Love these, thanks Fone!
some nice useless info right thar
i do enjoy reading useless b/s
i wish i could remember all these.
So you could whip them out?
…
At a party?
Is this true for the new bill to be issued this week?
The present ones have 26 states listed on the back (incl. “Hampshire” & “Carolina”) ???
I’m in my old office again this morning, so I figure I should be up to my old tricks…
The right lung takes in more air than the left.
It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown.
One 75-watt light bulb gives off more light than three 25-watt light bulbs.
The pop you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually a bubble of gas burning.
The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.
Scientists have performed brain surgery on cockroaches.
Wet sand weighs less than dry sand.
Men can read smaller print than women.
The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.
Did you know there was one U.S. state that no longer exists? In 1784 the U.S. had a state called Franklin, named after Benjamin Franklin. But four years later, it was incorporated into Tennessee.
Los Angeles full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Serona la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula.
The nation of Monaco on the French Riviera, is smaller than Central Park in New York. Monaco is 370 acres and Central Park is 840 acres.
When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers play football at home, the stadium becomes the third largest city in the state.
China has more English speakers than the U.S.
In Vulcan, Alberta Canada, the tourist welcome sign is written in both English and Klingon (alien language from
God bless you Bill!!
It’s been way too long!!
p.s. If you compiled all of these into a book, you would create the Ultimate Bathroom Book!!!
I love these things, at the same time I am pretty sceptical about some of them.
^ I’ve found that one of the secrets to being happy is to get comformtable with feelings of skepticism and doubt since the rational mind is capable of understanding only tiny pieces of the total wonderment of life.
And on that note, doubt away on these…
Nine U.S. Presidents never went to college: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, and Harry Truman.
George Washington’s teeth were actually: carved from animal tusks, some of them were also somebody else’s teeth, and some of them were from animals like deer and cales.
Second and third Presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both died on July 4, 1826.
The first woman to run for President was Victoria Woodhull, on the Equal Rights Party ballot in 1872.
George Washington named Washington D.C. “Federal City.” It was changed to “Washington D.C.” after his death.
The only President in office to weigh less than 100 pounds was James Madison.
Blueberry Jelly Belies were created especially for Ronald Regan.
No President was ever an only child.
The first-lady of the U.S. is considered a private citizen.
In 1832 Abraham Lincoln ran for the Illinois legislature, and lost.
The phone number of the white house is: (202) 456-1414.
Rutherford Hayes became U.S. President by one vote.
Only 3 mayors of U.S. cities went on to become president: Calvin Coolidge, Grover Cleveland, and Andrew Johnson.
The only U.S. president to be born on the fourth of July was Calvin Coolidge.
Ben Franklin invented crop insurance.
The first bath tub to be installed in the white house was during the time of Millard Fillmore.
There are six U.S. Presidents with the first name James: Madison, Monroe, Garfield, Buchanon, Carter, Polk.
Two U.S. Presidents with the initials “J.M.” followed each other as president.
The S in Harry S Truman stands for nothing.
A piano leg went through the floor of the white house in 1948 during President Truman’s term.
William Howard Taft had a bathtub that could hold four people installed in the white because he couldn’t fit into the present one.
William Taft is only man to become President and then chief justice.
A flock of sheep grazed during Woodrow Wilson’s term. Their wool was sold to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I.
Calvin Coolidge, was so famous for saying so little that a White House dinner guest made a bet that she could get him to say more than two words. She told the president of her wager. His reply: “You lose.”
Anyone could come to Andrew Jackson’s public parties at the White House. At his last one, a wheel of cheese weighing 1,400 lbs. was eaten in two hours. The White House smelled of cheese for weeks.
One ragweed plant can release as many as one billion grains of pollen.
The term ‘hay fever’ originated in England, where some people suffered allergic symptoms during hay pitching time when the symptoms became serve, workers often felt feverish.
A jumbo jet uses 4,000 gallons of fuel to take off.
The first Ford cars used Dodge engines.
The first CD pressed in the U.S. was Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the USA.’
Children spend more time learning about life through media than any other manner. The average child spends approximately 28 hours a week watching television, which is twice as much time as they spend in school.
