Some Interesting Facts

[Chargerz]

I just got this e-mail today and thought I would share it. I apologize if this has been posted before.

 

I'm not sure when this originally was written, but with the new ID systems hospitals use today, I can't imagine #9 is still true (I wonder how they get that kind of data anyway).

 

#19 is noteworthy. I'll have to check it out this September when I'm at WCOFF.

 

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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BUT PROBABLY DON'T

 

1. Money isn't made out of paper. It's made out of cotton.

 

2. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (Josh Gordon) paper.

 

3. The dot over the letter 'i' is called a 'tittle'.

 

4. A raisin dropped into a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

 

5. Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller.

 

6. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.

 

7. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.

 

8. The 'spot' on 7-UP comes from its inventor who had red eyes. He was albino.

 

9. On average 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.

 

10. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother & sister.

 

11. Chocolate affects a dog's heart & nervous system. A few ounces will kill a small-sized dog.

 

12. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath causing the shark to explode.

 

13. Most lipstick contains fish scales ( ).

 

14. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

 

15. Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as medicine.

 

16. Upper & lower case letters are named that because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters the 'upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller 'lower case' letters.

 

17. Leonardo DaVinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time, hence, multitasking was invented.

 

18. Because metal was scarce the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

 

19. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

 

20. The name Wendy was made up for the book 'Peter Pan'. There was never a recorded Wendy before!

 

21. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange, purple, and silver!

 

22. Leonardo DaVinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

 

23. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

 

24. The mask used by Michale Myers in the original 'Halloween' was a Captain Kirk's mask painted white.

 

25.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 (good to know ).

 

26. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand (and you thought this list was completely useless).

 

27. 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.

 

28. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time the most-known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.

 

29. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with apples!

 

30. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

 

31. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

 

32. Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from public libraries.

 

33. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing gas in a space suit damages it. ( ).

 

34. George Carlin said it best about Martha Stewart. 'Boy, I feel a lot safer now that she's behind bars. OJ Simpson and Kobe Bryant are still walking around. Osama Bin Laden too, but they take the ONE woman in America willing to cook, clean, paint and work in the yard, and they haul her fanny off to jail.'

[DMD]

29. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with apples!

 

But apples have natural sugars in them. This cannot be true.

 

23. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

 

I cannot wait for the next time I see a scorpion

[Chargerz]

But apples have natural sugars in them. This cannot be true.

I was wondering that myself.

 

I cannot wait for the next time I see a scorpion

Yeah, let me know how that goes!

[Big John]

some true and some not:

 

5. Lucci is not Diller's daughter

 

8. 7up dot did not appear until the 1970's

 

14. Donald Duck not banned in Finland

 

 

Link to one answering all the points in here (at the bottom of that page)

1.Money isn't made out of paper. It's made out of cotton.

Well, yes and no. Paper money is made from paper made of rags. Cotton or linen fabric is beaten to create cotton or linen fibers. You have probably heard of "rag paper" or "fine linen writing paper." This is where it comes from.

 

2. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

True, but not shocking. Much of the paper of the day was made of hemp.

 

3. The dot over the letter i is called a “tittle."

True. The term refers to any raised dot in writing, however.

 

4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

Sometimes, depending on the raisin and the champagne. After a while it becomes soaked and sinks to the bottom

 

5. Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller.

False. Although their ages don't preclude their being mother and daughter, Phyllis Diller and Susan Lucci are not related. Phyllis Driver was born in Ohio in 1917 and married Sherwood Diller in 1939; they had five children together before divorcing in 1965, none of whom was Susan Lucci (who was born in New York in 1946).

 

6. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.

Not true, although when they were first introduced, 40% of McDonald’s sales might have been attributable to Happy Meals.

 

7. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.

Which Webster’s? There are many dictionaries that carry the Webster name.

 

8. The 'spot' on 7UP comes from its inventor, who had red eyes. He was albino.

Uh-uh. 7Up’s creator, Charles Leiper Grigg, wasn't an albino. In photographs (albeit black and white ones), he appears normally pigmented, and we've yet to encounter a biography of him that makes any mention of his displaying traits of albinism. (By the way, though it is possible for an albino to have reddish or violet eyes, most people with that condition have blue eyes, and some have hazel or brown eyes.)

 

9. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.

