Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2. It's been proven that people can lessen reactions to allergies by laughing.
3. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system.
4. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100
times a day.
5. In the middle ages, people would pin the name of their sweetheart to their sleeve
on Valentine's Day and keep it there for a week, hence 'wearing their heart on
their sleeve'.
6. It was during the Victorian era that the formerly nude Cupid was redesigned as
wearing a skirt.
7. The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to squirt blood 30
feet!!
8. February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
9. Tomato Ketchup was once used as medicine in the United States. Was sold as
"Dr.Miles Compound Extract of Tomato"
10. When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red
11. Dating back to the 1600's, thermometers were filled with Brandy instead of
mercury
12. The quartz crystal in your wristwatch vibrates 32,768 times a second
13. An earthquake on Dec. 16, 1811 caused parts of the Mississippi River to flow
backwards.
15. The average person's eyes will be closed about 30 minutes a day due to blinking.
19. The earliest British expeditions tackling Everest wore tweed jackets, woolen
underwear, and leather boots.
The amniotic fluid that surrounds a baby in the womb is completely replaced
every three hours.
20. During World War II, twice as many fighter pilots were killed during training than
combat
21. In 1962 an outbreak of contagious laughter in Tanganyika lasted for six months
and caused schools to be closed
22. A nautical mile measures 6,080 feet while a land or statute mile is 5,280 feet
23. No one can drown in the Dead Sea. It is 25 percent salt, which makes the water
very heavy
24. Plants watered with warm water grow larger and more quickly than plants
watered with cold water
25. Earth's oceans contain 7 1/2 million tons of gold, dissolved in the water
26. Children who are breastfed tend to have an I.Q. seven points higher than
children who are not.
27. The bird flu virus could evolve into a form that is easily spread between people,
resulting in a highly contagious and lethal disease.
28. The Chinese, in olden days, used marijuana only as a remedy for dysentery.
29. If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on the right side of your
mouth. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on the left side of
your mouth.
30. To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million
individual flowers
31. Heroin is the brand name of morphine once marketed by 'Bayer'.
32. Communications giant Nokia was founded in 1865 as a wood-pulp mill by Fredrik
Idestam.
33. Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an
insult!
34. People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport.
35. Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.
36. Astronauts can't belch- there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their
stomachs.
37. Ancient Roman, Chinese and German societies often used urine as mouthwash.
38. The average person who stops smoking requires one hour less sleep a night.
39. The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave
them off!
40. Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a
solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.
41. The night of January 20 is "Saint Agnes's Eve," which is regarded as a time when
a young woman dreams of her future husband.
42. There are over 25 million bubbles waiting to burst out of each bottle of
Champagne
43. Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros
44. It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out
and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
46. Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for
thousands of years
47. Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end
48. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. For when a human body
is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
49. Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related
diseases.
50. When it originally appeared in 1886 - Coca Cola was billed as an Esteemed
Brain Tonic and Intellectual Beverage.
51. Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals
52. Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
53. The song, "Auld Lang Syne" is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every
English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.
54. For every real Christmas tree harvested, two to three seedlings are planted in its
place.
55. Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent
56. Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's
heated above 450°F
57. The Shell Oil Company originally began as a novelty shop in London that sold
seashells
58. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean,
but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
60. The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of
man
61. Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density
62. Fish and Chip selling officially remained an offensive trade until 1940 due to the
smell it produces
64. The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
66. Do you know the names of the three wise monkeys? They are: Mizaru(See no
evil), Mikazaru(Hear no evil), and Mazaru(Speak no evil).
67. Warner Comm. paid $28 million for the copyright to the song 'Happy Birthday'
68. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
70. The "Swine flu" vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease
it was intended to prevent
71. Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers, that is why it is
found in some medicines.
72. The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in
armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.
73. If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see
stars, even in the middle of the day.