The thumbnail grows the slowest; the middle nail grows the fastest.
The toes of mummies are wrapped individually.
Apples, not caffeine, are most efficient at waking up in the morning.
There is cyanide in apple pits.
When you sneeze, all your bodily functions stop, even your heart.
Our eyes never grow, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottles represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had.
You blink about 25,000 times a day.
If you lock your knee while standing long enough, you will pass out.
The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
Brain damage occurs at an internal temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mark Twain was the first to have written a novel [Tom Sawyer] on a typewriter.
Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.
The Volkswagen was originally called the “Strength Through Joy Wagon”.
Just twenty seconds worth of fuel remained when Apollo 11’s lunar module landed on the moon.
If Texas were a country it’s GNP would be fifth largest of any country on earth.
Sterling silver contains 7.5% copper.
The active ingredient in smelling salts is ammonia.
The longest war between two nations in history, The Hundred Years War between England and France, really lasted for 115 years(1338-1453).
There are over 600,000 words in the English language.
“Lunula” is the tip of the finger and toenail that is white. It is called this this (referring to the moon) because the end of the nail is rounded like the moon.
The word “piano” is really an abbreviation for the word “pianoforte.”
Duffel bags are named after a town of Duffel, Belgium, where they were first made.
The words “volt” and “voltage” are named for a member of the Italian nobility in the 1700s named Count Voltman.
The ‘y’ in signs reading “ye olde…” is properly pronounced with a ‘th’ sound, not ‘y’. The “th” sound does not exist in Latin, so ancient Roman occupied (present day) England use the rune “thorn” to represent “th” sounds. With the advent of the printing press the character from the Roman alphabet which closest resembled thorn was the lower case “y”.
Some biblical scholars believe that Aramaic (the language of the ancient Bible) did not contain an easy way to say “many things” and used a term which has come down to us as 40. This means that when the bible - in many places - refers to “40 days,” they meant many days.
The term, “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye” is from Ancient Rome. The only rule during wrestling matches was, “No eye gouging,” eveything else was allowed.
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.
The term “the whole 9 yards” came from WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got “the whole 9 yards.”
The word gymnasium comes from the Greek word gymnazein which means to
exercise naked.
Las Vegas means “The Meadows” in Spanish.
There are only four words in the English language which end in dous: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is screeched.
Strength is the longest english word with only one vowel.
“Dreamt” is the only word in the English language to end in “mt.”
You speak about 4,800 words per day.
“Teh” means “cool” in Thai. (Pronounced “tay”).
Lice is the plural of louse.
The word ‘byte’ is a contraction of ‘by eight.’
The word ‘pixel’ is a contraction of either ‘picture cell’ or ‘picture
element’.
Alekthophilia is the love of chickens.
“No President was ever an only child.”
Does this mean that no one was the oldest? Or that every president had at least one sibling?
Great stuff Fone, thanks.
It’s been much too long…
“Lunula” is the crescent shaped bed of the finger and toenail that is white. It is called this this (referring to the moon) because the shape is rounded like the moon.
In 1964, Sandy Koufax, Elston Howard, Jimmy Brown, Oscar Robertson, and Cookie Gilchrist were all voted MVP from their respected (MLB, NFL, NBA) leagues. Each of them wore the number 32.
The word “piano” is really an abbreviation for the word “pianoforte.”
Cher’s last name was Sarkissian, she changed it because no one could pronounce it and it would not be accepted in show business.
Second and third Presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both died on July 4, 1826.
Duffel bags are named after a town of Duffel, Belgium, where they were first made.
The ‘y’ in signs reading “ye olde…” is properly pronounced with a ‘th’ sound, not ‘y’. The “th” sound does not exist in Latin, so ancient Roman occupied (present day) England use the rune “thorn” to represent “th” sounds. With the advent of the printing press the character from the Roman alphabet which closest resembled thorn was the lower case “y”.
The first woman to run for President was Victoria Woodhull, on the Equal Rights Party ballot in 1872.
Sugar was first added to chewing gum in 1869 by a dentist (William Semple).