Impossible to verify, making it likely this number was pulled out of someone's ass.

 

10. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister.

True dat.

 

11. Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized dog.

Sadly this is true. According to the SPCA, cocoa beans contain the stimulants caffeine and theobromine. Dogs are highly sensitive to these chemicals, called methylxanthines. In dogs, low doses of methylxanthine can cause mild gastrointestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, and/or abdominal pain); higher doses can cause rapid heart rate, muscle tremors, seizures, and death

 

12. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.

No one has ever witnessed this behavior in nature. Moreover, the two aren’t natural enemies.

 

13. Most lipstick contains fish scales.

Sort of. A fish scale extract is one ingredient.

 

14. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

False. In late 1977, the city of Helsinki found itself in a bit of a financial crunch. With monetary resources limited, Mr. Markku Holopainen, a local Liberal Party representative, proposed at a meeting of the board of youth affairs that the city economize by discontinuing its purchase of Donald Duck comics for youth centers in favor of hobby and sport publications. His suggestion was heartily approved — and was later incorrectly lambasted by international tabloids as being morally, rather than financially, based.

 

15. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.

True (Dr. Miles Compound Extract of Tomato)

 

16. Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower' because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the 'upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters.

True.

 

17. Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

There is no evidence of da Vinci being ambidextrous. (He was left-handed.) On the other hand (d’oh), he was proficient in the practice of mirror writing, or writing that could only be read if held up to a mirror.

 

18. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

Not true. During World War II, award winners were given statuettes made of plaster, which they were later able to exchange for gold. The only wooden Oscar was an honorary one given to ventriloquist Edgar Bergen.

 

19. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

This is true, as a rule. There is also a scarcity of windows. Both practices have the same effect: masking the passage of time.

 

20. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan; there was never a recorded Wendy before!

Not true. The name Wendy appears twice in the 1881 census of England, one born 1840, and one born in 1880. The magazine Family History also states that Wendy, along with the names Marian and Shirley were once boys’ names, and that in 1797 a boy named Wendy was apprenticed to some one in Glos.

 

But the name may have even older origins. History makes reference to two different emperors in China who have the name "Wendi" (sometimes also referred to as Wen-Ti).

 

However, J.M. Barrie’s 1904 novel certainly popularized the name.

 

21. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver!

True. Well, “quicksilver” rhymes with “silver,” but that’s cheating.

 

22. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

Wrong and wrong. Although commonly ascribed to Leonardo da Vinci, scissors were likely invented in 1500 BC in ancient Egypt. These were likely shears with the joint at the far end. Modern cross-bladed scissors were invented by Romans around AD 100.

 

The entire painting that would later become known as the Mona Lisa was painted in less than four years (1503-1506).

 

23. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

Untrue, since the scorpion’s venom has no effect on the scorpion itself, nor on any member of the same species. So definitely do NOT try this one at home.

 

24. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was a Captain Kirk mask painted white.

True, per the Internet Movie Database.

 

25. 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 (good to know.)

True.

 

26. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand (and you thought this list was completely useless.)

True. Simply laying down and swimming is all that is needed to allow escape. The sand's higher density will gradually push a human body upward, eventually allowing the individual to easily paddle toward more solid footing.

 

27. 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.

This is a long-standing myth. While we are not certain of its origin, the term "rule of thumb" or similar exists in many languages and cultures. Its likely origin is that the thumb is often used for rough measurement by carpenters, seamstresses, and many others. In fact, the measurement of an inch is believed to have been derived from the distance between the tip of the thumb and the first joint.

 

The wife-beating claim has been debunked, for instance by Christina Hoff Sommers in her book Who Stole Feminism?. In particular Sommers notes that there is no mention of this in the legal commentaries of William Blackstone.

 

28. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.

Not quite. Motorola started business manufacturing radios for cars, not record players. A number of early companies manufacturing audio and film equipment in the early 20th century used the suffix "-ola".

 

29. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with apples!

True of celery. Not as true with apples. There are 15 calories in 110 grams of celery. There are 57 calories in the same amount of apple.

 

30. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!

No, but putting a piece of bread between your lips and gums may help, as will cutting onions under cold running water.

 

31. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

True. However, American stamps are kosher, as well, since their glue is also composed of vegetable oil. But they’re not necessarily certified.