74. When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight
75. Trivia is the Roman goddess of sorcery, hounds and... the crossroads
76. In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed
77. Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside
78. Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred
grams
79. It cost the soft drink industry $100 million a year for thefts committed involving
vending machines
80. The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year
81. The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust
82. Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000
meters
83. Men's shirts have the buttons on the right, but women's shirts have the buttons
on the left
85. Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set
up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down
86. The painting that won second place in a competition held by the US National
Academy of Design was hanging upside down when it was judged
88. For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are
needed at lift-off
89. The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements
92. Pizza Hut is the world's largest pizza restaurant serving close to 1.7 million
pizzas a day
93. Beer foam will go down by licking your finger then sticking it in the beer
94. Those stars and colors you see when you rub your eyes are called phosphenes
96. If all of the blood vessels in your body were placed end to end, they would stretch
12,000 miles
97. If you were to roll a lung from a human body and out flat it would be the size of a
tennis court
99. Two-thirds of the people in the world have not made a phone call
100.Contrary to popular belief, a swallowed chewing gum doesn't stay in the gut. It
will pass through the system and be excreted
101.The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a
chocolate bar melted in his pocket
102.The Nobel Peace Prize medal depicts 3 naked men with their hands on each
others shoulders
104.In 1643, the British Parliament officially abolished the celebration of Christmas
105.Santa's Reindeers are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner
and Blitzen
106.In 1875 the director of the US patent office resigned. He said that there was
nothing left to invent
107.The Channel between England and France grows about 300 millimeters each
year
109.Offered a new pen to write with, 97% of all people will write their own name
110.On average, a person has two million sweat glands
112.Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by
700 times.
113.Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of
bacteria on it.
116.The Earth gets heavier each day by tons, as meteoric dust settles on it
118.Babies' eyes do not produce tears until the baby is approximately six to eight
weeks old
119.14 million people were killed in World War I, 20 million died in flu epidemic in the
years that followed
121.Vision requires more brain power than the other four senses
122.On average, men are 40% muscle and 15% fat; women are 23% muscle and
25% fat
125.The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it's already been digested by a
bee.
130.It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it
131.The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal.
132.The Mercedes-Benz motto is 'Das Beste oder Nichts' meaning 'the best or
nothing'.
133.The color blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming
hormones.
134.There are more Rolls Royce cars in Hong Kong than anywhere else in the world
135.X-ray technology has shown there are 3 different versions of the Mona Lisa
under the visible one
136.The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at
something pleasing.
137.It takes only about 8 minutes for the Space Shuttle to accelerate to a speed of
more than 27,359 km/hour
138.Hydroponics is the technique by which plants are grown in water without soil
139.Time magazine named the computer its "Man of the Year" in 1982
140.Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from producing tears
141.Your left lung is smaller in size than your right lung, it is like that in order to make
room for your heart.
142.Until babies are six months old, they can breathe and swallow at the same time
143.Male human brains are about 10 percent heavier than female brains
144.Before 1800 there were no separately designed shoes for right and left feet
145.The glossy look to lipstick comes from fish scales, which are iridescent
146.To find out if a watermelon is ripe, knock it, and if it sounds hollow then it is ripe
149.Your body weight is lower at 9 A.M. than at any other time of the day
152.Without any greenhouse effect, Earth would be cold and lifeless with an average
temp of 0.4ºF
153.The primary purpose of growing rice in flooded paddies is to drown the weeds
surrounding the young seedlings. Rice can, in fact, be grown in drained areas
154.Not a single new livestock animal has been domesticated in the last 4,000 years
155.Bone China is so called because powdered animal bone is mixed with the clay
to give it translucency and whiteness
156.The original reason for tablecloths was as a towel to wipe one's fingers and
hands on after eating
159.The bark of a redwood tree is fireproof. Fires that occur in a redwood forest take
place inside the trees
163.In 2001, the five most valuable brand names in order were Coca-Cola,
Microsoft, IBM, GE, and Nokia
164.After the "Popeye" comic strip started in 1931, spinach consumption went up by
33 percent in the US
165.A rainbow can only occur when the sun is 40 degrees or less above the horizon
166.At 40° Centigrade a person loses about 14.4 calories per hour by breathing
167.Most gemstones contain several elements. Except the diamond it's all carbon
169.It has been calculated that in the last 3,500 years, there have only been 230
years of peace throughout the civilized world
170.Feb 1865 and Feb 1999 are the only months in recorded history not to have a
full moon
171.The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; "7" was selected because the
original containers were 7 ounces. "UP" indicated the direction of the bubbles
172.The "crack" from a whip is actually the tip of the whip traveling faster than the
speed of sound, emitting a small sonic boom
173.If the information contained in the DNA could be written down, it would fill a
1000 volume encyclopedia
174.It would take 13 years and eight months to stay one night in every room at the
MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas
177.If you gave each human on earth an equal portion of dry land, (including the
uninhabitable areas) everyone would get roughly 100sqft
178.Just twenty seconds worth of fuel remained when Apollo 11's lunar module
landed on the moon
181.There is about 200 times more gold in the worlds oceans, than has been mined
in our entire history
184.Eighteen per cent of all global carbon dioxide emissions are from cars
185.Onions get their distinctive smell by soaking up sulfur from the soil
186.Mango is the number one selling fruit in the World. India is the biggest producer
of mangoes in the World
187.The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It
takes in oxygen directly from the air
188.No nation has ever won the Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International
Pageant in the same year?
