livelihood.
• 93.1 percent of households have at least one individual serving-sized packet of ketchup or other condiment.
• There are more rings in America than there are fingers.
• Despite great attention paid to the issue, 71 percent of people say cable news has either "very little bias" or "no bias at all."
• Between the age of 18 and 30 the average woman will be given 29 flowers.
• 43 percent of adults admit to picking their nose while in private.
• Emergency rooms treat more ankle injuries than any other kind of injury.
• Morticians receive the highest salary immediately after trade school than any other profession.
• 0.02 percent of people in America have wooden legs.
• Parakeets are the lightest domesticated animal.
• There are more users of AOL Instant Messenger than there are citizens of France.
• In 1994 Walter Platt ran the entire length of the West coast of America in 11 days, a record that is still unbeaten.
• John Durchestor was the shortest serving senator in U.S. history. He died of a heart attack two hours after he had been sworn in.
• It is illegal to have a storefront display in Atlanta, Georgia with top hats stacked more than four high.
• 93 percent of wireless networks are unsecured.
• More money is spent on petroleum jelly in the United States than the world's 25 lowest GDPs combined.
• The technical name for the arrow showing where you are on a map is a geonavigraph.
• Copyright experts estimate that 41 percent of photocopies made infringe on at least one copyright law.
• A band with a permanent accordion player has not made the Billboard Top 100 since the Eisenhower presidential administration.
• Mice cannot see the color blue.
• 14.2 percent of the rap album "Straight Outta Compton" is explicit content.
• The average McDonald's drive-through window makes a mistake in one third of the orders placed.
• Every year, $22 million worth of sporting event tickets are purchased and never used.
• Half a million sack lunches are made in New York City every day.
• 78 percent of shampoo packages describe their contents as "revitalizing."
• Last year, at least $3.6 million in coins were thrown into fountains in the United States.
• A recent survey reveals that 41 percent of internet users have come across a picture "disturbing enough that [they] want to forget it, but cannot".
• Humans share more DNA with cats than with dogs.
• Volcano eruptions big enough to spread ash over the entire globe occur once every 548 years on average. There have only been two in the last 2000 years.
• Most people thumb wrestle better with their non-dominant hand.
• Archaeologists recently discovered a primitive coffee filter from 3200 BC.
• NASCAR tattoos outnumber NHL tattoos five to one nationwide.
• 64 percent of all men part their hair.
• 42 of 65 criminals executed in 2003 requested beef dishes for their final meal.
• 2,588 bullets exist for each handgun in North America.
• 66 percent of people will start playing a musical instrument at some point in their life. 92 percent of those people will stop playing that instrument within one year.
• The end point on the number 6 is called the "reference edge."
• 84 percent of Americans say they have a fear of public speaking, almost twice the number of French citizens who report having this fear.
• It is possible to determine the dominate side of a snake by seeing which fang is longer.
• A University of Wyoming study commissioned by the federal government found that the minimum amount of snow needed to adequately build a snowman is 1.5 inches.
• One out of five fire alarms are set off by pranksters.
• The average successful convenience store robber gets away with $537.
• The first thought bubble in a comic drawing dates from 1699.
• The average human sees 39 sunsets for every one sunrise.
• Mongol cavalry riders set fire to reeds placed on top of their helmets before battle.
• At the beginning of the popular Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling wrote a premature death of Harry at the hands of Dumbledore in the event that the books were not commercially successful.
• 80 percent of licensed drivers would fail a parallel parking exam were they to take it today.
• Network television stations have seen a 13 percent drop in viewership due to the rising popularity of television series DVDs.
• On average only 19 percent of store bought goldfish will live past two weeks.
• File clerks have a higher suicide rate than any other career of similar pay scale.
• Bottled Pepsi and Coke caps were compatible until 1994.
• The average Power Point presentation contains 19 slides and 3 colors.
• The length of one's pinky is the strongest statistical predictor of intelligence.
• The average American child goes through five security blankets before the age of seven.
• There is a Ugandan tribe that punishes anyone caught lying by tickling them with feathers until they cry.
• Sixteen drivers in every thousand are legally blind.
• While the average resume contains four references, only one reference in twelve is ever contacted.