 

32. Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from public libraries.

False. A recent American Library Association survey indicated the most stolen books are about dreams, witchcraft, astrology and the occult.

 

33. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a space suit damages it.

False. Three days before a flight, astronauts are put on a "low residue diet" so their diaper-style undies won't fill up so fast. If farts could damage a space suit there'd be a lot more astronaut fatalities.

Edited May 8, 2008 by Big John

[Dr. Sacrebleu]

The innernet, 20 years of dumbing down america.

 

I mean this guy compiling this list of 'facts' is not even batting .500. Well at least it's mistaken about really trivial things. Imagine some innernet misinformation about important stuff circulating on the net, like, I dunno, a presidential candidate's religion.....

[The Holy Roller]

My two oldest children were born in the same hospital P. Diller was born, Bluffton, Ohio. I think our doctor was the same one that delivered her. He looked just like Uncle Fester (original) from the Adam's Family.

[Tford]

BJ, does your BS detector ever get fooled?

[cre8tiff]

BJ, does your BS detector ever get fooled?

 

I'll bet he doesn't know the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow...

Edited May 8, 2008 by cre8tiff

[Big John]

He doesn't know the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow...

As I posted almost 4 years ago.....

 

20 MPH

[cre8tiff]

As I posted almost 4 years ago.....

 

20 MPH

 

:doah: <--- glad someone finally corrected that, now if only rolleyes could be eyeroll....

 

Edited May 8, 2008 by cre8tiff

[Savage Beatings]

Was really hoping the scorpion one was true.

[MikesVikes]

My wife doesn't let me give our dogs chocolate.

 

When I eat apples, I normally chew for 12 hours. Would this then be true?

 

Sadly, many Huddlers wouldn't be breaking the thumb rule when they have sex with their wives. (I'm not in that list of course)

 

According to Wikepedia, another source of fame for Susan Lucci is that her name pops up in some on-line trivia claiming that she is the daughter of Phyllis Diller. link

Edited May 8, 2008 by MikesVikes

[DMD]

My old rottweiler once ate a one pound bag of M&M's and was FREAKING OUT. When we got home and found him, my wife and I just stood on the couch and watched him run circles around it over and over while panting with this crazed look. After maybe 15 minutes, he suddenly plopped down and fell alseep for a while. The vet said he was big enough that he would be okay.

 

Another tidbit, if your dog gets into chocloate, keep him outside. Chocolate has a big time laxative effect on them.

[TheShiznit]

My old rottweiler once ate a one pound bag of M&M's and was FREAKING OUT. When we got home and found him, my wife and I just stood on the couch and watched him run circles around it over and over while panting with this crazed look. After maybe 15 minutes, he suddenly plopped down and fell alseep for a while. The vet said he was big enough that he would be okay.

 

Another tidbit, if your dog gets into chocloate, keep him outside. Chocolate has a big time laxative effect on them.

 

Tends to be real stinky too....especially stinky!!!

[rocknrobn26]

My old rottweiler once ate a one pound bag of M&M's and was FREAKING OUT. When we got home and found him, my wife and I just stood on the couch and watched him run circles around it over and over while panting with this crazed look. After maybe 15 minutes, he suddenly plopped down and fell alseep for a while. The vet said he was big enough that he would be okay.

 

Another tidbit, if your dog gets into chocloate, keep him outside. Chocolate has a big time laxative effect on them.

 

Our 120# Lab ate a pound of fudge once. When we noticed it was gone and questioned our daughter, it was the only possibility. We called a pet 'ER' and they asked if he was acting strange, hyper etc.. We told them he was sound asleep. They said don't worry, but he'll probably have the runs for a day or so. That never happened. That dog could, and pretty much did eat anything and everything, including a chicken carcass, tin foil and all. His poop was easy to find the next few days as it was shining in the sunlight!

[The Holy Roller]

Our 120# Lab ate a pound of fudge once. When we noticed it was gone and questioned our daughter, it was the only possibility. We called a pet 'ER' and they asked if he was acting strange, hyper etc.. We told them he was sound asleep. They said don't worry, but he'll probably have the runs for a day or so. That never happened. That dog could, and pretty much did eat anything and everything, including a chicken carcass, tin foil and all. His poop was easy to find the next few days as it was shining in the sunlight!