190.In most watch advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because
then the arms frame the brand of the watch and make it look like it's smiling
191.If a person counted at the rate of 100 numbers a minute and kept counting for 8
hrs a day, 5 days a week, it would take a little over 4 weeks to count to one
million and just over 80 years to reach a billion
192.An average person perspires a gut-wrenching 278 gallons of sweat each year
193.Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were
made out of wood
194.A banana is about 75% water. They grow on a rhizome, not a tree. You are more
likely to be a target for mosquitoes if you consume bananas.
TOP
Geography:
197.Because heat expands the metal, the Eiffel Tower always leans away from the
Sun
199.In Calama, a town in the Atacama Desert of Chile, it has never rained
200.The only man-made structure visible from space is the Great Wall of China
201.Birth-control campaigns in Egypt in the late 1970s failed because village women
ended up wearing the pills in lockets, as talismans
202.Niagara Falls has moved about ten miles upstream in the last 10,000 years. The
falls are eroding at the rate of 5 feet per year
204.The Channel between England and France grows about 300 millimeters each
year
205.The Hudson River along the island of Manhattan flows in either direction
depending on the tide.
208.In early Rome, March 1 was New Year's Day. Later, the ancient Romans made
January 1 the beginning of the year
213.There are more Rolls Royce cars in Hong Kong than anywhere else in the world
214.Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world
217.The only nation whose name begins with an A, but doesn't end in an A is
Afghanistan
218.The Atlantic Ocean gets wider by a little more than one inch every year
219.The world's only city whose name consists solely of vowels is Aiea, in Hawaii,
USA.
221.Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles
de Porciuncula" . In English this means 'The City of Angels'
222.The Netherlands has built 800 miles of massive dikes and sea walls to hold
back the sea. If it wasn't for these walls, 40% of the country would be flooded.
223.Big Ben is actually the name of the largest bell inside the London clock tower,
not of the clock itself.
224.In 1867 the United States paid Russia only $7.2 million (2 cents an acre) for
Alaska
225.Every year in France there is a "Thieves Fair" where people are encouraged to
try to steal things from the stalls
226.The world's longest street is in Canada. Toronto's Yonge Street runs 1,190 miles
227.In the kingdom of Bhutan, all citizens officially become a year older on New
Year's Day
228.Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in the ancient southeastern Turkish town of
Lycia early in the fourth century
229.Belgium is the only country that has never imposed censorship for adult films
230.The Nullarbor Plain of Australia covers 100,000 square miles without a tree.
231.Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country
233.In Turkey, in the 16th and 17th centuries, anyone caught drinking coffee was put
to death
237.The oldest national flag still in existence, that of Denmark, dates back to the
13th century
238.Nepal is the only country that doesn't have a rectangular or square flag
239.In 1949, the temperature in part of Portugal soared to 158 degrees F for a
couple of minutes. No one knows why
242.It was once against the law to slam your car door in a city in Switzerland
243.In 1980, Bhutan was the only country in the world with no telephones
244.There is a hotel in Sweden built entirely out of ice; it is rebuilt every year.
245.In the great fire of London in 1666 half of London was burnt down but only 6
people were injured.
246.The longest fence in the world is in Australia and it runs for over 3,436 miles
(5,530 km)
247.In Switzerland, it is illegal to flush the toilet after 10 P.M. if you live in an
apartment.
248.Holland is the lowest country in the world. It is estimated that 40 percent of the
land is below sea level.
249.Tokyo has had 24 recorded instances of people either killed or receiving serious
skull fractures while bowing to each other with the traditional Japanese greeting
251.Perth, Australia, is the most isolated city on the planet..200 miles across
impenetrable desert from the next city of any size.
252.Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina delos Angeles
de Porciuncula" . It means the City of Angels.
