- There used to be a 13th constellation in the Zodiac - Opheicus.But since 13 is unlucky, astrologers just ignored it.
- When you sleep, you grow by about 8mm (0.3in). The next day you shrink back to your former height. The reason is that your cartilage discs are squeezed like sponges by the force of gravity when you stand or sit.
- Did you know fishes talk to each other? Some of them communicate by making noises in their throats by rasping their teeth, others use their swim bladders to make sounds.
- Every time you lick a stamp, you’re consuming 1/10 of a calorie!
- King Louis XIV was so afraid of weapons that he ruled all pointed knives at dinner tables illegal.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
amazing facts
- Cockroaches can live up to two weeks without a head because their brain is located throughout their body.
- You can visit half of the world’s 10 largest lakes by visiting a single country: Canada. The five lakes are Great Bear, Great Slave, Erie, Huron, and Superior.
- The screwdriver was invented before the screw.
- Humans can lose up to 30% of their total blood volume before going into shock.
- When slicing onions, they release a form of sulfur which when getting to your eyes forms a mild but irritating sulfuric acid which is why your eyes tear up hence diluting it.
- A rat can last longer without water than a camel.
- Chop suey is not a native Chinese dish; Chinese immigrants created it in California
- The first fielding gloves in baseball were flesh-colored, so that fans wouldn’t notice that the players were wearing them.
- The @ sign was very close to being eliminated from the standard keyboard until 1971, when Ray Tomlinson wrote it into the code used to send the first email.
- Frederick Arthur is one of the best-known names in professional hockey. He’s the Lord Stanley behind the Stanley Cup.
- The antennae sticking out the head of a snail aren’t feelers, but peepers. It’s true- a snail’s eyes are located at the tips of those long stalks.
Ten Amazing Coincidences
What's in a Name?
A computer error gave two women in America called Patricia the same social security number. When the two women were brought together in an office to rectify the blunder they discovered that
- They had both been born with the names Patricia Ann Campbell
- Both of their fathers were called Robert Campbell
- Their birthdays were on 13th March 1941
- They had both married military men in the year 1959 (within eleven days of each other)
- They each had two children aged 19 and 21
- They both had an interest in oil painting
- Both had studied cosmetics
- Both had worked as book-keepers
Bullet With Your Name on It
In 1893, Henry Ziegland ended a relationship with his girlfriend.
Tragically, his girlfriend took the news very badly, became distraught and took her own life.
Her distressed brother blamed his sister's death upon Henry, he went round to Henry's house, saw him out in the garden and tried to shoot him.
Luckily, the bullet only grazed Henry's face and embedded itself in a nearby tree.
In 1913, twenty years after this incident, Henry decided to use dynamite to uproot a tree in his garden. The explosion propelled the embedded bullet from the tree straight into Henry Ziegland's head - killing him immediately.
Lucky Hughs?
On December 5th 1660, a ship sank in the straights of Dover - the only survivor was noted to be Hugh Williams.
On 5th December 1767, another ship sank in the same waters - 127 lost their lives, the only survivor was noted to be Hugh Williams
On 8th August 1820, a picnic boat capsized on the Thames - there was one survivor - Hugh Williams.
On 10th July 1940, a British trawler was destroyed by a German mine - only two men survived, one man and his nephew - they were both called Hugh Williams.
With a Quack Quack Here
Mr McDonald was a farmer who lived in Canada - nothing extra-ordinary in that - until you learn that his postcode contained the letter sequence EIEIO.
'Til Death Did Them Part
In 1996, Paris police set out to investigate a late night, high speed car crash, both drivers had been killed instantly.
Investigations revealed that the deceased were in fact man and wife.
Police initially suspected some kind of murder or suicide pact but it became apparent that the pair had been separated for several months - neither could have known that the other would have been out driving that night - it was just a terrible coincidence.
She's Behind You!
Michael Dick had been travelling around the UK with his family to track down his daughter, Lisa - who he had lost contact with ten years earlier.
After a long fruitless search, he approached the Suffolk Free Press, who agreed to help him by putting an appeal in their newspaper.
Fortunately, his long lost daughter saw the appeal and the pair were reunited. The odd thing was, his daughter had been right behind him when the free paper took the photograph - shown in the photograph above. What are the chances of that!
Licensed To Thrill
A fifteen year old pupil at Argoed High School in North Wales was to sit his GCSE examinations in 1990.
His name was James Bond - his examination paper reference was 007.
What Goes Around….
In 1965, at the age of four, Roger Lausier was swimming off a beach in Salem - he got into difficulties and was saved from drowning by a woman called Alice Blaise.
In 1974, on the same beach, Roger was out on a raft when he pulled a drowning man from the water - amazingly, the man he saved was Alice Blaise's husband.
Lightning Never Strikes Twice?
British cavalry officer Major Summerford was fighting in the fields of Flanders in the last year of WW1, a flash of lightning knocked him off his horse and paralysed him from his waist down.
He moved to Vancouver, Canada, six years later, whilst out fishing, Major Summerfield was struck by lightning again and the right side of his body became paralysed.
After two years of recovery, it was a summers day and he was out in a local park, a summer storm blew up and Major Summerfield was struck by lightning again - permanently paralysing him.
He died two years after this incident.
However, four years after his death, his stone tomb was destroyed - it was struck by lightning!
Practice What You Preach
Businessman Danie de Toit made a speech to an audience in South Africa - the topic of his speech was - watch out because death can strike you down at any time.
At the end of his speech, he put a peppermint in his mouth, and choked to death on it!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Wonderful Facts
- The 50 tallest mountains on Earth are all located in Asia.
- A lion’s roar can be heard from five miles away.
- Cats do not taste sweetness.
- Did you know there are two kinds of camels? One is the Arabian that lives in Western Asia and Northern Africa. It has one hump. And the second kind is called Bactrian which has two humps and lives in Mongolia and Chinese Turkistan.
- If a foreign-born female gives birth on an airplane in U.S. airspace, or on a ship within 12 nautical miles of the U.S. coast, her child automatically becomes a U.S. citizen.
- The peacock is actually the male name of the peafowl. The female is called a peahen.
- China is the birthplace of the first seismograph. Built in 132 AD by a man named Cheng Heng, it consisted of eight metal dragons holding eight carved balls over eight frog figurines. If an earthquake made the ground vibrate, the dragon facing the quake’s source would drop a ball into the mouth of its corresponding frog.
- Derby fans may notice that race horses never walk to the starting gate alone. Horses are social animals, and thoroughbreds sped a lot of lonely time on the road. Therefore, it is traditional to bring their stable mate, or “companion pony” along to keep them soothed.
- In 2005, at least 2.5 million American drivers aged 85 or older had valid drivers licenses.
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