 

Lol. That is classic. We have a lab the same size and he eats anything that doesn't eat him first. But no shiny poop yet.

[MikesVikes]

When I was young, our Collies were lucky enough to eat old (expired) chocolate that my Uncle would bring every once in awhile. It was probably the stuff that you normally wouldn't buy even if it was the only thing in a store. But I remember that it probably included a few malted milk balls that I'd have preferred for myself sometimes.

[cliaz]

In a lifetime, the average driver will honk 15,250 times

 

Under U.S. federal guidelines, there should be 21 to 25 jumbo shrimp in a pound

 

Theodore Roosevelt was blind in his left eye.

 

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

 

Sometimes vanilla ice cream looks as if it has bits of chocolate in it, as if only that could make the flavor acceptable. What are those dark specks, anyway? If you thought they might be parts of vanilla beans, you're right. But they're only the flavorless residue of the bean. Companies put them in just for show, to prove that they used real beans and not artificial flavor

 

The city of Chicago has the only post office in the world where you can drive your car through.

 

The name "Adidas" was invented from the creator of the brand named Adolf 'Adi' Dassler

 

Eating dandelions can make you urinate more

 

A castrated rooster is called a capon

 

Over 15 billion prizes have been given away in Cracker Jacks boxes

 

If you earn twenty thousand dollars a year, one minute of your time is worth a little more than seventeen cents

 

The deepest canyon in the USA is Kings Canyon, East Fresno, CA, which runs through Sierra and Sequoia National Forests. The deepest point, that measures 8,200 ft, is in the Sierra National Park Forest section of the canyon.

 

WWI flying ace Jean Navarre attacked a zeppelin armed with only a kitchen knife.

 

The strike note of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is e-flat

 

An itch is a stimulus affecting the nerve endings between the dermis and epidermis; scientists liken it to a form of pain. But that's neither here nor there. It's usually caused by histamine released in the epidermis. Scratching stops it, either by interfering with the nerve impulses or by temporarily damaging the nerves themselves.

 

STASI, the East German secret police organization, devised a devilishly clever way to prevent someone from giving them the slip during the Cold War: they managed to synthesize the scent of a female dog in heat, which they applied to the shoes of the person under surveillance. Then they simply had a male dog follow the scent.

 

How valuable is the 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

 

On average, an American relocates 11 times in their life.

 

DMD smuggles moonshine to the Mexicans via an underground tunnel between his house and an outhouse across the border

 

George Washington was deathly afraid of being buried alive. After he died, he wanted to be laid out for three days just to make sure he was dead.

 

 

John Lennon named his band the Beatles after Buddy Holly's 'Crickets.'

 

The lifespan of a squirrel is about nine years.

 

Tennis pro Evonne Goolagong's last name means "kangaroo's nose" in Australia's aboriginal language.

 

Starch is used as a binder in the production of paper. It is the use of a starch coating that controls ink penetration when printing. Cheaper papers do not use as much starch, and this is why your elbows get black when you are leaning over your morning paper.

 

Hawaii has the highest percentage of cremations of all other U.S. states, with a 60.6 percent preference over burial.

 

Blueberries have more antioxidents than any other fruit or vegetables.

 

If China imported just 10% of it's rice needs- the price on the world market would increase by 80%.

 

Would you believe that "on the nose" comes from radio? When broadcasting began, directors had to communicate with people on the air without making noise, so they developed hand signals. Time is always a key element in live broadcasts. The person at the mike needed to know if the program was on schedule. If things were "just right," the director signaled with a finger to the side of his or her nose.

 

Emilio Marco Palma was the first person born in Antarctica in 1978.

 

People living on the east coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while people living on the west coast prefer chunky peanut butter.

 

The little bits of paper left over when holes are punched in data cards or tape are called Chad.

 

56% of women do the bills in a marriage.

 

The Library of Congress, located in Washington D.C., is the largest library in the world.

 

Crickets hear through their knees.

 

An octopus has three hearts.

 

Centipedes always have an uneven pairs of walking legs.

 

The average ear grows 0.01 inches in length every year.

 

According to company lore, Ole Evinrude, a Norwegian immigrant, got the idea for an outboard motor while on a picnic with his sweetheart Bessie. They were on a small island in Lake Michigan, when Bessie decided she wanted some ice cream. Ole obligingly rowed to shore to get some, but by the time he made it back the ice cream had melted. So Ole built a motor that could be attached to his rowboat, and founded the Evinrude company in 1909.