253.India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
254.In Thailand, it is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing underwear
256.In Sweden, while prostitution is legal, it is illegal for anyone to use the services
of a prostitute.
258.Vatican City is the smallest country in the world with a population of 1,000 and a
size of 108.7 acres.
260.The country with the most Post offices is India with over 152,792 compared with
just over 38,000 in the United States.
266.In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes!
267.It's illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while you're sitting on a curb in St. Louis,
Missouri!
272.It was once against the law to have a pet dog in a city in Iceland!
273.There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones!
274.About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30!
275.In Bangladesh, kids as young as 15 can be jailed for cheating on their finals!
276.A company in Taiwan makes dinnerware out of wheat, so you can eat your
plate!
277.Q is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any of
the United States!
TOP
People:
279.Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined
280.Einstein couldn't speak fluently when he was nine. His parents thought he might
be retarded
283.George Washington died the last hour of the last day of the last week of the last
month of the last year of the 18th century
287.Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor for lack of imagination
290.Mozart wrote the music for the song Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star when he was
just five years old.
292.Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in the ancient southeastern Turkish town of
Lycia early in the fourth century
TOP
293.The oldest national flag still in existence, that of Denmark, dates back to the
13th century
294.The longest movie made lasts 85 hours and is fittingly titled "The Cure for
Insomnia.
295.The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail (HP), India, 2444 mts above sea
level.
297.Ninety percent of all species that have become extinct have been birds
301.The country with the most Post offices is India with over 152,792 compared with
just over 38,000 in the United States.
TOP
302.The first Valentine's Day card was sent by the imprisoned Duke of Orlean to his
wife in 1415.
303.Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentine's Day candy box in the late 1800s.
304.The first novel, called The story of Genji, was written in 1007 by Japanese noble
woman, Murasaki Shikibu.
305.The first company that Bill Gates ever ran created machines that would record
the number of cars passing a given point on a street.
306.The first personal computer was called the Altair and was made by a company
called MITS in 1974. It came in a kit and had to be assembled by the user.
307.The Hollywood sign was first erected in 1923. Conceived as a real estate ad, it
originally read Hollywoodland.
308.The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed
in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago.
309.26 December, Boxing day, was traditionally known as St. Stephen's Day, after
the first Christian martyr.
311.Great Britain was the first country to issue postage stamps, and they're the only
nation today that doesn't use a national name on their stamps.
312.The Chinese first invented the system of zoos, and called them Parks of
Intelligence.
313.The first striptease dance was performed in Paris, France on March 13, 1894.
314.The first time the color khaki was used for uniforms in a war was in 1880, during
the Afghan War.
315.Butter was the first food product allowed by law to have artificial coloring.
316.The term skyscraper was first used in 1888, to describe 11-story building.
321.The first hard drive available for the Apple II had a capacity of 5 Megabytes.
322.China was the first country to introduce paper money (in 812).
323.The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903, and used a tomato can
for a carburetor.
324.The first Academy Awards (or Oscar's) were presented on 16 May 1929.
325.Australia's first police force was a band of 12 of the most well behaved Convicts.
326.In 1937, the first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in
Austria.
328.The first domain name ever registered was Symbolics.com in Mar 85.
329.The first music video was aired on August 1, 1981 "Video Killed the Radio Star"
by the Bugles on MTV.
331.The first product to have a UPC bar code on its packaging was Wrigley's gum.
332.France became the first reigning World Cup champions who fail to win a match.
333.Pamela Lee-Anderson is Canada's Centennial Baby, being the first baby born
on the centennial anniversiary of Canada's independence.
334.The first city in modern history to reach 1 million people was London in 1811.
335.Toronto was the first city in the world with a computerized traffic signal system.
336.King Charles VII, assassinated in 1167, was the first Swedish king with the
name of Charles. Charles I, II, III, IV, V, never existed.
337.The value of "pi" was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the
concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the
6th century long before the European mathematicians.
338.The World's first university was established in Takshila, India in 700BC. More
than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects.
339.The first place in the western world to give women the right to vote was an
island known as "Man".
340.The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the
only elephant in the Berlin Zoo
TOP
The Phobias:
341.If you are afraid you might die laughing, you are suffering from cherophobia
344.If you are a 'scoptophobic' , you have an intense fear of being seen.
Words:
370.There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple,and month
371.The real name of Jesus was Yeshua. Jesus is the Greek version of the name.