• The highest cash prize for a board game championship is offered by the International Scrabble League. The 2004 world champion took home close to $160,000 in prize money.
• The dialect of Italian spoken in Vatican City (known as Papal Italian) has no "ch" sound.
• In 1627, more Germans were executed for witchcraft than for murder, the only such year in history.
• The theft of the oil of another man's olives, peanuts, or flax has been punishable by impalement in Athens since 407.
• The first cellos were played much like a guitar, with a curved piece of ivory or bone the size of a bottle cap serving as a pick.
• When the Woolworth building was commissioned in 1910, architect Cass Gilbert agreed to design it only under the stipulation that it not appear in a "moving picture", as Gilbert believed them to be an instrument of the devil. 95 years later, the Woolworth building has never appeared in any feature film or television commercial, though it has been the subject of two documentaries.
• More notes are produced per year by Parker Brothers for their "Monopoly" board game than are printed by all African nations combined.
• While it takes 67 muscles to frown and only 17 to smile, the 17 smiling muscles must exert 6 times more force to maintain the configuration.
• 84 percent of the money given to homeless people is consistently given by the same 13 percent of the population.
• Over half of the people in the U.S. are more frightened by the prospect of losing the data on their computer than they are of their home being burgled.
• The average man carries 65 cents in change with him.
• King Henry III, who ruled France from 1574-1589, appointed a rooster to serve as King for brief periods of time while he was traveling on at least six separate occasions.
• A higher percentage of American school children are able to name the President of the United States, than the percentage of British school children who are able to name their Prime Minister.
• Jupiter is the only planet in our solar system with an orbit that is decaying. It gets closer an average of 100 meters closer to the sun every year.
• It is illegal to chain an alligator to a street sign on state holidays in Arizona.
• Residents of Alaska are three times more likely to be accepted to an Ivy League school than the national average.
• Around 18 percent of the people in America don't apply deodorant on a regular basis.
• More people have attended Star Trek conventions than have given blood.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 08:15 pm (UTC)• The average large pepperoni pizza has 27 slices of pepperoni.
(I'm gonna count next time)
• In 1993, a lake was discovered in southern Uganda that contained 14 previously undiscovered species of fish. All are thought to be found nowhere else in the world.
(How long before they are all extinct due to pollution or the evil thing known as man?)
• The longest mathematical equation published in a scholarly journal was 215 pages long.
(And you wonder why I hate math)
• 12 percent of the U.S. population considers mental diseases to be a lifestyle choice.
(I love my country)
• Estonia is the only eastern-european nation never to have undergone civil war or other internal strife.
(Not yet LOL)
• Propensity for hairy feet is inherited through the mother's side.
(I'm glad I have Dad's feet LOL)
• Over the course of their education, the average college student will produce 96 pages of formal written work.
(It seemed like more for some reason)
• Over the course of their lifetime, the average person will own 11 pieces of luggage.
(But will only take 2 vacations LOL)
• The natural oils found in coffee beans have been shown to reduce the risk of eight different types of cancer.
(I knew my coffee addiction had a plus side!)
• Each penny costs more than one cent to mint, meaning the federal government loses money in the production of the smallest value coin.
(This is why the US economy is in such great shape)
• 37 percent of Scottish citizens still believe that the Loch Ness monster exists, despite the confession by the photographer of "Nessie" that the monster was a hoax.
(I believe it, and I'm not Scottish)
• According to 2004 tax filings, the Central Intelligence Agency claims to have only 600 employees.
(If I make a sarcastic crack about this, will they be knocking at my door later on today?)
• There are over 3,000 distinct languages spoken on the African continent.
(And over 3,000 distinct dialects of English in the United States too)
• Mice cannot see the color blue.
(And the US Gov't probably spent 1.2 Trillion dollars on this study because it is oh so important that we know the color spectrum they see in)
• The average McDonald's drive-through window makes a mistake in one third of the orders placed.
(Only 1/3?)
• A University of Wyoming study commissioned by the federal government found that the minimum amount of snow needed to adequately build a snowman is 1.5 inches.
(This is the gov't that also paid to have a study done in cow flatulence)
• More people have attended Star Trek conventions than have given blood.
(Why do I have NO problem believing that??)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 08:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 10:19 pm (UTC)