 

When Walt Disney Productions released Return to Oz in (1985), it represented the longest time span that had ever occurred between the original and the remake of a film.

 

Seven people have been struck by meteorite fragments.

 

In New York State, it is still illegal to shoot a rabbit from a moving trolley car.

 

Nick Mason is the only member of Pink Floyd to appear on all of the band's albums.

 

The number 4 is the only number that has the same number of letters in its name as its meaning.

 

Caligynephobia is a fear of beautiful women.

 

In 1981, Chargerz was caught by an undercover sting in which he was sniffing panties at a local clothing shop. When approached by the police he stated that he was doing research for his final in school. When question furthered he told police he was studying to become a OBGYN. When his parents found out about this, Chargerz had no choice but to register for medical school or face being placed on restriction.

 

There are more television sets in the United States than there are people in Japan.

 

In a year, the average person walks four miles to make his or her bed.

 

Among the Buganda people of Uganda, the widows of a deceased king have the honour of drinking beer in which the dead king's entrails have been cleaned.

 

More than 5,000 years ago, the Chinese discovered how to make silk from silkworm cocoons. For about 3,000 years, the Chinese kept this discovery a secret. Because poor people could not afford real silk, they tried to make other cloth look silky. Women would beat on cotton with sticks to soften the fibers. Then they rubbed it against a big stone to make it shiny. The shiny cotton was called "chintz." Because chintz was a cheaper copy of silk, calling something "chintzy" means it is cheap and not of good quality.

 

Elwood Edwards' voice is heard more than 27 million times a day (which comes to more than 18,000 times per minute). Edwards is the man behind those special 3 words (not "I love you") "You've got mail!".

Back in 1989, Edwards' wife, Karen, was working in customer service for a little-known outfit in Vienna, Virginia called Quantum Computer Services. Quantum had an online service called Q-Link. Karen overheard the company's CEO, a young guy by the name of Steve Case, describe how he wanted to add a voice to its user interface. Her advice: "I said, 'Hey, you ought to try Elwood.'" Her husband had spent his entire career in local radio and TV. Edwards agreed to record four simple phrases on a run-of-the-mill cassette player: "Welcome!"; "File's done"; "Goodbye"; and, of course, "You've got mail!". Quantum changed its name to AOL and Edwards's voice debuted on AOL 1.0 in October 1989.

 

The five Olympic rings represent the continents.

[Big John]

In 1981, Chargerz was caught by an undercover sting in which he was sniffing panties at a local clothing shop. When approached by the police he stated that he was doing research for his final in school. When question furthered he told police he was studying to become a OBGYN. When his parents found out about this, Chargerz had no choice but to register for medical school or face being placed on restriction.

Incorrect

[cliaz]

Incorrect

 

 

Oh, so you are saying the fact about DMD is true, then???

[MikesVikes]

"Emilio Marco Palma was the first person born in Antarctica in 1978."

 

This song was in 1977

[Big John]

Oh, so you are saying the fact about DMD is true, then???

Also wrong

[Chargerz]

DMD smuggles moonshine to the Mexicans via an underground tunnel between his house and an outhouse across the border.

I've always wondered how DMD was able to afford all those nice shirts he wears in his videos.

 

People living on the east coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while people living on the west coast prefer chunky peanut butter.

They obviously didn't ask me. Chunky peanut butter is GROSS!

 

56% of women do the bills in a marriage.

Not in MY marriage. That would be a disaster!

 

In 1981, Chargerz was caught by an undercover sting in which he was sniffing panties at a local clothing shop. When approached by the police he stated that he was doing research for his final in school. When question furthered he told police he was studying to become a OBGYN. When his parents found out about this, Chargerz had no choice but to register for medical school or face being placed on restriction.

How did you find out?

[MikesVikes]

Here's an interesting fact.

 

 

Here's a story that Tom Brokaw worked at the same place I do.

link

...and he's in my store right now.

[Big John]

Here's an interesting fact.

 

 

Here's a story that Tom Brokaw worked at the same place I do.

link

...and he's in my store right now.

DGF was born in Yankton and Vinitieri is also from there.