373.Ernest Vincent Wright's novel Gadsby has 50,110 words, none of which contains
the letter "E".
374.The word encyclopaedia comes from two Greek words meaning "a circle of
learning."
375.Carol comes from the Greek word Choraulein which referred to a dance
accompanied by a flute.
376.The word Christmas comes from the English phrase, Christes Masse, literally
Christ's mass.
377.The word 'puppy' comes from the French poupee', meaning doll.
378.When two words are combined to form a single word (motor + hotel = motel,
breakfast + lunch = brunch) the new word is called a "portmanteau" .
379.The term "hooch" for liquor comes from the Hoochinoo Indians, known for their
ability to make liquor so strong it could knock someone out.
381.The word "tattoo" comes from the Tahitian word "tattau," which means "to mark".
382.The two lines that connect your top lip to the bottom of your nose are known as
the philtrum
383.The word "set" has more definitions than any other word in the English
language.
384.The word "novel" originally derived from the Latin novus, meaning "new".
385.The word "gymnasium" comes from the Greek word gymnazein which means
"to exercise naked".
387.The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the
word you want.
388.The word salary came from the word salt in Roman times. Salt was used as a
trading medium - money.
389.The verb "cleave" is the only English word with two synonyms which are
antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.
391.Poliosis is the graying of the hair. It comes from polios, the Greek word for
"gray".
392.The word 'denim' comes from 'de Nimes', Nimes being the town.
393.The largest crossword puzzle ever published had 2631 clues across and 2922
clues down. It took up 16 sq. feet of space.
394.The phrase "honeymoon" came from the Greeks. It was customary for the
bride's family to supply the groom with a month (or full moon cycle) of the
wedding wine, which tasted like honey.
395.The word "Oral-B" is a combination of oral hygiene and the letter B, which
stands for the word better.
396.Graffito is the little-used singular of the much used plural word graffiti.
397.Orange and black became Halloween colors because orange is associated with
harvests and black is associated with death "Hallow" is an old word meaning
holy, while "e'en" is Scottish for evening.
398.The word "alphabet" Comes from the first 2 letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha
and Beta.
400.The word 'Checkmate' in chess comes from the Persian phrase 'Shah Mat,'
which means 'the king is dead'.
401.There are only four words in the English language which end in '-dous':
tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
402.President Kennedy was the fastest random speaker in the world with upwards of
350 words per minute.
404.The word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent".
405.The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is
"uncopyrightable" .
406."Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in
alphabetical order.
408.Did you know that the words 'lakh' and 'crore' do not exist in the English
language? The two words are only used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and
are derivatives of the Hindi words laakh and karod.
412.Know what Mafia means? "Morte Allafrancia Italia Anela "Death to the French is
Italy's cry!"
413.A fireplace is called a mantelpiece because, at one time, people hung their
coats over the fireplace to dry them.
414.The "left bank" of a river is the left side as you look downstream
415.The Rx sign that pharmacists use was originally the astrological sign for Jupiter
420.Hydroponics is the technique by which plants are grown in water without soil
421.The permanent teeth that erupt to replace their primary predecessors (baby
teeth) are called succedaneous teeth
422.The raised reflective dots in the middle of highways are called Botts dots
423.Sunbeams that shine down through the clouds are called crespucular rays
425.The thin line of cloud that forms behind an aircraft at high altitudes is called a
contrail
426.The forward slash character on your keyboard is also known as a slant, virgule
or solidus
427.In the Chinese written language, the ideograph for "trouble" represents two
women under one roof
430.Priests in Australia advise you to say Happy Christmas, not Merry Christmas,
because Merry has connotations of getting drunk.
433.A "clue" originally meant a ball of thread. This is why one is said to unravel the
clues of a mystery
434.In circus parlance, a "Joey" is a clown with at least five years of experience.
435.'Smithee' is a pseudonym that filmmakers use when they don't want their names
to appear in the credits.
436.A collector who attempts to collect an example of every item in a particular field
is called a 'completist' .
437.Mummies, are so called because of the wax (or 'mum' ) which is smeared on to
the bandages for waterproofing
438.The "O" when used as a prefix in Irish surnames means "descendant of"
453.A building in which silence is enforced, like a library or school room, is referred
to as a "silentium"
454.Fiat stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobile Torino, the name of the Italian
manufacturer
456.The little bumps on the surface of a table tennis paddle are called pips
457.A "quidnunc" is a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip
458.The 'v' in the name of a court case does not stand for 'versus', but for 'and' (in
civil proceedings) or 'against' (in criminal proceedings)
459.The ZIP in Zip-code stands for Zoning Improvement Plan
460.In genealogy, the female side of the family is called the distaff side the male side
is the spear side.