Some biblical scholars believe that Aramaic (the language of the ancient Bible) did not contain an easy way to say “many things” and used a term which has come down to us as 40. This means that when the bible - in many places - refers to “40 days,” they meant many days.
George Washington who commanded the Continental Army as a four-star general was promoted posthumously to the position of six-star “General of the Armies of Congress” by an order of Jimmy Carter, who felt America’s first President should also be America’s highest military official.
The term, “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye” is from Ancient Rome. The only rule during wrestling matches was, “No eye gouging,” eveything else was allowed.
Damascus, Syria has been the longest city to be continuously inhabited in the world today.
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.
The term “the whole 9 yards” came from WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got “the whole 9 yards.”
It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year’s supply of footballs.
Grover Cleveland’s real first name is Stephen, Grover is his middle name.
The word gymnasium comes from the Greek word gymnazein which means to exercise naked.
Las Vegas means “The Meadows” in Spanish.
Levi’s 501 jeans got its number from its original stock number in the first Levi’s store.
China has close to 25% of the world’s population, and has more English speakers than the U.S.
There are only four words in the English language which end in dous: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
Winston Churchill was born in a ladies’ room during a dance.
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is screeched. Strength is the longest english word with only one vowel. “Dreamt” is the only word in the English language to end in “mt.”
You speak about 4,800 words per day.
Harvard University’s original name was Cambridge. It only changed when John Harvard donated 400 books to the school.
Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them, burnt their houses down - hence the expression “to get fired.”
When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers play football at home, the stadium becomes the third largest city in the state.
“Teh” means “cool” in Thai. (Pronounced “tay”).
The famous Revolutionary war general Lafayette had the same first name as his wife Mary.
The six most dangerous occupations in America are; football player, firefighter, race-car driver, astronaut, police officer, and fisherman.
Lice is the plural of louse.
Bill Clinton is the only President ever to be elected twice without ever receiving 50% of the popular vote. He had 43 percent in 1992 and 49 percent in 1996.
The word ‘byte’ is a contraction of ‘by eight.’
Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of
the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.
The word ‘pixel’ is a contraction of either ‘picture cell’ or ‘picture
element’.
George Washington named Washington D.C. “Federal City.” It was changed to “Washington D.C.” after his death.
Alekthophilia is the love of chickens.
But “olde” is still pronounced “old-ee” right?
We’ve chosen a game called “Fact or Crap” for our monthly family game night tomorrow night at our house, and in honor of that competition based on useless information, seems appropriate to have another installment of…
A rat can last longer without water than a camel.
Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks or it will digest itself.
A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate.
A duck’s quack doesn’t echo. No one knows why.
During the chariot scene in “Ben Hur,” a small red car can be seen in the distance (and Heston’s wearing a watch).
On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily!
The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000.
There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with month, orange, purple, and silver.
If one places a tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death. (Who was the sadist who discovered this??)
Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to s-l-o-w film down so you could see his moves. That’s the opposite of the norm.
The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.”
The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand.
Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.
Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest.
Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher.
The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from public libraries.
Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a spacesuit damages them.
Bats always turn left when exiting a cave!
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
A group of geese on the ground is a gaggle; a group of geese in the air is a skein.
All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
Babies are born without kneecaps. They don’t appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.
Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10.
“Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt”.
February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.
Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.
Mr. Rogers was an ordained minister.
On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.
Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
The Bible does not say there were three wise men; it only says there were three gifts.
The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is “uncopyrightable”.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous”: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: “abstemious” and “facetious.”
There’s no Betty Rubble in the Flintstones Chewables.
Winston Churchill was born in a ladies’ room during a dance.
Awesome!
So are all of these “fact?” Or are some of them “crap?”
Cuz I call call “crap” on the bats turning left out of a cave.
“On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily!”
i’d call that pretty useful information.
from an older post:
“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.”
I read in one of my brewing books that the “rule of thumb” phrase stemmed from brewers testing the temperature of the brew by sticking their thumb in the kettle before the invention of the thermometer.
Only if it’s your kid!
^or if its not.
Im calling crap on the scorpion thing