461.If you are taking a class in pistology, you are not studying pistols, but rather,
faith.
467.Synesthetes see words, taste colors and shapes and feel flavors.
468.Groaking is to watch people eating food hoping they'll offer you some.
469.The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General
Purpose" vehicle, G.P
470.The little hole in the sink that lets the water drain out, instead of flowing over the
side, is called a "porcelator"
471.The 'You are here' arrow on a map is called the IDEO locator.
472.The term Cop comes from Constable on Patrol, which is a term used in
England.
TOP
Sports/Games:
478.Holes in a golf course must be 4.25 inches in diameter, and at least 4 inches
deep.
479.In tennis, zero points is referred to as love, which is possibly derived from the
French word for egg, l'oeuf, referring to the physical appearance of the number
zero.
480.The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five
years of service.
481.The sport with the most number of officials with relation to players is tennis.
There are 13 officials for two players.
483.If you add up all the number on a roulette wheel, that is 1through 36, you get
'666', the biblical number of fallen man.
484.The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail (HP), India, 2444 mt above sea
level
486.Since 1896, the beginning of the modern Olympics, only Greece and Australia
have participated in every Games
488.The metal instrument used in shoe stores to measure feet is called the
Brannock device
489.Sunbeams that shine down through clouds are called crepuscular rays
TOP
Animal Kingdom:
491.Sharks have no air bladders, so they must swim constantly or they'll sink.
492.Cockroaches can go without eating for three months, as long as they have
water.
493.Birds are largely unaffected by spicy things, like chillies, as they are not
sensitive to capsaicin, the hot stuff in chilies.
494.The male penguin incubates the single egg laid by his mate. During the two
month period he does not eat, and will lose up to 40% of his body weight.
495."Mako sharks" show cannibalistic tendencies while still in mother's womb; older
embryos will eat the younger embryos and eggs.
497.Birds do not sleep in their nests. They may occasionally nap in them, but they
actually sleep in other places.
498.The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their
lower eyelids.
499."Sanguinary ants" raid the nests of other ant tribes, kill the queen, and kidnap
many of the workers
500.Frogs do not need to drink water as they absorb the water through their skin.
501.Humans, Ants and Chimpanzees are the only organisms that wage organized
warfare.
502.The penguin is the only bird that can swim but can't fly.
507.Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue twice as much as any other color
511.Male and female giraffes tend to eat from different parts of a tree to ensure that
the sexes do not compete for food.
512.The albatross can glide on air currents for several days and can even sleep
while in flight.
513.A crocodile always grows new teeth to replace the old teeth.
514.Bulls are colorblind, it is the motion of the cape which angers them.
516.Not a single new livestock animal has been domesticated in the last 4,000
years.
517.Honeybees navigate using the sun as a compass, even when it is hidden behind
clouds
520.In the magic world of seahorses it is the male who gets pregnant and has the
babies.
521.A blind Chameleon is still able to change colours to match its environment.
522.Spiders inject their victims with a chemical that dissolves them. Then the spiders
drink their lunch with their mouths which are soda straw-like.
524.If you cut the head off a cockroach, it will continue to live for up to many more
weeks.
528.Sharks never get sick, as far as is known, they are immune to every known
disease including cancer
529.Sharks will eat anything. The only exception, is that they will not eat anything in
the vicinity of where they give birth. This is because they are so stupid, this is the
only way nature protects them from accidentally eating their own babies
530.If a drop of liquor gets on a scorpion, it will immediately commit suicide with its
own stinger
531.The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight
532.Female black widow spiders eat their husbands after mating. That's how they
got that name
533.All shrimp are born male, but slowly grow into females as they mature
534.Frogs never drink. They absorb water from their surroundings by osmosis
538.To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million
individual flowers
539.Fish that live more than 800 meters below the ocean surface don't have eyes
540.Tiger Snake of Australia is the most poisonous snake in the world. 1 mg of its
venom is enough to kill a man
541.The common silkworm has eleven brains. It only uses five of them.
543.Cats, camels and giraffes are the only animals in the world that walk right foot,
right foot, left foot, left foot, rather than right foot, left foot
544.Polar bears are the only mammal with hair on the soles of its feet
545.A monotreme is a mammal that lays eggs but suckles its young on milk once
they have hatched
546.Flamingos get their pink color from the shrimp they eat. The more shrimp they
eat the deeper pink they become
547.Water based mammals like dolphins and whales swish their tails up and down.
Only fish move them sideways
550.Termites eat wood twice as fast when listening to heavy metal music
552.Ostriches stick their heads into the sand to find underground drinking water
553.Pigeons can be killed by feeding them uncooked rice, either coz their stomach
can't handle the carbohydrates or it swells in their throats and chokes them
554.The two-foot long bird called a Kea that lives in New Zealand likes to eat the
strips of rubber around car windows!
555.To make just one pound of honey, bees must collect nectar from over two million
seperate flowers
556.Cuban bee hummingbird is the smallest hummingbird, only 57 mm (2¼ in) long
and half of this is tail and bill. It weighs less than 2 g and is the smallest warm-
blooded animal
557.The color white in the animal kingdom means 'danger' or 'caution'. On safari in
Africa it is recommended not to wear white because it can scare away the
animals
560.The cockroach has a high resistance to radiation and is the creature most likely
to survive a nuclear war
561.The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning it's head are the
rabbit and the parrot
562.Did you know that a giraffe can kill a lion with one kick
566.The female angler-fish weights up to half a ton. The male, however, is only a
few millimeters long, and spends his whole life attached to her nose
567.The Panda bear is expected to become extinct by about 2040, barring a drastic
change of events
569.Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million
descendants
572.The embryos of tiger sharks fight each other while in their mother's womb, the
survivor being the baby shark that is born
573.A crocodile can't move its tongue and cannot chew. Its digestive juices are so
strong that it can digest a steel nail.
574.The heart of a blue whale is the size of a small car. The tongue of a blue whale
is as long as an elephant
575.A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes
577.Dolphins swim in circles while they sleep with the eye on the outside of the
circle open to keep watch for predators. After a certain amount of time they
reverse and swim in the opposite direction with the opposite eye open
579.Owls are the only birds that can see the color blue.
581.It would take 27,000 spiders, each spinning a single web, to produce a pound of
web
585.Aphids are born pregnant without the benefit of sex. Aphids can give birth 10
days after being born themselves
587.Each day in the US, animal shelters are forced to destroy 30,000 dogs and cats
588.German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dogs.
593.In its entire lifetime, the average worker bee produces 1/12th teaspoon of
honey.
594.The only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible is the cat
595.The Pacific Giant Octopus, the largest octopus in the world, grows from the size
of pea to a 150 pound behemoth potentially 30 feet across in only two years, its
entire life-span.
596.The penalty for killing a cat, 4,000 years ago in Egypt, was death.
597.The fastest -moving land snail, the common garden snail, has a speed of 0.0313
mph.
600.The animal responsible for the most human deaths world-wide is the mosquito.
601.The dachshund is one of the oldest dog breeds in history (dating back to ancient
Egypt.) The name comes from one of its earliest uses - hunting badgers. In
German, Dachs means "badger," Hund is "hound."
603.The turkey was named for what was wrongly thought to be its country of origin
604.The venom of a female black widow spider is more potent than that of a
rattlesnake
605.The world's largest mammal, the blue whale, weighs 50 tons at birth. Fully
grown, it weighs as much as 150 tons
606.There are more insects in one square mile of rural land than there are human
beings on the entire earth
607.When a female horse and male donkey mate, the offspring is called a mule, but
when a male horse and female donkey mate, the offspring is called a hinny
608.When a queen bee lays the fertilized eggs that will develop into new queens,
only one of the newly laid queens actually survives. The first new queen that
emerges from her cell destroys all other queens in their cells and, thereafter,
reigns alone
609.When ants find food, they lay down a chemical trail, called a pheromone, so that
other ants can find their way from the nest to the food source
612.The placement of a donkey's eyes in its' heads enables it to see all four feet at
all times
613.The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds!
616.Research indicates that mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently
eaten bananas.
617.Carnivorous animals will not eat another animal that has been hit by a lightning
strike.
619.The Puffer Fish contains a poison that is 500 times deadlier than cyanide, yet
it's a delicacy in Japan.